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The Mary Sue launches
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The Mary Sue, a new blog dedicated to subject matters of interest to the discerning geekess, launched this week. I learned about it on Twitter from Laughing Squid, who was linking to their most recent post, “10 Women Who Secretly Control The Internet,” and I was immediately impressed by the content on the site.
There are plenty of “geek girl” sites out there, but The Mary Sue has a slightly different MO than a lot of them:
We know the point at which you would be satisfied is to just be able to geek out with all geeks, of any gender, without feeling like your femininity is front and center for scrutiny. To not feel like you have to work harder than guys to prove that you’re genuinely into geek culture. We want simple things, like to be able to visit a comic book store without feeling out of place. To be able to buy a video game without getting the sense that the cashier thinks we’re buying it for someone else.
But mainly we just want to be able to pursue our hobbies with the other people who share them. We want to play with the boys.
So there are two reasons why there should be more out there devoted specifically to the female geek.
Because even if we want to play with the boys, there is a value to having our own space.
And also, because of this.
I did take a little offense to one comment on their mission statement, which proclaims:
I have never met a geek girl who was even halfway interested in almost anything Cosmopolitan had to say. We were too busy reading Cicada and Popular Science when we were the age that Teen Magazine wanted our attention. [...] The only celebrity gossip I care about is who’s on what project next, the only fashion I’m interested is where to get Batman shirts that allow for boobs.
Never? Not once? I don’t know, I like fashion and makeup and other “girly” things… sure, The Mary Sue won’t be my place for info like that, but it also doesn’t mean that I should feel like less of a geek for being into those things. Am I reading into it too much? Perhaps. But girls who are interested in those things, but want to be more involved in geek culture too, could be a little threatened/intimidated by statements like that.
Overall, I’m super-excited to see what The Mary Sue has up her sleeves. I even subscribed to the newsletter, which is highly unusual for me (I want less email, not more). And if I want my daily mix of geek, fashion, makeup and gossip, I’ve still got my fleet of Sugar sites to keep up with!
About.me introduction video!
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All about about.me from about.me on Vimeo.
I love this video that the About.me team created as an introduction to the service (I’m an advisor to the company). Check out the service, if you haven’t already, and let us know what you think! My profile, which you see in the video, is located here.
DNA as art
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I’ve become pretty fascinated with my own DNA lately. While I know a little bit about my background (Irish, Scottish, some sprinklings of various Germanic tribes thrown in for good measure) I’ve always been curious about what I’m made of.
Last year I joined 23andMe, and through testing was able to determine my maternal haplogroup (W1c) and my paternal one as well (R1a1a* — yes, I was able to convince my Dad to spit in a test tube from 3,000 miles away).
All very cool, and which brings me to the photo you see at the top of this post. DNA 11 is a company that makes art based on your own personal DNA. They offered to let me try their service, using my data from 23andMe (though they will send you a kit of their own if you haven’t done one already) to create a QR code portrait containing my ancestry info (maternal line only in this case) called an Ancestry Portrait. This is what you see when you read the QR:
Neat! The portraits aren’t cheap (the one they made for me retails for $440 [Edit: they'll knock off $150 if you bring your own DNA to the table like I did]) but it’s a cool way to have some (extremely) personalized art. I have it hanging in my den of nerddom, and it’s a nice reminder of where I came from.
Travel essentials
211 year ago
I travel more than anyone I know. This is not bragging; it’s gotten to the point where I’m relating more to the 50-something male business travelers I share the airports and hotel bars with than peers my own age.
One thing makes traveling a cinch for me: technology. There are a few essential apps and tools that I use daily that make life so much easier for me. Without them, I’d be utterly and completely lost.
TripIt
I use TripIt for everything. Flights, hotels, rental cars, car services, etc. If there’s a confirmation email associated with my trip, it gets forwarded to plans@TripIt.com and instantly added to my itinerary. Then, I just pull up the information on my iPhone, and I’ll never forget where the hotel is or what flight number I’m on. I use the Pro account (which has a $60 yearly fee) to keep track of all my frequent flier miles and to alert me to any changes in my itinerary.
FlightTrack Pro
This $9.99 iPhone app works with data from TripIt Pro, and has saved my ass more times than I can count. I typically know a flight is delayed or cancelled before the crew does (well… It seems that way, anyhow). I can use it to cross-reference SeatGuru, find alternate flights, and give me up-to-the-second gate information. A must-have for the frequent traveler.
Expensify
This handy app works on the iPhone and iPad, and allows me to put together expense reports quickly and easily. Using my iPhone, I can take pictures of my receipts, add them to a new or existing expense report, and mail them off to their intended recipient. The only downside is that you need a data connection to work on your reports.
TaxiMagic and Uber
Need a ride to the airport, but don’t know the local cab companies? Try TaxiMagic. In some places, like SF, you can book and pay for Luxor Cabs using the app directly. Otherwise, it lists the local cab companies in your area and helps you to call them from the app. Uber is only available in SF (AFAIK) but this town car booking system is the most reliable and comfortable way to travel. It’s more spendy, at 1.5x the price of normal cabs, but sometimes it’s worth it!
Dropbox and EverNote
I use these apps to sync my data across multiple devices, but I use them differently. Dropbox is mainly for sharing documents (in my case, VO files and scripts) while Evernote I use to keep track of ideas and business cards when I’m on the road. It’s my virtual Rolodex! Instead of taking cards, I snap a photo and upload it to my business cards notebook. Then, once it’s indexed, I can search and access that info from anywhere.
MyLink from OnStar
If I feel like maybe I forgot to lock my car after leaving it at the airport, I use the OnStar app to remotely lock Terry Cruze. You can also see the cars specs, remotely turn it on and off, and get roadside assistance. Now, if only they had an app for turning off the oven…
3G iPad
First I felt kind of guilty buying the 3G version. Then I felt even more guilty paying the $14.99 a month data plan. But after two months of using it, I don’t feel that way anymore! You’d be amazed by how many hotels still charge an arm and a leg for Wifi, and how many coffee shops don’t offer it at all anymore. This 3G tablet has been great for emailing and blogging on the go. Also, it means I don’t have to lug my laptop around, which is a big plus. I actually wrote this post on my iPad on the way home from Portland last night.
Kindle 2
Yes! Even with the iPad, I insist on bringing the Kindle with me on every trip. Why, you ask? The battery life is forever, the screen is much easier to look at after long periods, and it’s smaller.
What are your travel essentials? Anything you can’t live without when you’re on the road?
