Social Media Girl Power

Something which is fascinating me for quite some time now – there are a heck of a lot of girls kicking ass in the social media space. Just look at the number of female guest writers on www.mashable.com, and you too will be surprised! Is it sexist to be surprised? I hope not, ’cause I know where we girls come from. Working the last 10 years in big Tech Companies like Siemens and EDS, I definately know that there weren’t so many girls around some time ago. Even during my studies, as a commercial engineer – specialised in informatics, the numbers were something like 5 girls and about 35 boys. Good for our sense of popularity in the classroom but it does demonstrate that the recent uprise of female power on the internet and social media sphere has come a long way!

More importantly, we’re being taken seriously and considered as true experts on the issue of social media. Not only by perception, but also backed by numbers – women outnumber men when it comes to sites like Flickr,Facebook, Twitter, FriendFeed,MySpace and Bebo (http://mashable.com/2009/10/03/women-rule-the-social-web/) There are a tremendous amount of female bloggers around, talking about the obvious things – friends, family, kids but gradually creating this ‘fun’ blogs to effectively profitable businesses.

With more and more businesses showing real interest in social media, and trying to turn it in an actual ROI – this might just be the perfect timing for all these fanatic cool geeky girls to put your own social media knowledge to good use.

Connected World

Can an individual and a world in its whole still work if we’re not connected 24 hours a day? Sure, no, maybe? Obama doesn’t seem to think so – negotiating with Secret Service to maintain his blackberry. Nothing wrong with that you might think, seen we all use it and find it a helpful thing in our daily lives. But is it necessary? Will you be a better president being continuously in the loop of the latest (non)events. Does a good decision sometimes doesn’t need some reflection and not an immediate response. Sounds very oldfashioned? I know, but if you look very closely around you – you might start to wonder if all those latest technology did improve our decision making so drastically. Don’t think so….  Focus is being lost seen we’re all too busy multitasking. And nothing wrong with a focused president, no?

Words fall short

Can’t rave enough about the great beauty we are seeing on this trip…

17 mile scenic drive – pebble beach

Yesterday started our drive down to LA, from San Francisco. Since we’re taking our time for it, we stop and do all these useless but mostly wonderfull detours. Such as the 17 mile drive along pebble beach. Agreed, it also runs alongside the golf course where the US Open in 2010 will be played – which is indeed not too shabby – but the true draw of this trip is the sea… So restless but from a stunning beauty. Some say the sea is so wild here because of the currents who collide – others say it’s because of the rocks lying underneath who brake the waves.  Whomever is true, it’s a beautifull sight seeing these forces of nature play with eachother to determine who’s the greatest – water or rock.

However turbulent it may look , a vital part of marine life depends on this restless sea to deliver food. As they say it theirselves so eloquently “Living here is a balancing out between hazards and benefits”…

Much like life itself no?

Mahjong Exhibit at Berkeley Art Museum

Wow – what an exhibition i saw yesterday at Berkeley Museum of Modern Art.

It starts with images of MAO depicted during cultural revolution in China. Strict regulations apply for artists who want to depict MAO – he needs to be portraid with a reddish glow on his cheeks, without wrinkles or lines, exuberating youth and “light”. (Never thought that MAO would be fussy about his wrinkles, you? ) Pictures of chinese life dating from the same period all have the same aura – life as it should be.

It’s only during the late ‘80 that artist dare to react against these strict regulations, and begin to criticise the way of life in China. Hence the MAO/MARILYN Popart painting, or the portraits of a guy laughing so expressively that as a spectator you question the trutfullness about it. Is he really happy or is it yet another false image like there were so many during the revolution?Also a great example is the painting of Wang Guangyi who portrays MAO, but then paints a red crosswork over it – don’t need to say that that’s absolutely not done in China.

By the beginning of the 21th century, you see more and more artists criticising the growing influence of western consumerism. A feeling, perfectly evoked by artist Wuang Guanji who takes popular European Brands and combines it with old “patriottic2 images from during the revolution. Hence his work Chanel n5.

The whole exhibition is so beautifully setup to walk you through all the modern dilemma’s of the Chinese Society – so beautifully translated in to artwork by young Chinese Artists that it really leaves you bedazzled at the end of the exhibition.

And I even didn’t begin to talk about the contradiction Society – Individualism. Come to mind is the collection of familypictures against a red background. Nothing out of the ordinary – but all one mother, one father, ONE child. Again, nothing is what it seems. Beautifull pictures of young girls, born on the countryside. Great, cute little girls who should have the whole world at their feet and a bundle of aspirations under their arm. Sadly – being born on the Chinese countryside doesn’t allow such luxuries – not even in 2008….

I just can’t emphasis enough what an eye opening exhibition this was for me, not only from an artistic point of view cause it really has some beautiful pieces – but even more so cause for me it was a close encounter with China and all of its contemporary struggles and contradictions.

Just mindblowing.

San Francisco

Sitting on Fillmore Street – just at the crossing with Broadway. Man, you just can’t believe the view! No camera with me, so will have to try and talk you through it. Imagine a sunny late summery day with a bit of a breeze but still warm enough to walk in a t-shirt and a light sweater. From where I’m standing now – it’s really at the top, with the rest of the street running downhill untill the SanFrancisco Bay, which you see glimmering in the sun. The bay just looks like a great big lake surrounded by golden gate bridge at the left, the marina district in front of  it and the marinelands in the back. And all of this big, beautiful scenery just lies at my feet when i sit with Charlie on my knees enjoying this sun who so welcomely brings us warmth.

Man, for someone who didn’tlike San Francisco the first time around – today and yesterday proved me really wrong.

Thanksgiving diner

Just a quick share with you guess, seen I am so super proud about it! Made my first stuffed turkey today – on thanksgiving day. We had some friends over who also live in California, and apparently everybody did loved it or so they wanted me to think anyway )

Here are the pics to prove it!