60 years of bugs… and many more to come

Posted September 9, 2005 at 3:39 PM | Tagged as: Computing, History, Women! | Comments Off

On this day in history… at 3:45 PM on September 9, 1945, Grace Murray Hopper found and logged the first computer bug: a moth found in a relay of the Harvard Mark II. Hooray!

Elektro returns home

Posted September 7, 2005 at 8:26 AM | Tagged as: Computing, History | Comments Off

The Mansfield Memorial Museum in Mansfield, Ohio will welcome the return of Elektro, the Westinghouse mechanical man, on September 14, 2005. Elektro will be part of their new exhibit, “Westinghouse Mechanical Men” through December 31, 2006. Make the trip to see it, if you can!

Cybercops are Computer Illiterate

Posted September 1, 2005 at 5:10 PM | Tagged as: Computing | Just 1 Comment

Did you know that alternative browsers pose challenge for cybersleuths because they store browser and profile-related data differently than MSIE?

The shock and horror!

If these so-called cybercops were at all sophisticated in the support and administration of computer systems, they’d know that finding “alternative” browser data is pretty darn easy. In fact I’d say that locating Mozilla browser data is by far easier than finding MSIE data. In addition, finding documentation on Mozilla and its file structure is pretty easy if you know how to use a search engine.

Well, I guess we all have yet another reason to switch from IE to another browser! Hooray!

Certifications - Are they still valuable?

Posted February 17, 2005 at 10:10 PM | Tagged as: Computing, Work | Comments Off

Today I received marking materials on the IEEE’s Certified Software Development Professional Program. Unlike the various certifications I pursued fresh out of college, this one requires applicants to have 9,000 hours of experience and a bachelor’s degree (in addition to passing an exam).

As I was sitting here thinking about whether or not I should pursue something like this, seeing as how I’m soon to be back in the job market, I wondered what value there is in pursuing certifications any more. I would hope that my years of experience and continuous self-development would prove that I am better prepared for a job than what some piece of paper says. At the same time, I’m coming from a primarily design-oriented web development job and looking for a more technically-oriented job. That certification could give prospective employers a boost of confidence… then again, if I can’t engender that confidence myself, do I really want to work for such a company?

Ultimately, I think that I just enjoy the pain and suffering that goes along with studying for and taking exams that prove I know something. After all, none of my previous certifications had any application to my jobs, nor did they get me any more money when I was job hunting!

So… should I take the test or not?

Auctioning Off the Origins of Cyberspace

Posted February 15, 2005 at 10:08 AM | Tagged as: Computing, Women! | Comments Off

Christie’s auction house is conducting a sale of The Origins of Cyberspace: A Library on the History of Computing, Networking & Telecommunications. Among the items up for bids is a paper on programming by Grace Hopper. How much for a corner of a page? ;-)