Does anyone know if the tip carbon monoxide was oxygen toward the probed surface or carbon? I wonder if using the same atom to probe as be probed is part of the resolution enhancement.
Is there any good advice for men who want to further the role of women in tech?
My advice is to pick a woman (one at a time) that you get along with and think is or could be a rock star and then mentor her. Nominate her for awards. Let her know when opportunities may be available in 6 months, and how to make herself a top candidate for that role in the decision makers minds before it is announced. As a woman in tech, I have found it very frustrating that women who do make it to a high level either don't know how they did it or aren't honest about the process (tricks and sacrifices) at women's networking events. But from what I can tell, this is it. Someone knowingly picked them to be in the right place at the right time, gave them the support to run with whatever it was, and helped recognize their achievements.
On the other end of the spectrum, don't decide for women working for/ with you what their priorities are without them telling you (for example, if she has a kid, assume she wouldn't want to go to this conference without asking). Invite friends' daughters to take your kid to work day if they don't think to ask.
The story you are telling yourself about who and where you want to be often answer the what to do question. I like both the "farming is a fine future" and the "hang around people with ideas" advice already mentioned here, but I think they are at odds. Farming is definitely a good and important profession, but it is very hard work. People may not look at you as unemployable at 40, but your body will ache with the required labor. Also, rural areas tend to be self-normalizing, and there is little ability to dream.
Ask your friend how he feels in his community. Does he like going to breakfast with the other farmers at 5 am and gossiping about crop yields, seeds, and prices? Or does he miss the buzz of a city? If he doesn't know, invite him to come visit for a weekend to see how he feels. Sometimes you can figure out what to do based on where you want to be.
I always thought that band was "cooler" than math because some people make out on band buses during trips. I've never seen anyone make out on a math trip.
My husband, Rob, interviewed at a firm where his HR contact could not understand why my he was upset when an automated email that appeared to be from the HR contact sent Rob his password in plain text. Rob replied to the email to complain, thus actually giving his password to Mr. HR. When Rob continued to complain about this problem, Mr. HR accused Rob of not trusting him and insinuated that maybe the hiring process should stop right there. Rob could not even explain to Mr. HR why he was so upset in a way Mr. HR could understand. So HR departments tend to have very different ideas about passwords than, for example, HN readers.
What can a normal person buy right now that appreciates in value at any reasonable rate? Not savings accounts, not stocks (on average), not houses... Most of us don't have the money or connections to invest anything other than some time in hits-driven businesses like startups.
I wonder to what extent collaborative consumption will unveil the true cost of expensive items. That is, the cost of a car = car + maintenance + gas + parking + ... When people buy or use a car, most do not hold all of those costs in their head at once. Same goes for houses or other "shared" targets, but the cost of sharing is readily apparent at the moment you do it (having to find your car not where you left it, trading keys, etc).
Sarah Hatter, who is the employee described in this story, left an insightful comment that unfortunately showed up as a child of aless insightful comment and is therefore buried. Check it out here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2417278
I've had trouble with this balance in more traditional mentor/ boss relationships. Getting buy in at various stages of a project is definitely a skill.