On the importance of...informative video content.

It is a broadly recognised fact that the internet is awash with silly videos. Some good silly, some dumb-silly, some how-the-eff-did-we-ever-find-this-amusing-in-2009 silly. There's nothing wrong with silly internet videos; indeed, anything that can lighten the mood in an environment known for the snarky, offensive or outright idiotic content of its comment sections is welcomed in my book – and hey, Ari and I admit to having watched a fair few cat videos in our time-, but it's always refreshing to stumble upon a Youtube channel where the content is based around entertaiment and information. Whenever I find myself in this awesome realm of the internet, I click the subscribe button pretty much instantly, because so much of our online content is not informative or thought-provoking, doesn't challenge us intellectually, and may even be detrimental to our the way our memory functions 

Now, I'm not trying to be a party pooper here, and I don't believe that all online video should teach us something and be oh-so-serious, but I am interested in more people utilising the internet to engage their own brains, instead of choosing to wile away every free moment in that rather silly part of YouTube. 

The Ideas Channel creates exactly the kind of videos I'm talking about; it's entertaining, funny, culturally relevant, fast-paced and informative. Each video presents a completely different idea from the last and is then proposed to the viewer, and at the end of each video, interesting comments are read from those who commented previously, giving viewers a reason to share their opinions and ideas too. There have been videos on everything from the ethics of AI development, pondering our love of zombies, and whether or not animal crossing promotes the Otaku lifestyle. While not strictly factual, the ideal channel forces us to think and to question, which is pretty important after watching all those kitty videos.

If the name is not explanatory, SciShow is a YouTube channel that explains and answers the big questions. Black holes, dark matter, whether we're all going to augment ourselves with flashy gadgets one day, and why the hell everyone was so obsessed with flappy bird (as in, the scientific reasoning. Ehem, yes...) 

Crash course videos focus on providing step-by-step education on a bunch of topics, from literature to the sciences to psychology to history, making them ideal study aids for students.

The Art Assignment is a new channel supported by PBS, intended to create interactive art projects for the viewers to undertake themselves. In their own words, the Art Assignment plans to 'take you around the U.S. to meet working artists and solicit assignments from them that we can all complete.'

 Game Theorists is basically what it sounds like. A channel that features videos discussing various theories and trivia about video games, from retro platformers to modern FPS games, these videos will have you wondering why you never thought of that before... Particularly chilling is the video suggesting that Portal's companion cubes contain the remains of actual people. 

Mental Floss describes itself as 'a weekly series where knowledge junkies get their fix of trivia-tastic information!', and that pretty much nails it. If you're the type who collects and hordes random and obscure factoids in the corner of your brain and delight in interjecting with those factoids whenever you can (and we're totally not judging you for this. Sometimes there are lulls in the conversation!) Mental Floss may just be for you. 

Okay, this one has George Takei in it...What? That's not enough incentive for you to click the link? Really?

Admittedly the author of this article is a huge Nerdfighter, but whether you are or not – and it's probably only a matter of time, honestly-, the Vlogbrothers channel is worth checking out. In addition to their usual twice weekly vlogs where brothers John and Hank Green discuss whatever the hell they feel like, which can sometimes include Fitness For Nerds or having 17 rants, the made-of-awesome creators of this incredibly popular channel also discuss some really important and thought-provoking stuff:   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAoG8vAyzI&index=6&list=PLMs_JcuNozJYGiolArnu7ACeVc7qOn8Dq

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4ow-EZkLjg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kQ1Po7vzUk

What, you still want a dumb video, after all of my efforts? 

 

Ada Lovelace: The world's first computer progammer.

Hey everyone, Gina here!

 

 Sadly, few people know anything about the world's first computer programmer; the person who wrote the world's first computer algorithm before the first computer was even invented and created the foundation upon which they have been programmed since: enter, Ada Lovelace.

Similarly to most other women in the field, Lovelace has been overlooked as a pioneer of science and technology. Her impact upon the world of technology has been questioned – albeit by the type of bigoted people who simply have a problem with women advancing in such fields-, but no one truly educated about this woman can deny that her work was the basis for how we program computers today.

