Disqus - Latest Comments for amberella

Re: Idiosyncratic Routine

amberella — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 14:29:46 -0000

D'aww, shucks, thanks. The equilibrium will restore itself eventually. :)

Re: http://nooowaycupid.tumblr.com/post/28833967718

amberella — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:49:18 -0000

And by by "US Government" I mean the Post Office

Re: Idiosyncratic Routine

amberella — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 13:06:33 -0000

Yeah, apparently "available in baby, kid, and adult" means no women's cut tees. It sucks that kid's shirts have tiny arm holes. Sorry Wookie...

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:29:36 -0000

If the naked ladies were during a talk, this would have been a different article. :)

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:25:41 -0000

Hi, thanks for those ideas, they are good ones. Here is a great article about increasing female con attendance:
http://geekfeminism.org/201...

I do actually work in technology (for investment banking). Part of my job involves infosec, but not that exclusively. This summer I'm mentoring with a non-profit that is getting underprivileged girls interested in pursuing STEM studies. (http://www.girlswhocode.com/) I would love to take them to an age/skill appropriate conference to show them how broad the options are (not SC, obvs). This article wasn't so much about getting more women into tech as it was about seeing the same "leaders" at a variety of less/more technical events (this one happened to be infosec), and seeing a disconnect between what they said they support in one vs. what they accept in another.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 01:08:46 -0000

I was in the audience heckling. I am pro-heckling. It's not right for every con, but it's definitely fun at SummerCon. Fun, underground shit is awesome, and I love the vibe you're talking about. The binge drinking at SummerCon can get to a point where speakers are hammering on their laptop going "HOW DO I SHELL," though, so .... yeah. Still. Not sexist, but also not so friendly to anyone who is afraid of getting yelled at. Regardless, I never said we should change it.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:13:39 -0000

Thanks for your thoughtful replies throughout the thread. I am not sure if you saw some of the tweets I referred to where folks were displeased, but if someone from LayerOne had replied to them with any acknowledgement (apology or otherwise), I would have been more clear what the con's stance was. I don't think any percentage of women would excuse a sex-oriented official post-con show, though. It's kind of like the "but my best friend is $minority!" argument.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 00:00:05 -0000

I find it hard to believe that some of the smartest people in the world, given free sponsor money and some of the most eccentric friends around, can't imagine and execute any ideas. Saying the opposite of "anything" is "burlesque" was simply calling out a logical fallacy, not an endorsement of giving up.
To be quite honest I was involved in a brainstorming session for a secret con party a few weeks ago and the shit they were throwing out was bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. And none of it involved naked ladies.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:55:21 -0000

I've heard this, but never seen it. I did co-host Hacker Pyramid for the past few years (i.e. intro'd guests, helped run the game, made bad jokes about protocols, gave out prizes, etc.), and noticed a difference in the women coming on for Jeopardy after me (they were in latex and holding a whip). I was mostly too busy throwing shmooballs at the audience and running to make a dinner reservation to think about it, but I will keep an eye out this year.
Sidenote: I know there has been some questioning of my outfit as co-host last year because it was cutesy (t-shirt, tennis skirt, high socks)... I think it's important to show that fun and brains can co-exist at the same time. My role on stage wasn't to disrobe, and I wasn't billed as "come see the hot girl." I understand the "you can't make everyone happy" sentiment because no matter what I wear, someone says it's "too much." The year before I wore a tux jacket and my male partner wore a sequin dress, just to throw them off. Part of being on stage is "costume" and I would never argue that we should all be stuck in con shirts and utili-kilts all the time.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:46:14 -0000

Irrelevant. No person in any industry started out at the top. How do you expect to get any woman want to to stick it out through years of skills development it takes to become awesome while constantly being berated with this sort of bullshit?
Again, this was not an article about getting more women to attend cons. It was about the hypocritical attitude of men saying they wish there were more women around when they are in the mood for it, but just leave well enough alone and shut your mouth when there's no chicks here to rat us out.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:39:49 -0000

