Category Archives: Link Roundup

A Massive List of All the Great Women in Tech

A brilliant article from The Levo League illustrates how we can cultivate real and pseudo relationships with mentors via genius ideas (Google Alerts, anyone?) and social media avenues. In that spirit, here are the women –in tech / beside tech/ near tech/ associated with tech– that I regularly follow and read up on.

 
Susan Wojcicki
SVP of Advertising at Google
 
Foursquare’s Head of Talent. A great blog to read if you’re into recruiting top tech talent.
 
CEO of Dupont
 
Amanda Wixted
iOs Developer, CTO/Co-founder of Hyperspace

President/CEO at HP
 
CEO/founder of BizeeBee, Founding Engineer at Mint.com. She also keeps Femgineer.com, a great site on all things tech and startups.
 
Caterina Fake
Co-founder of Flickr and Hunch, CEO/founder of Pinwheel
 
Frances Haugen
Google+ Profiles Product Manager
 
Ursula Burns
CEO of Xerox
 
Angie Chang
Co-founder and Editor-In-Chief of Women 2.0.
 
Virginia Rometty
CEO/President of IBM
 
Wei Hopeman
Managing Director at Citi Ventures
 
Cher Wang
Co-founder/Chaiperson at HTC
 
Founder/CEO of Mightybell
 
Rachel Sterne
Chief Digital Officer of New York City
CTO at The Levo League and Co-founder of Girl Develop It. 
 
Erin Robinson
Independent Game Developer (Considering I can’t even play games, I find her totally awesome!)
 
Gina Trapani
Blogger and developer, Creator of ThinkUp, and Founder of Lifehacker
 
President of Oracle
 
Daynah Morita
Web Developer/Overall Tech Master, Senior Editor at Beatweek Magazine
 
Penelope Trunk
Co-founder of three startups, Ms. Trunk has gone under fire for some of her more unconventional ideas…but is this not why we read? To have more ideas we would otherwise not think about?
 
The women in The Midas List: 2012′s Top Tech Investors as reported in this article from The Daily Muse and what they’re known for.
 
Mary Meeker, Groupon
 
Ruby Lu, Dangdang (known as the Amazon of China)
 
Jenny Lee, GGV Capital
 
Adele Oliva, Ascent Healthcare Solutions
 
Sources:
Own favorites

Roundup: Being a better developer, manager, and designer

1. Joel Spolsky on his thoughts on why we might think twice on being Steve Jobs #2.

And yes, you’re right, Steve Jobs didn’t manage this way. He was a dictatorial, autocratic asshole who ruled by fiat and fear. Maybe he made great products this way. But you? You are not Steve Jobs. You are not better at design than everyone in your company. You are not better at programming than every engineer in your company. You are not better at sales than every salesperson in the company.

It is not, as it turns out, necessary to be a micromanaging psychopath with narcissistic personality disorder (or even to pretend to be one) if you just hire smart people and give them real authority. The saddest thing about the Steve Jobs hagiography is all the young “incubator twerps” strutting around Mountain View deliberately cultivating their worst personality traits because they imagine that’s what made Steve Jobs a design genius. Cum hoc ergo propter hoc, young twerp. Maybe try wearing a black turtleneck too.

2.  Orange and Bronze Software Labs — Manila’s version of Fog Creek Software. Various talks on Java and Android. {More Here}

3.  All about understanding your users.

Things Every Programmer MUST Know. {Java Code Geeks}

 Ask “What Would the User Do?” (You Are not the User) by Giles Colborne

We all tend to assume that other people think like us. But they don’t. Psychologists call this the false consensus bias. When people think or act differently to us, we’re quite likely to label them (subconsciously) as defective in some way.

This bias explains why programmers have such a hard time putting themselves in the users’ position. Users don’t think like programmers. For a start, they spend much less time using computers. They neither know nor care how a computer works. This means they can’t draw on any of the battery of problem-solving techniques so familiar to programmers. They don’t recognize the patterns and cues programmers use to work with, through, and around an interface

76 Powerful Thoughts from Paul Graham, author of Hackers and Painters {RossHudgens.com}

 Empathy is probably the single most important difference between a good hacker and a great one. Some hackers are quite smart, but practically solipsists when it comes to empathy. It’s hard for such people to design great software, because they can’t see things from the user’s point of view.

