Re: Perl's Glory Days Are Behind It, But It Isn't Going Anywhere

Hi e,

On Tue, 05 Feb 2013 14:30:03 -0500
[email protected] wrote:

>=20
> On Feb 5, 2013, at 11:47 AM, Nicholas Clark <[email protected]> wrote:=20
> >=20
> > Yes. Surprisingly familiar set of names, most I recognise from at least=
 10
> > years ago.
> >=20
> > Why aren't there new names?
>=20
> Likely the same reason(s) as 10 or more years ago. :)
>=20
> > (The breeding programme will take time to deliver results. Something ne=
eds
> > to change in the meantime)
>=20
> Well, there have been a lot of words wasted on "Why aren't there more wom=
en
> in $x?" for just as many years with just as little change and I do think =
the
> correlation is meaningful if not causation. The breeding programme does
> appear to be producing quite a few females so you'd think there'd be more
> earnest investigation instead of believing the world will be miraculously
> changed in a few years, but I'm not optimistic such will be the case.
>=20

I hope I won't get attacked for it too much (and I am an active contributor=
 to
[email protected]), but I think part of the problem is that Feminists (and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminazi -s
- a term which no longer mean the same thing) are *never* happy from whatev=
er
behaviour the good-intentioned male hackers exhibit towards female
developers who wish to start, which causes them to do nothings towards them=
 (as
a worst of all possible solutions - see
http://motivator-and-inspirator.blogspot.co.il/2010/07/grandfather-grandson=
-and-donkeys.html
), and make the ground fertile for constant abuse by the sexist
=E2=80=9Cnaked pics, plz=E2=80=9D people.

So I think it is better to encourage post-Feminist / post-Buffy /
post-Friends / etc. female hackers=E2=80=99 heroines. Trying to tout my own=
 horn, here
is some ( hopefully ) entertaining and amusing post-Buffy / post-Feminist o=
nline
literature I've written:

* http://www.shlomifish.org/humour/human-hacking/ - the Human Hacking Field
Guide - =E2=80=9CAn unlikely female computer hacker (=3D software enthusias=
t, not a
computer intruder)-wannabe is getting taught by an even more unlikely female
computer hacker. It takes place in Los Angeles, California and is written in
English. =E2=80=9D

* http://www.shlomifish.org/humour/Star-Trek/We-the-Living-Dead/ - a
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode with some loose ends, which is featuring
Katie Jacobson, a typical http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y female
software hacker (originally from Berkeley, California, a Technion graduate =
and
then working as a system administrator on a private merceneries star ship)
who is excited (or sometimes agitated) to experience the various farfetched
wonders my imaginary world crossing of Star Trek TNG/DS9, Buffy, Judaism,
Objectivism and Neo-Objectivism, geek culture and many other lesser influen=
ces.
Furthermore, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jadzia_Dax and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kira_Nerys also play important rules there as
does Deborah the Prophet.

* https://github.com/shlomif/Selina-Mandrake ;
http://www.shlomifish.org/humour/Selina-Mandrake/ - =E2=80=9CSelina Mandrak=
e - The
Slayer=E2=80=9D - Selina is an unusual vampire slayer, who while being an
Anglo-American student, with aspirations of becoming a Near East
Archaelogist, testifies that: =E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m not into martial arts, a=
nd I=E2=80=99m really
clumsy. As much as I like playing Basketball (and I do), I royally suck at =
it=E2=80=A6
=E2=80=9D.

Despite all that, using the fact that she knows enough about the Near East,
Judaism/Semitic culture, and popular culture, she is able of slaying all the
demons she encounter, but while finding the entire process extremely emotio=
nal.

-----------------

Regards,

	Shlomi Fish=20

> An anecdote I'm fond of sharing since it still makes me laugh is when I
> noticed a group of 4yo pre-schoolers playing with a European layer puzzle=
 of
> the human body (EU for anatomical realism) I asked them, "What is the lar=
gest
> organ in the human body?" Without exception, the girls pointed to their h=
ead
> or their hearts and the boys, well, the boys all pointed to the most
> cherished of male body parts. I managed to not make ribald comments leadi=
ng
> to nightmares or corruption of such innocent souls and soldiered on infor=
ming
> them that, no, the skin is the largest of the organs in the human body. A=
gain
> I asked the question and the girls, without exception, all pointed to the=
ir
> skin and, the boys all pointed to their cherished member. Some things don=
't
> change. :)
>=20
> If you want change, you have to do more than ask why and have a panel of
> talking heads at a conference...or announce a new version of the language=
 in
> hopes that change can be driven merely by external novelty.
>=20
> e.



--=20
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Shlomi Fish       http://www.shlomifish.org/
The Case for File Swapping - http://shlom.in/file-swap

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