Reiterating, I only mentioned LayerOne to point out that burlesque at a con was not a crazy one off event and I had heard some other folks twitterrant about it. Again, not my intention to lambast any specific con, just the idea that it's ok to include obviously sexual content on the official ticket. Corporate suit sort of events are obviously more rules-y, chillaxed cons can get away with more "alternative" sorts of entertainment. Let's just think of the big picture when we do that.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 23:32:42 -0000

I wasn't at the LayerOne show, hence why I didn't go into detail about the whole show (comedians and whatnot). The only reason I knew about it was completely unrelated tweets a few days ago from other women on twitter that were displeased. Regardless, "only one of three acts objectified women" doesn't get a gold star.
It's great that a woman is organizing your events, but that doesn't make her decisions infallible or above reproach. Similarly, because I perform burlesque doesn't make my opinion more important. The only reason my performance is relevant here is that I wanted to make it very clear that I was not condemning the artists themselves, just the context in which it happened.
Edit: It would have made a difference if I showed up wearing feathers, but alas, it was just a jeans and an EFF shirt kind of day.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:25:52 -0000

Clarification based on some outside discussions: The comment about women not wanting to present in the SummerCon environment is an amalgamation of two statements and referred to the "war zone" quality of giving a technical presentation while 150 people heckle you and scream "drink!" ... This in and of itself isn't sexist, but considering all the other barriers to entry, it can be pretty dissuasive to submitting a CFP.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:08:42 -0000

Tim, you are awesome.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:05:45 -0000

If every possible entertainment choice is unfeasible, the failover state is No Show. It is not Burlesque Show. I hope you write code better than you plan parties.

Re: Ragequitting SummerCon

amberella — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 19:02:01 -0000

I agree with you on the atmosphere of SummerCon. As mentioned, I had a great time overall. I don't think that this was intentionally malicious action on the part of the organizers (who are really fun guys), but rather the "no one's watching, we're so casual" attitude that everyone adopted and no one challenged. My intent was never to skewer SC, but to point out the cyclical few-women -> exclusionary-events -> women uncomfortable -> fewer women cycle that can happen at any con. The more insular and homogeneous the audience, the higher the risk.

Re: http://idiosyncratic-routine.com/post/21278998828

amberella — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 18:41:20 -0000

Click the image. ;)

http://knowyourmeme.com/mem...

Re: Using Kickstarter to make fine art without galleries or grand committees or gazillionaires

amberella — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:53:31 -0000

Around Wall Street is one of the cheaper places to live in Manhattan (not talking doorman buildings). There is no night life, no restaurants with character, and limited subway service on the weekend. It's mostly a ghost town outside of business hours.

Re: Using Kickstarter to make fine art without galleries or grand committees or gazillionaires

amberella — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:50:08 -0000

Did you look at the Kickstarter "prizes"? You pay for tidbits that surround the creation of the large scale art, like composition studies, giclée of the final piece, or access to livestreams of her painting. Typically none of this ephemera is monetized, and in doing so, she is not only NOT devaluing the final large-scale pieces, but actually enhancing their worth because of the publicity. And all this without relying on galleries for exposure or exclusive patrons to commission the product and influence what is created. AFAIK that is a new business model.

Re: Using Kickstarter to make fine art without galleries or grand committees or gazillionaires

amberella — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 21:39:50 -0000

Molly has shown in galleries, and is disillusioned with the restrictions it imposes. She is *choosing* to create a new business model. There is a difference.

Re: I’M NOT SHOUTING IF I TYPE IN ALL-CAPS And I’m Not Being ‘Ironic’ If I Use Single-Quotes, Or Here’s Why I Love The Tilde

amberella — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:48:38 -0000

I am confused why I should be encouraged to read "levity" into a tilde (something I have never actually seen used elsewhere on the web) but *not* read aggression or "shouting" into capital letters. The argument is internally inconsistent.

