thenumerateninny.com
Natterings of a Woman in STEM
Tag: Women in STEM
The Duel
I’m a pusher — and my drug of choice is oxygen. My little tank goes where I go, advertising my limitations to the world. However, it also presents an opportunity for people to prove themselves ‘nice’. To allow me to pass, pregnant women, burdened… Continue Reading “The Duel”
Inflammatory Language
Scientific language is a fickle beast. If you’ve been around for a few decades (and have been exposed to changing language) your experience can be a liability. Take, for instance, the word flammable. It pretends to be an uncomplicated word. In fact, the OED… Continue Reading “Inflammatory Language”
Fire Hydrants of Virginia
Here is another episode in my occasional series about pretty fire hydrants (or prettily situated fire hydrants). This time, we will admire fire hydrants in the State of Virginia. First, we visit the City of Alexandria on the banks of the ridiculously wide Potomac… Continue Reading “Fire Hydrants of Virginia”
The hardest part of starting a business is…
I’ve been absent from The Numerate Ninny for a while. But there was a reason. After nineteen years with my former employer, I decided to ‘go it alone’ and form my own consultancy. Fussy bureaucracy is expected when establishing a new organization, and my… Continue Reading “The hardest part of starting a business is…”
How to lose a sale in one easy move
Back in the 1970s, our feminist aunties promised sexism would be eradicated from the business world once a certain generation of men retired. Well, maybe they didn’t explicitly promise that piece of perfection, but the notion was implicit in their vocal crusades for equal… Continue Reading “How to lose a sale in one easy move”
Fireboat! Ahoy!
Serendipity! I spent a dinner hour staring out at a fireboat. This naturally led to speculation about the unfamiliar piece of equipment. Where are the water intakes? How is the water pressurized? What’s its range? How often is it deployed? How fast can it… Continue Reading “Fireboat! Ahoy!”
On the Art of Writing for Business
Excellence in business writing is sometimes pursued, often neglected, and seldom achieved. Improving the quality of our technical and business writing is a career-long pursuit. However, our pursuit is not a solitary one. We can learn from our predecessors. Philip Stanhope, Lord Chesterfield, was… Continue Reading “On the Art of Writing for Business”
Inessential
It’s humbling to be in self-quarantine for a number of weeks. You quickly realize how dispensable you are. Your family does not starve. Your home does not crumble. The desert does not swallow your garden. In fact, the sun – perplexing star that it… Continue Reading “Inessential”
Choose Your Hobbies Well
Choose your pleasures for yourself, and do not let them be imposed upon you. Follow nature and not fashion: weigh the present enjoyment of your pleasures against the necessary consequences of them, and then let your own common sense determine your choice. – Philip… Continue Reading “Choose Your Hobbies Well”
Skip to the Loo
Finally! I watched the movie Hidden Figures (and enjoyed it). However, seeing Katherine Johnson’s routine twenty-minute dash from her desk to the ‘Colored Ladies Room’, triggered a conversation about my own ‘Ladies’ experiences at the beginning of my career. My first assignment was at… Continue Reading “Skip to the Loo”
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