Katy Dickinson

Almost Ready for Grace Hopper

I am again managing Sun's participation in the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing conference, now just a few weeks away: Keystone Resort, Colorado, October 1-4, 2008. On Thursday (2 Oct), Sun has staff in 8 panels or talks, with 4 more on Friday (3 Oct). You can see my panel "Taking the Long View - Many Careers in One Company" on Thursday, October 2nd, Session Three, 2:45pm - 3:45pm. I am also participating in a BOF on the new MAGIC mentoring program called "Setting Up An Effective Organization To Support Girls" on Friday, Oct 3rd, 5:10pm - 6:10pm.

Other panels or presentations including Sun staff have these titles:

• CTO Plenary Session
• Innovating with Chip Multi-Threading Technology
• Mid-Career Course Correction
• The Synergistic Evolution of Software & Hardware Technologies
• Build a Better Processor: Breaking through the Technology Challenges
• Letting the Cup Overflow: Expanding Your Experiences Outside Your Research Lab
• Project Fortress: A Multicore Language for Scientists and Engineers
• Women in the Brave New World of Free and Open Source Software
• Web 2.0 Session: Online Social Networks - Impact to Our Careers
• Experiences with Maternity Leave and Returning to Work

The many Sun staff attending are coordinating schedules (which breakfast, lunch, or evening events to attend?, who will staff Sun's exhibit hall table when?, who can help set up or tear down?). Hopper is an exhilerating experience and I am very much looking forward to it.

Last year was the first time my daughter Jessica attended Hopper. This year, her own poster submission was accepted. I haven't seen my girl since she left for her second year at Carnegie Mellon University in late August. It will be fun to room together again. Some photos from Hopper 2007:

Jessica & Fran Allen

My "Girl Geeks" Panel, 2007

Friday Party 2007

Hopper 2007 Poster

Images Copyright 2007 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 10:51PM Sep 17, 2008 by katysblog in Hopper - Anita Borg Institute  | 

More Odd Vehicles

As the owner of WP668, the railroad caboose in my backyard, I know something about having a passion for odd transport. I wrote on May 7, 2008 about Silly Vehicles. This is an update on that theme.

My husband John found a set of pictures of some of the strange vehicles created for the Burning Man gathering held in the Black Rock Desert, 120 miles north of Reno, Nevada, around Labor Day each year. One of the pictures was of a three-wheeled tugboat car which we last saw in the parking lot of our local hardware store. A few of the unique vehicles we see in the Silicon Valley are from Burning Man but others are just expressions of their owner's taste or fantasy.

Stretch Limo Hummer

Kit Car

Old Rolls

Tug Car

Advertising Truck

Modified VW Bug

Images Copyright 2008 by Katy Dickinson

Posted at 10:16PM Sep 17, 2008 by katysblog in News & Reviews  |