Thursday, August 30, 2012
Bit by Bit: A Young Woman's Guide to Entering and Succeeding in High Tech Careers
A new book all about high tech careers for women has finally found its way onto Amazon! I was interviewed for this book (Bit by Bit: A Young Woman's Guide to Entering and Succeeding in High Tech Careers), along with many other awesome women (some of whom I know).
I haven't had the chance to read my copy yet, but I will post a review
when I do. In the meantime, if you or someone you know has even
considered getting into high tech, I recommend picking it up yourself. In addition to the interviews, the book explains a few of the various job roles that are out there. It will also give you the top ten reason you should consider a career in tech, and what skills you need to get there.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Startup Weekend... In Book Form!
I've wondered before if I'd like being an entrepreneur. I've come up with a few ideas that could get me started. I have even entered a social-good version of a business case competition (and walked away a finalist). But I want to know more before making the plunge. So I got a copy of the book Startup Weekend: How to Take a Company from Concept to Creation in 54 Hours.
What's in the Book
The book's introduction walks the reader through the history of Startup Weekend, emphasizing the need for trust among peers. Without trust, a startup is impossible, given the risks involved.
The first real chapter discusses action-based networking, and why traditional networking events (complete with standing around sipping wine) aren't terribly useful. You need to work together with people you don't normally meet to get the most useful contacts.
Next, the book covers how to effectively pitch your idea and recruit your team members. In 60 seconds, you need to say who you are, the problem you want to solve, your proposed solution, and what help you will need.
The third chapter is about experiential education, and is where the bulk of what you actually do at a Startup Weekend is described. The emphasis on "learning by doing" really entices the reader to want to attend the event in person.
The last two chapters are about the startup business model and the startup ecosystem. They briefly touch on some of the key mistakes that entrepreneurs make, and the steps an entrepreneur can take from deciding to make the startup leap to getting funding to, if they're lucky, IPO and Fortune 500.
My Take
Looking back at what the book actually covers, I have to think I must have got a lot out of it. But, to be honest, I didn't get what I was hoping for.
The book's prose had a style that said a lot of general things without details. Part of the reason for this is the inclusion of the many little stories woven throughout. I do like that the stories give specific examples of the kinds of startups people were working on, and they did help build excitement about attending the weekend event. But they also caused what specific advice there was to get lost easily in the text.
Something the book would have greatly benefited from is a concrete summary list of the information contained in each chapter. Something that the reader could easily refer back to as they attempted their own startup.
In the end, the book is not terribly useful as a reference guide on startups. It does drum up excitement about attending a Startup Weekend, and it does touch on some of the elements of entrepreneurship without going into detail.
Maybe that was its purpose, in which case it succeeds in its mission. But still, I leave wishing for more. I am not sure I am any closer to my answer of whether I want to be an entrepreneur.
What's in the Book
The book's introduction walks the reader through the history of Startup Weekend, emphasizing the need for trust among peers. Without trust, a startup is impossible, given the risks involved.
The first real chapter discusses action-based networking, and why traditional networking events (complete with standing around sipping wine) aren't terribly useful. You need to work together with people you don't normally meet to get the most useful contacts.
Next, the book covers how to effectively pitch your idea and recruit your team members. In 60 seconds, you need to say who you are, the problem you want to solve, your proposed solution, and what help you will need.
The third chapter is about experiential education, and is where the bulk of what you actually do at a Startup Weekend is described. The emphasis on "learning by doing" really entices the reader to want to attend the event in person.
The last two chapters are about the startup business model and the startup ecosystem. They briefly touch on some of the key mistakes that entrepreneurs make, and the steps an entrepreneur can take from deciding to make the startup leap to getting funding to, if they're lucky, IPO and Fortune 500.
My Take
Looking back at what the book actually covers, I have to think I must have got a lot out of it. But, to be honest, I didn't get what I was hoping for.
The book's prose had a style that said a lot of general things without details. Part of the reason for this is the inclusion of the many little stories woven throughout. I do like that the stories give specific examples of the kinds of startups people were working on, and they did help build excitement about attending the weekend event. But they also caused what specific advice there was to get lost easily in the text.
Something the book would have greatly benefited from is a concrete summary list of the information contained in each chapter. Something that the reader could easily refer back to as they attempted their own startup.
In the end, the book is not terribly useful as a reference guide on startups. It does drum up excitement about attending a Startup Weekend, and it does touch on some of the elements of entrepreneurship without going into detail.
Maybe that was its purpose, in which case it succeeds in its mission. But still, I leave wishing for more. I am not sure I am any closer to my answer of whether I want to be an entrepreneur.
Monday, August 20, 2012
The Promise Behind Khan's Computer Science Offerings
I haven't tried them yet. I thought it would be interesting to reflect on the latest addition to Khan Academy before I actually did the tutorials, and then see how my opinion differed afterwards. If the write-up by John Resig, the guy who lead the initiative, is any indication, I am guessing I will like the new computer science content very much. Which is good, because I haven't been all that impressed with Khan Academy thus far.
Based on Resig's description, here is what I'm excited about...
Easy to get going. Everything works in the browser, so there's nothing to download or install.
Side-by-side coding and output. You write code on one side of the screen, and you see the results immediately on the right. This reminds me of languages like Scratch and Blockly.
