PyCon proposals I'd like to see

PyCon 2013 is current accepting proposals. I'm looking forward to helping review the proposals.

So, what proposals would *I* like to see?

Anything science related, especially bio and chemistry and neuroscience stuff
Anything health related
Anything homestead related - how do you use Python in your home, your garden, your office, your private hobby, knitting, weaving, ...
How Python is being/or could be used in the office and support areas (HR, Marketing, Admin Assistants, Finance)
Anything with robots
Anything about Making stuff
Anything about GAE
Hacking your fitness with Python

Accessibility how-tos
HCI

Here's where to submit your proposal


I'm planning on proposing a talk on "Hello GAE" - an overview for folks who  haven't used it before. Also a "You can be a speaker at PyCon!" session for folks who are considering being a speaker in 2014 but don't know how to start.

I know there will be plenty of my favorite speakers at PyCon - we're starting to get proposals from some of you already.  I'm especially interested in getting proposals from a wide variety of new folks. Entrepreneurs, web designers, interaction designers, chemists, rocket scientists, secretaries, WHO (you know who you are!), fitness geeks, women, people of color, neuroscientists, and anybody else I've never heard speak at PyCon before.

Why doesn't everyone do this?

I have a great laptop. It's dualboot, XP and linux (ubuntu).

I just found out something *awesome* that ubuntu does.

You know how sometimes you go to enter your password, and you happen to have your Caps Lock Key on? Ubuntu has a comment show up right below the password textfield that says, "You have the Caps Lock key on."

Until the capslock gets ripped out and removed from every computer, this should be the *standard* procedure for *any* log-in. Yay for ubuntu!

Just to show GHC rocks!

(and to point out that I'm not going to post *only* about angst), Kori from SIG-CHI (who I met at the HCI panel today) sent me a link to papers by students that had been accepted at the CHI conference. I was inspired enough that I just sent a study proposal to my advisor. GHC rocks!

And now I am going to bed. For real this time. And staying there. ;-)

Anna

Official GHC 07 Blogger You may comment on this blog by visiting *Grace Hopper forum*.

Creative living

There's a class being offered on campus thru the transfers program I guess. It's called "The Art of Living Creatively" or something like that. It's about paying attention to your own creativity and learning to foster your creativity.

This is, I think, great timing. I recently declared my major concentration: HCI, and one of my biggest fears is whether I'll be up to the challenge. I'm dealing with "imposter syndrome" - I am starting to maybe believe I can program a little bit. At least sufficiently to do the homework we've had so far. But, beyond that, I'm worried that I'm just not creative enough for a job in HCI. After all, one can learn all the rules, but still not be an artist. I believe I have enough background and am able to learn how to recognize "when it's bad", but that doesn't mean I'll be able to do it right myself. I'm afraid that it may be as much visual art as it is science, and I'm not sure I'm able to do that.

So yes, learning that I *do* have creativity, and knowing I can tap into it, will be quite useful as I proceed upon this path.