terriko

Posted by gfspamspam

http://geekfeminism.org/2014/04/18/take-arms-against-a-sea-of-links-and-by-spamming-end-them-18-april-2014/

Funcom Wades Into Sexist Waters With Mankini-Gate Costume Goof | Maressa at The Mary Sue (April 15): “‘The item was pulled due to concerns over the integrity of the IP – not because of the gender or skimpiness of the outfit.’ Yet it is hard to ignore the fact that it was the male version [a 'mankini'] of the outfit pair, not the female, that was removed. And at no point is it ever stated how the integrity of the IP is damaged by the outfit, if not by its skimpiness and gender.”
Why are People Perennially Surprised By Internet Misogyny? | s.e. smith at this ain’t livin’ (April 14): “Readers, I have a confession: I was tempted to cut and paste this piece, since I’m pretty sure I’ve written it before. I realized that my desire to cut and paste was kind of an indicator of how endlessly circular this topic is, though.”
A Tech Leader’s Guide on responding to the question: Where are the women in tech? | Kim Wilkens at shining like the sun (April 14): “I recently attended an all-male panel of local tech leaders who, when asked about how they were addressing the issue of the lack of women in tech, provided some pretty cringe-worthy responses… So I want to share what kind of response I’m looking for when I ask a tech leader what they are doing to address gender equity and the lack of diversity in tech.”
Today in Anita’s Irony and Lewis’ Law: my threats will show you that harassment is a myth | tigtog at Hoyden About Town (April 15): “Fancy! A woman analysed of an example of sexism/misogyny in popular culture, and the response was a disproportionate display of sexism and misogyny! Golly, who could have foreseen that!”
Stand Down, Amazon Warriors: Comic Book Guys Already Killed the Comic Book Store | Dr B at BOOK RIOT (April 15): “Even as comics have become increasingly mainstream, comic shops have often remained places where only the hardcore are welcome and one has to prove one’s Nerd Cred to fit in.”
speaker diversity | Selena Deckelmann at Github Gist (April 14): “Increasing speaker diversity is both about sending emails ‘to the right mailing lists’ but it is also largely dependent on individuals reaching out to new (and veteran) speakers to get them to submit talks.”
16 women whose digital startups deserve Vox-level plaudits | Ann Friedman at Columbia Journalism Review (April 14): “Yes, women are still underrepresented and underappreciated in the media startup world, but the truth is women are founding their own digital media companies. The problem is that they are largely absent from the buzzy narrative about entrepreneurs leaving the confines of traditional journalism.”
In the Workplace, Leaders Who Aren’t Always Followed | Phyllis Korkki at the New York Times (April 12): “‘To the extent that women were perceived to be brokers, they incurred reputational penalties,’ Professor Brands says. ‘They were seen as more competent, but less warm.’”

We link to a variety of sources, some of which are personal blogs. If you visit other sites linked herein, we ask that you respect the commenting policy and individual culture of those sites.

You can suggest links for future linkspams in comments here, or by using the “geekfeminism” tag on Pinboard, Delicious or Diigo; or the “#geekfeminism” tag on Twitter. Please note that we tend to stick to publishing recent links (from the last month or so).

Thanks to everyone who suggested links.

http://geekfeminism.org/2014/04/18/take-arms-against-a-sea-of-links-and-by-spamming-end-them-18-april-2014/

http://geekfeminism.org/?p=10992

cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/4/18/10-absolutely-ridiculous-easter-cakes.html

"PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS!!"

"Iiiittty bitty living space."

Ever wonder why cake decorators use so much plastic flotsam?

WONDER NO MORE.

Still, where there's a will to wreck, there is a way:

Bravo, wreckerators. BRAVO.

Because when I think of the resurrection of Jesus, I think of splattery tie-dye:

And carrots on a cross.

(I looked it up: carrots are NOT cruciferous vegetables. Dang it.)

Easter egg or old pepperoni?

Either way, WOW AM I IN THE EASTER SPIRIT.

Q: So how hard IS it to make an egg-shaped cake?

A: Oh, about that hard.

"Quick! To the Dimensionally Inaccurate Carrot Car, Bun-Man!"

"I'll be right behind you in the Electro Egg!!"

*zodzodzod*

"It's pronounced 'Buh-THEAD.'"

"And that's MISTER Butthead to you."

Confession: I actually love these and want a dozen of my very own:

Mostly because they remind me of this:

Watch on YouTube

video link

Thanks to Holly A., Kathy B., Nicole S., Jennie, Leslie G., Molly, Stacey K., Wesley T., Dimitra S., & Jenna N. for the excuse to post that clip. (The crocodile kills me. The wiggly feet! Ah!)

*****

Thank you for using our Amazon links to shop! USA, UK, Canada.

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/4/18/10-absolutely-ridiculous-easter-cakes.html

accidentallyincode_feed

Posted by Cate Huston

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccidentallyInCode/~3/0QuFHyvwfP4/

http://www.catehuston.com/blog/?p=12995

Credit: Karen Ann Glick

Kris Howard talking about productivity.

About getting stuff done like a grownup. Used to put stuff off to the weekend, and then not actually do it.

The goal of productivity is to spend less time doing the stuff you don’t want to do so that you can spend more time on the stuff you do want to do.

She’s a productivity faker, not a guru, or a ninja.

Step 1: Get absolved. Inbox zero.

Make a folder called dmz.
Go to inbox, select all.
Put everything into it.
Go and sin no more.

Idea: draw a line in the sand, and move forward. Declare inbox zero and order a nerd badge. Everything that is in there should be something you need.

Step 2: Get Organised.

Keep it simple, the hipster PDA is a stack of notecards in a clip, or planner diary.
Lots of productivity apps in the app store.
Pick one, try it. If it doesn’t work try something else.
If using apps, Toodleoo. Take advantage of syncing, sharing.
Calendar: recurring events are your friend.

Step 3: Get Things Done.

Stuff is anything in your life that is not where it is meant to be. Stuff that doesn’t have a place is in your head. Getting Things Done is the workflow for processing stuff.
Collect all stuff. This is the thing you are afraid of. This is the thing that stresses you out. Collect it, seems manageable.
Process. If under 2 minutes, do it immediately. If waiting, goes to tickler file. He suggests a physical file, the alternative is calendar.

Project pile to track the next actions.
When done, chuck it in the bin.
When put a task on the list, tag it with a context.
Iteration and review: review the tickler file, todo list.

Stay Focused.

