http://con-techie.com/index.php/con-techie-blog/138-girls-get-their-nerd-on-at-shes-geeky-dc

Loved seeing you all there and I hope to see you in the Bay Area!
Amelia

Now there is something REALLY exciting happening…Film maker Rosemarie Reed is making a feature length film about Ada entitled “Byron and Babbage: A Calculating Story.”

Blogger SUW at findingada.com writes, ‘The film will be based on Ada’s letters and is, as Rosemarie describes it, “a documentary with some dramatic readings”.’  PBS National is planning on distributing this film about the first computer programmer (isin’t it great that she’s a WOMAN computer programmer!).

Now Ms. Reed is looking for people to spread the word. She needs people who are “willing to help publicize the film, be a part of the interactive website, perhaps show the film, or contribute in any other way.”
(http://findingada.com/blog/2009/10/05/byron-and-babbage-a-calculating-story/)

‘Rosemarie says, “I need letters from people stating how important a film like Ada is and how they, through their networks, can help to publicize the film. It would be great if the women have organizations they work or belong to. If they are software developers or computer experts, this would be great. It would be best if they were Americans, as the NSF (National Science Foundation) is American.”’
(http://www.boingboing.net/2009/10/05/ada-lovelace-biopic.html)

This would be something wonderful to show at a Girl Geek Dinner in your area or any other gathering of Geeks. I, for one, will be sharing this at my Nashville Geek Breakfast on October 22^nd.

Letters should be sent by the end of October to:

Rosemarie Reed
On the Road Productions International, Inc.
310 Greenwich Street, 21F
New York, NY 10013

Amelia in front of the Babbage Difference Engine

Now the really hard next steps…funding, marketing, promoting, and getting your item on the shelf! Who do you know that can and will tell you, show you, help you with all the “business” of being in business? Well, if you’re like me…no-one.

So where do you go to find “those people?” You know, the people who have the money and are willing to part with it for that next great thing? The people who have the business know how to make sure that your next great thing actually makes it to the marketplace?

What if you ARE one of “those people” but you have no idea where to find the folks with the next great idea? Perhaps you just want to WORK with the folks with the cool idea and have inspiration and knowledge rubbed off onto you.

Well, perhaps Women 2.0 is where you need to be! This August Women 2.0 will be hosting a ‘Start Up Weekend’ just for folks who have the ‘idea’, want to promote the ‘idea’, and who just want to work with the ‘idea’ minded.

As they say on their website http://www.women2.org/:

Startup Weekend is a place to test ideas, contribute to ideas, and meet potential founders. We are bringing together the most innovative, talented, and out-of-the-box entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley.

Get together with folks to hash out the ‘idea’ on Friday. Develop the product/service with your group on Saturday, and then get a chance to pitch it on Sunday.

WOW! A new company/product in a weekend. Now that’s synergy! Talk about a vision becoming a reality. Think of all the wonderful minds working on your “next big thing” and pulling all that energy into making it happen. Are you ready for the next rocket ride? Then pull up to the launch pad and SHOW THEM WHAT YOU’VE GOT!

Be the greatest you you can be!

Amelia

P.S. Please be sure to comment on your experiences at this wonderful event if you have attended before. Any an all encouragement for those who are on the cusp of entrepreneurship is more than welcome!

On September 30^th, 2009 the GHC will land in Tucson, Arizona with the theme of “Creating Technology for Social Good”. http://gracehopper.org/2009/

The conference offers a wide variety of workshops and sessions including a Resume Clinic, Robotics workshop and “How to Become a Person of Influence.”

The Resume Clinic is an opportunity to have your resumes “edited and polished by industry and academia professionals.” This is an invaluable service for those of us who just aren’t sure what we contribute or don’t know how to convey all that we do. Traditionally, women don’t make a big fuss over their accomplishments and therefore don’t acknowledge the awesome talents and contributions they have and make. Having your resume re-vamped by people who can see through the veil of non-value that I personally have worn is a most liberating and self esteem building process.

The Robotics Workshop will cover cutting edge research and present career paths in robotics. Topics will include “Engineering Self-Organizing Systems”, “Living Better with Robots” and a panel on “Career Paths in Robotics”. Undergrads looking for options, beginning graduate students searching for that ever elusive research topic, researchers interested in latest developments and faculty looking for that cool new motivator for their computer science students will all enjoy these sessions.

