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Posts by Adrianne

We Went To The London Girl Geek Dinner To Learn How To Speak Out!

As someone who hates and avoids as much as possible any form of public speaking, I decided to attend the ‘Speaking Out!’ talk held by Girl Geek Dinners on 23^rd November.

Girl Geek Dinner is a group of cool chicks working in IT related sectors, aiming at “uniting, supporting, learning and having fun as a female in the tech industry.”

Their most recent event, and the first Girl Geek Dinners event I’ve ever attended, invited 3 great speakers with successful careers in the tech industry who gave us a lecture on public speaking. They covered topics like tips for not only getting over nerves, but also feeling confident making presentations, or pitching business ideas, etc.

Claire Lee, the first speaker, a Developer Evangelist for Microsoft, shared insight as to how she became successful in such a male-dominated industry, among other things.

What I found to be the most useful information she shared with us, however, was that she used to be terrified of public speaking.

Watching her stand confidently before us, it was hard to believe that at any time public speaking was something she really struggled with, but she offered some advice (however obvious it may seem) that explained how she overcame her fear: you just have to put yourself out there and do it.

Literally deciding one day to no longer be a ‘shrinking violet’ and put yourself out there, is much simpler said than done, but sometimes the best advice really is that simple.

Both of the other speakers- Margaret Gold, director at Goldmobile Innovation, and Christian Heilmann, Developer Evangelist at Yahoo, offered equally helpful advice. Just watching the speakers themselves was a lesson in public speaking in itself, because although each one of them had different methods, they were all effective public speakers for different reasons.

Despite the speakers sometimes disagreeing with each other on the most effective public speaking methods, there was one thing which they all agreed upon: the best public speakers aren’t necessarily the most knowledgeable.

Good presentations were good because the speakers were:

a). passionate about what they were talking about and

b). they were just themselves and weren’t trying overly hard to impress.

Because when it comes down to it, likability is often one of the most important factors in how we determine whether we think a speech or lecture was effective or not.

Finding ways to relate the information to a personal story or experience is always key in connecting with your audience.

This is actually good news, because it eliminates the need for hours of over planning and preparation that many sometimes think is necessary for a good presentation (this doesn’t mean you don’t need to do your homework, just that the hours of trying to memorize your presentation isn’t necessary).

The bad news is, listening to presentations about public speaking won’t actually make me a better speaker, only practice will do that…

What do you think makes a good public speaker? Any tips? Let me know your thoughts…

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Are Peta Ads Sexy or Sexist?

When it comes to advertising, we all know that sex sells.

But what happens when this advertising tactic exploits women, and the ‘product’ your trying to ’sell’ is ‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’?

This is a question which has surrounded PETA many times, especially in response to their ads which are increasingly being branded as ’sexist.’

The latest PETA controversy came up with their new ‘All Animals Have the Same Parts’ ad, featuring spokesperson Pamela Anderson as a piece of meat.

And no, I don’t mean that figuratively, as in they’re sexualising her as if she were ‘just a piece of meat.’ Pamela Anderson is literally portrayed with her body sectioned off in to a collection of cuts of meat.

Hmm… I wonder why anyone would interpret that as being a sexist ad?

In response to the ad, (which was banned in Canada) Senior Vice President Dan Matthews stated: “I think that city officials are looking at this lovely ad and confusing ’sexy’ with ’sexist.’”

This is coming from the same organisation who also acknowledges the link between animal abuse to abuse against women, with studies on their website which include: “According to New South Wales newspaper, a police study in Australia revealed that ‘100 percent of sexual homicide offenders examined had a history of animal cruelty.’”

So if I’m getting this right, PETA wants to try to fight animal cruelty (which can be closely linked to crimes against women) with images that promote crimes against women…?

And this is not the first time PETA has come up with an ad that many found to be offensive against women.

Other examples include the billboard: ‘Save the Whales. Lose the Blubber: Go Vegetarian,’ or the Peta commercial which was banned from the Super Bowl, which showed a man beating a woman to death in the street with a baseball bat.

PETA is also well-known for choosing famous porn stars (Jenna Jameson, for example) as their spokespeople, which Carol J. Adams (animal rights activist, feminist and author) criticizes, stating: ‘People say ’sex sells.’ I say sex sells sex. Peta conflates sexualisation and animal exploitation and this harms animals.’

