"But you don't look like a computer scientist!"

Joe McCarthy has an interesting post about the Boopsie Effect, "wherin women in upper-level positions in historically male-dominated professions find that 'attractiveness suggests less competence and intellectual ability'". He discusses some female computer science researchers he knows who have felt compelled to conceal their attractiveness in order to be taken seriously by their colleagues.

This is a picture of Hedy Lammar, silver screen 

actress and wireless security pioneer.

Photo by BooBooGBs

I thought this was an interesting comment, because I've fortunately never encountered this sort of problem from my male colleagues. However, I have most certainly encountered this from the lay public.

For example, I recently bought an iPad while traveling. Because I had suitcases to carry, I accepted the Apple store employee's suggestion to open the box and register the SIM card so I could leave all the packaging at the store. After he finished I began to gather my bags and he said, "Do you need any help setting up your email?" to which I replied, "No thanks, I'm a computer scientist." He had a look of shock on his face and said, "Oh! I underestimated you!"

I'm still not entirely sure what to make of that comment. What are we computer scientists supposed to look like exactly?

Of course this comment isn't nearly as bad as one I received a long time ago. I was out with some friends, and a man came over and started talking to me. He asked me what my profession was. I told him, and he said, "But you don't look like a computer scientist!" I had to leave the room for a second, and when I came back he was gone. Perhaps he was hoping I looked more like Hedy?

Interview with Jimmy Moore

About two months ago, I did an interview with Jimmy Moore of the Livin' la Vida Low Carb internet empire. I hardly remember what we talked about, but I think it went well. I enjoyed Jimmy's pleasant and open-minded attitude. Head over to Jimmy's website and listen to the interview here.

I do recall making at least one mistake. When discussing heart attacks,I said "atrial fibrillation" when I meant "ventricular fibrillation".

work with what you've got...

i am blown away by the sweet comments about walker and his room. thank y'all so much! i thought i would be here sooner but its amazing how time consuming staring at a newborn can be! he totally has me wrapped around his finger....

i wanted to answer some questions about the nursery and show how w/ baby #2, you've got to work with what you've got. which was basically zero $$ and tweaking taylor's super girly nursery into something a little boy could feel "manly" in.

1. the first challenge was the size of the room. usually a nursery is tiny and intimate but our two upstairs rooms are huge. the bed and end tables are loaners from my parents. my dad is super talented when it comes to building and he built the bed based off of maine cottage's lizzie bed. it's great to have a bed for when guests come and if i want to sleep in here instead of going up and down the stairs at night for feedings. the bedding was a great budget find....micheal kors duvet and shams from tj maxx. the "walker" pillow was a gift made by one of our family's oldest friends.

2. the crib was taylor's and is stokke sleepi in whitewash (i purchased it at b. braithwaite- FAB baby store in atl). i loved the oval shape of the crib when i was pregnant w/ tay but have since realized that you are limited to bedding when you have an oval mattress. luckily, one of my favorite companies, dwell studio, offers oval bedding. for tay's room we had the chocolate dots which warren thought wasn't boy enough. i loved the pattern owls so i got crafty and bought the shower curtain and took the bumper and had it recovered (i left the brown and white stripe on the inside). shower curtains are great ways to save $$ on fabric b/c they are 72" W but beware they are thin so they typically have to be interlined.

3. the changing table was taylor's...loved that dwell studio offers "cool" changing pad covers at great prices (also, they are constantly having free shipping so i buy during that time). i decided to go w/ the dots here b/c i think it adds some personality. the mirror was leftover from our previous house. and the mobile is blabla...it's leftover from tay's room and they don't offer these versions anymore but here is one on super sale :)

4. the chair and ottoman were taylor's. at the time, i thought a giant pink chair would be cute...i love it so much more now so i am very happy to have it recovered. plus when you order these gliders from baby stores, the standard fabric selections aren't great!! the new fabric is robert allen and was some in my hoarding stash. and my mother-in-law shared a great secret w/ me on reupholstery....the prison does it for cheap (like $20 a yd which is a 1/3 of the cost i am use to paying). you just can't be in a rush to have it back b/c they have things like "lock downs" at the jail (i kid you not) and it delays things...

5. the bookshelf was a find from habitat for humanity ($30). it was rather ugly when i purchased it but i loved the fact that it was real wood and had a bead board back. i bought leftover paint at habitat as well, $4 a gallon to paint it with.

other random information:

- the lights are potty barn kids...i found them at a neighborhood yard sale for $5

- the industrial initials above walker's crib were bought at bungalow classic (LOVE this store if you are in atl, go here)...i think they were $13 a piece.