Pomodoro Technique:
Decide on task.
Set timer for 25 minutes.
Work until dings, record.
Take a short break.
Every 4 pomodoros, take a longer break.

Build habits.

Don’t break the chain.
Mark off days when you work on that goal.
Use your chain of marked off days as a motivator.
Check out: dontbreakthechain.com

So go home, blast the crap out of your inbox, make a pile of stuff on the kitchen table, and start getting things done like a boss!

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccidentallyInCode/~3/0QuFHyvwfP4/

http://www.catehuston.com/blog/?p=12995

xkcd_feed

http://xkcd.com/1357/

I can't remember where I heard this, but someone once said that defending a position by citing free speech is sort of the ultimate concession; you're saying that the most compelling thing you can say for your position is that it's not literally illegal to express.

http://xkcd.com/1357/

frith posting in

ponyville_trot

Source: http://spacekitty.deviantart.com/art/Lunar-Tapestry-446023631

Cropped horizontally, this could be made into a wallpaper. ...And so it was!

Source: http://spacekitty.deviantart.com/art/Lunar-Tapestry-Wall-447856020

Do you know what starts in less than four and a half hours? It's the Legends of Equestria open server weekend! Three days and nights to explore Equestria! yay! Watching the moon rise from Ponyville is the best. You'll need to upload the new "build" (here), the one from last time is no longer good (you should delete it), and you'll need a username and password, the same one that gets you on the LOE forum. To see the specifications of your Windows computer (64 bit or not 64 bit? That is the question), right-click on the "Computer" icon on your desktop and select "properties".

krebsonsecurity_feed

Posted by BrianKrebs

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KrebsOnSecurity/~3/QkLhr2KyM_Y/

http://krebsonsecurity.com/?p=25704

Nationwide arts and crafts chain Michaels Stores Inc. said today that two separate eight-month-long security breaches at its stores last year may have exposed as many as 3 million customer credit and debit cards.

The disclosure, made jointly in a press release posted online and in a statement on the company’s Web site, offers the first real details about the breach since the incident was first disclosed by KrebsOnSecurity on January 25, 2014.

The statements by Irving, Texas-based Michaels suggest that the two independent security firms it hired to investigate the break-ins initially found nothing.

“After weeks of analysis, the Company discovered evidence confirming that systems of Michaels stores in the United States and its subsidiary, Aaron Brothers, were attacked by criminals using highly sophisticated malware that had not been encountered previously by either of the security firms,” the statement reads.

The Michaels breach first came to light just weeks after retail giant Target Corp. said that cyber thieves planted malware on cash registers at its stores across the nation, stealing more than 40 million credit and debit card numbers between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013. That malware was designed to siphon card data when customers swiped their cards at the cash register.

According to Michaels, the affected systems contained certain payment card information, such as payment card number and expiration date, about both Michaels and Aaron Brothers customers. The company says there is no evidence that other customer personal information, such as name, address or debit card PIN, was at risk in connection with this issue.

The company’s statement says the attack on Michaels’ targeted “a limited portion of the point-of-sale systems at a varying number of stores between May 8, 2013 and January 27, 2014.”

“Only a small percentage of payment cards used in the affected stores during the times of exposure were impacted by this issue,” the statement continues. “The analysis conducted by the security firms and the Company shows that approximately 2.6 million cards may have been impacted, which represents about 7% of payment cards used at Michaels stores in the U.S. during the relevant time period. The locations and potential dates of exposure for each affected Michaels store are listed on www.michaels.com.”

Regarding Aaron Brothers, Michaels Stores said it has confirmed that between June 26, 2013 and February 27, 2014, 54 Aaron Brothers stores were affected by this malware, noting that the locations for each affected Aaron Brothers store are listed on www.aaronbrothers.com.

“The Company estimates that approximately 400,000 cards were potentially impacted during this period. The Company has received a limited number of reports from the payment card brands and banks of fraudulent use of payment cards potentially connected to Michaels or Aaron Brothers.”

This incident marks the second time in three years that Michaels Stores has wrestled with a widespread compromise of its payment card systems. In May 2011, Michaels disclosed that crooks had physically tampered with some point-of-sale devices at store registers in some Chicago locations, although further investigation revealed compromised POS devices in stores across the country, from Washington, D.C. to the West Coast.

Michaels says that while the Company has received limited reports of fraud, it is offering identity protection, credit monitoring and fraud assistance services through AllClear ID to affected Michaels and Aaron Brothers customers in the U.S. for 12 months at no cost to them. Details of the services and additional information related to the ongoing investigation are available on the Michaels and Aaron Brothers websites at www.michaels.com and www.aaronbrothers.com.

Incidentally, credit monitoring services will do nothing to protect consumers from fraud on existing financial accounts — such as credit and debit cards — and they’re not great at stopping new account fraud committed in your name. The most you can hope for with these services is that they alert you as quickly as possible after identity thieves have opened or attempted to open new accounts in your name.

As I noted in a recent story about the credit monitoring industry, the offering of these services has become the de facto public response for companies that experience a data breach, whether or not that breach resulted in the loss of personal information that could lead to actual identity theft (as opposed to mere credit card fraud). For more information about the limitations of credit monitoring services and more proactive steps that you can take to better protect your identity and credit file, check out this story.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KrebsOnSecurity/~3/QkLhr2KyM_Y/

http://krebsonsecurity.com/?p=25704

epbot_feed

Posted by Jen

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/epbot/fOpU/~3/wEdfpb32N5Y/frozens-elsa-anna-at-epcot.html

Yesterday John and I went to check out the Easter egg hunt at Epcot - which I'll post pics of soon - but along the way we stopped over in Norway to check out the infamous line for the Frozen princesses. It's easy to spot, since it stretches outside the land's boundaries, and a helpful cast member informed us the wait time - on a Wednesday afternoon, mind you - was about 4 hours. FOUR HOURS. And I'm told that's about average. (!!)

Then he told us you can walk through the side gift shop and sneak a peek at the princesses through a large doorway. Sold!

Of course, that doorway had it's own huge crowd, but after waiting five or ten minutes near the back I managed to worm my way up to the rope. Then I had this view:

The velvet rope keeps the crowd back and to the side, so everyone just leans as far over as they can and sticks their cameras out. Since I was at the back and too short to lean, I just had to zoom through the sea of arms and hope for the best.

Happily I got a few Ok shots, though! Here's the full meet & greet set:

The window backdrop is really lovely, with a view of Elsa's ice castle in the distance.