There is one thing which PETA ads are good at, however, and that’s getting your attention. Just the fact that PETA ads have been at the center of many controversies proves this fact…

What do you think of the shock tactics used in PETA ads: successful marketing strategy or sexist against women?

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Would You Get a Virtual Makeover?

It seems like you can find an application for just about anything lately…

On a night out and worried you may be too drunk to drive home? Not a problem: if you have the iPhone ‘Drink Buddy’ app, you can check to see if your within the legal limit (although if you feel the need to check, the answer is probably no).

Nervous a blind date could turn awkward? Don’t be, because there’s an app that helps you out in that situation too.

Some apps and recent technology are obviously more useful than others (with some, like the ‘Hold On’ app bordering on ridiculous…)

My latest pick, is an app which gives you a ‘virtual makeover’ to help you pick the makeup products which suit you best.

Currently, one of the most popular of ‘virtual makeover technologies,’ is Modiface, which just recently (on October 1^st of this year) released a new version of their popular ‘Makeup’ iPhone application.

This app uses facial recognition technology to help users develop an improved makeup routine.

Other apps by Modiface include: ‘Instant Celebrity Makeover’ (lets you ‘try on’ the look of different celebrities), ‘Weight Mirror’ (answers the question of what you’d look like if you had actually followed through with that diet last summer), and even ‘Uglify’ (to see what you’d like if you were…well… ugly), among others.

Although I haven’t used any of these apps myself, I’m somewhat sceptical about how well they actually work.

However, there are other makeup application technologies out there, which I think sound more intriguing.

Take the interactive makeup application kiosks, created by Shiseido, for example, which can be found in the Takashimaya department store in Tokyo.

If you’re wondering how this works, it actually sounds fairly simple.

The kiosk scans a ‘before’ image of your face and then gives you tailored recommendations for the makeup products which suit you best.

You can also use the on-screen makeup palette to look for any other products which look appealing and all of your selections are recorded.

You can then generate an ‘after’ picture of a new made-up you, which allows you to see what the makeup products look like on you without actually having to put any makeup on.

Sounds great, but there’s a downside… they’re currently only available in Tokyo!

Good news is there are many others (good and bad) apps, and many of them are available online free of charge.

My favourite is Daily Makeover, not only because it was the easiest to use out of all the virtual makeover app’s I found, but it also offered the widest range of brands to try on (bare essentials, clinique and bobbi brown are just a few examples of the available brands).

Here’s my Daily Makeover before and after:

Ok… I would never actually wear this much makeup, but one of the great things about the site is it lets you play around with the types (and amount) of makeup without the hassle you’d have if you were applying it in real life. Not only this, but Daily Makeover gives you tips and product reviews… perfect for people looking for a new look.

And if you’re looking for more Halloween ideas, they offer ‘Halloween Makeup Treats,’ tips on how to find your ‘Halloween Hair,’ along with tips and links on how to do your makeup to go with your costume.

If you’re not sold on the whole digital makeover idea yet, if nothing else it’s fun- you can try on different celebrity styles, play different makeup games and quizzes (you can ‘J.Lo’ your look, for example) and read other beauty and style tips…

What are your experiences with virtual makeover technology: techniques of the future or just another gadget for your phone?

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5 Reasons We Shouldn’t Be Talking About Karen Owen

As you may have heard in recent news, Karen Owen, a recent Duke University graduate, has been called everything from a ‘Feminist Hero,’ to the ‘Most Hated Woman in America,’ for her 42-page powerpoint: “An Education Beyond the Classroom: Excelling in the Realm of Horizontal Academics,” in which she gives intimate details of her sexual experiences with other Duke University alumnae.

Personally, I don’t think she deserves either title, and I think the question we should really be asking is: Would this even be an international news worthy topic if Karen Owen were a man?

Basically, I think we shouldn’t really care about Karen Owen and here’s why…

1). Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right, But Two Negatives Equals a Positive…

In the Daily Mail article, “An essay in shame: How top university student’s spoof thesis rating sex with 13 men became web sensation,” the author states that Owen’s actions are unforgiveable because: ‘Two wrongs don’t make a right.’

True, but I also understand where Owen is coming from when she says she’s ‘just doing what the fraternity guys do.’