Ada Lovelace was born in 1815, the child of renowned poet Lord Byron and his wife Anne, who adored mathematics as her daughter later would. Mathematics professor George Babbage – now revered for being 'the father of the computer'- asked Ada to translate an Italian description of his Analytical Machine, and in doing so she created her own additional set of notes and a way of calculating a sequence of bernoulli numbers from diagramming the computations which the machine would make and in doing so, wrote what is essentially the first computer algorithm.

Ada's interest in mathematics continued throughout her life - she referred to herself as a poetical scientist and an analyst and meta-physician- and though her algorithm was undoubtedly her most prestigious accomplishment, her general extroverted interest in science and mathematics was rare and dangerous in a time when women with any advanced intellectual eagerness were regarded with strong suspicion, known as blue stockings, and often branded wrongly as people to be avoided for simply for striving for intelligence over beauty. 

Despite the societal dismissal of female intellectuals in her time, Ada continued to pursue her interests. She accurately predicted that her method of algorithms in computing could one day allow us to expand beyond numerical calculations and suggested that it would be feasible for use with symbols or anything with a fixed set of rules. Sure enough we have made massive strides since then and computers are incredibly useful tools for academics and scholars of many subjects, as well as being globally popular for use with many more leisurely pursuits.

Even today it is easy to become pessimistic that attitudes towards women in male-dominated fields such as science and mathematics continue to be shockingly biased, but certainly great strides have been made. We owe this to women like Ada Lovelace, who as well as being far ahead of her time, never let such unfounded beliefs stop her from being a great mathematician and scientist in her own right. 

For more information about Ada's contributions and Ada Lovelace Day, see http://findingada.com/

Feminist book review: She's such a Geek

We're back!

Wow, what an unexpected hiatus! Unfortunately I've been busy with other personal stuff lately and this blog just slipped to the back of my mind! Oops. Anyway, I'd like to announce that myself and Ari will be posting a lot more regularly over the next few weeks, and I hope you forgive us both! For now, please enjoy my review of a great book entitled She's such a Geek. 

  

For me, reading She's Such A Geek was stumbling upon a literary treasure trove of inspiration and hope. Far removed from a narrative, She's Such A Geek is an anthology of first-hand experiences of the trials and tribulations of being a woman in science, technology, video games and comic books. If you have a young woman in your family who has aspirations of a job in these fields (or you are one yourself): buy this book.

The real life experiences shared by the women in this book are both inspiring and realistic, offering a truthful insight that expresses the happiness that following a passion (no matter what your gender) can offer you, and exposes the negatives that the male-exclusivity of the geek world can have upon a female interested in the culture. Adding to its credit, the book displays a fantastic and very admirable diversity in its contributors, showcasing the experiences of white women, women of colour and varied ethnicities, handicapped women and, wonderfully, a transgendered woman. This progressive viewpoint is a rare and valued encouragement for geeky ladies who are wary of being discriminated against for their race, disability or gender, and proclaims 'you are not alone!'

The women in this book have been top of their calculus class, they've been the lone girl in their circle of gamers, they've been to MIT, they're been in system administration, they've developed video games, they're engineers and comic book creators. They've invaded every corner of the geeky spectrum and they are damn good at what they do. This book is a call to arms for all female nerds, and a reassurance that they can be part of their scientific field of choosing, they just have to work hard, and watch out for bigots. I highly recommend this book as truly inspirational reading, and whether you're a coder or a kick ass biologist, there is room for you in the world of geekery.

Buy She's Such A Geek; where women meet adversity and say 'bring it on!'

Gina: My Top Female Geek Bloggers and Vloggers!

Well hello there my fellow geekazoids! Happy 2013 from Geeky Femmes! 
As promised, here is our first real post to kick off our blog. Today I want to give you guys a heads up on some of my favourite female geek bloggers and vloggers, so sit back, turn off the games console and check out some of these fabulous femmes.