- the metal baskets are old locker baskets...i love these things...i find them at antique stores. warren doesn't think they are very kid friendly but since walker isn't grabbing anything at this current time, they're staying :)

- playskool chalkboard...thrift store find...old school!

-roman shade is lulu dk catwalk..it was in my kitchen in my old house

- the bookshelf at the end of the bed is one that warren and dad made for tay's room...we just added the left over fabric for the top of it

okay, if you are still reading this i am impressed! thanks again for your sweet comments! i hope to post more regularly....i know it won't be daily just yet. have a wonderful weekend!

*ps. the designer's attic will back to its normal posts next week...i have some good ones too :)

Gandarusa, Potensial untuk KB Pria
Kamis, 24 Juni 2010 | 08:50 WIB

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Tumbuhan sejenis perdu ini sudah lama dikenal sebagai campuran obat luar untuk mengatasi berbagai keluhan. Belakangan manfaat lebih gandarusa makin tersingkap, terutama sebagai kontrasepsi alami untuk pria. Beberapa penelitian telah dilakukan guna membuktikan khasiatnya.

Sejak dulu orang mengenal gandarusa sebagai tanaman untuk pagar halaman. Dengan tinggi di atas satu meter, tumbuhan yang memiliki nama Latin Gendarussa vulgaris Nees ini memang pantas dipilih sebagai tanaman pelindung.

Seperti Siti Hartini, pemilik kebun gandarusa di bilangan Pancoran Mas, Depok. Menurut wanita yang rajin belajar meramu herba ini, selain penampilannya enak dilihat saat ditanam di halaman, gandarusa juga memiliki beragam manfaat. Gandarusa biasa ia manfaatkan sebagai ramuan luar guna mengatasi gangguan keseleo atau terkilir.

“Ramuan itu sudah ada sejak zaman orangtua saya. Cara meramunya mudah, seperti membuat param agar luka memar atau keseleo tidak membengkak dan cepat sembuh. Bahannya 30 gram daun gandarusa segar dan temu putih secukupnya. Setelah dicuci bersih, kedua bahan tersebut ditumbuk hingga halus. Setelah itu, tambahkan air secukupnya agar menjadi adonan. Adonan itu selanjutnya dioleskan ke bagian tubuh yang memar atau keseleo. Lakukan dua kali sehari,” papar nenek dua cucu ini.

Selama ini berdasarkan beberapa kesaksian empiris, ramuan tersebut dapat mengurangi risiko bengkak dan meredakan rasa nyeri akibat keseleo.

Pelancar Darah
Khasiat gandarusa sebagai pereda nyeri juga pernah diteliti oleh Hotma Elisa Siregar dari Jurusan Farmasi FMIPA Universitas Sumatera Utara, pada tahun 1984, guna mengetahui efek analgetiknya. Hasilnya, pemberian infus daun kering gandarusa per oral pada mencit, dengan bahan pembanding parasetamol dan morfin, menunjukkan hasil positif atau adanya pengaruh.
Bagian tanaman yang sering dimanfaatkan adalah daunnya. Rasanya khas, sedikit pedas, asam, dan getir. Berdasarkan pengalaman, gandarusa dipercaya membantu melancarkan peredaran darah, juga sebagai pereda mual dan antirematik.

Sementara itu, di kalangan industri farmasi, bahan dasar atau ekstrak gandarusa sudah sering dimanfaatkan untuk jamu atau obat. Sayangnya, belum banyak penelitian yang dilakukan untuk menguatkannya.

Tanaman yang dalam bahasa Sunda dikenal sebagai handerasa atau gonorusa ini diketahui berpotensi sebagai kontrasepsi alami bagi pria. Sejak beberapa tahun lalu sampai saat ini sejumlah ilmuwan Indonesia terus meneliti penggunaan ekstrak tanaman gandarusa sebagai bahan kontrasepsi alami bagi pria.

Menurut hasil uji praklinis pada hewan coba, tanaman itu efektif menekan pertumbuhan spermatozoa. Keyakinan ini berawal dari temuan Prof. Ir. Moeso S. dan Drs. Agus P., gandarusa biasa digunakan masyarakat Papua sebagai obat KB pria. Penelitian lanjutan dilakukan oleh Drs. Bambang Prayogo, Apt., dari Jurusan Farmakognosi (cabang ilmu yang mempelajari tumbuhan sebagai obat) Fakultas Farmasi, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya.

