Computer Engineering Barbie now available

http://shop.mattel.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4032107

by ck2 • 16 years ago

80 55 16 years ago

shop.mattel.com

Dylanlacey• 16 years ago

Why does computer engineering Barbie have glasses? I'm fairly sure myopia or hyperopia aren't caused by your choice of career, or vice-versa.

ck23• 16 years ago

They must be those fancy glare reducing ones I've seen people use even with plain lenses ;-)

But good catch on the "glasses as geek(ette)" stereotype!

ShardPhoenix2• 16 years ago

Programmer -> nerd -> lots of reading -> myopia.

yesimahuman2• 16 years ago

Me -> programmer -> nerd -> lots of reading -> great eye sight.

peyton• 16 years ago

For the same reason some dictators execute people with glasses--they're only truly needed for reading, for many with those conditions.

sethg• 16 years ago

I know that the Pol Pot regime considered people with glasses to be enemies of the state, but have any other dictatorships done the same thing?

sammcd• 16 years ago

I only need glasses to program. I started getting pretty bad headaches every time I would sit down to program, got my eyes checked and some glassed fixed the problem.

derefr• 16 years ago

> or vice-versa

I have quite bad myopia (-4.5). My parents didn't notice this until I was in fourth grade (~9 years old.) I have a feeling that this contributed to my early enjoyment of indoor, "up-close" activities (reading, video games) in preference to "outdoor activities" where I would have relatively little clue what was going on at the other side of the soccer field/baseball diamond/etc. So, in a way, my bad eyesight could have pushed me toward computers.

_b8r0• 16 years ago

I've often wondered this. I have acute astygmatism, and like very few outdoor pursuits. I'm not nearly active enough as a person and wouldn't be surprised.

I do remember before I was diagnosed having terrible coordination, I'd really struggle in games like Tennis and Cricket, whereas with Computers I had no handicap. It made sense to me to focus on what I enjoyed and computing was easier than Cricket.

sp4rki• 16 years ago

Computer engineers have a tendency to read while not using adequate lightning, and to stare at screens for quite too much. That being said, it's not so much a matter of computer engineers using glasses because they are geeks, it's more because a "Computer Worker" can easily get headaches or fuck up his vision even more because he's staring at a computer for 10+ hours with less than perfect vision. A chef, psychiatrist, teller, or security guard won't need the glasses as much as we do.

So yeah computer engineer are more prone to wearing glasses than the general population. That doesn't mean that more hackers need glasses than regular people, but it could easily mean that hackers feel the effects of imperfect vision more than regular people, and because of it, are more prone to use glasses to correct said vision impairments.

miloshasan• 16 years ago

You'd be surprised how many people walk around with terrible vision, without knowing it. My guess is that computer-related jobs require good vision, so people in these jobs are more likely to discover and treat their vision problems.

ZoFreX• 16 years ago

Also, until relatively recently glasses were uncool and unfashionable. Computer geeks generally pay less attention to such norms and choose function over form, so a geek with marginally poor eyesight would perhaps be more likely to go for glasses than a non-geek, who would survive without for appearance purposes.

gcr2• 16 years ago

I think jobs with computers are, in many ways, more forgiving to those with bad eyesight than other jobs. I have bad vision (just enough so I can't drive) but thanks to Gtk / Compiz, I can arbitrarily change the font size to be as big as I like it, and Orca and other screenreaders would help if I were completely blind. However, if I were a scientist or a taxicab driver or at a factory or throwing darts for a living, I'd be much worse off because I couldn't make those accommodations.

VMG• 16 years ago

Wikipedia has something to say about this:

> Daylight may prevent myopia. Australian researchers had concluded that exposure to daylight appeared to play a critical role in restricting the growth of the eyeball, which is responsible for myopia or short-sightedness.[37] They compared children from other developed countries such as Singapore and Australian children spent about 2–3 hours a day outdoors which could increased dopamine in the eyes that restrict distorted shaping of the eyes.[38][39][40]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myopia

doesn't say anything about eye strain

pascalchristian• 16 years ago

She has a 3D laptop

ScotterC• 16 years ago

Yay! Empower those young women and doll-loving men

ck23• 16 years ago

I was thinking, would they ever make an "action figure" like this for boys?

Holding an ipad instead of a m-16, would it sell?

orblivion2• 16 years ago

IT Joe?

anigbrowl• 16 years ago

Ask and you shall receive http://www.happyworker.com/geekman

rilindo• 16 years ago

Yes.