Being American, and having been in a sorority myself, I witnessed frat guys acting the way Owen did (having no respect for their sexual partners privacy, etc) all the time.

The only difference was when they did it, it was just ‘normal, frat boy’ behaviour, but when Owen did it, it made international news headlines.

2).Hasn’t Anyone Watched Sex and the City? Women talk about sex too…

As the women’s website Jezebel states: ‘Here’s another reminder that women can be as aggressive, or acquisitive about sex as men can.’

The controversy surrounding Belle du Jour is an example of this.

In this day and age, when women have proved they are just as smart as men, and just as capable of handling ‘men’s’ jobs, why is it still so shocking to hear about women who have sex like one?

(Especially in cases like Belle du Jour and Karen Owen, where the women are clearly well-educated and intelligent… we expect these women to behave in a more ‘modest’ way- which brings me to my next point…)

3). Not all women are modest…

Internet ethics expert, Donna Rice Hughes says (in reference to the Owen scandal): ‘Where is the modesty? My generation wouldn’t have dreamt about sharing sexual exploits- even in private.”

Yes, and times change, that’s not necessarily a bad thing… The way Owen went about it was all wrong, but it raises an important point: no one thinks twice when men talk about sex openly, but many think women doing the same thing is ‘unladylike.’

4). Some people think Karen Owen is a horrible person, but I think she just has too much spare time…

Much of the media has demonised Owen for her actions, but maybe rather than hating her, we should really feel sorry for her…

What kind of a person would want to write a mock thesis, or create a 42-page powerpoint presentation just for ‘fun’ anyway?

5).‘Privacy is no longer a social norm…’

No one should exploit people’s privacy in the way Owen did (male or female)…

But her biggest mistake wasn’t the fact that she had sex ‘like a man,’ or even that she talked about it with her 3 closest friends the way a man would.

Her biggest mistake was making a powerpoint and emailing it to them (and trusting them not to click the forward button…)

It’s much more surprising to me that someone who’s clearly intelligent, wouldn’t be aware that this could come back to haunt her…

We have all been warned of the dangers of putting too much personal information on the internet.

Which also leads to questions of whether any of this was on purpose (consciously or unconsciously) on her part-

To me it doesn’t make much difference… Either way Owen must face the consequences her actions will most definitely have on her future.

Is her behaviour forgiveable? Does she deserve her ‘Most Hated Woman in America Title’?

Or would we even be talking about this if Owen were a man?

Let me know your thoughts…

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Results of Question Time #4: Super Heroines!

Hi Mindbubblers!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in our latest Question Time! It’s a good way for us to get to know you all better, and we really enjoyed reading your answers!

This time we asked you: If you could possess any of these Super Heroine’s powers, whose would you pick?

(Just a short re-cap for those of you who missed out, the options were: Wonder Woman, Mystique, Elektra, Blackwidow, or none of the above.)

And the results?!

Wonder Woman and her ‘lasso of truth,’ along with Mystique’s ability to shape-shift, were two of the most popular choices.

Blackwidow, was the least popular option, receiving zero votes. (Luckily, you all don’t possess these celebrities’ obsessive fears about aging.)

Here were some of our favourite answers…

On having Mystique’s ability to shape shift:

“Oh can you imagine being able to be anyone from Victoria Beckham to the Queen, live their lives and read their minds? Also, I’d swap minds with a mathematical genius and pretend to be clever… There is so much you could do with this actually- I think I’m getting carried away now…”

MB: Definitely, so many possibilities with this one- personally I think it’d be interesting to swap minds with Stephen Hawking, just to see how his mind works! But Mystique’s powers could be useful in so many other ways as well…

Those who chose the, ‘None of the Above’ option:

Catwoman

“I would love to be Catwoman. What woman doesn’t love a black outfit, and, what man wouldn’t want a pussy that looks that good!!!!! Fun and playful. Plus, you get to go zip around on a gorgeous little scooter. Purrrrrrrrrrfect!!!!

MB: Yes, we agree… Who wouldn’t want to look like Catwoman? (Assuming that’s Catwoman, the super heroine we’re talking about, and not ‘Catwoman’ Jocelyn Wildenstein… Yikes!)

Nanny McPhee

“Nanny McPhee – small ‘c’; big ‘P,’ but minus the warts, scary tooth and packaged in more the Elle McPherson looks and style.