One would think that being a female geek on the internet wouldn't be so difficult- after all, aren't we at home in the land of ever-evolving technology? But computer technology is a constantly advancing field; with users all over the world connecting and sharing their lives via social networking websites, the net is no longer a hang out exclusively for geeks – that much is obvious when you find yourself purchasing a 'laptops for seniors' illustrated guidebook for a loved one. The sad truth is that being a female geek can be pretty tough online. This past year, female geeks have dealt with sexual assault at gaming tournaments, gender-based sexism rants by a professional comic book illustrator citing them as 'fakes' who 'don't know shit about comics' and even full-fledged hate campaigns, complete with threats of death and rape.

Despite all this unpleasantness which is an unfortunate burden of being a female geek, there are some awesome, kick-ass ladies out there who are proud and brave enough to express their inner-geek prowess! My directory to the (femme) crème de la geek is below. Ladies, we salute you!

Video gamers & Techies: 

 

The Frag Dolls

The Frag Dolls are an all-female team of gamers 'recruited by Ubisoft to represent their video games and promote the presence of women in the industry'. The Dolls have a YouTube channel where they upload videos of their game-play, interviews with important people in the gaming world, convention footage and give-aways. The Frag Dolls are a trailblazing, professional addition to the female geek YouTube community. 

Melonie86/ Melonie Mac

Melonie Mac is a popular self-proclaimed PC gamer extraordinaire; a title that is well-earned, with over 35,572 subscribers. She's having a positive impact in the community with her game-play videos and reviews. This super-talented gamer even built her own gaming rig!

Anita Sarkeesian 
Anita is primarily a pop culture critic on YouTube but is unabashedly into her video games. You may be familiar with Anita after she received the aforementioned slew of a sexism and a hate campaign upon her announcement of an upcoming video project studying women's representation in video games. Despite this disgusting show of gamer sexism, Anita remained strong and the plan is still in the works. Take a look at her informative videos.

     Adria Richards

A new discovery of mine who I was thrilled to unearth from YouTube, Adria describes herself as a 'technology evangelist'. Her videos cover a vast array of technology-related topics, featuring her 'first looks' and various pieces of software, tutorials on tech set ups, her experiences as a woman in the technology industry, and hell, even why it's important to learn how to code. What can't this woman do? For a fresh look at technology's finest, check out her YouTube channel, and her website butyou'reagirl.com!

      Video bloggers and Text Bloggers:

“The Flog” featuring Felicia Day 
Felicia day creates a weekly blog on the geek and sundry YouTube channel; a collaborative project focusing on the many aspects of geekdom by an assortment of quirky YouTubers. Felicia's blog is always witty and interesting with a wide variety of content. From Steampunk photo shoots to a day at comic con and yes, you guessed it, driving a bulldozer, The Flog is a great weekly series with adventure to boot. 

Abinwonderland

Albinwonderland is an intelligent, articulate femme and feminist YouTuber whose videos share her opinions on topics such as self-acceptance, and discrimination of those with unusual body modifications. A quick scroll through her Tumblr affirms her love for many things geeky, and her videos of both Slut Walk and Zombie Walk proclaim her enjoyment of feminist and nerdy interests. Check her out putting Tony Harris in his place on her “fake geek girls” video!

Two Nerdy History Girls

Loretta Chase and Susan Holloway Scott write a blog about all things historical, from books with a historical slant to information on old customs of historical society, these ladies are not ashamed to geek out about history. I suggest you grab a cup of tea before sitting down to the antique delights of Two Nerdy History Girls!

So there you have it! A selection of the interwebz' finest female geeks, nerding out about video games

Welcome to Geeky Femmes!

Welcome to Geeky Femmes! 

Left:Ari  Right: Gina

Geeky Femmes is a new blog run by two nerdy friends, Ari and Gina; two aspiring writers who are proud of their interest in Geekdom! The blog will be our platform to express our views and opinions on various aspects of Geek culture; from comics to video games, science to computers, we plan to cover it all in our regular posts. The blog will be officially 'open' in 2013, but for now, here is a little bit of info on the two Geeky Femmes who will be your guide to all things nerdy!

