Claim OwnershipBreaking the 20%
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Before computers were machines, they were women! For a span of two centuries the term "computer" was effectively interchangeable with a woman tasked with the role of a human calculator, adept at solving intricate mathematical problems. Then World War II started and men decided to build computers. Despite their zeal to build the machines, they had no interest in programming them, so they left the job to the women. Women, under the leadership of figures like Grace Hopper, played a pivotal role in shaping the burgeoning industry. And then, in 1984, everything changed. Women exited and the men became the programmers, the software engineers, and the "rock stars" of the digital epoch. Today merely 20% of IT degrees are being awarded to women. In this podcast with the help of my wonderful guests, we delve into the chronicles of these forgotten women, the trailblazers who guided us into the digital era.
This podcast explores the amazing lives of women who pioneered the early years, and why the women left. We also talk about the women who are proving today that we can still make it, we can still lead the industry. And finally, we try to find the magic formula to break the 20% and bring back the women.
Let's break the 20%!
39 Episodes
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For a second week, with the help of Andrea Solomonides, co-founder of Black Lemon TV and partner at Giraffes in the Kitchen, we unravel the complex legacy of Peter Thiel and the PayPal Mafia in Silicon Valley. We explore their rise from PayPal pioneers to tech titans, dissecting how their libertarian ideals and strategies have sculpted today’s tech culture, often at the expense of diversity and inclusion. With Andrea we explore Thiel's controversial actions and ideologies—from his involvement...
This week, with the help of Andrea Solomonides, co-founder of Black Lemon TV and partner at Giraffes in the Kitchen, we unravel the complex legacy of Peter Thiel and the PayPal Mafia in Silicon Valley. In the opening segment of this two-part series, we introduce you to the legendary Paypal Mafia. Coined in a 2007 article, they are depicted as a "hyperintelligent, superconnected pack of serial entrepreneurs" who emerged from the ranks of the pioneering payment service, PayPal, and after l...
This week Andreas Constantinides, a renowned cybersecurity expert, joins me to help me uncover the alarming case of Jia Tan—a fabricated identity at the center of a sophisticated cyber espionage operation. Andreas lends his extensive expertise as we analyze how Jia Tan, seemingly a diligent contributor to open-source projects like XZ Utils, was a cover for a collective executing a long-term backdoor placement in critical software infrastructure. This episode not only explores the broader impl...
This week I am joined by Xenia Miscouridou, a pioneer in the realm of artificial intelligence and a beacon for women in science. Celebrated on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, Xenia stands at the forefront of machine learning research. Her academic journey has taken her from Imperial College London, Cambridge, and Oxford University, to New York and Switzerland, to her current lectureship at the University of Cyprus, intertwining research with a dedication to teaching. We explore her academic vent...
In this episode, I am joined by Alexander Davidian, an insightful observer of the Cypriot startup scene. Together, we unpack the no-holds-barred narrative of Kara Swisher in her latest book, "Burn Book". We dive into Kara's fearless world, discussing her unique style that combines tough questioning with biting humor. From an aspiring CIA operative to tech journalism’s most potent force, they explore Kara’s evolution and her revelations about Silicon Valley's tech bros. This episode is m...
In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Neofytos about the Future Start-Up Founders Programme, an initiative organized by the CCS and co-funded by the Erasmus+ EU project, Femme Forward. This online school is designed to empower women to turn their tech start-up aspirations into reality, mirroring our podcast's mission to illuminate and support the pivotal role of women in the tech industry. We talk about the program's highlights, including its comprehensive curriculum that span...
This week we leave reality at the door and dive into the world of fiction! Today, we're logging into the mainframe of our imaginations to celebrate the digital divas who've hacked, coded, and innovated their way through some of our favorite stories. 🎮💻👩💻Joining me to decode the stories of these iconic characters are digital storytellers, Andreas and Christina. As directors, they know a thing or two about crafting compelling narratives, and they're here to help me read between the code lines....
Mr. Demetris Skourides is the Chief Scientist for Research, Innovation, and Technology appointed by President Nikos Christodoulides. Since his appointment in September 2023, Mr. Skourides has been entrusted with the pivotal role of leading Cyprus towards becoming a dynamic and competitive economy, propelled by research, scientific excellence, innovation, technological development, and entrepreneurship. Join us in this enlightening interview as we unravel Mr. Skourides' career path, his goals ...
