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January 02, 2004
gendered computers
Hilde Corneliussen's new computer is not only red, it sports a Ferrari badge and has a startup sound like a Ferrari roaring past. Honestly, it's awesome.
Hilde, who's a colleague of mine, couldn't help grinning when she told me that owning it is vital research for her post doc project on gender and technology, but I think she's quite right: she's already gathered a few interesting comments from men and women who've seen the computer. Women like it because it's red. Men - or some men - are allowed to like it despite it's red, because it's Ferrari. Remember "the woman phone" that Danah linked to a month or so ago? It allowed far less playing with symbols. Of course, you can always make your own symbols by sewing pink, furry covers for your iBook!
Posted by Jill Walker at 05:39 PM in General | Permalink
Comments
Red, schmed, you can have my Silver Surfer when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers!
(Or it finally dies. One or the other.)
Except -- oh, oops. Silver Surfer is a comic-book ref. How totally male of me. Or something.
Posted by: Dorothea Salo at Jan 2, 2004 6:32:39 PM
Oh dear, I made the "women are X, men are Y" mistake in my post, didn't I? Damn generalising. I hate that. Sorry.
I should have written something like "women Hilde's talked with all love the red, while the men she's talked to so far are more divided, some saying they couldn't have a RED computer and others saying they want a FERRARI computer."
I myself have a Silver Surfer (love the ref) and no, I wouldn't swap for a Ferrari 3000 either. Though a red powerbook might tempt me.
Posted by: Jill at Jan 2, 2004 6:39:41 PM
I like the laptop because it's red, but I don't like it BECAUSE it's Ferrari.
Personally, I would prefer for example a flamenco-styled red one, with guitar sounds and a sketchy picture of a dancer in motion as a logo.
I'm a stereotypical woman. *lol*
Posted by: Johanka at Jan 3, 2004 7:24:58 PM
Jill, it depends on your mindset, I think.
All my airplanes were female,
EXCEPT the Boing Stearman biplane, that was a big hunky unmanageable HIM!
Stu
Posted by: Stu Savory at Jan 5, 2004 10:24:59 AM
Julius, I totally agree. In fact, I'm certain that my mac-fanatic friends (an exclusively male subset) fell in love with their machines because of their excellent price/performance ratio. They are all so much more practical than me.
But alas, my extra X chromosome makes it impossible for me to comprehend such a complicated concept. I only like my Dell because it keeps my lap warm.
Posted by: metamanda at Jan 5, 2004 6:19:38 PM
Oh... my... god...
I love this more than words can say. I think I'm about
to put myself into debt to own one. I love it because
it's red. Not just red, but FERRARI red. Just to bust up the stereotype - I would have it
for no other reason than it's Ferrari. I love the actual vehicles
too... can't afford one yet, and my friends who have them
won't let me drive them (I don't blame them - I wouldn't
let anyone touch my baby either).
But back to the stereotypes, how many
other women do you know who were upset they couldn't swing by the factory on their trip to Italy.
Posted by: cshell at Jan 8, 2004 1:43:45 AM
I LOVE Hilda's computer! I wouldn't put it down for a minute if I had one. That is, IF it is as cool a computer as it is cool as an accessory.
In other words, it's great that it's Ferrari branded but can anybody tell me the specs?
Posted by: MD at Jan 11, 2004 1:26:22 PM
I love the computer too! Because it's red and because it's the best computer I've ever had (and I've had a few..) And of course because it makes people show their feelings about the technology (like this discussion illustrates).
The specs - follow the link in the post ;)
Posted by: Hilde at Jan 14, 2004 8:09:49 AM
