tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post8210675088768848594..comments2024-03-25T02:33:41.590-05:00Comments on FemaleScienceProfessor: Are You On Your Desktop?Female Science Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15288567883197987690noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-15965626257829590332007-05-04T21:30:00.000-05:002007-05-04T21:30:00.000-05:00I AM RETIRED FROM LOTS OF CAREERS.MY FIRST JOB AS ...I AM RETIRED FROM LOTS OF CAREERS.<BR/>MY FIRST JOB AS A COLLEGE STUDENT WAS IN THE BIOPHYSICS DEPT AT PENN STATE.<BR/>MY FEMALE HEAD OF DEPT WAS A ROLE MODEL FOR MY LIFE. SHE WAS MARRIED TO ANOTHER BIOPHYSICS PROFESSOR & THEY HAD A SON.<BR/>I WAS TOLD LATER THAT SHE BECAME UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY.<BR/>I WISH YOU THE SAME KIND OF SUCCESS.AUNT SUZANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04409598125355843675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-4022990086523696842007-05-04T01:14:00.000-05:002007-05-04T01:14:00.000-05:00My favorite desktop is a guy whose desktop is a sc...My favorite desktop is a guy whose desktop is a screenshot of a (very cluttered) desktop. Most of the items are not clickable because they are from the screenshot! Only he knows which ones are real....Doctor Pionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12513786840852469648noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-74927544713988340052007-05-04T00:52:00.000-05:002007-05-04T00:52:00.000-05:00:-DI must add that most of the times I've noticed ...:-D<BR/><BR/>I must add that most of the times I've noticed its the men who have themselves on their desktops! Admire their mush in their rearview mirrors! Stop to look and admire their reflection!<BR/><BR/>Yeah. They are a lot more besotted by their own selves than the women!Musingshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06120569289343026358noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-4774350746678896532007-05-03T14:46:00.000-05:002007-05-03T14:46:00.000-05:00My experience of the adornment of both PC desktops...My experience of the adornment of both PC desktops (Macs are rare in the UK) and real desktops is similar to yours (laptops not so much), but only in the 'real' rather than academic world! <BR/><BR/>I only became an Academic in the last 7 years or so after a successful career in Commerce; 35 + years in Marketing with 25 years in Management. There is a general rule in many British Universities, particularly the more recent ones that used to be Polytechnics until 1992, that you can't really teach the harder aspects of Business Studies, such as Strategy, Marketing, and Finance, unless you have "been there and done it".<BR/><BR/>I know from discussion quite early on in my career that in Sales in particular, males keep "the wife and kids" in view to remind them of their responsibilities and of their duty to do the best they can for their family. It is this reminding of their role as the major "breadwinner" which motivates them and keeps them on track, - often in jobs that are well paid but that they don't particularly enjoy. Over the years, as more women entered the workplace in managerial positions (some employed by me), I can recall having conversations where family and children were discussed and many would explain when asked, that they did not have photos of their husbands and children because they liked to keep work separate from home-life, - some would add that they wanted to be thought of as managers and executives first and foremost whilst at work and they would leave the image of "mother" to the clerks and secretaries! <BR/><BR/>All of this shows an interesting difference that has not really changed despite the gender equality advances of the last 40 to 50 years. A man can be a successful 'cut and thrust' executive in the 'fast lane' and still be proudly a "Father". This is because he is doing what men have always done and perhaps were 'designed' to do; we may have replaced the hunt with the office, shop or factory and the beast's carcass with dollars, but the effect is of that same single minded purpose. Women on the other hand are 'designed' to be mothers and have all the inherent multi-tasking qualities that go along with this complex and varied nurturing role; precisely the sort of workplace skills that are much in demand in our new people oriented service economies. However, the deep seated cultural concept of "Mother", - particularly with young, is of the vulnerable who must be protected at all costs. This simply does not connote with the image of the independent "must be respected" get ahead commercial executive. Little wonder then that females who want to get ahead do not have their family photos on view!<BR/><BR/>There is perhaps also the point that women, or at least those women who have their own desk, tend to do the jobs that they want to do rather than the ones that they ought to do; they do not have to ask themselves if their jobs will pay well enough to keep a husband and children, - women are not generally sole breadwinners. That is of course unless they are single mothers, - in which case they have the same need to be a breadwinner as a father; "single mother" is a very difficult 'economic unit' to pull off with only those in professional occupations who can afford to pay for round the clock childcare achieving truly independent viability.