This week we explore the world of maternity and AI with Natalia, the founder and CEO of Soula. As a seasoned expert in maternity wellbeing and care, Natalia brings over 15 years of experience collaborating with global organizations to bridge the gap in maternal care. We explore her journey from leading social impact projects to founding Soula, an innovative AI-powered compassion care solution supporting women through all stages of maternity. We talk about her personal battles with postnatal d...
In this episode, I'm joined by Josie Christodoulou, the Commissioner for Gender Equality, for a deep dive into the shifting role of women in the technology sector. We journey from a time when women were the programmers, through a pivotal moment when two men's profiling methods pushed women aside, to a contemporary debate sparked by an engineer's claim about the biological unsuitability of women to work in tech. Join us as we explore the roots of the current disparities and discuss Cyprus's Na...
In this episode, we're joined by Gala and Tanya, leaders of Women in Tech Cyprus, as they share their experiences and insights on advancing women in the tech industry. From their personal journeys that led them to tech and prompted their move to Cyprus, to the joys and challenges of building a community with nearly 350 members, they offer an inspiring look at what it means to lead and empower women in a dynamic field. You can connect with the Women in Tech Cyprus at:Webpage of the Women ...
In this week's episode, I am joined by Mr. Charalampos Theopemptou to explore a key moment in space history where Margaret Hamilton's pioneering software engineering prevented potential disaster during the Apollo 11 mission. We also touch on the dawn of computing in Cyprus, weaving the past with our present endeavors to inspire more women to join and lead in technology. more episodes at www.blacklemon.tv
This week's episode celebrates the recent successes of young Cypriot girls in global tech competitions. First I talked with a team of primary school students who represented Cyprus in the international Robotex Robotics competition in Talin, Estonia, and won second place in the Water Rally. Then I discussed with Mariza Paspalli who at just 13 years old won the bronze medal at the Junior Balkan Olympiad in Informatics last November.NOTE: From minute 3 until minute 19 the first interview, with t...
Close your eyes and imagine an engineer. Does he wear a yellow vest and a hard hat? I bet he does. Now, close your eyes again and imagine a software engineer. Is he a white, pale, geeky dude? Does he look like Mark Zuckerberg? This week Stavriana comes to the studio to help me dispel all the myths about how a software engineer looks like.more episodes at www.blacklemon.tv
I asked ChatGPT to write me a summary for this episode. Here is what ChatGPT has to say:🤣 Grab your popcorn, folks! In this week's episode, we dive into the wild world of corporate chaos as we dissect the hilariously amateur firing of a CEO by a board of directors who clearly missed the memo on professionalism!🕵️♂️ Picture this: A boardroom full of directors armed with rubber chickens instead of stern faces, attempting to maintain a sense of gravitas as they bid farewell to their now ex-CEO....
If you want to talk about the origins of computing and programming, the one person you must definitely talk about is Grandma Cobol, the Queen of Code, Rear Admiral Grace Hopper. And this is exactly what we do this week with the help of Celia. Photos, as always, are found on https://pod.elenag.me/If you want to learn more about GrantXpert Consulting you can visit: https://www.grantxpert.eu/more episodes at www.blacklemon.tv
In this episode, a very special guest, my Michalis, joined me to tell him about the women who programmed the course of the spacecraft that went on the greatest voyage of exploration in human history. This robotic spacecraft travels at 17 kilometers per second and it’s more than 24 billion kilometers away into the interstellar space. It left Earth more than 46 years ago, in 1977. This spacecraft is the farthest human-made object from Earth and it has the name … Voyager 1. more episo...
This week Stavriana comes to the studio to listen to me telling her about when a bunch of guys decided to build the world's first electronic computer. The machine had 18000 vacuum tubes covered from head to foot in more than 3,000 switches, wires, and cables. Then they hired six women, handed them a stack of blueprints, and without any training or instructions on how to program the computer, they asked them to program it. This is the story of the original computer programming squad. Photos di...
This week I am joined by Eleni, to tell her about Dame Stephanie "Steve" Shirley. Back in 1962, Stephanie Shirley conceived an audacious idea: to establish a company exclusively focused on software development with an all-female workforce operating from the comfort of their homes. Many scoffed at her plan, but as history unfolded, Stephanie had the ultimate vindication. By the turn of the millennium, her company had achieved a staggering valuation of $3 billion and provided employment to a wo...
This week Maria joined me to tell her about the first computer programmer. Her famous poet father was "mad, bad, and dangerous to know". Her wealthy, aristocratic mother, was a mathematician and the "princess of parallelograms". She, the daughter of her parents, gave us the very first computer program in history. As usual, you can find the photos at https://pod.elenag.me/more episodes at www.blacklemon.tv
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