Elsa and Anna themselves were true to their film personalities; Anna was a little more gregarious, while Elsa was more regal, playing it cool. [pun intended, always]

I only stayed long enough to see a few families come through, but it's easy to see why this is one of the toughest jobs on property, making hundreds of "magical moments" for hundreds and hundreds of families - who've waited that long! - every day, on demand. The sisters even took the split seconds between families to throw us bystanders a quick wave and a smile:

They called this "the sister hug:"

My favorite was when this little girl dressed as Elsa came through:

And my favorite shot:

Look at that face! I bet that expression made the four-hour wait worth it for her parents.

(Even if I DO think they're crazy to wait that long. Ha!)

Hope you guys are having a great week! I still have SO many pictures to sort & share, but look for the Easter egg hunt & the final FINAL batch (really!) of Megacon costumes soon.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/epbot/fOpU/~3/wEdfpb32N5Y/frozens-elsa-anna-at-epcot.html

cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/4/17/make-like-a-bunny.html

Look, I'm not saying I've inadvertently created a legion of gutter-minded wrecky minions - I'm NOT.

However, a lot of you keep sending me one particular design of Easter cake, claiming there's something a bit "off" about it.

At first I didn't see it.

"Aw, what's wrong with this one?"

But over time...

"Actually, this DOES seem a little... huh."

[head tilt]
"Well, maaaaybe..."

"OK NOW I SEE IT."

Actual conversation between me and John:

John: See what?
Me: C'mon. You don't see it? Not even with that last one?
John: No.
Me: So you don't feel that bunny is, say, rising to the occasion? Bursting forth with glorious song? Losing his head?

[hopeful pause]

John: You're a sick, sick woman.

So for my confused, innocent, mind-like-driven-snow readers (and husband) who still don't see a problem: allow me to tell you the tale of Wee Willy Winkie And His Stripey Easter Sock:

He had one.

THE END.

Thanks to Kim A., Bonnie S., Jessica R., Fiona H., Ashley W., & Anna C. for reminding us that the Fatal Attraction bunny is still worse.

No, no that one. THIS ONE:

*****

Thank you for using our Amazon links to shop! USA, UK, Canada.

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/4/17/make-like-a-bunny.html

badgerbag

Did ok on my trip, but just ok. I also got through work today. And I wrote a blog post because it seemed like it had to be done. But now I'm totally done touching a keyboard. Exhausted, in pain, a bit fevery feeling all over. I have not managed to unpack yet. Moomin helped me put away clean laundry. Zond7 ordered us groceries and cleaned up and we have a helpful house cleaner coming tomorrow. I need serious rest.

Read The Goblin Emperor, which I highly recommend! OMG... more like this!

Also, Pen Pal by Francesca Forrest.

Both excellent!!!

Crossposts: http://badgerbag.livejournal.com/577356.html

frith posting in

ponyville_trot

trotting_in_the_dream_world_small_by_raikoh_illust

Source: http://raikoh-illust.deviantart.com/art/Trotting-in-the-Dream-world-442149938

Did you see the blood-red lunar eclipse? I didn't see it either. It was raining or snowing or something. Rainbow Dash, you slacker! *shakes fist* Well, whatever, I probably would have missed it anyway, I do like to sleep. Sleep and dream. Sometimes with nightmares. Last nightmare had people, awake and conscience, gettin' their brains et, à la Hannibal Lecter or those monkeys in Temple of Doom. Luna nudged me awake and I went back to sleep. I never seem to dream about what I would like to dream about. But then if I could do that, I'd never wake up.

Current Music: The Perfect Dream -- Mogul Dash

geekfeminism_feed

Posted by lizhenry

http://geekfeminism.org/2014/04/16/geekfeminism-org-statement-on-rape-allegations-and-trans-misogyny/

http://geekfeminism.org/?p=10960

This morning as I was about to get on a plane back from a conference I found out that Dana McCallum, aka Dana L. Contreras, a software engineer at Twitter as well as a feminist activist, was arrested in late January and charged with several felonies including rape, false imprisonment, and domestic violence. Some details of the charges are described on SFgate: SF Women’s Rights Advocate Accused of Raping Wife.

Many of us associated with geekfeminism.org and its sister organizations would like to make a statement in response.

This is horrifying and came as a shock to many of us in feminist communities, as McCallum has been a fellow feminist activist for some time. The bloggers at geekfeminism.org would like to express our empathy and support for the victim/survivor and her family.

Another aspect of this case is that the media coverage of the rape and assault charges are almost universally misogynist and transphobic both in their perpetuation of rape culture (for one, by providing an uncritical platform for McCallum’s lawyer) and in their misgendering and obsessive focus on McCallum’s gender identity and history. Some radical feminist activists (and their many obvious sockpuppets) have also been writing hateful “trans panic” or TERF articles and tweets. We strongly repudiate such responses.

Rape is a horrible violent crime no matter who the rapist is.

The National Center for Transgender Equality director Mara Keisling says on a comment on a post by Nitasha Tiku,

“Rape is a horrific crime. Sexual violence is never okay. But this isn’t a transgender story. We can’t speak to the specifics of this case but sexual assault knows no gender. That’s why the FBI recently revised their definition of rape. As this case gains more attention, we must avoid using it as a reason to misrepresent transgender people.”

For anyone who has experienced abuse or sexual assault, it can be helpful to turn to local or broader resources. Here is a list of trans-friendly and inclusive rape survivor organizations and resources. In San Francisco, San Francisco Women Against Rape is a good resource; WOMAN Inc, the Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic, and GLIDE also provide many resources for people in the SF Bay Area who have experienced domestic violence. Please don’t go through this on your own; reach out to people around you — you’re not alone.

- Liz Henry

cosigned:

Leigh Honeywell

Valerie Aurora

Brenda Wallace

Tim Chevalier

Annalee Flower Horne

Beth Flanagan

http://geekfeminism.org/2014/04/16/geekfeminism-org-statement-on-rape-allegations-and-trans-misogyny/

http://geekfeminism.org/?p=10960

pleia2

Tomorrow the next Ubuntu Long Term Support (LTS) release comes out, 14.04, development code name Trusty Tahr. In preparation, I was putting together some materials for our release event next week and found myself looking for the Tahr artwork when I remembered that it was included in the installer. So now I’ll share it with you as well!

If you go to this source page you will see a “download file” link which will allow you to download a .png of the tahr artwork.

I haven’t found an svg version of this logo, but I’ll be sure to update this post if I do.

