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Dell Unveils Della Website for Women, Offers De-Stressing Tech Tips

Paul Lilly — Tue, 12 May 2009 08:00:00 -0500

Like, OMG! Netbooks are soooo cute! But "once you get beyond how cute they are, you'll find that netbooks can do a lot more than check your mail." For example, they can help you 'Get healthier' (tech tip #2) by tracking exercise and food intake at free online sites, and to 'Eat better' (tech tip #3) by finding recipes online. You can even 'Get Organized' (tech tip #4), because "Remember the Milk is a free, tweakable online task manager." Or use a netbook to 'Chill out' (tech tip #5).

These are all real tech tips, and they're all listed on Della, Dell's new microsite dedicated to helping women shop for notebooks without focusing on all those manly GHz and GB abbreviations. The new site pays particular attention to the Dell Mini 10 and Studio notebooks, making it a point to convince women that these laptops won't cramp their stylish lifestyle.

But it's the Tech Tips page that offers the most amusement, even if not everyone is amused.

New Survey Claims Women Prefer the Internet over Sex

Paul Lilly — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:30:51 -0600

Grand Theft Auto's Hot Coffee mod made the whole concept of transitioning from dinner and dancing to bedroom antics seem way too easy. Now it appears it might be harder to take that relationship to the next level, according to a new survey which suggests women prefer the internet to having sex.

The survey, which was commissioned by Intel, pinged 2,119 adults in an attempt to show how essential the internet has become, the Wall Street Journal reports. What Intel found is that 46 percent of women would rather put their sex drive on hold for two weeks than to go without internet access for that long. And it's not just older females who feel that way. According to the survey, 49 percent of women aged 18-34 feel the same way, compared to 52 percent of women aged 35-44.

Not surprisingly, the numbers are somewhat lower for men. About 30 percent of men said they'd rather go without sex for two weeks than internet access, but unlike women, that number goes down as the age goes up. Some 39 percent of men aged 18-34 prefer the internet to sex, but only 23 percent of men aged 35-44 feel the same way.

Hit the jump and tell us which you would rather give up for two weeks.

Image Credit: Flickr lochnessjess

What's Driving Women Out of Computer Science?

Paul Lilly — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:15:00 -0600

As it turns out, the number of male computer scientists far outnumber their female counterparts, putting a wrench into the plans of anyone who signed up for a Computer Science class in order to meet women - go figure! But as unsurprising as that truth may be, Ellen Spertus, a M.I.T. graduate student, was determined to find out why she sats in the minority. Spertus published her results in a 124-page page titled "Why Are There So Few Female Computer Scientists?," which was written back in 1991.

Since that time, the number of women entering the Computer Science field has decreased, despite "women having achieved broad parity with men in almost every other technical pursuit," according to The New York Times. Not only is the number declining, but The New York Times points out that many computer science departments report that less than 10 percent of the undergraduates are women. Contrast that to 25 years ago when the number was much higher, such as the 40 percent female representation at the University of Wisconsin. According to Jonathan Kane, a professor of mathematics and computer science at that same University, women were more prevalent in the computer science field over two decades ago because the male subculture of action gaming didn't yet exist.

Another theory floating around professional circles is that females are less interested in being perceived as a "nerd" or "geek," but no one knows for sure why there as been such a dramatic decline.

Have a theory of your own? Hit the jump and enlighten us.

Do Women Get More Frustrated by the Web than Men?

Paul Lilly — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:15:21 -0500

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and don't mess with her computer either. A recent survey by the Swedish computer magazine PC för Alla (that's PC for Everyone in English) suggests that it's women, not men, who are more prone to being frustrated when surfing the web. Some of the more interesting survey results:

Frustrated by slow load times for web pages
Men: 56%
Women: 66%

Frustrated if their broadband connection doesn't reach the promised speed
Men: 48%
Women: 56%

Frustrated by (interacting with) computer support
Men: 38%
Women: 42%

Looking at the above numbers, does this suggest women are impatient, always want more than what they're getting, and have trouble communicating? Only if you fancy sleeping on the couch!

Image Credit: Radiosonic.fm