Executive Summary: The Inmates are Running The Asylum {AsItChanges.com}

Personas are the hypothetical people for whom the application or product is being designed for. They represent actual users. Design of software should be geared towards one persona, not many.

Design for people! Create personas for your intended users (and also for the user you don’t want your app to cater to).

4. The 7 Habits of Highly Productive Developers. {Dzone} A golden nugget:

Interactions with other people have different possible, paradigms, depending on who is earning value from them; a win-win situation is the only one sustainable in the long run.

The Agile movement prescribes a search for win-win scenarios between software developers and customers. It’s about building the best software for the user, as fast as possible, instead of just what the written contract specifies. Arguing over the clauses and the changes is a win-lose situation, where one of the parties may win now but ruin the relationship in the future.

And with that thought, head on over to An Introduction to Lean Software Development and Kanban Systems that will NOT make you hit the snooze button. Also, it starts a whole series that explores the topic in greater depth — in a very visually appealing way, I might add.

Weekend Computer Science Goodies: free courses

As a follow up on my previous post on the democratizing power of tech through education, here are a few new courses up on iTunes U and the rest of the WWW. These are from ivy/top schools, and topics include robotics, iPad app development (that is not Stanford’s), design, algorithms, and programming languages.

Happy Weekend!

From iTunes U

From Coursera, Computer Science courses

Algorithms, Part I and II
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

Automata
STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Compilers
STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Computer Architecture
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

Computer Science 101
STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Computer Vision: From 3D Reconstruction to Visual Recognition
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Computer Vision: The Fundamentals
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

Cryptography
STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Design and Analysis of Algorithms I
STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Game Theory
STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Introduction to Logic
STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Machine Learning
STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Natural Language Processing
STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Networked Life
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Probabilistic Graphical Models
STANFORD UNIVERSITY

Securing Digital Democracy
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Software Engineering for SaaS
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY

How to Set Up the REST Server Framework

This is a free, ready-to-use, PHP-based REST framework by Sheldon C.C. Senseng, currently a tech lead at Ripple Edge Development. And since this is the quote I saw on his Google+, I thought it proper to share.

Anyway, you can access the code here below. I asked him why it wasn’t on GitHub, and he said he preferred subversion…

http://svn.theredfla.me/svn/framework/trunk/

 When I asked him why he made it, he said it was because he was lazy. Umm..yeah right. :) So basically, you get to rest extra, and code less, because of this opensource REST server! It’s free and open anyone to use, but just know that it is under the MIT License.

Since I last pulled the code, the install script is only for Linux, so I had to use a VM.

In your terminal:

1) Install subversion:
sudo apt-get install subversion

2) Create a folder and go there. In my case, I made www:
cd /var/www (or whatever folder)

3) Check out the code:
svn co http://svn.theredfla.me/svn/framework/trunk/
username/password is guest/guest

4) Install PHP, APACHE, MySQL:
sudo apt-get install php5 php5-mysql msql-server

5) Some configuration :
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo vi /etc/apache2/sites-available/default
Change AllowOverride None to AllowOverride All

6) Restart server :
sudo /etc/init.d/apache2 restart

7) Run the install script:
sudo ./install.sh

Happy Weekend!

Dev like a Diva,
Fran

Geeking out the Roundup: Ethical Hacking and Customizing your Android, Apple Device

I mentioned the gamer before. He is so good at finding bugs in games that I keep on convincing him to blog about it. People, I swear, he will make the best gaming review and news blog of the century, like what would happen if  Mashable were to marry Rockstar Games. Anyway, someday he’ll get to it — he said. So in the interim, I bugged him even more to give me a few links.

Ethical Hacking (keyword: ethical!!!)
Darknet.org.uk 

If  all this talk about “The Hacker Way” has gotten you even more excited about perfecting your craft, the gamer says this is the first site you should definitely be reading. Again, the gamer said, he would like to emphasize that your skills should be use for the greater good, like hacking your own site to find security holes that you can improve. Me? I say just be like Penelope Garcia, diva hacker of the FBI in the show Criminal Minds. Use it for the greater good!