Gina's quiz!

 

What are your personal favourite aspects of geekdom?

I'm interested primarily in video games, books and science. The first two have been passions of mine from an early age, and in the last few years I've enjoyed studying books which focus on scientific aspects of different topics, such as neuroscience, environmentalism and how it ties in with scientific findings, and other more wacky subjects!

What is your video gaming history?

I've been gaming since I was little. My first video games were 'Road Rash' (looking back, attacking motorcyclists with nun chucks, cattle prods and chains at 6 years old is pretty shocking!) and Sonic for the Sega Megadrive. Eventually we got a computer and my days were spent playing the very square Tomb Raider, G-police and Motorcross Madness. On vacations and long journies, my trusty GameBoy provided my entertainment, later to be replaced by it's coloured successor. Fast forward a couple of years to the PlayStation 1, and  Tekken 3 became my new favourite game (and still is one of my favourite series today!). I also enjoyed the Spyro and Crash Bandicoot games at that age, too. After a few years collecting games for the PlayStation 2, I received an Xbox 360 one Christmas and started playing FPS'. Fallout 3 quickly became my favourite, while I also ventured into the button mashing madness of Halo and Borderlands. I enjoy most other genres of video games as well, including adventure games. My game collection is ever-expanding, and with a history of playing games it's no surprise that they have become such an intregal part of my life.

And your video gaming platform of choice?

Currently the Xbox 360, but if I'm craving nostalgia I have no qualms with returning to my Sony roots!

What is your favourite video game and comic book?

It's so tough to choose one favourite game, so I'll choose one from the previous period of my gaming history and a more up-to-date one. Tekken 3, and nowadays, Fallout 3.

I'm not huge on comic books (that's more of Ari's thing!) but I have always admired the artwork and concept of Tank Girl. I think she's a kick-ass heroine.

What are the hardest aspects of being a geek for a female?

I think the fact that society encourages this idea that anything geek is an exclusive boy's club, because it's eye-poppingly infuriating when I go into a game store or comic book store and get stared at with such baffled intensity purely because I'm female. There's also the tirade of harassment female geeks get online and on Xbox LIVE. I think it's tougher to be a female geek than a male one because not only do geeks in general get branded 'weird anti-social hermits' by society outside of the culture, but you get the male geeks who are skeptical of your interests just because you have boobs. You have to go through two layers of judgement, and it is ironic that some people within geek culture aren't hesitant to ostracise others.

What sections of geek culture are you going to explore in your part of the blog?

I plan to cover video games, book reviews, science related titbits and internet related goings on. A nice mixed bag of nerdy goodness!

Why do you think it is important to address the problems and difficulties faced by female lovers of nerdy culture?

It's important because so many are either put off joining the culture due to the exclusion of females, or they receive abuse for being brave enough to do so. The sheer amount of women who report receiving abuse from other players on internet-based gaming platforms like Xbox LIVE is atrocious, as is the cultural negative view of female geeks as somehow being less likely to enjoy nerdy interests.

Who is your favourite nerdy fictional female character?

This is definitely a tough one (and I have plans to cover my favourite fictional nerd girls in an upcoming blog post), but I'd have to say that my all-time favourite is probably Daria. Being equal parts implicit and sarcastic- well, she reminds me of myself!

What do you hope to accomplish with this blog?

I hope that between us, me and Ari help to increase visibility of female geeks who enjoy games, comics, books, science and other stuff within this male-dominated culture. I hope we can both entertain and educate people and give a female viewpoint on some of the topics usually buried in male opinion.  

Ari's Quiz!