<BR/><BR/>As far as my academic colleagues go, or at least those who have always been academics, - the males don't need the same motivators as those in the commercial world because their positions, though less well paid for the same qualifications and ability, are much safer and their interest in their 'job' (together with their egos!) is motivation enough. The female academics fall into three types or will one day become one of these three types:- "blue stocking" feminists who never discuss their lives outside University and appear to be entirely single, - even though some of them may have partners (of either sex) or even children; those who dress in a 'middle of the road' female but entirely disinterested way who happily discuss their families, - a few of these have pictures of their children (if very young) on view; and those destined for the top academic positions who dress in the same corporate suited spike-heeled manner as in the commercial world and who will only show you pictures of their children if they know and trust you.Mike Martlethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09933387619678643426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-73577009029529329932007-05-02T23:35:00.000-05:002007-05-02T23:35:00.000-05:00oh my gah. this blog was the highlight of my day. ...oh my gah. this blog was the highlight of my day. you seriously made me think.you remind me so much of my science teacher. you would love her. her name is gena hugon. wow. ill keep reading. <BR/><BR/>http://www2.blogger.com/profile/00659813138634206632<BR/><BR/>-danapongohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00659813138634206632noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-50560248836851234982007-05-02T14:14:00.000-05:002007-05-02T14:14:00.000-05:00i have a related anecdote. the NIH study section o...i have a related anecdote. the NIH study section on which i serve shows the screen saver effect. seems like about a third of the computers around the room are set to screen saver to pictures of the kids. you guessed it, always the men, never the women. <BR/><BR/>all the usual reasons are apt. like it or not there is a palpable cost to a woman in science wearing her family as a badge. not so much for men. in fact it may attenuate semi-strangers' perception of one as a jerk (say in grant review) to have them know "gee he's really a soft family guy at home"... it is entirely possible this is my subconscious strategy for showing my kids off...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-74947150815427629412007-05-01T14:40:00.000-05:002007-05-01T14:40:00.000-05:00Not sure if anyone said this in the comments or no...Not sure if anyone said this in the comments or not.<BR/><BR/>The reason you see people who have a screen saver with their image are people who use s/w to run what ever is available in their my photos folder. The % of people having personal photograph in their my photos folder is definitely statistically significant. So as a thumb rule you will find many desktop/laptop screen saver with their own photos. <BR/><BR/>PS:<BR/>My screen saver is Charlize Theron and background is kate beckinsale.HShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15323867672962430232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-80672182491584287602007-05-01T11:19:00.000-05:002007-05-01T11:19:00.000-05:00I like to have some relaxing image on my desktop. ...I like to have some relaxing image on my desktop. <BR/><BR/>I think I would not find photos of my kids relaxing.Average Professorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13879007878874956437noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-74737968281490379732007-05-01T02:26:00.000-05:002007-05-01T02:26:00.000-05:00Very funny. I would never think to create a screen...Very funny. I would never think to create a screen-saver of myself. I'm going to have to go with the idea that the dude was a "flaming Narcissist". Keep up the good work. Science rules!daveondemandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01200813279202420369noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-42713151630973294252007-04-30T07:11:00.000-05:002007-04-30T07:11:00.000-05:00I have standard field/sky MS-issue desktop (I had ...I have standard field/sky MS-issue desktop (I had to look). I have so many folders there I don't care about the background. The cathode tube powers down rather than sets a screensaver.<BR/><BR/>I propose an alternative thought about the boys with personal pics. I suggest that it's more about the boys having a more personal relationship with their toys from the outset. To girls, computers are tools and to boys they are toys - part of their personality and ego.<BR/><BR/>No theory about the gender dichotomy will stand up in all cases of course.<BR/><BR/>Dude with self pics? I can't pass judgment without knowing more. There are myriad explanations that might not involve narcissistic tendencies or wifely ownership.<BR/><BR/>And: yay to girls in science (from a boy ex-scientist).peacayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03997731249622552311noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-50944680528680853912007-04-29T21:26:00.000-05:002007-04-29T21:26:00.000-05:00There are too many viruses from screensavers so I ...There are too many viruses from screensavers so I don't have any. Also, they just take up space so they are essentially worthless.Provocateurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13676707150996018733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-5282234502305856202007-04-29T18:44:00.000-05:002007-04-29T18:44:00.000-05:00I found this through Blogger's "cool blogs" deal. ...I found this through Blogger's "cool blogs" deal. He's a man in the sciences. I fail to see why you are surprised that most of his pictures are of himself, alone. :-p<BR/><BR/>That dig aside, I too have myself on my desktop. I started with pictures of my parents, but that made me homesick. I moved to sports pictures, but that made me look immature to colleagues. I moved to pictures of nature, but that made me want to go outside. I had nothing for a while, but that was too sterile. So I settled on a light-hearted picture of myself. <BR/><BR/>I just felt a need to defend this fellow, and explain how he may have gotten there.MCBiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08158534411541450613noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-12777096407952776122007-04-29T15:44:00.000-05:002007-04-29T15:44:00.000-05:00Fascinating thread. Personally, I work in a univer...Fascinating thread. <BR/><BR/>Personally, I work in a university library. The split on changing one's desktop background seems to be both age and tech savvy-ness related. The younger and more technical a co-worker is, indeed the more likely they are to have a MySpace page or a Facebook account, the more likely they are to have customized their computer's wallpaper.