Re: http://idiosyncratic-routine.com/post/10442352592

amberella — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:30:47 -0000

PS I have never replied this many deep in my comment thread. I wonder if it just keeps margining left until it turns into an e.e. cummings poem.

Re: http://idiosyncratic-routine.com/post/10442352592

amberella — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:29:51 -0000

My initial post was intended to be dismissive - it outright says so. I'll buy that goes hand in hand with condescending. It wasn't, however, mocking. I haven't made fun of OWS at all, actually. I have several friends down there every day, and as I said, I've been explaining it to my coworkers in a way that attempted to legitimize what I hoped it would become, even when it was just a few hundred people railing against Capitalism and art school debt.

I have no delusions of grandeur. I find it unlikely that anyone (inside or out) will "Change The System," though if we could get the actual voting percentage up around a respectable level and push for accountability in government, it might help. My job doesn't involve changing legislation (hey - that's Washington's job, maybe we should protest *there*?) but it does involve making sure that enacted legislation is followed. I can't discuss much about what I do, but I assure you that there are times when mundane decisions about how a computer handles a transaction that can reinforce the intent of legislation or not. Or more simply, that risk auditing can catch practices that might cost companies/account holders/people/banks/America lots of money if they don't work right. Having people that care in those positions makes a demonstrable difference, even if you probably never hear about them.

Re: http://idiosyncratic-routine.com/post/10442352592

amberella — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 13:08:40 -0000

"Revised" as in how I edited my comment for clarity within an hour after posting? Jesus you're condescending. I haven't revised anything I posted for content, though fair warning, if I enter the job market in the future, I might need to move my entire blog to private for a while. Will that be ok or "authentic" enough for you? *eyeroll*

If you read the rest of my OWS posts, it should be clear that I remain skeptical but have been moved more and more toward the side of being supportive regardless of my initial misgivings. Isn't that part of the hope of the movement? To break through some jaded opinions and re-ignite the hope for change? So you're right (is that what you want to hear?) - I definitely didn't think it would have any effect at all, and so far been proven wrong with regard to the general support. Pundits and Presidential hopefuls are using OWS for talking points (I guess that's good), but I still doubt that anything will ACTUALLY change (Will student loan debt be forgiven? Will Frank-Dodd legislation be altered to be more restrictive? Will the 1% be taxed more?)

I know that I started having anxiety attacks about going to work now that all the exits but one are blocked off in my building, and I'm 2 blocks away from the WTC and other people there are uncomfortable too. My mom is afraid for me to go in to work, and I almost got caught up in at least one of the police/protester flare ups. I don't bitch about this online because it sounds petty and small in relation to the issues people are fighting for. I've been confronted about my political positions at my job, and gotten into tense situations where I wasn't sure if employers or clients were reading my blog. It's public, so I have to assume they are. Perhaps OWS will end up as a leftist Tea Party, whom I still mostly disagree with but am glad to support as a counterpoint to the far right. I don't know. None of that changes the extremist groups that the movement started from, with which I do not want to be ideologically associated in any way.

Re: http://idiosyncratic-routine.com/post/10442352592

amberella — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:10:52 -0000

"You" was meant in the "royal" sense.

It wasn't actually a revisionist statement, though I have been known to change my mind about things over time. Since I'm not a politician, I can actually do that and feel ok about it! In this case, however, I've always railed against wealth inequality. The statements of the first 100 people at the park were/are entirely different than the statements they've found resonate with the people and that are picking up steam around the country. I have actually spent a decent amount of time around the park in various capacities in the last month, but unfortunately it's best if I don't discuss it online.

Anyway, I don't know why it bothers you that I can be both critical of some aspects of something while supportive of others, and try to do my part for what I think can help in my own way, but c'est la vie.

And I so rarely get comments, of course I'll make the time for you! <3