I think there are two keys to why I was a successful electrical engineer, when I did not (initially) succeed as a computer scientist—despite being more interested in the latter, to begin with, and despite wanting to pursue the latter now. The first key: invisible struggle, no displays of fallibility…
I spent this weekend at the annual face to face meeting of the Alaska Library Association’s (AkLA’s) Executive Council, which is made up of our E-Board (President, Treasurer, etc.) and the chairs of all of the association’s committees, roundtables, and chapters. It’s a great group of people, with a lot…
“STEM” is Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We have a shortage of STEM majors of any gender in the US right now, but the shortage of women in STEM is particularly damaging. Although librarianship isn’t really a STEM field (at least the way most people practice it), I come to…
Scheduling is generally acknowledged to be a messy process. It is what we developer/geek types refer to as a “Hard Problem.” (I’m pretty sure it’s actually an “np hard problem,” but why risk overstating it?) But I find myself really irritated by the current “solution” that I and most of…
I’ve always liked birds. My parents got me a parakeet when I was really little, and they (birds, not my parents) have fascinated me to no end ever since. My grandmother kept canaries, so maybe there’s something genetic to it; I don’t know. At any rate, I’m not sure I…
(I typed that “foofs of the world” and almost left it.) The Dialog event today–I hesitate to call it a “training,” since it was not focused specifically around learning to use the tool–was interesting and fairly enlightening. (Heads up to any readers in SLAPSG: we may have a Dialog tutorial…
I feel like I’m neglecting this blog–SNL videos and class assignments aside–but there hasn’t been much to say: I’ve been sick for about a month (bronchitis and a never-ending cold), which has left me completely drained and not really feeling up to the time, energy, and brainpower requirements of my…
I’ve been meaning to post a “State of the Schooling” kind of thing for quite a while, as the six week mark of the semester neared and then swooped past–it’s funny how “six weeks” still has meaning to me, nearly ten years removed from high school as I am. Having…
(This isn’t part of my essay, but I like to state my biases: I work in an engineering and science library, and the journal costs are debilitating. I also signed away rights to papers I wrote as an engineer and regret it.) Changes in scholarly communication–particularly in scholarly publishing–are challenging…
I probably have nothing deep or thought-provoking to say today. It’s lovely out here, on the Mall or the Cut–whatever CMU calls the area between the UC and Purnell–and the drama students are providing me with immense entertainment. I like this almost autumn-like weather; my energy level is highest at…