<BR/><BR/>These peeps like to show each other what they have selected. Animals, sunsets, and other vistas predominate, with occasional funnies and oddities.<BR/><BR/>The older, less techie-type folks rarely bother. At some level in between are the people who have pictures of their family or their vacations.<BR/><BR/>Haven't noticed a big difference by gender in a nerd heavy environment.<BR/><BR/>Anyone who has pictures of the self is outside societal norms, tread carefully. Are they a <A HREF="http://youtube.com/watch?v=VQtaCQZGHAc" REL="nofollow">model</A>, a <A HREF="http://www.dealbreaker.com/images/entries/water.jpg" REL="nofollow">CEO</A> or a <A HREF="http://www.paulagordon.com/shows/dershowitz/dershowitz-photo.jpg" REL="nofollow">lawyer</A>? Perhaps, this behavior may be considered well within the bounds of some milieus. As for professors, surely you can say better than I can. I have known a few brainiac narcissists in the day...geniuses who thought they were, but most of them disliked the thought of their <A HREF="http://youtube.com/watch?v=-lIfcV1NETk&mode=related&search=" REL="nofollow">physical image</A>.<BR/><BR/>My background wallpapers right now: at home a 1970's teal cadillac, at work an ocean-side cave. Screen saver, outer space pics.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good work!<BR/><BR/>To check out my blog see...<A HREF="http://www.clarioncontent.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow"/>Clarion Contenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01423425861261260351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-17684477298587332662007-04-29T15:35:00.000-05:002007-04-29T15:35:00.000-05:00Interesting difference in males vs females having ...Interesting difference in males vs females having pictures of their children, I do see how the difference could be caused by concerns about professionalism, unfortunately.<BR/><BR/>I always have some kind of landscape/nature picture as my wallpaper, for the past two years or so it has been that famous picture of the world at night, I'm not sure why that photo resonates with me so much, but it does.<BR/><BR/>http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.wellesley.edu/Biology/Faculty/Mmoore/Images/Research_light/Worldatnight.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.wellesley.edu/Biology/Faculty/Mmoore/research_light.html&h=309&w=532&sz=62&tbnid=_iYy9LNJKatVMM:&tbnh=77&tbnw=132&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dworld%2Bat%2Bnight&start=1&ei=jAE1Rq6-AomCgASwwOzGDA&sig2=s0oOvhG5nh2MiuwkLFNi_g&sa=X&oi=images&ct=image&cd=1Anne-Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14794605931888261095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-26310527072345405402007-04-29T14:32:00.000-05:002007-04-29T14:32:00.000-05:00Today my desktop has a topo map of Snowyside Peak,...Today my desktop has a topo map of Snowyside Peak, Idaho. Years ago in glorious youth and optimism for the future, I climbed that peak. At the moment, I need to be reminded of those good days.<BR/><BR/>My screensaver is the Windows slideshow of "My Pictures" that rotates through locations I intend to visit; it serves as continual inspiration that there's still a lot of life to be lived.<BR/><BR/>I would also immediately identify a "flaming narcissist" based on a self-centerd screensaver.<BR/><BR/>Signed,<BR/>51-year-old engineer, constantly re-educating young engineering school gradutesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-76904484312608947882007-04-29T14:05:00.000-05:002007-04-29T14:05:00.000-05:00my office machine has plain background, no screens...my office machine has plain background, no screensaver. personal machine has some scenics, no family photo as backgrounds ... well i never felt comfortable sharing family photos with othersAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-67059361972626954392007-04-29T14:04:00.000-05:002007-04-29T14:04:00.000-05:00my office machine has plain background, no screens...my office machine has plain background, no screensaver. personal machine has some scenics, no family photo as backgrounds ... well i never felt compfortable sharing family photos woth othersAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-43184944882824624042007-04-29T08:03:00.000-05:002007-04-29T08:03:00.000-05:00My desktop is black ... I wonder what that says ab...My desktop is <I>black</I> ... I wonder what that says about me?