255

I was 254.6 yesterday and I’m in at 255 today. About 5 days ago I was here, so progress continues to be steady. I’m feeling good.

Gender bias at industry conferences

Anil Dash: “Do you want to learn about the future of web applications? If so, when choosing an event, you might want to make sure it’s one that cares about including speakers based on merit, instead of based on arbitrary gender qualifications.”

I’ve struggled with this off and on for a while. While I know that the tech industry is heavily skewed towards men, I’ve been reluctant to think that it is because women have been excluded on purpose. But Anil’s post makes a good case- the content that he’s proposing is clearly of interest and there is not enough of it at the events I’ve attended int he past couple of years. After so many years and so few examples of prominent women that have been heralded it doesn’t seem to be an accident.

Another point that’s related to this theme. Shelley was right about the recent female Turing Award winner. Event after the story hit TechMeme, there was almost no discussion. Gender bias? It really isn’t up for debate.

Trying out Twitter

I’m a little late to getting around to this, but I decided to try Twitter so I can follow some of my friends (old and new).

256.4

I’m making some progress.

The hardest thing to focus on has been eating better rather than eating less. I’ve cut my alcohol intake down substantially and have refrained from eating french fries, mashed potatoes, and other high carbohydrate foods. Cutting down my fat intake (saturated fats in particular) has been tough. I also have a pretty high sodium intake that I need to focus on.

For exercise, I’ve been doing some cardio work and lifting weights. About 3 hours per week of total exercise, so not too much, but a decent amount to get started. I plan to increase it to about 4 hours per week in the near future.

I feel better and I’m not miserable during this process. I can’t ask for much more. I have no intention right now to go the route of Joi Ito, but I’m excited about the future and being in better health.

St. Louis blogger lunch

One year ago I attended a St. Louis blogger lunch. There have been a few since then that I’ve missed and only one that I’ve attended. It has been way too long since I’ve seen some of these folks.