Looking for something slightly different? The Xubuntu team also included a tahr in our installer, created by Simon Steinbeiß:

This png has transparency, which make it show grey on white, but you can flavor it with any color you wish!

You can grab it at this source page where you will see the “download file” link. I’ve also uploaded the svg: art_tahr.svg

Enjoy! And happy release everyone!

Originally published at pleia2's blog. You can comment here or there.

beable

So last night I went to sleep thinking about the Giant's Causeway, because trip planning research.

So having gone to sleep on a mythological bent, I ended up with a fair bit of Patricia Wrede's short story about the frying pan of doom bouncing about the dream landscape, which was still the Giant's Causeway (but clearly where it borders the Enchanted Forest).

And then when I woke up my radio alarm was playing the song Call Me Maybe, which I ended up hearing/dreaming as the daleks version of the song as I went back into snooze land.

(I just met you, and this is a crazy! I'm a Dalek, ex-ter-mi-nate!)

- - -

Dreaming about Patricia's Wrede's story made me somewhat crave after battle triple chocolate helmet cake, even if mostly I was interviewing kitchen maids who kept being hidden princesses in disguise, but it turned out one of them could really cook so it was ok.

- - -

So one of the tours of the Giant's Causeway is actually the Game of Thrones tour of Northern Ireland. (There is a 1 day option, which is all I'd have time for). I am embarrassed by how tempting that is, and trying to justify it to myself as the "interesting historical scenery with an added geeky bonus" tour.

Crossposts: http://beable.livejournal.com/767103.html

geekfeminism_feed

Posted by Annalee

http://geekfeminism.org/2014/04/16/pycon-open-thread/

http://geekfeminism.org/?p=10957

Were you at PyCon? Did you stop by the Geek Feminism Hackerspace? What did you think of the talks? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

http://geekfeminism.org/2014/04/16/pycon-open-thread/

http://geekfeminism.org/?p=10957

krebsonsecurity_feed

Posted by BrianKrebs

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KrebsOnSecurity/~3/suQvrmUH-Ds/

http://krebsonsecurity.com/?p=25682

Oracle has pushed a critical patch update for its Java SE platform that fixes at least 37 security vulnerabilities in the widely-installed program. Several of these flaws are so severe that they are likely to be exploited by malware or attackers in the days or weeks ahead. So — if you have Java installed — it is time to update (or to ditch the program once and for all).

The latest update for Java 7 (the version most users will have installed) brings the program to Java 7 Update 55. Those who’ve chosen to upgrade to the newer, “feature release” version of Java — Java 8 — will find fixes available in Java 8 Update 5 (Java 8 doesn’t work on Windows XP).

According to Oracle, at least four of the 37 security holes plugged in this release earned a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) rating of 10.0 — the most severe possible. According to Oracle, vulnerabilities with a 10.0 CVSS score are those which can be easily exploited remotely and without authentication, and which result in the complete compromise of the host operating system.

There are a couple of ways to find out if you have Java installed and what version may be running. Windows users can click Start, then Run, then type “cmd” without the quotes. At the command prompt, type “java -version” (again, no quotes). Users also can visit Java.com and click the “Do I have Java?” link on the homepage. Updates also should be available via the Java Control Panel or from Java.com.

If you really need and use Java for specific Web sites or applications, take a few minutes to update this software. Updates are available from Java.com or via the Java Control Panel. Keep in mind that updating via the control panel will auto-select the installation of the Ask Toolbar, so de-select that if you don’t want the added crapware.

Otherwise, seriously consider removing Java altogether. I’ve long urged end users to junk Java unless they have a specific use for it (this advice does not scale for businesses, which often have legacy and custom applications that rely on Java). This widely installed and powerful program is riddled with security holes, and is a top target of malware writers and miscreants.

If you have an affirmative use or need for Java, unplug it from the browser unless and until you’re at a site that requires it (or at least take advantage of click-to-play). The latest versions of Java let users disable Java content in web browsers through the Java Control Panel. Alternatively, consider a dual-browser approach, unplugging Java from the browser you use for everyday surfing, and leaving it plugged in to a second browser that you only use for sites that require Java.

For Java power users — or for those who are having trouble upgrading or removing a stubborn older version — I recommend JavaRa, which can assist in repairing or removing Java when other methods fail (requires the Microsoft .NET Framework).

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KrebsOnSecurity/~3/suQvrmUH-Ds/

http://krebsonsecurity.com/?p=25682

cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/4/16/8-creepy-easter-cakes-to-haunt-your-dreams.html

Ahem hem hem.

Kill da waaaabbit
Kill da waaaabbit
Kill da WAAAAAbbit....

With fire, if you please.

Hey, remember when the Easter Bunny didn't have giant claws?

Or a hump?

Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers:

How much you wanna bet it glows in the dark?

The longer you look at this, the creepier it gets.

Right?
Right??

This rabbit has smashed spiders for eyes and a ripped off Peep face for a nose:

No doubt he also has 'UUGE POINTY TEETH.

RUN AWAAAAY!

When you see it:

o.0
[shiver]
Gets me every time.

Ok, picture this: You're home alone, Easter eve. A sudden storm blows in, knocking out the power - just as you hear a slight scuffling coming from the hall closet.

You slowly walk over, creeeeeeaaaaak open the door, and see:

"'Ello, guv'na!"
"Mind if I hop on in and eat your face?"

Thanks to Jacquelyn H., Laureen V., Emily W., Stephanie E., Lisa F., Anony M., Tami N., & Tracey S. for the sweet dreams.

And now, your Moment of Jen:

*****

Thank you for using our Amazon links to shop! USA, UK, Canada.

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/4/16/8-creepy-easter-cakes-to-haunt-your-dreams.html

accidentallyincode_feed

Posted by Cate Huston

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccidentallyInCode/~3/zjQGjpjpO_g/

http://www.catehuston.com/blog/?p=13378

Credit: Wikipedia

I don’t think we talk enough about sponsors in general, whereas at every woman in tech event, oh, another mentoring opportunity.

I’m all set for mentors, and have enough women who I offer support too that I can’t actively look for more. They are super helpful, but as I observed to the fabulous Jo Miller recently, “mentors give me perspective, but sponsors give me opportunity.” Sometimes we need to stop letting ourselves be over-mentored, stop trying to make ourselves feel better and find coping mechanisms to handle whatever situation we happen to be in… and instead find a better situation.

Sponsors help find that situation.

