Everyone knows that computer programming is a heavily male-dominated field. I think this is unfortunate. Over the years, I’ve come to conclude that there is a great deal that women can contribute to this field.

Why is computer programming regarded as a primarily masculine discipline? I think that in part, it’s because men have a reputation for being more likely to tinker around with gadgets and gizmos. In part, it’s also because computer science is supposedly a very math-oriented field, and men are supposedly more inclined toward mathematical disciplines.

(Incidentally, I know that such generalizations would offend certain people. I’d like to emphasize that this is not my intent at all, nor do I wish to make excessively broad generalizations about either gender. However, a multitude of psychological studies do claim that men have-on the average-a greater aptitude for mathematics and mechanics than women do, whereas women tend to perform better at linguistics and communication. These tendencies coincide well with my own observations, so for now, I’ll assume that these studies are reasonable descriptions of gender differences.)

Anyway, people often claim that men make better programmers because they are more mathematically inclined. Personally, I disagree. It is true that computer science is very much mathematical in nature; however, computer programming often is not. It’s true that a software developer should understand basic concepts such as binary computations, round-off error and Boolean logic; however, for most programming tasks, there is little need for calculus, group theory or other advanced mathematical topics. For this reason, I think that the importance of a strong mathematical aptitude is largely overblown.

Indeed, I think that linguistic skill is decidedly more important. I’d say that in years past, about 90% of the programmers that I encountered produced sloppy code-software that is clumsily structured, poorly documented and difficult to understand. I’ve also noticed a strong correlation between linguistic skill and the ability to generate clean, legible code. And why not? Computer languages are, after all, just that-languages. It’s thus reasonable to expect that someone with a strong language aptitude will-on the average-produce cleaner, more understandable code than someone whose language skills are lackluster.

That is one reason why I wish more women would pursue a programming career. If it is indeed true that women have better language skills, then they are likely to perform well with computer languages as well. Again, this jibes well with my own experiences. I haven’t known many female programmers, but most of the ones that I do know have produced some rather outstanding work. (To be fair, I’ve also known some lousy female programmers; however, these individuals had little passion for their field, and only entered it for the sake of a paycheck. That’s a pretty good recipe for mediocrity, regardless of one’s gender.)

Breaking into this field may not be easy. I’m sure that many women will have to combat the prejudiced notion that software development is a man’s field, and that female programmers are mere dilettantes. Still, it is my earnest hope that more women will make their marks in this arena. If they have the right passion for this field, and if they understand their strengths, then I believe that they have much to offer.

bio = V. Berba Velasco Jr., Ph.D. is a senior electrical and software engineer at Cellular Technology Ltd (http://www.immunospot.com, http://www.elispot-analyzers.de, http://www.elispot.cn). He is proud to serve in a team where the importance of clean, high-quality programming is understood by all.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Buying a diamond engagement ring can be a risky business! For most of us an engagement ring is the third most expensive purchase we are likely to make, after our home and car. However I can guarantee you know much more about buying a home, or a car than you do about buying a diamond ring! This lack of knowledge opens up the opportunity for dishonest people to take advantage of you.

This generally takes the form of selling you a poor quality diamond ring for a higly inflated price.

How can you avoid the pitfalls?

There are some basic precautions you can take, which will significantly reduce the risk. Some of these include:

Get Educated - Research the subject of buying diamonds, in exactly the same way you would if you were buying a car. There is no substituted for this, and if you are willing to make the effort you can have more knowledge of the subject in 2 hours, than 95% of your fellow consumers.

Buy from a reputable source - Whether you decide to make your purchase online or at a Jewelry store, make sure you have some background on the store. Visit the store and ask the salesman questions to gauge his level of knowledge. I would suggest you avoid the Jewelry districts, simply because the competition is so fierce that it breeds questionable practices and half truths amongst the occupants.

Never buy a diamond without a certificate - Without a certificate you could quite easily buy a piece of glass set into an engagement ring setting and be non the wiser, but up to $5000 poorer. However a certificate alone does not guarantee a better deal, you need to be proficient in understanding exactly what it is telling you, and how each factor that is covered affects the price and quality of the ring.

Understand the 4 C’s of diamonds - Most people know something about the 4 C’s of diamond buying including, Cut, Clarity, Carat and Color. However very few people know how to each of the 4 factors interact to determine the price and quality of a diamond.

If you follow this advice you significantly reduce your chance of being fleeced by a dishonest salesman. Treat your purchase as a significant financial purchase. Set your budget up-front and do not go too much above or below the price you’ve set yourself. Try not to get to emotionally involved in the purchase and the outcome should be favorable.

bio = Peter Vine is a researcher for a large consumer magazine, and has spent the last year looking at the diamond industry. The ebook ‘Diamond Ring Secrets’ is the outcome of this research, and shows you the insider secrets of buying a diamond ring while saving $1000’s. Take a look at it at:

http://www.diamond-ring-secrets.com

Popularity: 15% [?]

Copyright 2002, Carol Tuttle

Everything at its finest level of creation is energy. We are
exchanging energy and silently communicating energetically with
every person with whom we come into contact. Energy impressions
are always our first impressions that influence what we think
or feel about others.

Everyone has an invisible energy system that flows energy on
pathways or meridians. These same meridians have multiple
pressure points that have been a means of working with the
energy to keep it flowing. Acupressure, acupuncture, and
reflexology are the more common modalities we have in the
Western world.

