Archive for the ‘Software’ Category

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The EKG Ap


10 Sep

Posted in Healthcare, Science, Software, Technology | Comments Off

Here in the US, if you need an EKG, you go to the doctor, it gets ordered and off you go to be hooked up to expensive equipment, at least if you have money or some kind of insurance. But what about people in developing countries where the majority of the population does not have access to advanced medical care and an EKG machine?

Enter Catherine Wong, a 17 year old from New Jersey. She recently invented an ap that will work as an EKG. Because the sad truth is, more people have access to smart phones than do hospitals.

2nd Geek Girl Con


13 Aug

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This weekend was the second Geek Girl Con. This year, due to other scheduling issues, I was unable to attend. I am still thrilled the conference exists, and it was really nice to see that they got more space this year so that they wouldn’t have to turn anyone away.

They are attracting national attention, including an article on the Today website. EA was one of the sponsors, proudly showing off their new NHL game with a female avatar. So  when will we get Madden with a female avatar, or an RPG that is capable of moving past Lara Croft?

Curiosity


06 Aug

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Curious about Mars? So is most of NASA, and last night, the new Curiosity rover arrived on Mars safe and sound after 8 months of travel. Just like a good teenager, it texted it’s safe arrival back home and shortly after landing posted some sight seeing pictures.

The plan is for Curiosity to be working and sending back data for two years, though scientists hope it will last longer than that. And they have good reason to hope. The Spirit andOpportunityrovers landed in 2004. Spirit stopped working after 6 years.Opportunityis still sending data home.

Congratulations NASA.

Mars


02 Aug

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Humans can’t go to Mars just yet. We have to settle for sending rovers to the surface and living through pictures taken by telescopes (like the picture in this post from the Hubble spacecraft). But even if we have to visit Mars vicariously, this week we can still do it “live”. The Slooh Space Camera is webcasting live views of Mars August 1 through 3. The webcasts will include commentary from NASA scientists.

Of course, on Sunday, the newest Mars Rover will land on the planet, and the hunt for water will begin again. It’s called “Curiosity” for a reason.

Geek Girl Con: Women Running Geeky Businesses


11 Oct

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Posted in Discrimination, Games, Science, Software, Technology | 2 Comments »

I attended 2 panels at Geek Girl Con.

I was disappointed in Women Running Geeky Businesses- not because of the panelists, who were great, but because it didn’t focus on the challenges of being a woman running a business, running a geeky business, or being a woman running a geeky business. It was mostly about how to run a business. That’s not bad, but also not what I’m looking for in a panel specifically about being a WOMAN running a GEEKY business.

There are gender issues in geek culture. That’s why this con exists. I wanted to hear those addressed.

Geek Girl Con is a Success


10 Oct

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Geek Girl Con sold out on both Saturday and Sunday. In fact, I got there late enough on Saturday to check in with my pre-bought ticket that they did not actually have any 2 Day passes left- the girl had to take a guest pass, cross out the “guest” and write 2 Day on it. They were also out of lanyards and the generic con swag bags.

I am thrilled that the con did so well in its first year. There is definite room for improvement, but the first ever Geek Girl Con definitely has to be considered a success.

Queen of my Domain


24 Sep

Posted in blogging, Microfiction, Software, Writing | Comments Off

Pondering having my own website where I can have all of my writing endeavors housed under one roof. Considering there are two other blogs besides this one and the micro-fiction site, plus the 100 Words Project book and my fiction writing, this seems like it would make my business cards simpler, if nothing else.

Playing around in Publisher this morning to create the home page design. I’ll happily use wordpress for the blog pages, but I want the home page to be uniquely me. And it is nice to be able to design it myself without having to learn html.

Crowdsourcing Science


22 Sep

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Posted in Healthcare, Science, Software, Technology | 1 Comment »

I’m a huge fan of crowd sourcing. In my own life, I sometimes get so caught up in a problem that I stop seeing it clearly. An outside source, even (especially) one who knows nothing about the problem, can often provide insight that I need to solve it.

And that’s why I love the idea of using a video game to help solve actual scientific puzzles. In less than ten days, doing this in their free time, because they enjoy it, players of the video game Foldit, solved a molecular mystery that had been stumping scientists for over ten years.

A New Word Processor


18 Jul

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I removed Open Office from my laptop because it’s just too big for the processing power of my $300, three year old, barely meets the specs for its Vista OS laptop. But that means that I need to find a new way to work on my fiction when I go to critique group. So, I’m giving Google docs a try.

This morning was the first time I’d gotten into Google docs since I uploaded the pieces there. After some confusion about which account they were in and then a computer crash, I was able to view and edit my documents.

My Favorite Video Games: Sid Meier’s Railroads


22 Mar

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Posted in Games, Software | 1 Comment »

I remember enjoying playing with my brother’s toy trains as much as he did. As an adult, I still like trains. However, because I don’t have any children to give me the excuse of owning toy trains, I play Sid Meier’s Railroads.

Sometimes I play it as just a train table, trying to meet all the goals. Other times I play vs. computer generated opponents. (I don’t do the multi-player.) Either way, its usually a good way to spend an hour or two.

I tried some mods, but with the exception of the official Holiday scenario, they weren’t well programmed.

 

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