Affordable Housing and Code for Durham: A Love Letter

TL;DR: You should join us at Code for Durham and help us make our town better.

Just like #TheDress of 2015, Talia Jane has once again allowed each of us to use her open letter to the CEO of Yelp to draw up sides, find our echo chambers and practice our clever turns of phrases in open letters.

Apparently the housing situation is San Francisco is especially good fodder for open letters . The Guardian does a good job of outlining many of those here.  But it makes me think of my charming town. This is a love letter to Durham, NC.

I have lived in Durham for 26 years. It is a perfect town. Small enough where you run into people you know and large enough to have art, jobs and amazing food[1][2][3]. That is all I need.

Durham is growing leaps and bounds. The good citizens of Durham are also aware that with growth comes responsibilities. The volunteers at Durham Code for America are providing insight to influence policy. It is also an opportunity for me to learn from data scientist,  programmers and architects working with city data. [Side note: Unfortunately the work we are deriving this from is written in Jekyll and Ruby. Right now I am a tad too polyglot. I need to stay focused. 

Big thanks to Brittnay, Derek and Ron for a lot of fun and answering all my silly questions! See you in two weeks.
Ginny

And as Bill Bell and Montell Jordan say "This is How We Do It"

Politics, Race and American Sarcasm

TL;DR Kiese Laymon made me laugh, mad and  rethink my beliefs all in 1100 words.

What do you do when you find an article so well written but too controversial for any of your social media channels? Put it in a place no one will find it :

 "I'll be so proud when my daughter is president and runs a corrupt oligarchy"

by @Kiese Laymon
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/feb/22/daughter-us-president-corrupt-oligarchy?CMP=share_btn_tw

It is so well written, that even if it drives your politics crazy, it is worth it. Wait, what am I saying,  it will drive your politics crazy.

Enjoy!
Ginny

PS> I had a hard time finding a song that matched the quality, sarcasm and insight of the article. Hope you enjoy Santigold's Shove It

Barney Miller and My Childhood

I am waiting for the February 13, 2016 GOP Debate. I have not watched any other debates. However, in light of the passing of the Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia it felt important. I expect President Barack Obama to be the one selecting and appointing his replacement.

Barney Miller happened to be on. I have so many memories of watching Barney Miller. I had to be too young since it ran when I was 4 till 12 years old. The episode tonight, "The Child Stealers" Season 6, E15. was shockingly progressive. It was done in 1980 and talked about accepting homosexuals. Beyond that the characters, the writing, and the acting is amazing. I had crushes on, can I say, all of the characters:

• Barney Miller - Smart, confident and seeing the big picture. Prefer people work out a better choice instead of an obvious one. 
• Wojo - Cute in a nerdy way and honestly kind. 
• Ron Glass - Handsome, suave and successful. Who does not love a man in an afro. 
• Arthur Dietrich - A Brilliant dry humor and unflappable. Oh and a cheeky smile
• Fish - Hubba Hubba 

Seeing the show 30 years later makes me realize how it has influenced my values and humor. Oddly my most salient memory was that lie detectors are liars

Ok, Threes Company just started. Another childhood mainstay. Must be time to switch over to the GOP Debate. [Insert witty joke here] 

Cheers! 

G 

On being 'woke'

"For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

I have no memory of how Deray Mckesson crossed my twitter feed. I should know him through Black Lives Matter, Ferguson and now Campaign Zero. DeRay catches my eye each time he posts "I love my blackness. And yours." I smile at how much my son loves his blackness and how much I agree.

From January 20, 2015 Twitter Post 

On an appearance on Stephen Cobert, Mckesson mentioned being "woke". The word embodied a concept I've been wrestling with for the last 12 years. How do you acknowledge you know nothing, while still articulating what you are learning? In a decade of Martin and Rice and Ferrell,  I find the idea that I am capable of raising a black son unfathomable. We were asked during the adoption process how our community, home and family were suitable to raise an African American child. We had good answers and I thought I knew. But no one mentions closing the blinds when your family is playing with nerf guns just in case a concern citizen mistakes what they see. Or when your 8 year old wakes up and says "I don't want to get shot" after a not guilty ruling in Florida. Or how an innocent comment about how old he looks reminds you of the studies on perceived innocence and race.