 

Customizing Your Android Device
xda-developers 

Collaborate with other developers, hackers, and technophiles on anything and everything under the Android sun. Topics include, but are not limited to, firmware, kernels, tweaks, customizations, etc.


Customizing your Apple Device
ifans.com 

If you want to amplify your apple device, or just read the real news on Apple products, here is the blog for you. Jailbroken or not, the gamer says you will find this site very useful, even just to read up on app reviews.

(Jailbreaking is legal in the US for now, although that might change in the near future. I am not advocating or putting down jailbreaking -that’s for another post -, just putting the site out there. Just please, wherever you are, be mindful of the law.)

{images 1 2 3}

Roundup: An Obsession over Startups

In the last few weeks, I have become obsessed with startups. So I thought, hey, even though I can’t start one, I could still very well post about it. So here I go…(If you find duplicates, please forgive me…went through 9 hours of classes today, and my brain is almost mush.)

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1. Here is a roundup (within a roundup! yay! ) on startup culture and development by Foursquare’s Head of  Talent.  The best part is that the articles she listed have conflicting ideas, so you get to really *think* about what you should or shouldn’t do.

2. Evan Williams, co-founder of Pyra Labs and Twitter, has a post on the rules for a web startup. It’s an insightful “10 commandments type” of list on things you know you should do/be, but didn’t know exactly how to go about.

3. The list of all lists! Stanford’s Chuck Eesly has a master list on everything tech + entrepreneurship. It’s a goldmine of presentations, articles, and books on lean startup concepts, business models, product management, business development, public relations, recruiting, clients, fundraising, etc. His free class on tech entrepreneurship is also starting soon, and if you want to join, head on over to http://venture-lab.org .

4. If you don’t have as much time to commit (The class on #3 involves teams and projects), head on over to General Assembly’s pioneer online class,  Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship. Topics include branding, recruiting, and design.  (I swear, the first thing I’m gonna do once I find myself in New York is to take a class. They’re seriously awesome, I heard.)

5. As a software developer, I appreciate the value of feedback. On that note, as a startup, feedback can improve your product exponentially. Here’s how to find the testers you need.

6. In class a while ago, my professor said he went domain name shopping. (If that isn’t geeky…) That led me to two debating articles. One said a domain name is your best investment, and the other says it’s not as big a deal as it once was.

7. The founders of The Levo League, my favorite startup (Empowering women! By women! Can’t you tell I’m in love?) talks about choosing investors. They ought to know what they’re talking about — The Levo League is backed up by Sheryl Sandberg and  Gina Bianchini. On a side note, if you are an ambitious, smart, go-getter woman, stop reading this post and  sign up for The Levo League now! They are building the community and job search platform of the century. It’s like your superstar career genie married Linked In and dressed their baby in Louis Vuitton. Anyway, if you want to know the particulars, read this article on Levo by the San Francisco Chronicle.

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Bonus!

I just remembered this, and it must not be missed. My favorite career advice author has a two-part series on funding your / investing in startups. It’s a comprehensive, but quick,  guide to your investment options.

{image credit}

Roundup: Stuff on Programming, the Software Business, and Design

Someday, when I am stuck on a desert island and don’t have my to-do list with me…I will get through all of this. By the way, all the courses here are free, through endeavors such as iTunes U and MIT Open Courseware.

For the programmers…

~Multi-core Programming Primer (course)
When PSN was down, I was so happy because I had my guy all to myself. If you’re dating or have dated or are a gamer…well, now you can say you’ve programmed on the Play Station 3 development platform.

~Stanford’s iPhone Application Development (course)
One of the most popular courses in iTunes U. I’ve worked with Android before, and currently developing an app using Appcelerator Titanium, but I’ll definitely check this out.

~Ruby
Funny, I’ve worked with most major languages, aside from Ruby and Python. So this month, Ruby it is.