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Mainframe_(G.I._Joe)

http://www.joebattlelines.com/reviews/toys/arah/1986/mainfra...

holdenc• 16 years ago

Dear Computer Engineering Barbie,

Due to team-wide productivity concerns, we are requesting that you no longer wear skin tight sparkly pants to work. Also, it's apparently led to an increase in time-consuming meetings with the sales dept.

Thank you, IT Manager Guy

ck23• 16 years ago

Really stands out in the large photo:

http://mat.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pMAT1-7356750e...

Khakis would have been more realistic perhaps!

p_nathan• 16 years ago

It's a bit girly for most of the lady engineers I see around. But, then, it's Barbie. The definition of girly.

I'm glad it's at least there tho.

martin_k• 16 years ago

There is a nice Ignite talk by a female Google engineer at http://igniteshow.com/videos/im-barbie-girl-cs-world

She argues that Matell is actually breaking with stereotypes here for a change (though inadvertently)- and that it's a good thing.

ErrantX• 16 years ago

I'm not sure if this is exactly the point you're making; but my experience of women in the engineering trade (admittedly more electronic engineering than computing) is that they are fairly "girly".

Certainly not many fit the traditional stereotypes of "girl geek".

I'd say the doll pretty much fits well.

Isamu2• 16 years ago

I want a pink laptop!

sn• 16 years ago

Such things are available for purchase at many fine establishments.

Isamu2• 16 years ago

Geez, I KNOW that, but now Barbie has legitimized them! I can be a computer engineer AND have a pink laptop!

Better yet, I can ditch my tv-programmed dream of becoming a glamorous doctor/lawyer/detective in favor of becoming a glamorous computer engineer!

My friends and I will drive around in our pink convertible, hacking systems, meeting new geeks and every episode will end with our band playing a song. Maybe techno.

parenthesis• 16 years ago

A search on Google reveals many websites dedicated to just that product category.

cruciform• 16 years ago

This is really cool, I bought one for my god daughter just now.. thanks!

anthonycerra• 16 years ago

Computer engineering Barbie looks eerily similar to administrative assistant Barbie with an iPhone.

mml• 16 years ago

The headset made me wince a bit, bit I got one anyway.

markbnine• 16 years ago

She comes with a EULA...

Production doll may vary from the photo shown above. Mattel reserves the right to modify the fashion/fabrics, sculpt, hair color/style, and accessories. Doll cannot stand alone. Name subject to change.

person_b• 16 years ago

Doll cannot stand alone. I can't tell if I should laugh or cry...

axod2• 16 years ago

I can pretty much garuntee, give this to any girl, and she'll throw away the laptop and pretend she's having babies or dating ken or doing a fashion show.

Fairly pointless.

Up next: Fashion show GI Joe to get boys interested in fashion!

KevBurnsJr• 16 years ago

Damn buddy, that's harsh. I'll let you know how my 2 year old cousin reacts when I give one to her for Christmas :)

axod2• 16 years ago

FWIW, I think Lego is a far better bet to get girls interested in maths, logic, building, creating, thinking, problem solving, etc

Lego is fun and a massive learning tool. A barbie with a pink laptop is just dumb.

jwh• 16 years ago

I agree. It's a fact that men far outnumber women in I.T. for a variety of reasons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women,_girls_and_information_te...). One interesting point from the article:

"From a two year research initiative published in 2000 by AAUW, young girls in focus groups reported that "lack of interest" was not the reason for steering away from a computing career, but rather, their male peers were treating computers as toys"

Is it safe to assume girls + I.T. + toys != good times?

jamesgeck0• 16 years ago

Speaking as a male peer, do you mean to tell me that computers aren't toys? Code is my game, and the line between "tool" and "toy" is extremely narrow based on how much enjoyment I get out of a good hard problem.

iwwr• 16 years ago

Does the doll come with an ipod nano laptop?

earnubs• 16 years ago

Am I the only one who wondered if the binary on her top represented a meaningful message?

gcr2• 16 years ago

I know an earlier version of this doll had binary on the laptop itself which spelled out the ASCII codes for "BARBIE" but I'm not sure about this one.

Don't ask how I know this.

joeld42• 16 years ago

I hope they also make "Barbie's Dream Cubical" and an overweight "workplace sexual harassment" Ken.

blahblahblah• 16 years ago

She's not wearing the IT uniform though (khakis, polo shirt, dockers, and lanyard with ID badge). Maybe that's sold separately in an accessory pack?

tyrmored• 16 years ago

http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1883

Computer Engineering Barbie now available

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