Jo Miller, CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc., will be providing the “How to Become a Person of Influence” workshop where you will “explore ways to gain credibility, get buy-in for ideas, and make a larger impact in business, through understanding the mechanisms of power an influence.” The topics include influencing skills and differing perceptions of power and influence among others. There will be a self-assessment, group discussion and an action plan to become that person you want to be.

Speakers will include:

1        Josephine Cheng IBM Fellow and Vice President, IBM Almaden Research Center,

2        M. Bernardine Dias, Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon,

3        Susan Landau Distinguished Engineer, Sun Microsystems,

4        Brenda Laurel Professor and Chair Graduate Program in Design California College of the Arts

just to name a few.

 The conference will even include FREE Child Care for attendees with children ages 0-13. WOW! They do think of everything! Be sure to check out the website for other great sessions and to register for the event! http://gracehopper.org/2009/

Be the greatest you you can be!

Amelia

 · Innovation Award: Yuqing Gao, Senior Manager, IBM Research, IBM
· Social Impact Award: Jan Cuny, Program Director, National Science Foundation
· Leadership Award: Mitchell Baker, Chairperson, Mozilla

 At the banquet the Keynote speaker was Padmasree Warrior who is the Chief Technology Officer for Cisco.

 The Anita Borg Institute has kindly uploaded videos of the speeches for those of us who were unable to attend.

 In watching these videos I am inspired by these women and what they offer from their experience. I will start with the Keynote speaker who’s video is in 3 parts. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEfZSad_2J8

 Padmasree Warrior’s speech gave a great account of her journey from a small village in southern India to her current position as the CTO for Cisco. There were five things she wished to impart:

 Every transition brings a growth opportunity

1. You can gain speed at a turn
2. Leaders blur boundaries
3. The best way to gain recognition is to give it away
4. Opportunity is a mold waiting to be reshaped

 Padmasree mentions that ‘balance’ by its very nature means that items such as work and home life are at odds with each other. This is something that she does not subscribe to. She believes that life is about integration and how do we integrate work, marriage, children, and our own personal lives. It is not one against the other as all are part of who we are. Each transition that comes into our lives, be it a job change, another child, or moving to a new city gives us the opportunity to add new skills to our ever changing inventory.

 Padmasree gave examples of how any kind of turn be it an upturn or a downturn, as we are in now, allows us the opportunity and time to focus and prioritize our needs so that we gain focus and learn new skills in order to “prepare ourselves for the growth that is to come.”

 Padmasree talked about working across boundaries and sharing information. She states, “It is more powerful to have the capacity to influence across directions. Influence the industry. Make people listen to what you’re doing rather than being in charge of a large, monolithic, static group that you can’t do anything with.” She mentions utilizing the burgeoning Social Media sector, such as Twitter (which she says is her favorite) as a means to blur those boundaries.

 The fourth item Padmasree speaks to is that of recognition. We are all wanting and needing recognition for the things we do but that is hard to come by when we don’t share our ideas and collaborate. Instead of keeping the silos of information and one-upping each other she suggests that we should get together and gather all possibilities and give credit where credit is due. If someone has a great idea let everyone know that it was theirs and then folks will be more likely to let people know when you have an inspiration. Which goes back to the old adage – that which you sew, you shall reap.

 Regarding opportunities Padmasree says that “there is never a perfect fit.” If you’re looking for a job the employer will always want something that you may not have but this is just a chance to learn something new and grow your skills. She says, “If you’re passionate about something, you will find the courage to break the mold and opportunities will find you…It’s up to you to make the fit happen”

 Padmasree also spoke to ‘How the role of female leaders will change in the future.’

• Instead of just being a Pioneer, one will have the ability to increase their sphere of influence by crossing boundaries and utilizing Social Media, but ultimately by just being authentic.
• While being a trailblazer, one will need to “create the community to follow the trail” by knowing when to merge communities and when to separate them.
• Don’t just be different, be a woman. Be authentic. Be who you are.
• Don’t fly solo. The future is about collaboration and one cannot work alone. Be vulnerable. Be willing to not know all the answers. Look to your community to find the answers.
• While teaching, share your passion. This will inspire those around you to reach out, experiment and learn.

 Check out the speeches of all these fantastic women at You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEfZSad_2J8

 Be the greatest you you can be!

Amelia