For the techno-preneurs…

Lectures on the business of software (courses). These might be helpful whether you are starting your own crazy-awesome startup (I bow down to you!) or you are working for a company whose business is software ( I mean, you gotta understand how the behemoth works, right?).

~The Software Business

~Generating Business Value from Information Technology

~Corporate Entrepreneurship: Strategies for Technology-Based New Business Development

~Symantec: Achieving Growth in Enterprise Software

~SpikeSource: Software Strategy and Open Source

~Hummer Winblad Venture Partners: Trends in Software

~Microsoft: Product Innovation in Software

For the designers…User Experience and other “More Creative” Topics

~Creating Interactive Multi-media (course), a crash course on interface design.

~Stanford’s seminars on Human Computer Interaction  (course) (There are actually a few of these, but I watched the Winter ’11 one, and I loved it.)

~Mastering Tech-Artistry, a collection of TED talks, focusing on the intersection of software engineering, new media, etc. and the creation of digital art.

~Joel Spolsky’s reading list  for software designers…here’s a few of my faves:

 {image credits: 1, 2, 3}

Quotables: Just Try

This week is hell week, so I am posting a reminder to myself: just try.

Things I should print and post on my mirror:

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My favorite posts from Women 2.0

1. Lack experience: just try!

When You Lack Experience, Sometimes Simply Participating Is Enough To Get Started

2. Push yourself.

Tips For Pushing Your Outer Limits To Reach Goals

3. Get out of the way of your own success.

Stop Sabotaging Your Own Success: A Manifesto

We can do it. And it will be worth it.

 

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Roundup: Gearing up for Java Tech Interviews

My friend Stacy Munar (who get’s hired fulltime before we graduate?) had to take a test for a software engineer job in Singapore. She was nice enough to let me post a few of the links she found useful during her review. Hope you find it useful too!

Objects

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/concepts/object.html


http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~parrt/doc/java/JavaObjectModel-notes.pdf

 
Overloading / Overriding

http://www.programmerinterview.com/index.php/java-questions/method-overriding-vs-overloading/

 
Java Interview

http://programmerinterview.com/index.php/java-questions/java-introduction

 
Modifiers

http://www.javacamp.org/javaI/Modifier.html

 
Variables

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/nutsandbolts/variables.html

 
Structs

http://www.javacamp.org/javavscsharp/struct.html

 
Communication Protocol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_protocol

 
Design Patterns

http://sourcemaking.com/design_patterns

 
Stack / Heap

http://www.maxi-pedia.com/what+is+heap+and+stack

 
Boxing / Unboxing

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/yz2be5wk.aspx

 
Static Constructor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constructor_(object-oriented_programming)

 
Delegate (.NET)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delegate_(.NET)

 
Callback

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Callback_(computer_science)


http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.4.2/docs/api/javax/security/auth/callback/Callback.html


http://www.coderanch.com/t/389877/java/java/java-callback

 
Generics

http://javahowto.blogspot.com/2008/05/java-generics-examples-use-generics-in.html


http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/generics/index.html


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generics_in_Java

 
Strings / Regular Expressions

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/1.4.2/docs/api/java/util/regex/Pattern.html

 
I/O

http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/essential/io/streams.html

 
XSLT Translation

http://www.w3schools.com/xsl/xsl_transformation.asp

 
UML

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Modeling_Language


http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/769.html

WANT MORE?
Also, if you want to dig deeper into other coding concepts, check out the Roundup section for tutorials on 
pointers
linked-lists
binary trees
recursion

Roundup: Techie Blogs I’m Obsessed With This Week

This week, I’ve been going insane about techie blogs. I love scouring the WWW, as I feel that reading real people’s posts is a really easy (and quick) way to have a “mentor.” If you know of any really good ones, let me know!

1. Foursquare’s Morgan Missen lists her fave women-in-tech blogs in the tumbler-sphere.

2. STEMinist has all the latest news for women in Science, Tech, Engineering, and Math.

3. David Noel’s list of startup blogs you need to be reading.

4. I know it’s not a “blog” per se, but I love General Assembly’s list of classes (game design, product management, intro to the NYC startup scene…) that they offer. I feel like going through the list and studying up on the topics myself (until I get myself to NYC and get into a live class!).