Tag Archives: Middle East

December 15, 2011 · 4:48 pm

Manhole Cover Designs

As described in my Signs Afoot 7 April 2009 blog post, I am interested in the design and age of signs and marks under foot in a city. I have recently collected images of manhole covers from Marrakech, Morocco to Portland, Oregon. I am delighted by the variety and personality expressed in this most-humble of civic street elements. Here are some of my favorites:

Portland, Oregon

San Francisco, California

Palo Alto, California

Salinas, California

Marrakech, Morocco

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Tagged as Middle East, San Francisco, San Jose

November 12, 2011 · 11:20 am

Hopper Conference, Portland Oregon

This is the final day for the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing here in Portland, with a focus on Open Source. As usual, the Hopper Conference has been an exhilarating experience, recharging me for another year of technical business in an overwhelmingly male industry. Also, as usual, the 3,000 attendees with several computers each regularly overwhelmed the local net, so I have mostly been tweeting rather than blogging this week.

My husband John and daughter Jessica are both here. Jessica presented a panel and poster. Jessica asked me what was my favorite GHC11 event. The most memorable was yesterday’s keynote by The Honorable Shirley Ann Jackson, President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Jackson’s talk was not flashy but I came away with several new ideas and energetic motivation to follow up. The other conference highlight was the celebration of the TechWomen mentees, mentors, and program. I am so proud of my sisters from MENA!

I am proud that Huawei joined NetApp and Google in sponsoring TechWomen mentees to come to the Hopper Conference (and Huawei paid for the third Huawei-Santa Clara-hosted mentee to come too). Corporate community support at its best!

Yesterday, on behalf of the ABI Advisory Board, I was honored to introduce the presentation of two-time GHC award-winner Anne Ikiara of Kenya. She gave an inspiring talk about her organization NairoBits, which has given computer training to 6,000 poor young women in ten years for a cost of about $100/each. So impressive – I want to be her when I grow up.

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Filed under Home & Family, Hopper - Anita Borg Institute, Mentoring & Other Business, News & Reviews

Tagged as Geeks, Huawei, Jessica, John, Mentoring, Middle East, technical women, TechWomen

November 9, 2011 · 11:51 pm

Hopper Conference – Day 1, Portland Oregon

Today is the opening of the sold-out GHC11 – the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women and Computing here in Portland, Oregon. My contribution to the world’s greatest conference for technical women came early: attending the ABI Advisory Board meeting this morning and inviting Janet Abbate, Assistant Professor, Science and Technology in Society, Virginia Tech, to be one of the panel at the Hopper Conference Newcomer’s orientation this afternoon. Other than that, I am mostly hanging out with my daughter Jessica and the TechWomen mentees and mentors and staff. I am also representing Huawei, one of the sponsors of the scholarships to bring some of the TechWomen mentees to GHC11.

The flight north from the San Francisco Bay Area this morning was spectacular: we flew directly over a massive, cloudless and snowy Mount Shasta and smaller wintery mountains. Between GHC events, we plan to sample the delights of this pleasant town: this morning we ate Voodoo Doughnuts and tomorrow we plan to go to Powells City of Books. Jessica presents her panel and poster tomorrow afternoon.

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Tagged as Geeks, Huawei, Jessica, Mentoring, Middle East, San Francisco, technical women, TechWomen

October 26, 2011 · 8:26 pm

Happy Birthday Hillary!

Today is the birthday of the champion of the TechWomen mentoring program, US Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton. I was reading today’s poem offered by The Writer’s Alamanac and noticed their happy birthday wishes for her as the author of two popular books.

Also today, one of the TechWomen launched the first coupon discount web site in Algeria, one of a dozen or more new ventures and non-profits already started by the 37 mentees since their return to their homes in the Middle East and North Africa in July. What an astonishing, accomplished, and supportive group has been created by Hillary Clinton’s program. A grand birthday present indeed!

Images Copyright 2011 Katy Dickinson
#WIT11

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October 25, 2011 · 8:17 am

Mohammed VI of Morocco

On last week’s visit to Morocco, I was impressed by how many positive comments I heard about King Mohammed. Being an American, kings are strange to me. I am used to our special version of democracy where complaining about the government is expected and politics is a contact sport.

Seeing the young king’s picture everywhere was a surprise – especially the many photos which had clearly been taken locally (not formal portraits). Mohammed VI of Morocco seems to be not only highly regarded by his people but actively involved in making positive social change. In particular, the 2004 reform of the Mudawana or family code was widely praised for supporting women’s rights and gender equality within an Islamic legal framework.

I was only there for ten days and maybe I just did not hear about the bad stuff. But I can’t think of an American politician about whom everyone has only good to say. Like the king’s photo which presided over most of our TechWomen meeting rooms – he seems to be very much a part of his people’s daily life.

Images Copyright 2011 Katy Dickinson
#WIT11

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Tagged as Mentoring, Middle East, Morocco, technical women, TechWomen

October 25, 2011 · 7:32 am

What is inside a minaret?

During last week’s visit to Morocco by the TechWomen delegation, we had many fascinating conversations during the long bus rides. I asked several of the women, what is inside a minaret?

The delegation spent days in Casablanca and saw the impressively huge Hassan II Mosque but of course even tiny neighborhood mosques each have their own minaret. None of the women had been inside a minaret (not allowed). One said she toured La Giralda (built in 1184 in Seville, Spain) where the ancient minaret had been converted to a cathedral bell tower. She said it enclosed a ramp big enough for the muezzin to ride a horse to the top to lead the call to prayer. Several thought that inside a minaret was probably just stairs (or maybe a ladder) and empty space.

My home church is always struggling for storage space – where to store the Christmas pageant costumes? Where do the tablecloths go between parish dinners? If our church had a bell tower, I think it would soon be full of Thanksgiving table decorations and extra candles. I hope I am not being disrespectful in wondering if mosques have similar storage problems.

I found some web pictures of stairs inside small minarets. But I am still curious if all that is inside the great minarets is a stairway?

#WIT11

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Tagged as Mentoring, Middle East, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, technical women, TechWomen

October 23, 2011 · 2:05 pm

TechWomen in Morocco – Day 7 – Last Day, in Casablanca

Friday was the last day for the TechWomen delegation in Morocco. We spent most of the time speaking and learning at a technical women’s conference at the Technopark in Casablanca. We were welcomed by the US Consul General, Mr. Brian Shukan. I ran a panel on “Venture Design: Documenting the Start-up Company” with Mimi Hills (of Research in Motion) and Jody Mahoney (of the Anita Borg Institute). Here is a link to the presentation slides. Also, I was on the Imposter Syndrome panel run by Jody.

After the conference, we went shopping (again!) in the souq and then to a dinner and henna party at the restaurant of the Association Solidarité Féminine.