The Twitter Diaries: 2009-03-08

  • had a nice weekend talking about Woodstock School, social networking, personal stuff… it’s good to have friends who get it all! #
  • @italylogue I couldn’t even get through the first chapter of the book [Gomorrah: A Personal Journey into the Violent International Empire of Naples’ Organized Crime System]. Just confirmed too much that I already knew or suspected in reply to italylogue #
  • at SJC waiting for my flight to Denver after a tumultuous week – was it only a week? – in the Bay Area. #
  • Back to dia, now Wallypark, car and home. Who is Wally anyway? #
  • winding down after today’s travel, but it’s going to be another very busy week ahead… @jdlasica I need to talk to you soon! #
  • @AmandaLorenzani whoa, big how? you’re expecting? in reply to AmandaLorenzani #
  • @lskrocki Udall’s Twit icon is much better than his dweebie official photo in reply to lskrocki #
  • 67 attendees signed up for the first Colorado Front Range Girl Geek Dinner. Wow! Looking forward to meeting everybody! #
  • expense report time again #
  • dropped a 9 lb Dell laptop on my foot this morning. Laptop uninjured, wish I could say the same about my foot! #
  • @lskrocki I may have to invoke quarantine, and revoke your right to speak at the GGD. Just drop the beer at the entrance. ; ) in reply to lskrocki #
  • @lskrocki more worried about you being a carrier. ; ) But by now we’ve all been exposed and whoever is gonna get it, is gonna get it. in reply to lskrocki #
  • waiting for rice to be ready so I try my version of Setos’ Iranian green beans, and my own five-bean dal #
  • @lskrocki youve got competition. the Btv folks are practically sending me flowers. ; ) #
  • this evening’s emails from my site include insults to my intelligence and a request for extensive (and free) travel advice #
  • @lskrocki good heavens, even the cat has it?!? in reply to lskrocki #
  • Jonathan is now videoblogging – and calling it that. http://tinyurl.com/c4cak8 I feel so vindicated. ; ) #
  • @flemsta mostly “mail from people with no social skills”. Tho “take that Obama crap off this Italian site” qualifies as ignorant hate in reply to Flemsta #
  • @MichaelRolland I suspect you’ll be pleasantly surprised. US hospitals generally look fancier, which says nothing about quality of care. in reply to MichaelRolland #
  • The world is full of people whose lack of social skills is so profound they don’t even know it’s lacking. And they write to me. #
  • @italylogue re SxSW, won’t make the travel blog talk – it’s competing with danah boyd, one of my heroes, can’t miss her! in reply to italylogue #
  • damnit, about 5 key sessions (for me) at SxSW are all at the same time! #
  • who among my Tweeps will be at SxSWi? #
  • MAYBE, I might go to http://twtvite.com/wl72lg (AllHat…No Cattle on Mar 15, 2009) – need to finish figuring out my schedule #
  • @italylogue the way this thing looks, I suspect that the empty blocks will look good for curling up on the floor for a nap! in reply to italylogue #
  • @timbray thanks for the LOL, I needed that! in reply to timbray #
  • it appears that some/many of the panelists at SxSW would despise me for loving my job with Monster Big Corporation. #
  • my car is loaded with beer, wine, and goodies for the GGD. (Yes, there will also be dinner.) #
  • @Silona umm… explain to me what a gong-fu cha event is, please? in reply to Silona #
  • @lskrocki glad the ending is a lot better than the beginning! in reply to lskrocki #
  • @Halcyon love it! And my daughter says I should dye my hair like yours in reply to Halcyon #
  • at least 80 fascinating women will be attending the first Colorado Front Range Girl Geek Dinner. I am humbled and awed by the response #