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-62300404431559234182007-04-29T06:50:00.000-05:002007-04-29T06:50:00.000-05:00Most women don't like photos of themselves. I have...Most women don't like photos of themselves. I have the impression that men don't have the same problem/issue. My desktop at work is usually comes from caedes. Lovely photography (landscape) or abstract images in colors and designs that don't bother my eyes. I prefer landscapes without people in them. My sister's desktop is a quilt calendar (monthly) that she downloads from the 'net.Maggie Dragonmoonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06648300196832531876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-39548907845174769432007-04-29T06:45:00.000-05:002007-04-29T06:45:00.000-05:00wow, u r amazing~~wow, u r amazing~~njekinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11646584629496729396noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-27011473039197728422007-04-29T04:44:00.000-05:002007-04-29T04:44:00.000-05:00Mine varies between a satellite image of the earth...Mine varies between a satellite image of the earth showing where the sun is currently shining - or a photo of a lanscape i took. Photos of the kids i keep at homeeet kreefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17309418877087418788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-12248290490767004112007-04-29T02:56:00.000-05:002007-04-29T02:56:00.000-05:00Loved the way you shared your observations in such...Loved the way you shared your observations in such a conversational tone. :-) I'm a seriel desktop updater and it's a constant reflection of what inspires me and what I'm busy with. Widgets tracking my goings on take a fair amount of space but the scenery beneath is always changing. It's like an illicit, but still vaguely legitimate, use of time and resources. I get a charge out of the freshness and the breather I took to do it. Lots of flowers, NASA archives, TV addiction of the moment, and my family too, are the norm.<BR/>Luck on your teaching and pursuits!<BR/>~~Nitnitwicks@cox.nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058363001706882387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-14846213987357326652007-04-28T23:05:00.000-05:002007-04-28T23:05:00.000-05:00I have a dog on my desktop. I really think having ...I have a dog on my desktop. I really think having a picture of museldf would be strange.....I guess he thinks he's pretty!chippydiedtwicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15417455926003755548noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-38933416118678699272007-04-28T22:08:00.000-05:002007-04-28T22:08:00.000-05:00My background is a picture of me, my brother, and ...My background is a picture of me, my brother, and my sister striking a pose in front of the Sydney Opera House two years ago- my mom was taking the nth picture of us, so we jazzed things up. I never see my desktop though, which is one of the reasons I haven't changed it in two years.<BR/><BR/>In the lab, though, my background consisted of alternating New Zealand landscapes- I was saving all my money last summer and fall for the study abroad I'm doing now, and it seemed a good way to remind myself of why I was working instead of goofing off with friends. :)<BR/><BR/>Except now when I go back to work on my senior project, I would probably be heartbroken to continue that trend (I'm already sad to leave and have two months!). So perhaps I should alternate pictures of grad schools I'm interested in?Yvettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16320357602346908014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29059245.post-91554722416152322302007-04-28T20:43:00.000-05:002007-04-28T20:43:00.000-05:00You raise a very interesting point, because it sho...You raise a very interesting point, because it showed a basic difference between men and women. If you just zap through Flickr, you can see that about 2/3 are men which merely show beautiful photo's of general items from all over the world and of course of their young girlfriend and of course also a lot of rubbish as usual on the internet. <BR/>So about 1/3 are women. They merely take low quality family-related snapshots, which should not be published at all (at least not for a general public). But a few produce very poetic images of outstanding quality, merely made at home or nearby. <BR/>And indeed: sometimes you see a strange guy (or girl) who only takes webcam quality self-portraits several times a day - even when sitting on the loo. As if they constantly need to prove that they are still alive. <BR/>My conclusion is: only a few women look to the outside world in the objective way, which is needed to produce outstanding pictures because they are mostly too much involved subjectively. <BR/>So Flickr can be a marvelous field for research on modern vision in the internet-age. <BR/><BR/>But back to your point: married men with children will indeed tend to use a beloved family-picture as a wall-paper on their desktop, simply to remember them several times a day that they have a family. Because they can do only one thing at a time during work: that is not thinking on their family. Women don't need that 'aid of memory': they arrange something for the children between two busy conferences and so on. Or they just ring to home for a chat. <BR/><BR/>Men would also tend to compose a nice follow-up for a screensaver - mostly of the latest family-holiday, while women just leave some old-modish Windows twirl on the screen. Even if it are pictures, they are just accidentally there. And even if they known how to organize a good slideshow, they will not spend a minute to it, because they don't need it for remembrance or just to impress her college's or just for fun. <BR/> <BR/>Women need the men to do the things in which they are not interested. They should accept that men could get totally involved in a abstract technical world and have problems to stay in touch with reality. They are dreamers. If women do not understand this basic difference in 'the way of looking to the outside world', they will become disappointed. <BR/><BR/>Rinus Alewijnse, The Netherlands (http://rinilog.blogspot.com)Digidorushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07146483715073547555noreply@blogger.com