Sponsors can also be mentors, and they can be allies, but here’s the thing. They don’t have to be. Usually it may be better for them not to be the person you offload all your crazy on – that’s what your mentor is for (or even better! A friend).

And most importantly, they don’t have to be allies. It’s great if they are, but if I think about the sponsors who have done good things for my career of late, at least 2 out of 3 have no idea what a microaggression is. One of them persists in thinking that the grammatical problems of “they” outweighs the problems of “he”. Obviously I disagree with him on that point, but I also think that for me the good things that he’s done outweigh that particular issue.

Larry Summers, I think, is one of the best examples of this. Said some very damaging things about women’s aptitudes for STEM, but was an excellent sponsor for Sheryl Sandberg.

Ultimately, sponsorship looks like this. There’s an opportunity, and a white dude wants it, because there is always a white dude that wants it. But the sponsor advocates for the woman, or other marginalised person, who they believe will be better at it, who deserves this opportunity.

It’s not that white dudes have what they want, and other people get what’s left over. Because what is left is mostly junior, and often thankless positions (see also: the Joan of Arc CEO). Sponsorship is about having power, and using it to advocate. White men have been doing it for each other all along. They don’t have a special word for it, because for them it’s mostly just “going to work”.

And I think this is the hardest part for managers in the tech industry to grasp, however enlightened. Is that diversity means that if white dudes have to start competing with the rest of the population, it won’t always “just happen” that they are the best for the job. Sometimes they won’t be. Maybe, they never were.

A woman, or other marginalised person, will be instead.

Note: like many such things in the tech industry, women have it bad, but other marginalised groups (especially as one of my friends puts it, “multi-norities”, e.g. women of colour) have it much worse. One advantage white women have in this situation (of many) is they sometimes remind older white men of their daughters.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccidentallyInCode/~3/zjQGjpjpO_g/

http://www.catehuston.com/blog/?p=13378

puzzlement posting in

incrementum

Originally posted to incrementum.puzzling.org. Comments welcome in either place.

Physical

I think at two months she wasn’t even really holding her head up much. She’s got to be quite strong since:

She’s been rolling back-to-belly for five weeks maybe? For several weeks we’ve been trying to watch her do it, but when I assigned my parents to this all-important job, my mother kept getting impatient and helping her. Finally Andrew came back from the US and assigned himself Chief Roll Watcher.

I’ve also seen her go belly-to-back but she likes that even less. Who wants to roll over involuntarily? Not her.

Still hard to believe she could easily be walking by the end of the year.

She’s big on sucking her hands — she’s very loud about it, so we usually know — and has also got her feet to her mouth. I thought this was young for learning about feet, but maybe not.

I swear the other day she tried to use her hands for a purpose, specifically, undressing me so she could nurse.

She’s still big, although I don’t know how big. We’ve ordered in a car seat for her, as she’s about to outgrow the capsule.

Social

Lots of “ooo! aah!” and “nnn-geh?” and similar. Lots of laughing. Mostly at either our fake laughs, or us beeping her nose. She’s ticklish. I was surprised to find that. V is very ticklish, but it didn’t start until he was older.

Sleep

Still waiting for the other shoe to drop. Well, she now regularly wakes twice a night again, but I will take that while she continues to go to sleep without an adult in the room, and re-settle herself after about 99% of all night feedings.

Health

Three whole days of childcare and she then had to take the fourth day off due to getting something pukey. Gosh I hope we’re not in for a repeat of mid- and late-2010. She’s recovered now, it was a bit of a worry for 18 hours or so while she really didn’t seem to be keeping anything down, although it didn’t much bother her.

xkcd_feed

http://xkcd.com/1356/

To be fair, my job at NASA was working on robots and didn't actually involve any orbital mechanics. The small positive slope over that period is because it turns out that if you hang around at NASA, you get in a lot of conversations about space.

http://xkcd.com/1356/

lecta_feed

Posted by Mary

http://lecta.puzzling.org/2014/04/16/the-sydney-project-powerhouse-museum/

http://lecta.wordpress.puzzling.org/?p=2371

This year is my son’s last year before he begins full time schooling in 2015. Welcome to our year of child-focussed activities in Sydney.

This was our second visit to the Powerhouse Museum, both times on a Monday, a day on which it is extremely quiet.

The Powerhouse seems so promising. It’s a tech museum, and we’re nerd parents, which ought to make this a family paradise. But not so. Partly, it’s that V is not really a nerdy child. His favourite activities involve things like riding his bike downhill at considerable speeds and dancing. He is not especially interested in machinery, intricate steps of causation, or whimsy, which removes a lot of the interest of the Powerhouse. Museums are also a surprising challenge in conveying one fundamental fact about recent history: that the past was not like the present in significant ways. V doesn’t really seem to know this, nor is he especially interested in it, which removes a lot of the hooks one could use in explaining, eg, the steam powered machines exhibit.

We started at The Oopsatoreum, a fictional exhibition by Shaun Tan about the works of failed inventor Henry Mintox. This didn’t last long; given that V doesn’t understand the fundamental conceit of museums and is not especially interested in technology, an exhibit that relies on understanding museums and having affection for technology and tinkering was not going to hold his attention. He enjoyed the bendy mirrors and that’s about it.

I was hoping to spend a moment in The Oopsatoreum, but he dragged me straight back out to his single favourite exhibit: the steam train parked on the entrance level. But it quickly palled too, because he wanted to climb on and in it, and all the carriages have perspex covering their doors so you can see it but not get in. There’s a bigger exhibit of vehicles on the bottom floor, including — most interestingly to me — an old-fashioned departures board showing trains departing to places that don’t even have lines any more, but we didn’t spend long there because V’s seen it before. He also sped through the steam machines exhibit pretty quickly, mostly hitting the buttons that set off the machines and then getting grumpy at the amount of noise they make.

He was much more favourably struck with the old game tables that are near the steam train. He can’t read yet, and parenting him recently has been a constant exercise in learning exactly how many user interfaces assume literacy (TV remote controls, for example, and their UIs now as well). The games were like this to an extent too; he can’t read “Press 2 to start” and so forth, so I kept having to start the games for him. He didn’t do so well as he didn’t learn to operate the joystick and press a button to fire at the same time. He could only do one or the other. And whatever I was hoping V would get out of this visit, I don’t think marginally improved gaming skills were it, much as I think they’re probably going to be useful to him soon.

