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April 27, 2004
What Technology Issues Would You Like to See on TV?
Hidden away in the comments to the Intel simulation post is this query from Anna Ceraldi:
I suspect she'll get more of a response if we elevate this to "post" level, so here it is. Leave your responses for Anna in the comments!
Posted by Liz Lawley at 08:02 PM in Media | Permalink
Comments
I'd be delighted to see some in-depth research/reporting on the proliferation of security technology and the perception of safety for women and children. Admittedly, I am sensitive to the "real world" of violence against women globally (see http://feministpeacenetwork.org/). But from a practical point of view, should I arm myself with a cell phone or a ’38?
For example, there are very few cities in North America where I can take a walk alone after dark and relax my typical hypervigilant state. I don’t believe that cell phones or surveillance cameras have improved my odds against attack.
Another example – there was a study some years ago that air bags in cars did not decrease the number of crashes; people just drove less cautiously.
Now we hear talk of implanting children with RFIDs. Are we really about protecting children, or is this another marketing scheme that sells security while kidnapping, molestation, and custody snatches continue to rise?
Posted by: Margherite at Apr 28, 2004 10:15:59 AM
I would like to see profiles of women in technology. (NOT the wives of CEOs :-)) We need role models.
Posted by: Rachel at Apr 28, 2004 11:35:05 AM
Not sure if I can explain this so that anybody else would understand...
Everytime there's a show, interview etc on the television/newspaper about technology, computers, video games, cars, insert whatever thing women supposedly don't care about, there's always wonder and amazement at "Why aren't women interested in these things?". They always make a very big deal out of it, try to discuss what they should do to change things and whatnot.
And every single time that happens I feel like a freak. I play video games, but everybody keeps telling me that women don't play games, so therefore I cannot really be a woman?
So, my wish is that whatever the specific topic may be, that women are treated as just human beings. Show women using technology as if all women everywhere used technology like that every day. Don't make a big deal out of it that they are women and say that they are paving the way for more women to become interested in technology blah blah.
Posted by: Aurel at Apr 29, 2004 12:23:40 PM
Oh YES, Aurel.
Did you see this shocknawe piece from Yahoo?
http://www.mediapost.com/dtls_dsp_news.cfm?newsId=248974
du-u-uh .. women use the Internet. Otherwise, I wasted my money on engineering school, I guess.
Posted by: Margherite at Apr 30, 2004 10:53:18 AM
I would love to see a well produced piece on the work of the radical tech feminist group Gender Changers Academy (http://genderchangers.org/). Their work in providing training for activist womyn is very inspiring.
Posted by: akb at May 6, 2004 4:59:50 PM
I'd like to see women teaching women technology.
I don't know hi-tech people in real life, so I try to learn from searching/reading online. Many high tech tutorials/how-to's seem to be written by men.
I usually understood most tutorials written by women, but often wondered what the tutorials written by men are saying. This example is for a graphics program I'm pretty experienced with, so for me not to understand something that I'm familiar with makes me wonder if it's their teaching style.
So, if a male could confuse me with instructions for something I'm already comfortable with, think how much more confused I might be if it were something I knew very little about. It's my opinion that men explain things differently than women do; I usually understand women better.
I'd love to learn more about using Linux, how to have a dual OS, emulating using OS images, combining different hardwares together, secure networking (including wireless), and programming. Other women would probably want to learn entirely different things. I'm sure we'd enjoy learning from each other, and women with more knowledge could teach other women in ways that men can't.
PS to Margherite:
I get the icky feeling that implanting children with RFIDs is something the govt, and perhaps marketing companies, would want to happen. Win us over with "protect your child/ren" pitch, while secretly hoping the IDs won't be removed when they're grown.
Posted by: Sherri at May 18, 2004 9:09:04 AM
to Sherri:
r.e. the RFIDs, I have the same heart-dragging feeling about any external controls of law-abiding people. Cell phone localization is the same creepy stuff. Anything hackable by bad guys is probably not worth the few benefits provided. If there were some feedback allowing cutoff when the device recognizes a "peeping tom", maybe there is some value to tracking devices. But once the control freaks of the world get ahold, they're never satisfied until they get more.
Designers need to get rid of the "ID" in RFID. Identification is not the same as stalking.
Posted by: Margherite at May 27, 2004 3:07:54 PM
You could review cell phones, hair driers, or vibrators.
Other than that, I don't think you'll get a lot of female viewers watching your program.
Posted by: Julius at Jun 6, 2004 12:05:12 AM