Live updating. When you make changes, the program doesn't start again from the beginning; the changes are reflected in the output right away. This also reminds me of Scratch, and has been something I tried to take advantage of in my programming workshops.
Visual output. The JavaScript Processing library, Processing.js, makes this happen. Visual output is way more fun than text printed out at a command line.
Helpful error messages. "We build off of the existing linting that we do to try and provide extra levels of hinting. We do spelling correction, provide argument suggestions, and try to make suggestions for common beginner mistakes." And the errors are apparently shown with a cute cartoon character, making them less intimidating.
Collaboration and community. Although more inspired by open source communities, the model of remixing and sharing reminds me a lot of what the Scratch community does. I think this aspect is a large motivator for students to keep on going, and is one reason I have often turned to Scratch over other choices.
Promise of more CS-centric lessons. Most of the current content is basic programming, but the team is intending to expand into more computer science specific territory over time. I suppose it remains to be seen how well they do this, but my fingers are crossed.
So, we'll see how well all this works when I actually get down and try the lessons. In the meantime, I can't help but think that designing the content would be a dream job for me. Maybe one day I'll have an opportunity to work on something like this.
Based on Resig's description, here is what I'm excited about...
Easy to get going. Everything works in the browser, so there's nothing to download or install.
Side-by-side coding and output. You write code on one side of the screen, and you see the results immediately on the right. This reminds me of languages like Scratch and Blockly.
Live updating. When you make changes, the program doesn't start again from the beginning; the changes are reflected in the output right away. This also reminds me of Scratch, and has been something I tried to take advantage of in my programming workshops.
Visual output. The JavaScript Processing library, Processing.js, makes this happen. Visual output is way more fun than text printed out at a command line.
Helpful error messages. "We build off of the existing linting that we do to try and provide extra levels of hinting. We do spelling correction, provide argument suggestions, and try to make suggestions for common beginner mistakes." And the errors are apparently shown with a cute cartoon character, making them less intimidating.
Collaboration and community. Although more inspired by open source communities, the model of remixing and sharing reminds me a lot of what the Scratch community does. I think this aspect is a large motivator for students to keep on going, and is one reason I have often turned to Scratch over other choices.
Promise of more CS-centric lessons. Most of the current content is basic programming, but the team is intending to expand into more computer science specific territory over time. I suppose it remains to be seen how well they do this, but my fingers are crossed.
So, we'll see how well all this works when I actually get down and try the lessons. In the meantime, I can't help but think that designing the content would be a dream job for me. Maybe one day I'll have an opportunity to work on something like this.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
My Workshop on Programming With Processing is Postponed
Summer is as summer does. We didn't get enough registrations for my workshop on learning to program using Processing. Luckily, this wasn't from lack of interest - too many people are just too busy during the last few weekends of summer.
Not to worry, though. The workshop is being rescheduled for September. If you're in Ottawa, stay tuned to our Meetup page and be sure to sign up when the new date is announced!
Not to worry, though. The workshop is being rescheduled for September. If you're in Ottawa, stay tuned to our Meetup page and be sure to sign up when the new date is announced!
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Alan Turing Deserves More Attention From the General Public
Alan Turing was an incredibly important mind from the the twentieth century. Most computer scientists would recognize his name, but I think more of the general public needs to know about him.
Turing was a mathematician known to many as the father of modern computer science and artificial intelligence. He helped crack the German Enigma machines. He formalized the concept of algorithms by defining the Turing Machine, a model of a general-purpose computer that he devised before electronic computers really existed. Later on, he created one of the first designs for a computer that could store programs and became interested mathematical biology and chemistry.
Sadly, Turing met a tragic end. He was homosexual during a time that being so was a crime in Britain. He was prosecuted, and chose chemical castration to avoid jail. He died shortly thereafter of cyanide poisoning. Many believe it was a suicide, though some of his family says it was accidental. No matter the reason he died, it is very sad that such an important and valuable person had to leave us so soon. One can only imagine what he might have done if he had lived decades longer.
The thing is, not too many people outside the computer science community seem to know who he is. I personally think that's a tragedy in itself. I thought it was cool that Tim Berners Lee was honoured at the opening ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics, but I think the organizers missed an opportunity by not honouring Turing somehow.
So, learn more about Turing if you don't know a lot. Spread the word about how important he was. Help make him a household name. Here are some links to help you get started:
Turing was a mathematician known to many as the father of modern computer science and artificial intelligence. He helped crack the German Enigma machines. He formalized the concept of algorithms by defining the Turing Machine, a model of a general-purpose computer that he devised before electronic computers really existed. Later on, he created one of the first designs for a computer that could store programs and became interested mathematical biology and chemistry.
Sadly, Turing met a tragic end. He was homosexual during a time that being so was a crime in Britain. He was prosecuted, and chose chemical castration to avoid jail. He died shortly thereafter of cyanide poisoning. Many believe it was a suicide, though some of his family says it was accidental. No matter the reason he died, it is very sad that such an important and valuable person had to leave us so soon. One can only imagine what he might have done if he had lived decades longer.
The thing is, not too many people outside the computer science community seem to know who he is. I personally think that's a tragedy in itself. I thought it was cool that Tim Berners Lee was honoured at the opening ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics, but I think the organizers missed an opportunity by not honouring Turing somehow.
So, learn more about Turing if you don't know a lot. Spread the word about how important he was. Help make him a household name. Here are some links to help you get started:
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