We spent the most time in the sinkhole of the Powerhouse, the long-running Wiggles exhibition. This begins with the annoying feature that prams must be left outside, presumably because on popular days one could hardly move in there for prams. But we were the only people in there and it was pretty irritating to pick up my two month old baby and all of V’s and her various assorted possessions and lump them all inside with me. I’m glad V is not much younger, or I would have been fruitlessly chasing him around in there with all that stuff in my arms.

It’s also, again, not really the stereotypical educational museum experience. There’s a lot of memorabilia that’s uninteresting to children, such as their (huge) collection of gold and platinum records and early cassette tapes and such. There’s also several screens showing Wiggles videos, which is what V gravitates to. If I wanted him to spend an hour watching TV, I can organise that without leaving my house. He did briefly “repair” a Wiggles car by holding a machine wrench against it.

Overall, I think we’re done with the Powerhouse for a few years.

Cost: $12 adults, $6 children 4 and over, younger children free.

Recommended: for my rather grounded four year old, no. Possibly more suited to somewhat older children, or children who have an interest in a specific exhibit. (If that interest is steam trains, I think Train Works at Thirlmere is a better bet, although we cheated last year by going to a Thomas-franchise focussed day.)

More information: Powerhouse website.

http://lecta.puzzling.org/2014/04/16/the-sydney-project-powerhouse-museum/

http://lecta.wordpress.puzzling.org/?p=2371

frith posting in

ponyville_trot

From thirty years ago this week, when Lauren Faust was just a wee thing and the quality of cartoons on TV were abysmal... except The Adventures of the Gummi Bears. And Ulysse 31. And... Anyway, ponies! This is the first MLP cartoon! Watch in awe!

Watch on YouTube

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT0aOr86MIM#t=1342

(N.B.: I always use "old embed code" as it does not require Javascript. Too much Javascript may give your computer cooties.)

epbot_feed

Posted by Jen

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/epbot/fOpU/~3/BI-su1gYRW8/chainmaille-jewelry-for-newbies.html

If you're like me, "chainmaille jewelry" brings to mind Renaissance Fairs, metal bras, and lots of intricate-but-drab steel chains.

Ah, but it turns out modern 'mail jewelry is so much more! Lookie!

I've been having an education through my friend Sharyn, who's recently fallen into the craft with a passion. She got me this Nouveau kit through Blue Buddha Boutique, and it's a great beginner's project; I finished in just a few hours with almost no prior experience.

The instructions in chainmaille kits are usually sold separately, but right now this one's free to download if you want to check it out.

The Nouveau kit is only for the necklace & earrings, but there were enough pieces left over that I made up this bracelet, too:

And here's another closeup of the earrings & pendant:

I loooove the colors.

(Still have to convert the earrings to clips, though. I was too impatient to wait to get the clips first!)

In fact, all the colorful anodized rings available now are what make chainmaille SO much prettier to me. Here's a teal & orange Helm's Weave necklace Sharyn made me:

The flower bracelet is one I made back in college from a kit, back before colors were a thing, and the two next to it I had custom made at a convention a few months ago. Simple, but oh-so-pretty!

I asked Sharyn if I could show off some of her project pics, just to show you guys what's out there. Check it out:

Patterns: "Bees to Butterflies" (a Byzantine variation) and Byzantine

The copper circles (the design is "Japanese Cross") remind me of shiny bubbles. So pretty! And that "Celtic Vision Star" pendant? Awwwwesome!

Here's Sharyn's latest project, which she's been colorfully cursing on FB:

Sharyn has a few books of patterns, but I found instructions for this one - called "Bicubix Blocks" - available as an instant download here on Etsy for $6.95. And here's a closeup of one of the blocks:

Apparently this is one of the trickier patterns Sharyn's done, so maybe hold off until you have some experience under your belt.

Oh! And speaking of things I found on Etsy, look how magical when you add glass beads to chainmaille:

This "glass caterpillar" is an original design by Etsy seller Kat Wisniewski: and she sells the full tutorial as an instant download for less than $7! Suh-WEET.

Or, if making one seems too daunting, you can also buy one from Kat for $75. Check out the rest of her shop for more tutorials and ready-to-wear jewelry like these pendants:

If you want to dip a toe in, just search for "chainmaille kit" on Etsy and you'll be inundated with choices. For tools your bare essentials are just two pairs of chain nose pliers, which are smooth inside so they won't scratch the rings. (Anodized/colored rings are extra easy to scratch, so you can further pad the pliers with plasti-dip, or improvise like I did and just wrap each side in electrical tape. :D)

I've already been having fun shopping for kits, so here are a few I'm eying now:

3 Color Byzantine Bracelent Kit, $22

Acute Helm's Weave kit & instructions, $10 - and you can choose from 14 different colors.

In addition to colorful anodized rings, there are also colorful rubber rings, so you can make stretchy bracelets like these:

"Byzantine Stretch Bracelet," kit & instructions $17

"Twist of Fate" stretchy bracelet kit & instructions, $17

And because I'm a sucker for rainbows:

"Shaggy Chainmaille Rainbow Earrings" kit & instructions, $12.50

"One Pinwheel Kit & Instructions," $12.50

Celtic Flower Pendant Kit & Instructions - your choice of colors, $15

Ok, I think I've given you enough shopping fodder, if you're interested! But if you want more, Sharyn recommends both Blue Buddha and Weave Got Maille for kits, supplies, and tutorials (which are sold separately.)

I've barely even scratched the surface of what's out there, of course, so if any of you more experienced 'maillers have links or advice to share, go wild in the comments, yeah?

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/epbot/fOpU/~3/BI-su1gYRW8/chainmaille-jewelry-for-newbies.html

krebsonsecurity_feed

Posted by BrianKrebs

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KrebsOnSecurity/~3/cl90gqkNBHs/

http://krebsonsecurity.com/?p=25674

Computer hard drive maker LaCie has acknowledged that a hacker break-in at its online store exposed credit card numbers and contact information on customers for the better part of the past year. The disclosure comes almost a month after the breach was first disclosed by KrebsOnSecurity.

On Mar. 17, 2014, this blog published evidence showing that the Web storefront for French hardware giant LaCie (now owned by Seagate) had been compromised by a group of hackers that broke into dozens of online stores using security vulnerabilities in Adobe’s ColdFusion software. In response, Seagate said it had engaged third-party security firms and that its investigation was ongoing, but that it had found no indication that any customer data was compromised.

The Lacie.com Web site as listed in the control panel of a botnet of hacked ecommerce sites.