Serupa KB Hormonal
Dinyatakan Dr. Bambang, cara kerja senyawa gandarusa lebih mudah diterapkan dan berpeluang berhasil. Kondisi kembali subur setelah tidak memakainya juga cukup tinggi.
Temuan sekaligus tawaran gandarusa sebagai kontrasepsi alami bagi pria tentu menarik. Pasalnya, selama ini kontrasepsi pria lebih bersifat mekanis, yang membuat kaum pria ogah menggunakannya. Seperti senggama terputus, selain sulit mengontrol, juga mengurangi kenikmatan. Sementara itu, soal penggunaan kondom, banyak yang berkilah tidak alamiah, di samping ada beberapa wanita yang alergi kondom.

Ada KB pria yang dianggap manjur, yakni vasektomi, tetapi harus lewat jalan operasi. Belum-belum sudah bikin ngeri. Sudah begitu, vasektomi diragukan saat pemulihan ke¬suburan dan seringkali diduga memicu kanker prostat di kemudian hari.

Jadi, agar dilirik, kontrasepsi khusus pria haruslah dapat menjaga fisiologi (fungsi organ tubuh), psikologi, dan libido tetap normal. Mungkin serupa tetapi tak sama dengan kontrasepsi hormonal, entah susuk atau suntik. Lebih disukai bila berbentuk pil atau tablet, sehingga bisa digunakan secara oral.

Jika benar hal ini terwujud dan industri farmasi tertarik mensponsori penelitian serta pengembang¬annya, tentu menjadi sebuah harapan besar.

Meski begitu, beberapa kalangan, termasuk para peneliti, tetap menyarankan adanya riset mendetail dan komprehensif agar bisa diambil kesimpulan yang pasti tentang khasiat gandarusa sebagai solusi alternatif KB bagi pria.(Lalang Ken Handita)

NB: Sehatherbal menyediakan Gandarusa kapsul, harga 50rb/50 kpsul. Info lebih lanjut k 081310343598 atau budiprakoso98@gmail.com

Cloudy with a chance of iPhones

I was ... the first full-time woman faculty member in my department.
There really was difficulty among my male colleagues in associating
with a woman as a colleague. I think they literally did not know how
to talk to me, and as a consequence often just did not talk to me.
They would ignore me. They would not invite me to have lunch with
them, which was a very ordinary experience there ... they would walk
past my office and ask the next person and never ask me. [Years
later] I asked one of my colleagues why this was so. And he said,
`You know what would happen if I asked you to lunch ... People would
talk' ([Clark et al 1986, pages 36--37,] in [Sandler 1986, pages 7--8,]).

Ellen Spertus quoted this passage in an MIT tech report she wrote in 1991 on the topic de jour in various tech circles, "Why are there so few female computer scientists?" One part of the article I liked was the section entitled, The Masculine Environment: Behavior Due to Sex-Correlated Differences. Here she discusses how difficult it can be for women to talk with men about non-academic topics as their interests often do not overlap. She also points out that many of the "team-building" activities intending to foster communication among colleagues often involve things that tend to appeal more to men than to women. (In general).

Photo by Adam Crowe

For example, in my department, some recent events purporting to build camaraderie have been: World Cup viewing + drinking beer, happy hour, visiting a bar, some video game events, and recently a long string of XTREME sporting activities. Of the very few female faculty and students in my department, I don't think any participate in these activities. Several come from religious and cultural backgrounds that strongly prohibit drinking-related activities.

While we do have a great mentoring scheme set up for women coming into the department and supporting them while they're here which includes some social events, it's not really the same thing. In fact, while I applaud the efforts, sometimes going to these women-focused events makes me feel like I'm sitting at the kid's table at Thanksgiving. By trying to help us fit in, we are further made separate. I've suggested to various people in my department that perhaps there might be other group activities more amenable to helping us intermix a bit more, so perhaps things will change in the future.

But in the meanwhile: What can a lone woman do to fit in with the men?

The answer lies within the thing that got you into this crazy field in the first place - a deep love (or hatred) of technology. Think of this topic like the weather for computer scientists. I guarantee you that most people in your department are following the latest drama regarding Apple and Flash, Facebook's latest privacy fail, or what neat things the new Kinect will do. And if you're not up on the latest, I strongly suggest subscribing to the ACM's Tech News. It's only three emails a week which you can quickly skim to get an idea of what's happening.

Talking tech is a great way to break the ice and start to develop the rapport that is essential to being accepted into (and thus feeling comfortable in) a male-dominated department.