  • “Divorcing Italy” http://tinyurl.com/ab6ufs continues to get sad-making comments. I’m not the only one. #
  • can anyone suggest a more reliable ranking than Alexa’s for the most popular websites? #
  • My copy editor nerve twitches: “There are three principle ways to measure Internet usage. ” (from Hitwise) #
  • editing video from Tucker Bradford (SETI) preso at the Open Storage Summit. #
  • @jeffreytaylor delayed reaction, it’s pretty common. Then come the flip-flops “I love this place, I hate this place, I’ll live here forever” in reply to jeffreytaylor #
  • SETI talk at Open Storage Summit – where to put 918 Exabytes? http://tinyurl.com/cn83wk #
  • I don’t notice the stress so much. Until someone says: “You’ve got a lot to be stressed out about.” Hand me a valium when you say that! #
  • @lskrocki let me know when you can. I’m calling out the troops to help,. in reply to lskrocki #
  • “… stranding many little children on jagged and inhospitable floes.” http://tinyurl.com/bpfgzd #
  • OMZ! 105 registered attendees for the Girl Geek Dinner tonight and I still expect walk-ins. #
  • team member very ill today, the boss is keeping tabs and keeping me informed. The corporate family in action. #
  • @TheyCallMeB thanks – the more help, the merrier! in reply to TheyCallMeB #
  • so of course the expense reporting tool is frozen in the middle of a very complex hotel bill #
  • another expense report from hell done #
  • once again deeply desiring an “I don’t give a sh*t” feature for Google News. Don’t even know (or care) who Rihanna and Chris Brown ARE. #
  • thanks to everyone who helped make the 1st CO Front Range Girl Geek Dinner a success. I hope next time I get to talk with people more! #
  • @sfoskett exiting Fry’s empty-handed revokes your geek status for life. in reply to sfoskett #
  • @vdotw me on TV (if they use any of it) is a little scary; I’m used to being on the other end of the camera. in reply to vdotw #
  • “I want the smartest, most effective people working for Sun.” Jonathan speaking to women@Sun #
  • “diversity is a fiduciary duty” #
  • “Select managers who reflect your own values and priorities.” #
  • “facebook is what all companies will look like.” (in terms of employee demographics) #
  • I may be on TV tonight, but will probably forget to watch it (or fall asleep). Thank you, Tivo! #
  • Ross ping-pongs between impressive maturity, adolescent mood swings, and teen stupidity. I guess it’s the age (19). #
  • enough for one week. Dinner with Pratchett (a book, sadly not the man), then more of (maybe finish) Kal Ho Na Ho. Maahi ve! #
  • an amazing animated film released under CC: http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/ #
  • looks as if in the next two weeks I get to go to two of my favorite places: Austin and New York City #
  • 1st CO FR GGD got a nice piece on local news. No footage of me, though they showed my name on Facebook, and mentioned need for sponsors #
  • report on the first CO FR GGD: http://tinyurl.com/cdtbfz #
  • once again struggling to get Tivo Desktop to work. Maybe it’ll be more reliable on my forthcoming new MacBook Pro? #
  • anything financial is so !#$@#$@ complicated, especially when you don’t have a life that fits in standard checkboxes #
  • @davewiner what savings? in reply to davewiner #
  • @lskrocki happy birthday, hope you’re feeing better! in reply to lskrocki #
  • do you wonder that I have such a dente avvelenato [http://tinyurl.com/23957c] for the Catholic Church: http://tinyurl.com/dzaa2d ? #
  • finished Kal Ho Na Ho tonight. As expected, big weepie. But Saif Ali Khan is so cute, how could she have spurned him in the first place? #