What are your personal favourite aspects of geekdom?
I adore comic books with pretty much every fibre of my being. Every day I can’t help but read new comic books, think about them, talk about them… Pretty much everything! Comic books have long become a world I can escape to if the real world gets too much for me, and knowing this has become an integral part of my life. Aside from comic books, I play video games quite a lot, favouring the terrifying survival horror antics of the Resident Evil series to most FPS. I am also a budding/noobie cosplayer, and hope to debut a lot of new outfits in the new year! When I’m not busy in university or scribbling up posts for my blog I devour all kinds of literature. My book taste has ranged from the teen-drama series Gossip Girl to dystopian classic 1984 and further. I’m currently reading ‘X-Men and Philosophy’ which is a collection of academic essays detailing various philosophical aspects of the X-Men universe, and it’s been a very good read so far! 

What is your video gaming history?
I’ve been gaming for as long as I can remember! My first game console was the Playstation 1, and I spent hours upon hours playing Spyro The Dragon, Resident Evil 1 & 2, Tekken, Crash Bandicoot, Final Fantasy 8 and a whole range of other games when I was a kid. When I wasn’t gaming at home or at my best friend’s house, I was playing Pokémon Blue Version, Tetris and Wacky Races on my purple GameBoy Colour (a relic I still have to this day!) at every chance I got! As time passed on, the PlayStation 2 was released, and I added a new bunch of games to my favourites. Some of my best memories centre around playing Resident Evil Four with one of my best friends, or playing Final Fantasy Ten and facing off against the dark aeon… But now, I’ve been sticking to the Xbox 360. I’m a huge fan of the Bethesda game Fallout 3, and I play Resident Evil 5 on a pretty regular basis. 

And your video gaming platform of choice?
That would have to be either the PlayStation 2 or the Xbox 360! 

What is your favourite video game and comic book?
Like Gina said, it is super difficult to pick just one game, and for me it’ll be even harder to pick on favourite comic book! If I’m looking at retro games, it would probably have to be Spyro The Dragon. Who doesn’t love running around as a diminutive purple dragon? As for newer games, like Gina, I’d have to pick Fallout 3 for the amazing gameplay and storyline. My favourite comic book is incredibly hard to pin down, since I tend to change my mind every other month as new titles come out, or I revisit my old graphic novels. In my top favourites list however, is Transmetropolitan, a futuristic tale of politics, scandals and madbastardry; Morning Glories, a ‘cross between Gossip Girl, Avengers Runaways and Lost’; and Peter David’s X-Factor. 

What are the hardest aspects of being a geek for a female?
I often find that one of the hardest aspects is people not believing I’m a geek, or not believing I read comic books.  It’s not entirely un-common for women in this subculture to be looked down, and people only believing that they’re interested to their boyfriends, male friends and so on when it’s not always like that.  Not just that, but many people believe that the geek subculture is purely a ‘boyz-only’ club, but I know dozens of talented, amazing women who are just as devoted to geekdom as I am, and we're not all out to 'prey on geeky guys' like asshole supreme Tony Harris would believe.  Women in geekdom are here to stay, and yes, we brought cupcakes. 

What sections of geek culture are you going to explore in your part of the blog?
I will be exploring the comic book side of geek culture, as well as talking about any conventions I go to, and maybe a few bits of cosplay thrown in there too! 

Why do you think it is important to address the problems and difficulties faced by female lovers of nerdy culture?
Because this culture is not just for men. There are lots of geeky girls out there who love the subculture just as much as men, if not more, and they deserve an equal voice in this. Also the representations that women tend to get within comic books are often absolutely dire, and I am sick to death with them, almost as much as the spangly, completely impractical outfits. Equality is an important thing in our society on the whole, and I don’t see why it shouldn’t stretch to subcultures as well.

Who is your favourite nerdy fictional female character?
“Hi. I’m Layla Miller. I know stuff.” Layla Miller, one of the female protagonists of Marvel’s X-Factor has been one of my favourite nerdy fictional characters ever since I read her first appearance during the events of M-Day. Smart, quirky and sarcastic, Layla is everything I aim to be! 

What do you hope to accomplish with this blog?
I hope that I (along with Gina) can raise more awareness for girl geeks, and girls who love geeky things. I will hopefully be raising more awareness for the amazing women in comics, and hopefully we’ll be able to entertain people along the way!