The Chinese term for energy is “chi” which means life force
energy. When our energy is blocked, scrambled or leaking, we
feel depleted and heavy. When you are energy-depleted, it is
more difficult to manage your emotions, think positive thoughts
and stay healthy.

In the field of holistic health, energy medicine and energy
psychology are growing rapidly. As a practitioner of energy
therapies, I have assisted numerous women who are energy
challenged.

I recently assisted a woman who was bedridden due to a severe
case of chronic fatigue. After eight weeks of working with her
body’s energy system to restore it to good health and teaching
her how to take care of her own energy health, she has had a
miraculous recovery. She is out of bed and fully active. Her
parents see it as a miracle. Our energy responds very quickly
when we know what to do to correct it. After all, it’s just
energy.

The following are some of the most common energy problems for
women and their corrections:

1. Taking on other people’s emotional energy. Our energies are
magnetic in nature. A common codependent pattern for women is
to play the role of a “pleaser.” The primary dysfunction of
this role is to always put others’ needs before your own. Women
that are pleasers tend to be very psychic in nature. This helps
them know what others need without even having to ask. A common
aspect of this role is to take on the negative emotion other
people are feeling or processing.

Emotion is energy in motion. We can attract that energy to us
when we are not safeguarded from it. It is possible to take on
the energy of people you do not even know! It can even happen at
the grocery store. All you want to do is go in and buy a gallon
of milk, and you leave not only with the milk but also with the
sadness and loneliness of ten other women in the store!

Children process a lot of negative energy for their parents. If
you are stressed, your children intuitively are aware of that
and can play the role of trying to “please” or “act-out” in
response to the negative energy you are running.

In the early days of my studies of energy medicine, my daughter
would come home from junior high school nearly every day with
a headache. As I came to understand this dynamic of taking on
other people’s energies, I realized she was doing that
sub-consciously at school. I helped her correct it, and the
headaches eventually subsided.

Correction: Your central meridian is one of your primary energy
pathways that runs from your pubic bone up to your bottom lip.
It is like a radio receiver that channels other people’s
negative thoughts and emotions into you. Pretend you have a
zipper running up your torso between these two points. “Zip
up” your central meridian starting at your pubic bone and
continuing until you reach your bottom lip. “Zipping up” your
central meridian will “zip-up” your energy. You will feel more
confident and positive about yourself and your world, think
more clearly, and be able to protect yourself from the negative
energies around you. “Zip up” your children before they go to
school.

2. Leaking energy. We have another invisible energy system
called chakras. Whereas meridians are an energy transportation
system, chakras are energy stations. The word chakra means disk,
vortex, or wheel. There are seven energy stations positioned
from the base of your spine to the top of your head. In energy
health, if you are losing or leaking energy at the base chakra
located at the bottom of your spine, you may feel depression,
anxiety and exhaustion.

Many women are energy depleted because they are not able to
hold enough life force energy or chi. In this energy condition,
you are flushing energy down and away from you, much like a
toilet flushes water down. In order to maintain good energy
health, you want energy spiraling up into your base chakra.

Correction: When there is a leak, you have to patch it. Close
your eyes and imagine you can see the energy leaking out of your
tailbone. Imagine a patch large enough to cover the leak. Place
the patch over the leak. Imagine you can go beneath the energy
and reverse the flow to spiral it up into your body through
your tailbone.

3. Homolateral energy flow. The left hemisphere of the brain
sends information to the right side of your body, and the right
hemisphere sends information to the left side. This crossing of
energy helps you feel more balanced, think more clearly, and
improves your coordination. When your energies are not crossing,
they are running a homolateral pattern-straight up and down the
body. In this state you cannot access or utilize your brain’s
full capacity or your body’s full intelligence.

Babies naturally have a homolateral flow. It is the function
of crawling that initiates the energies flowing in a crossover
pattern. Everyone that I have assisted with CFS and Epstein Barr
has a homolateral energy flow. People who actively participate
in a regular exercise program usually have healthy crossover
patterns.

Correction: To cross your energies and keep them flowing in a
healthy crossover flow, march in place lifting the opposite leg
and arm simultaneously for about 20 steps. Or just get on the
ground and start crawling! Encourage your baby to crawl and
delay walking until they are 12 months old. Early walking
interferes with their energy establishing a healthy crossover
flow.

My oldest daughter walked at nine months as a result of eager
parents! She was challenged all the way up through high school
in math, reading and spelling. In grade school, she was tutored
on a regular basis. When she was 16, I was introduced to this
process. I showed her the correction, and she faithfully marched
daily. By the end of her senior year in high school, she was
awarded a scholarship to a local university and has been on
the Dean’s list ever since.

There is much to be learned about energy health and taking care
of our own energies. Good resources are Carol Tuttle’s book,
Remembering Wholeness: A Personal Handbook for Thriving in the
21st Century, and Donna Eden’s book, Energy Medicine, about how
to boost your body’s energy.

Carol Tuttle, author of Remembering Wholeness: A Personal Handbook for Thriving in the 21st Century, is a gifted energy health practitioner. She is board-certified as a master level rapid-eye therapist, a form of energy psychology. She has assisted hundreds of clients restore their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. For more information on her work and writings go to http://www.caroltuttle.com

Popularity: 10% [?]