What’s Amy Reading? is a daily digest of the articles that go into my head, so you can understand what makes me have my opinions. Not all articles I agree with, and I’ll say so where it’s appropriate.
1. Moms in Academia
Amy - I have witnessed professors and staff in universities making conscious decisions not to have children, because taking time off would hurt them professionally. I am lucky, in that I already had my child when I entered academia. I completed my dissertation and work full time, despite being a single mom. My old boss chose not to get married or pregnant, because she knew it would hurt her career. One TA I worked with was back to teaching 2 weeks after giving birth, because she has NO maternity leave. She could not afford to miss work. Is there any way to "fix" this problem, or should women accept that - because it is their body - they will just have to take time off to have children?
1. Moms in Academia
Amy - I have witnessed professors and staff in universities making conscious decisions not to have children, because taking time off would hurt them professionally. I am lucky, in that I already had my child when I entered academia. I completed my dissertation and work full time, despite being a single mom. My old boss chose not to get married or pregnant, because she knew it would hurt her career. One TA I worked with was back to teaching 2 weeks after giving birth, because she has NO maternity leave. She could not afford to miss work. Is there any way to "fix" this problem, or should women accept that - because it is their body - they will just have to take time off to have children?
Article - The Mom Penalty
Do babies matter to academic careers? It’s a question three researchers have spent a decade answering, and their findings are now available in what may be the most comprehensive look at gender, family and academe ever published. (Spoiler alert: the answer is “yes.”)
The book, Do Babies Matter? Gender and Family in the Ivory Tower, out this month from Rutgers University Press, includes new studies and builds on existing data about the effects of childbearing and rearing on men’s and women’s careers in higher education, from graduate school to retirement.
2. Facebook
Amy - This is a fascinating and somewhat chilling article. As a person who blogs and consumes social media - am I responsible for what other people write in Facebook groups I belong to? If someone makes a negative comment on something I post, am I responsible for “owning” that comment? Can I get in trouble for what others say, just by being there, and not “doing anything about it?” What if I didn't even SEE the comment? Do I still "own it?"
Amy - This is a fascinating and somewhat chilling article. As a person who blogs and consumes social media - am I responsible for what other people write in Facebook groups I belong to? If someone makes a negative comment on something I post, am I responsible for “owning” that comment? Can I get in trouble for what others say, just by being there, and not “doing anything about it?” What if I didn't even SEE the comment? Do I still "own it?"
Article - Discharged for Dishing It Out
A former staffer at the University of Tennessee at Martin says she was fired after she voiced her support online for cleaning a filthy microwave oven, but her case against the institution will likely have more to do with the free speech rights and responsibilities of administrative employees than with dirty dishes.
According to the complaint, Fortner says her participation in the Facebook group was constitutionally protected speech, and that the institution’s handling of her termination violated both university policy and the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.
The group contained more than just banter about the state of the help desk’s appliances, however. In a May 7, 2012, post, one of the group’s members -- not Fortner, based on the profile picture -- poked fun at a person at the university for contacting the help desk.
3. Physics
Amy - This was an amazing talk about how we know about the universe (which I am interested in, partly because of Neil deGrasse Tyson, the most amazing scientist on the planet). This is more evidence of The Big Bang. As we continue to predict what we will find in the evidence left by the universe, we may find out what happened BEFORE The Big Bang! No doubt in my mind that as we learn more, we will have more questions.
Amy - This was an amazing talk about how we know about the universe (which I am interested in, partly because of Neil deGrasse Tyson, the most amazing scientist on the planet). This is more evidence of The Big Bang. As we continue to predict what we will find in the evidence left by the universe, we may find out what happened BEFORE The Big Bang! No doubt in my mind that as we learn more, we will have more questions.
Article - Allan Adams: The discovery that could rewrite physics
On March 17, 2014, a group of physicists announced a thrilling discovery: the “smoking gun” data for the idea of an inflationary universe, a clue to the Big Bang. For non-physicists, what does it mean? TED asked Allan Adams to briefly explain the results, in this improvised talk illustrated by Randall Munroe of xkcd.
4. Widgets
Amy - I have been looking at ways to improve my website, so I've been researching “widgets.” These are little pieces of code that you embed in your website that makes it look better, makes it more functional for readers, and reduces the amount of time and effort you have to spend on fixing up your website. I don’t know if I’m ready to buy a whole package, yet. I’ll keep researching.
Some authors have super websites. Some of them look cheap. While I don’t think mine looks BAD, per se, I also don’t think it looks as professional as I want. I want readers to be able to subscribe, I want a “more posts you might like” banner to be scrolling at the bottom of each post, I want a “contact me” tab available on every page, and I need a better footer.
I hope at some point to NEED a professional to make my website phenomenal. For now, I am working on content. I need to have a lot there for people to read. But what happens if I shell out money for widgets, and then want to change platforms? Like go to Blogger, WordPress, or Hubspot?
Amy - I have been looking at ways to improve my website, so I've been researching “widgets.” These are little pieces of code that you embed in your website that makes it look better, makes it more functional for readers, and reduces the amount of time and effort you have to spend on fixing up your website. I don’t know if I’m ready to buy a whole package, yet. I’ll keep researching.
Some authors have super websites. Some of them look cheap. While I don’t think mine looks BAD, per se, I also don’t think it looks as professional as I want. I want readers to be able to subscribe, I want a “more posts you might like” banner to be scrolling at the bottom of each post, I want a “contact me” tab available on every page, and I need a better footer.
I hope at some point to NEED a professional to make my website phenomenal. For now, I am working on content. I need to have a lot there for people to read. But what happens if I shell out money for widgets, and then want to change platforms? Like go to Blogger, WordPress, or Hubspot?
Article - Premium Weebly Widgets
DivTag Widgets are Premium Add-on’s that will Customize your website and help you:
- Improve how your content is presented - so your visitors will pay more attention
- Make your website and content more Professional & Interactive
- Differentiate your website from the average crowd
- Impress the heck out of your visitors!
Our Widgets will add a “cool” factor to your website, and people will think you’ve spent thousands of $$$$ in customizations. DivTag Widgets are compatible with all our templates and as usual, engineered in a way so anyone can install and customize them without any coding knowledge! Just follow our step-by-step installation and customization guides.
5. Science
Amy - I didn't realize that all of Planet Earth was online! I checked out this site, and there’s a ton of great stuff to watch. Now, to see if it’s on my Roku….
Amy - I didn't realize that all of Planet Earth was online! I checked out this site, and there’s a ton of great stuff to watch. Now, to see if it’s on my Roku….
Article - BBC’s Planet Earth
This is a wonderful documentary series about the beauty that is our planet, from the deep seas to the jungles, from the desert to the mountains. This is well worth watching, and it’s all free online.
I am always thinking about how I can improve my website, social media and the consequences of putting it all out there, science, and how to improve my life. If you don't keep yourself focused on what's important in your life, the goals tend to get lost. As I research, I look for "the experts" on whatever it is I'm doing.
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