PROGRAMMERS BEING DICKS

2012-05-23

Denver Modeling Agency finds success at DrupalCon

Last year EmmeGirls promotional models increased ROI for our clients at DrupalCon Chicago and we are excited to be on location in beautiful Denver. Our models will act as brand ambassadors attracting new clients to the booth, setting appointments, and retaining the attention of potential clients once they have walked up.

Look at the fucking photos. Embarrassing.

Update: Oh, and a new informant links us to the inevitable Twitter dickery that ensued.

2012-05-15

Dell Apologises for Hiring 'Shut Up Bitch' Moderator

Wired:

Dell only succeeded in making itself look small when it hired an expert in misogynistic humor to MC a partner event…

…[Mads Christensen] did his best to crack up the crowd of about 800 Dell partners and employees with offensive zingers such as: “The IT business is one of the last frontiers that manages to keep women out. The quota of women to men in your business is sound and healthy”

Yes, hilarious. Check out Dell’s apology:

During a Dell-hosted customer and partner summit in Copenhagen in April, well-known public speaker and moderator, Mads Christensen, made a number of inappropriate and insensitive remarks about women. Dell sincerely apologizes for these comments.

Inappropriate and insensitive. That’s one way to describe asking “all (men) in the room to promise him that they will go home and say, ‘shut up bitch!’”, certainly. Between ridiculous understatement and your hiring this poisonous scumbag in the first place, Dell, we might have formed the impression you’re not really committed to equality for women. Good thing you went on to write another two paragraphs about how committed you are to equality for women, then.

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Lindsey Bieda: "We Need You"

It can be hard when all the signs are telling you that you don’t fit in. Where everywhere you look you are getting signals that not only are you not like those around you, but those around you would rather pretend you weren’t there. Each of us has a choice in this situation. We either run or we fight. It seems that in the tech world people are finally choosing the latter.

Step up.

2012-05-14

New Allies: Sexism in Tech

The more, the merrier.

2012-05-11

Nokia's Cringe-Inducing "Dev City" Video

For a moment there, it looked like it was all over. No major incidents in a full month by our watch, and a string of apologies. We were all set to accept that sexism in tech was over, rename this blog PROGRAMMERS BEING SORRY and devote it entirely to congratulating male devs for growing the hell up.

So we’re indebted to Nokia—or a rogue agent associated therewith—for being so incredibly out-of-touch that they not only made a comedy rap video about how cool it is to be a developer, they turned the dial from Merely Embarrassingly Lame to What the Actual Fuck is Wrong With Us and filled it with footage of sexy women gyrating in server rooms and fawning over a dude sitting at his laptop.

What a relief! On with the show.

2012-04-27

Apology to Women Programmers

Uncle Bob Martin is feeling guilty about some questionable jokes he made during a tech talk. He’s posted a lovely apology. This is how properly functioning, compassionate members of society behave and it warms our hearts.

Sure, an idiot has already turned up in the comments underneath the apology. But let’s allow ourselves some happiness on a Friday and just ignore it.

Thanks Bob!

2012-04-25

Update: An apology.

The individual responsible for the actual tweet has been relieved of his duties representing YBF via its social channels. We are reviewing whether this employee will need to be let go.

2012-04-22

That's What He... is Sorry For

Remember What She Really Said, in which Jessamyn Smith reacted to a sexist IRC bot with one of her own? The creator of the original bot, James Socol, has taken the project down and issued a no-bullshit, proper apology:

Scottbot was an interesting programming question. “Can we make a bot that learns to make these jokes better?” I didn’t think about the broader implications. Not thinking about it is a big part of the privilege hegemonic groups have. I can’t go back in time and stop myself from writing it but I can recognize it, call it out, and take action.

First, I’m sorry.

Kudos, James.