One of our customers just told me that I am one of two people here at tech support who he thinks knows what they're doing. "If Amy answers the phone, then you pick up, then I know the job's going to get taken care of quickly."

I'm both flattered and appalled.

rice cakes

I've noticed that no one has thought I was male, here in my latest stint of technical support. Three years ago, when I last did TS, people would frequently automatically call me "sir" and such. That hasn't happened at all now.

To women who do technical computer work: does it seem that people find it less odd nowadays that women are doing this work? I get more calls from women in technical positions, too.

Maybe being a girl geek is becoming so common it's loosing its novelty.

Is this some Texas code that I'm not getting?

Megan, you should get your university to pay for you to attend the film festival. My friend goes every year and has a great time. In fact, last year he got to see A Prairie Home Companion before its official release and, better yet, shake Robert Altman's hand.

Megan, you should get your university to pay for you to attend the film festival.

Hah, that would be nice, but it is harder and harder to get funds to just to "attend" anything. And, at the moment, I'm just hoping to be permanently employed.

Also, given the timing of my visit, I'm assuming I need to figure out exactly when I'll be there and reserve a room tout de suite. I've never been to Austin, any recommendations?

Artys-craftsy question:

I want to mold a clear material in the shape of a cube. So when it's done, it would look (as much as possible) as if it were made of glass. But it would have to start out as a liquid that would be poured into a mold. And maybe it should be capable of being ground/polished to make it a more perfect cube.

Any ideas? Acrylic?

Um, water -> ice?

To women who do technical computer work: does it seem that people find it less odd nowadays that women are doing this work? I get more calls from women in technical positions, too.

I suppose so. Six years ago in a far more technical position than I have now, I encountered a lot of resistance from men in the same business. I was the only female tech in the department; all the other women were administrative support staff. People would be startled to discover that I was the one working on their computer. I often got shit from our help desk and other vendors, and I doubt they would have pulled that crap on a fellow dude.

I don't get that as much these days.

That's good to hear. Six years ago when I was in the field, I was the only woman anywhere within a thousand yard radius. But of course, I was a female tech working in an airplane company, full of male engineers and male pilots and male service technicians and male firefighters. Okay, I don't know why the firefighters were there, they were just in my building. But still, vastly male dominated. I got some shit, but then, I knew my shit and was the only one who could do what they needed, so I got a lot of latitude, too.

Yeah, the temp IT guys we brought in for projects always took an attitude with me until something broke and I fixed it in five seconds. Once they realized I hadn't earned the position via nepotism or my feminine wiles (har), they treated me more like one of the guys.