In a statement sent to this reporter on Monday, however, Seagate allowed that its investigation had indeed uncovered a serious breach. Seagate spokesman Clive J. Over said the breach may have exposed credit card transactions and customer information for nearly a year beginning March 27, 2013. From his email:

“To follow up on my last e-mail to you, I can confirm that we did find indications that an unauthorized person used the malware you referenced to gain access to information from customer transactions made through LaCie’s website.”

“The information that may have been accessed by the unauthorized person includes name, address, email address, payment card number and card expiration date for transactions made between March 27, 2013 and March 10, 2014. We engaged a leading forensic investigation firm, who conducted a thorough investigation into this matter. As a precaution, we have temporarily disabled the e-commerce portion of the LaCie website while we transition to a provider that specializes in secure payment processing services. We will resume accepting online orders once we have completed the transition.”

Security and data privacy are extremely important to LaCie, and we deeply regret that this happened. We are in the process of implementing additional security measures which will help to further secure our website. Additionally, we sent notifications to the individuals who may have been affected in order to inform them of what has transpired and that we are working closely and cooperatively with the credit card companies and federal authorities in their ongoing investigation.

It is unclear how many customer records and credit cards may have been accessed during the time that the site was compromised; Over said in his email that the company did not have any additional information to share at this time.

As I noted in a related story last month, Adobe ColdFusion vulnerabilities have given rise to a number of high profile attacks in the past. The same attackers who hit LaCie also were responsible for a breach at jam and jelly maker Smuckers, as well as Alpharetta, Ga. based credit card processor SecurePay.

In February, a hacker in the U.K. was charged with accessing computers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in October 2012 and stealing names, phone numbers and email addresses using ColdFusion flaws. According to this Business Week story, Lauri Love was arrested in connection with a sealed case which claims that between October 2012 and August 2013, Love hacked into computers belonging to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Sentencing Commission, Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy.

According to multiple sources with knowledge of the attackers and their infrastructure, this is the very same gang responsible for an impressive spree of high-profile break-ins last year, including:

-An intrusion at Adobe in which the attackers stole credit card data, tens of millions of customer records, and source code for most of Adobe’s top selling software (ColdFusion,Adobe Reader/Acrobat/Photoshop);

-A break-in targeting data brokers LexisNexis, Dun & Bradstreet, and Kroll.

-A hack against the National White Collar Crime Center, a congressionally-funded non-profit organization that provides training, investigative support and research to agencies and entities involved in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of cybercrime.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/KrebsOnSecurity/~3/cl90gqkNBHs/

http://krebsonsecurity.com/?p=25674

geekfeminism_feed

Posted by gfspamspam

http://geekfeminism.org/2014/04/15/thats-not-a-linkspam-this-is-a-linkspam-15-april-2014/

http://geekfeminism.org/?p=10952

So You’ve Got Yourself a Policy. Now What? | Stephanie Zvan at Freethough Blogs (April 10): “We know from situations in which they’ve failed that “zero-tolerance” policies, policies in which any act that is deemed to be unacceptable results in expulsion and exclusion, don’t work well. They fail in three main ways. People who are against harassment policies in general are quick to point out that they leave no room for honest mistakes. They are correct when talking about zero-tolerance policies, even if they make the same criticism about all policies.”
What’s Missing from Journalists’ Tactic of Snagging Stories from Twitter? Respect. | Tina Vasquez at bitchmedia (March 21): “Christine Fox does not consider herself a social justice advocate. On March 12, Fox’s timeline took a decidedly different turn. That night, to illustrate that there is no correlation between clothing and sexual assault, Fox asked her more than 12,000 followers to share what they were wearing when they were sexually assaulted. It was the first time Fox facilitated a conversation on this scale and it was also the first time she publicly shared her story as an assault survivor. She walked away from her computer that night feeling positive about what took place—and many tweeted to thank her, saying that through the tears, the discussion felt healing. But the next morning, Fox felt her hands go shaky. She felt nauseous and sweaty. She’d later learn from followers on Twitter that after reading through hundreds of tweets about assault, she had likely “triggered” herself, a term she was relatively unfamiliar with. Still, she knew something powerful had happened and she was proud to have sparked it. And then BuzzFeed came along and fucked everything up.”
My Cane is Not A Costume – Convention Exclusions and Ways to Think About Oppression at Cons | Derek Newman-Stille at Speculating Canada (April 7): “On a regular basis at speculative and other fan conventions, I get knocked around, shoved, pushed out of the way. People assume that because I am using a cane, I am taking up more than my fair space, after all, I have THREE whole legs on the ground (two legs and a cane). I hope this is because they assume that my cane is the equivalent to their lightsaber, a performative piece, a part of a costume… That is my hope. However, I have seen issues of systemic ableism at cons.”
Why are People Perennially Surprised By Internet Misogyny? | s.e. smith at meloukhia.net (April 14): “I have a confession: I was tempted to cut and paste this piece, since I’m pretty sure I’ve written it before. I realized that my desire to cut and paste was kind of an indicator of how endlessly circular this topic is, though. [...] I really don’t know how many times people need to say this before the message will sink through: the internet is a dangerous place for women. It’s especially dangerous for women living at the intersections of multiple marginalisations.”
Collecting Inspiration with Supersisters | Liz Zanis at The Metropolitan Museum of Art (April 3): “Published in 1979, the Supersisters trading cards were a playful, informative, and accessible way to spread feminism to younger audiences. The series was inspired by Lois Rich’s daughter, an eight-year-old baseball-card collector, who asked why there weren’t any pictures of girls on the cards. With a grant from the New York State Education Department, Lois Rich and her sister, Barbara Egerman, contacted five hundred women of achievement and created cards of the first seventy-two to respond.”

We link to a variety of sources, some of which are personal blogs. If you visit other sites linked herein, we ask that you respect the commenting policy and individual culture of those sites.

Thanks to everyone who suggested links.

http://geekfeminism.org/2014/04/15/thats-not-a-linkspam-this-is-a-linkspam-15-april-2014/

http://geekfeminism.org/?p=10952

cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/4/15/take-a-wild-guess-day.html

There's really only one way to celebrate this, so...

TAKE A WILD GUESS, GUYS:

Just so you know, I honestly and sincerely have no idea what this is supposed to be. I know what it LOOKS like, of course - (A baby shower cake. Eh? EH?!) - but it's so badly done, with those inexplicable pom-poms and zig-zags - and why is it blue? - that I just... I can't even... no.

Just... no.

What's that, John? Today is also "That Sucks Day"?