The ability to react calmly to any situation and have the magical powers to ‘encourgae’ my children (and others!) to do the things I would like them to.

My stick would also enable me to fly, and be filled with chocolate shake, for that choccie boost when needed.

My children would be helpful and kind, not argue, but would retain their personalities.

My children might say I am already on the way to looking like Nanny McPhee, and perhaps looking in the mirror first thing in the morning, they are right.

Naturally, being Nanny McPhee, I would get to hang out with Colin Firth…”

MB: We love Nanny McPhee! So much more fun than Mary Poppins, and hanging out with Colin Firth would definitely be a plus…

And that just about wraps up our latest addition of Question Time #4, thanks again to all of you who participated!

Many thanks,

The Mindbubble Team

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Should Eating Ever Be a “Competition”?

I have never been very athletic, and would never claim to be great at any particular sport, until recently when I discovered a sport, which I had never known, existed before.

Competitive eating.

Finally, a sport I might actually be good at. I have always been great at eating (I attribute this to being American, it’s just one of our God given abilities).

My only dilemma is: can competitive eating actually be considered a sport?

Competitive eating, if you haven’t guessed from its title, involves participants (also called ‘gurgitators’) eating as much food as possible within a given period of time.

According to the Major League of Eating, it only became a sport fairly recently; with competitive eating beginning in America (where else?) in 1916 when Nathan’s of Coney Island decided to host a 4^th of July hot dog eating contest.

The 4^th of July hot dog eating contest has been held every year since and is apparently world famous (although this is the first I’ve ever heard of it.)

The Major League of Eating hosts many other events as well- a total of 80 events annually, which must be popular, because they generate over a billion consumer impressions world wide each year.

In case you’re wondering, an example of one of these ‘events’ includes The Pepto Bismol World Bratwurst Eating Championship at Oktoberfest in Ohio, USA (yes Pepto Bismol is one of the Major League of Eating’s sponsors) in which ‘gurgitators’ compete for $2,500, along with the ‘prestigious’ title of Bratwurst Eating World Champion.

Competitive eating has become popular enough that some can even make a career out of participating in these competitions.

Japanese competitive eater Takeru Kobayashi is an example of someone who has done just that (despite no longer holding the world record, he was beaten by fellow guritator Joey Chestnut.)

So what does it take to be the world champion of competitive eating?

World champion Joey Chestnut can eat 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

It’s as disgusting as it is impressive.

What’s most surprising, however, is that competitive eating champions like Chestnut and Kobayashi actually appear to be physically fit.

They also spend a good bit of time training, which includes fasting whilst stretching out the stomach with milk, water and protein supplements, along with regular exercise to make sure that fat doesn’t stop the stomach from expanding during a competition.

Despite the fact that becoming a champion competitive eater does actually take a lot of work, I’m still sceptical as to whether it should be called a sport or not.

Just because you can do something, doesn’t necessarily mean you should do something… A world record was also set by Daniel Baranuik for sitting on a pole for 196 days, but that doesn’t mean we should invent a sport called ‘pole-sitting.’

Is the fact that competitive eating has actually become a popular sport a reflection of a society that has become way too obsessed with food?

Let me know your thoughts…

EDIT- There’s even a play meant to come out in the year 2011, entitled: “The Sleeping Giant,” in which ‘Ann Arbor playwright Barton Bund examines the world of competitive eating.’ Surely, this is a sign we have gone too far?

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Project Dawn £330 Up for Grabs!

Hi Mindbubblers!

We have a new, exciting project for you all to get involved in! The subject this time is… drum roll please…

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day!

Basically we’d like to know more about your breakfast habits, and we’re looking for creative women to get involved.

This project is perfect for anyone who’d like to add some variety to their breakfast routine while working with an interesting brand in a fun and creative way. The full brief is live beginning September 29, so if you’re a Mindbubble member already, login & get involved.

You can earn up to £330 if you take part, so don’t miss this opportunity to get involved!

If you are not already a member of Mindbubble and would like to get involved then please sign up, and email us letting us know your answers to the questions below so we can then invite you to the project.

Your full name

Contact number

Age

Where you live

What you do for a living

If you are single/married or in a relationship

If you have children, how many and their ages

What do you do that allows you to be creative?

Good luck and we look forward to hearing from you!

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