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Woodstock School: Study in India’s Himalayas

I attended Woodstock School, an international boarding school in Mussoorie, Uttaranchal, India, from 1977 to 1981 (when I graduated from high school). It meant a great deal to me, and, like many other alumni, I am very actively involved with the school.

The Woodstock School pages on my site are for present, former, and future students, staff, parents, and friends of Woodstock School – and anyone else who would like to learn about this unique and wonderful institution.

More to Read on This Site

The SAGE Program

…offers semester, full year and gap programs at Woodstock and other international schoools.

The School Today

Wildylog – Pete and Dot Wildman are staff members at Woodstock School, natives of Liverpool. Pete’s been keeping a web site of pictures and journal entries about their Woodstock experience. His writing is warm, funny, and reflects very well the open-mindedness and sense of adventure that brought them to India. You’ll enjoy this site whether or not you have any ties to or interest in Woodstock.

My daughter Rossella attended Woodstock as a senior, graduation in 2008. Her India adventures can be seen here.

Would you like to attend Woodstock? or work there?

Woodstock School Links

Woodstock in Film

Woodstock stories have been made into films. Both the films I’m aware of have made it to the short lists for nominations in the live action short films category for the Oscars, as well as winning other film awards. Both films were also made by Woodstock alumni:

  • The Road Home by Rahul Gandotra (available free on the site!)
  • Kush by Shubhashish Bhutiani

Woodstock on TV

NDTV’s Rocky and Mayur visit Woodstock to talk about… the food. But the piece covers much else that is fundamental about the school, and shows the environment beautifully.

There are many sites where you can get more information and news about Woodstock (expect this listing to grow, though the date on the post will not change).

Woodstock School site

SAGE, the organization which sends students to Woodstock (and on educational tours) from the US and other parts of the world.

WS Alumni – if you’re an alum or former staff member, this site is for you.

Facebook groups:

Alumni Sites

Many people who have been involved with Woodstock have their own websites and blogs. They don’t all necessarily write about Woodstock, but it’s fascinating and instructive to see what our extended Woodstock family gets up to.

Alumni in the News

White Skins, Brown Souls – Though the article does not say so, all but one of the people mentioned are Woodstock alumni!

Some Alumni Careers

Woodstock Writers – from fiction to physics!

The First Colorado Front Range Girl Geeks Dinner: Jai Ho!

The first Colorado Front Range Girl Geek Dinner was held on Thursday, March 5th, on Sun’s Broomfield campus. More than 80 people attended, only one of whom was (a very brave) male.

Sun sponsored this first one with food, drink, and venue. There was plenty of interest from other individuals and businesses in helping with the next (contact me to be put in touch with the now-being-formed committee). Thanks to the many who helped spread the news (including Jeremy Tanner, who helped get the word out to startups and other smaller businesses). We had at least 80 attendees (probably more – I don’t think we caught quite everybody at the registration desk), and were in touch with several dozen more who couldn’t attend on this particular date but definitely want to participate.

With this kind of momentum, I think the next CO FR GGD can take place in about two months (but I’ll be leaving it up to others to organize that one as I expect to travel heavily from now through July).

The atmosphere in the room was electric and inspiring, and I hope was encouraging for those who had recently lost their jobs (or fear they might soon). Women helping women can be a powerful resource in the workplace, and that’s what Girl Geek Dinners are about.

Colorado GGD

^ listening to Linda, the “voice from on high”

Linda Skrocki put together a presentation which I ended up delivering (with her participating by phone) because she was home with a flu and didn’t want to infect the rest of us.

Our aim was to showcase Sun’s many activities in social media, in order to illustrate how other companies and individuals can use social media to enhance their own brands, win friends and clients, and influence people. Social media is important in just about any job these days, so I hope the information was useful to other women wanting to add to their work skills.

 

I noted a lot of interest in the room at the idea of managing one’s personal brand and identity online; that might be a topic for a future talk. One attendee wanted to talk more with us about Sun’s “radical transparency” in relation to a project she’s working on. And it seems that people want to hear more about videoblogging, which of course I’m happy to discuss anytime.

Colorado GGD

My only (personal) disappointment was that I was so busy running the show, I had very little time to talk with anybody – and there was a roomful of fascinating women I’d love to know more about. I look forward to making up for that next time!

Thanks to Kristin Tulp of Level3, we had TV coverage, with a segment by Jodi Brooks of CBS4 news (Denver) on Friday night. As part of a series on “Beating the Recession,” the piece talked about how we “Geek Girls” are rallying together to help ourselves and each other in a hard job market. I don’t know whether the segment will be posted on their site. Perhaps if enough of us ask them…? Here’s the transcript: ‘Geek Girls’ Gather In Broomfield For Networking

other coverage:

In case you’re wondering about the title: Jai Ho is the Oscar-winning song from the end titles of  Slumdog Millionaire. The song’s composer, A.R. Rahman, says that Jai Ho translates as “May victory be yours.” Which seems to me a fitting benediction for my fellow girl geeks.

Deirdré Straughan on Italy, India, the Internet, the world, and now Australia