Aaaannnnd SCENE.

Thanks to Jennifer C. for submitting this with no details whatsoever, and also for proving once again that I couldn't make this stuff up even if I tried.

*****

Thank you for using our Amazon links to shop! USA, UK, Canada.

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/4/15/take-a-wild-guess-day.html

beable

How Frozen should have ended.
With the best crossover ever:

http://youtu.be/4ThvBNZdGcQ

Crossposts: http://beable.livejournal.com/766813.html

female_cs_feed

Posted by Gail Carmichael

http://compscigail.blogspot.com/2014/04/my-fdg-2014-cruise-ship-conference.html

You may recall that I was going to a conference on a cruise ship in April. Well, I'm back from Foundations of Digital Games 2014 and am happy to report that I have found another new favourite conference and community. The conference went well and I made some wonderful friends. Win win!

It was a strange experience, being on a cruise ship for (mostly) academic purposes. This was my first time on one, and to be honest, I actually prefer the resort experience more when it comes to vacations. An overwhelming sense of "fake" was prevalent on the ship, and while resorts aren't necessarily better, on a cruise all you have is the boat. No beach, no grass, etc. I also didn't love the dark, cavernous feeling on most decks of the boat or the lengthy process to embark and debark. Even the mall was kept dark and lit with neon lights most of the time.

But there is a big advantage to hosting a conference on a cruise ship: nobody can leave! This was really great for building community. It was easy to find other attendees and spend some social time with them. For example, on one of the early nights, there was a disco party happening in the mall. At that point I was alone, wandering around, wondering what to do.

When I ran into some friends (old and new), I finally had someone to dance with, even if we were stuck with disco for quite some time. I would not have danced disco alone, but with them, I had a blast.

I have to admit that the upper deck with the pools was a nice place to prepare for my paper presentations (lab mates, if you are reading this: pretend I prepared weeks in advance and practised at our meetings). Sitting on a swinging chair looking out on the ocean is a good way to relieve last-minute stress.

And boy, was I stressed. I wasn't worried about the actual presentation being good, but rather whether the audience of heavy-hitters in the stories-in-games field would think the work itself was any good. It was a rare moment of feeling the imposter syndrome. To make matters worse, I had two talks almost in a row! Good to get them over with, but no chance for feedback in between.

Fortunately, everything went very well. The talk was good, and the questions afterwards were even better. A lot of the people I was intimidated of in the first place made a point to tell me that my talk was interesting. Later in the conference I even got to have an extended conversation with one of them, giving me both confidence and ideas. (Learn more about what I presented if you're interested.)

After my talks and a couple of other interesting paper sessions, I escaped on my own for a bit to decompress. The sun was starting to set, which was the perfect time to take a stroll around the boat.

The next day, the ship docked in Cozumel, Mexico, where two of my new friends and I went on a tour of Maya ruins (apparently you aren't supposed to include an "n") and visited a gorgeous beach. I was really glad to have my talk behind me at that point as I could completely relax and enjoy it!

The last day of the cruise included more interesting talks and a lovely reception and dinner to cap it all off. I left the following morning on a high, and already trying to figure out how to ensure I attended next year's conference. I left feeling like I had finally found "my people," from my awesome roommate to the researchers with the same interests. Thanks FDG, and hope to see you again soon!

http://compscigail.blogspot.com/2014/04/my-fdg-2014-cruise-ship-conference.html

cakewrecks_feed

Posted by Jen

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/4/14/passover-these-wrecks.html

Let's hear it for my Jewish homies: Oyyy yeaaah!

Ok, obviously it's a bit difficult to find professional Passover cakes - Wrecks or otherwise - considering the whole leaven thing. However, I thought these were pretty amusing.

Hey, Passover is a celebration of the Israelites escaping Egypt, right? So Moses parting the Red Sea kind of counts as a Passover cake, right?

Well, I thought it was hilariously creative, anyway, so I had to share. Thanks to Blair T. for showing us how Divinity School students rock the party.

These next ones are more Label Wrecks than Cake Wrecks, but I think you'll agree they're Wrecks regardless. First, Niobe found this nicely packaged "Passover Coconut Cake"...

Complete with a "rich in tradition" greeting:

But wait...what's this on the back?

"Not Kosher for Passover?!?"

Well, I guess if you are having a "a Passover rich in tradition," you'll just have to hope this cake keeps well for later.

At least they're upfront about it, though. Check out what I found over on Yodster's Flickr stream, titled "How a Russian Baker Makes a Cake Kosher for Passover."

Step 1: Cross out flour on the ingredients list.

Step 2: Add a star of David.

Step 3: Kosher!

Happy Passover everyone!

*****

Thank you for using our Amazon links to shop! USA, UK, Canada.

http://www.cakewrecks.com/home/2014/4/14/passover-these-wrecks.html

accidentallyincode_feed

Posted by Cate Huston

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccidentallyInCode/~3/40qnbfaRkRc/

http://www.catehuston.com/blog/?p=12751

Credit: Flickr / fotodispalle

The other day, I made a complaint at a service that I pay an inordinate amount of money for. I don’t think the topic or place of complaint is relevant, so I’ll leave it out. But as I was stressing about this problem, which meant I was unable to use this service without either a large amount of hassle, or paying an extra 5GBP, I mentioned that I should have gone to the other location (run by the same company, where this is not a problem).

Anyway, the guy responds to this by telling me I’ve hurt his feelings. I’m completely thrown by this, and end up paying up the extra money and going away, still annoyed.

I maintain that my complaint was reasonable, and he derailed it by making it not about what was bothering me, but about him. But even if my complaint was unreasonable, how are his feelings relevant – bearing in mind that my way of expressing my complaint was expressed in a moderate tone, free from personal insults.

Because it’s derailing – I’m not supposed to complain anymore, because of HIS feelings.

And yet, women are supposed to be more emotional.

It’s the double standard that is imposed on women – be less emotional, don’t cry, don’t make “emotional” decisions. But make sure you do the emotional labour of considering the feelings of the men around you.

Men don’t have to worry about the feelings of women, because it’s been agreed (somehow) that women shouldn’t have them. But woe betide the woman who hurts the feelings of a man.

I loathe this. I am tired of worrying about the feelings of men, how they will react to things, what kind of trouble they will cause me as a result. Demanding that women somehow be less, and more emotional is not something that we are ever going to win.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/AccidentallyInCode/~3/40qnbfaRkRc/

http://www.catehuston.com/blog/?p=12751