excuse me while I step upon my soapbox.
the press covered the last shuttle mission with interest, since it was the first mission commandeered by a woman. my initial reaction: big deal. but that wasn't, apparently, what the press (or the public?) thought - a shuttle mission commandeered by a woman was somehow newsworthy. I think it'll be more newsworthy when these "look at this - women can do this too! who knew? wow!" stories are no longer selling newsmagazines. yet it's a double-edged sword - advances in women's roles and achievements are important to note, certainly for young girls to see and perhaps emulate - but, as long as these things are covered in the press, women will be relegated to a "special" status. "special" does not allow one to be considered "equal" by one's male peer.
along these lines: John Dvorak's asinine comments in his PC Magazine column about the "girly," "Barbie" iBook remind us of the gender-based assumptions that are still thriving in the IT world. didn't you know that computer hardware cases are an extension of your sexual orientation? it seems Dvorak thinks so. Janelle Brown of Salon has a wonderful rebuttal
