The main platform that birders use is Ebird (https://ancillary-proxy.atarimworker.io?url=https%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fhome). Birders are somewhat self regulating in that we are pretty well versed in what is common and what is rare or improbable. And the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, which at over 100 years is said to be the world's largest and longest running citizen science project, has provided a lot of data in that time about changing bird populations.

I spend plenty of time outside. At least half of my Facebook interactions have to do with people and groups involving bird watching, gardening with native plants, habitat restoration, pollinators, wildlife rehabilitation, nature photography, and volunteer work I do with various outdoor and nature related organizations. Believe it or not, the internet (including Facebook) is a great tool for facilitating those interests and activities.

I have been a Java developer for almost 20 years, most of that as a consultant so I've been on a lot of projects across many clients and industries. I never seen Hungarian notation used or even suggested. Many design patterns that were popular early on have fallen out of favor as well.

Everybody remembers doing word problems in math class. So I tell people that programming is like that, except the problems aren't usually well defined, and the requirements keep changing. But in the end it's breaking down some ideas into a series of logical steps to produce a result.

Money is just one tangible component of compensation. My time is worth something. For example, a shorter commute. There are also intangible things that are important to me like casual dress, flexible hours, etc. Not to mention, decent management, interesting work... When considering offers, I factor all of those things in rather than focus on a single number.

I agree, it's pretty easy. Treat people like people. Think before you speak. Would you say it to your mother/daughter/sister/grandmother, etc? Would you want someone saying it to your mother/daughter/sister/grandmother, etc? If not, think about why that is. Because the woman you're talking to is someone's mother/daughter/sister/grandmother, etc. A person, not a sexual object that you're entitled to.

I'm a contractor, and last year I found a company that looked like a great opportunity to work with some technologies I'm really interested in. They mentioned their great benefits, including an 'unlimited' time off policy. So I asked one of my interviewers (a dev ops guy) about that - how many hours did he work a week, and how much vacation did he take. It turned out he hadn't taken any time off in the previous 6 months, and was working a lot of overtime. Meantime, the CTO had taken 6 weeks off to go on some big bike tour across the country. So I called him on it. Like, you're telling me about this unlimited vacation policy, meanwhile you have someone who took no days off in 6 months. Oh, but that was his choice to do that. Give me a break. Needless to say, I didn't get an offer, as they felt I wasn't ready to make the move from being a contractor to an FTE. And they are right, if that scam of a vacation policy is what being an FTE means. Being a contractor, I don't have anyone else defining how much time I can take off.

Not only that, but habitat loss due to agriculture and development. The good news is that as individuals we can do something to help right in our own yards, simply by reducing/eliminating lawns (which is an ecological desert), planting native plants and avoiding the use of chemicals. It's really amazing how the pollinators respond to that. I haven't had any rusty patched bees yet that I've seen in my yard, but have had many other species and hope to see a rusty patched at some point.

47 years old here... I haven't experienced it yet. I know it exists, though, as I personally know some older IT guys who have have difficulty even getting interviews. For me, I think there are several reasons why I haven't fallen victim to that. Not saying I'm immune, as I'm definitely in the age group where one might expect it. First, being female I'll never have the "gray beard" thing going. I do have some gray hair, which someone might notice if they look closely. Also I am in great shape (thanks CrossFit!) and there is definitely something to be said for being healthy and fit, which helps keep me young physically as well as mentally. I really think what we project to others is an important part of it. Also, I'm fairly immature and I like to joke and laugh a lot, so I fit in pretty well with teams where often I'm the only woman. Being a contractor, managers are looking for an experienced developer with specific skillsets who can jump in, learn quickly and get the job done, and not usually as concerned about the whole cultural aspect of it as they would with an FTE. I'm not looking to join a startup (been there, done that) but I love a fast paced environment and learning new things. So I'm not someone who will let my skills stagnate, or get complacent and stay in one place too long. Will this still be the case in 5, 10 years? It's something that I am very mindful of, and maybe I'll start to see some ageism as I get into my 50s. If so, I'll just have to figure out a way to deal with it.

Don't know about the job market or food scene there, but I've been to the area several times to view and photograph sandhill crane migration. I'd choose Kearney for the birdwatching alone... ;)

The studies you mention are from 1988 and 2006, respectively. A more recent study from 2015 concludes otherwise:

When I was a girl, I was interested in Legos and building stuff, astronomy and science. I was made fun of BY MY PARENTS for playing with non-girly toys like little green army men and Star Trek action figures (this was in the 70's) and strongly discouraged from pursuing astronomy as a career because "girls are bad at math." That's a literal quote from my mom when I was in 4th grade and said I wanted to be an astronomer. Little kids believe what they are told by adults. Why wouldn't they? It's a very strong influence that's hard to escape, even with contrary evidence that I was not bad at math at all, for many years I believed it. I was also good at reading/art/music and so was steered toward that. The same type of thing can happen to boys. I had a friend who was nerdy like me and interested in reading, playing chess, etc. His dad forced him to play football, which my friend wasn't interested in at all (his sister had to be a cheerleader, and I don't think she was all that interested in it either.) My mom forced me to take ballet, a short-lived humiliating experience and something my brothers were never required to do. I would have played sports if there had been more opportunities for girls and if my parents would have allowed/encouraged it. So yes, it's probably true that there are things that the majority of each gender gravitates toward. But it's not all nature, at least some is nurture. There are also a lot of people who are pushed away or toward certain activities and interests based on gender alone, and not what they are good at or want to do.

I've never been a government employee, but I am a contractor who worked for a subcontractor on a project that required a security clearance. So I had to submit a form SF-86 and this means that my data is part of this hacking. I've yet to receive any official notification about it.

You obviously don't know anything about early keyboard instruments or the physics behind temperament. Peforming this on a modern piano, which is *equal* tempered, defeats the whole purpose of the piece, which is intended for a *well* tempered instrument. If you think period instruments sound like shit, then it's likely your ears that are out of tune, dulled by lack of exposure to anything beyond equal temperament.

I don't think that's it. She was always very encouraging of anything I did that fit with the stereotypes she had (reading, art, music, etc.) I know there are uber critical parents, but I really think she believed that girls are bad at math and it just didn't occur to her that it might not be true, or what kind of damage it did. She's not the most logical person. Anyway, I just brought it up as an example of how influential that can be on a kid. I fortunately had a lot of good teachers, and some bad ones of course, but I never recall any who discouraged me from pursuing any subject I wanted to learn.