I want to be clear. I have no regrets. My son is my son. We share the same stubborn streak, same crazy humor, same deep sense of justice. I am grateful for each time I recognize I am being 'woke',  grateful for others who have already 'woke' and willing to do whatever it takes to be the mommy my beautiful son needs.

"And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

The secret to a happy marriage : Pareto Efficiency

TL;DR: If it makes you happy, and does not make your spouse less happy, do it! If it makes your spouse happy and it is no skin off your back, do it!

Back in 2011, I was in a Kroger parking lot and heard a Marketplace interview that changed my life. Applying one little idea made me healthier and happier in my marriage. The concept is Pareto Efficiency: allocate resources to optimize happiness. In practice, it means doing what you love and letting your spouse do what they love. For me it meant running. Before that parking lot moment I felt guilty stealing time from my family to go run. After, I realized they did not care and much preferred the happy me. 

The other key to joy is letting things slide when they really don't effect me.  After 19 years of marital bliss I still have to work very hard at letting my husband have his space.

Now flash forward to 2016.  @botchagalupe posted a link to a Velocity Talk by @littleidea . It has nothing to do with marriage and it is a great talk. You should watch. Andrew Shafer's insight at minute 16 is the problem in our business culture is "Pareto Inefficient Nash Equilibrium". Yes the talk is that good! And it gave me back the Pareto Efficiency.

And just because I am I can't stop listening to Mary Lambert lately: "She Keeps Me Warm"  ... a very romantic song

TechGirlz and IBM - Lego Robotics

On Wednesday, twenty three girls and a bunch of volunteers met at IBM in Research Triangle park to learn about robotics and have fun with Legos. This event was another in a series of local TechGirlz sessions.

Luckily Jennifer Raisig, Manager of Mobile Quality Assurance (MQA) Development, had recruited a lot of volunteers, trained in the art of Lego Robotics. As both an IBMer and regular Triangle TechGirlz Volunteer, I had the job of checking in the students and answering any questions the parents have. When I get this opportunity, I realize I missed my true calling in life. I love the role of welcoming and answering questions.

Here are a few from that night:

Q: How do I sign up my daughter for future events? 
A:  The TechGirlz team does a good job of updating facebook, twitter and the site with details. However, I like to do a search directly on EventBrite to see if the next sessions are open.

Q: What is the issues with women in technology?
A: Tech is awesome for women, until it is not. There is so much progress happening and so many organizations like TechGirlz, Girls Develop It, Black Girls Code and more. As my circle grows, I do see how unconscious bias continue to effect our careers and opportunities. As my circle grows, I am also blessed with incredible technical women who inspire me to explore. If you can see my twitter lists, check out "BlechleyCircle" for women who will inspire you as well.

Q: Why do you volunteer with TechGirlz? 
A: This was the sweetest. We were wrapping up and everyone was on cloud nine from a great event. Which is also the answer. TechGirlz reminds me of the days I got to play with my Commodore 64 or the first time I delivered code to VisualAge Smalltalk. There is a pure joy in discovery and learning.

Q: What kind of help does TechGirls Need? 
A: There are a lot of ways people and companies can help:

• Donate meeting space - You can join great companies like IBM, Bronto, Spoonflower, Bandwidth and others who have opened their offices to us. 
• Sponsor swag and snacks - Easy to make donations on the site : http://www.techgirlz.org/raleigh-durham-techgirlz-group/
• Volunteer to teach or assist- Use your experience to educate and inspire young girls.
• Buy us TechGirlz tshirt - Seriously, getting tshirts for the students and volunteers would make our fearless leader, Deirdre so happy

Enjoy,
Ginny
Oh Music.  How about some Lily Allen "Air Balloon"