Ada Lovelace Day

A few weeks ago I signed a pledge to publish a blog post today about a woman in technology who I admire. I’ve never signed a pledge before, but I felt this one was important because I believe women need to hear about good female role models. I’ve had a great deal of difficulty with this, only because it was so difficult picking just one. After considerable deliberation, I opted for a very contemporary figure who has accomplished some remarkable things in her career.

My blog post is about one of the most influential women in television. Until recently, she was the BBC Controller of Fiction, responsible for all drama across the four BBC channels. In that role, she had an annual budget worth half a billion. In 2008, MediaGuardian listed her at number 10 of the 100 most powerful people in UK media. Her name is Jane Tranter. As of January this year, she became executive vice-president of programming and production for BBC Worldwide. And she only just turned 46!

Jane Tranter started her TV career in 1985, she soon started working as an assistant floor manager on Eastenders and as a script writer for a series of Casualty. She did a spell working for Carlton, but rejoined the BBC in 1997, first as executive producer in films and single dramas, then soon after, Head of Drama Serials.

In 2000, after only 15 years in television, she became BBC Controller of Fiction. Her talent and vision saw her bringing back drama that excelled to the BBC. She is the woman who commissioned the rebirth of Dr Who, and she did this despite market research which said people didn’t want Dr Who back on their screens. That sort of conviction takes real courage. And it wasn’t just Dr Who she commissioned; other enormously successful dramas include Spooks, Bleak House, Life on Mars and Cranford (all of which I loved), amongst many others.

At the beginning of this year, she moved to BBC Worldwide. She has definitely not lost any of her ambition in doing so. She has already put forward an idea for a programme, involving at least 12 countries, which will launch simultaneously in all those countries and be both global and national. Wow!

What impresses me almost more than anything else is that, whilst she is a woman who has had immense success in her career, she hasn’t let it turn her head. In fact, if you listen to her talk, she is a very personable, humorous, animated person. She is also happy to make her views plain on the perceptions of women in high profile positions. In an interview with Sophie Balhetchet, she said,

“There is something still, somewhere within our culture, if a woman is in a position of any significance at all, instead of becoming powerful or successful, she becomes a power-crazed bitch. Instead of having a good work ethic, she becomes relentlessly, vaultingly ambitious. Instead of it being about diversity, it’s about a takeover of women and I do think it’s odd, I have to say”.

Well done, Jane Tranter, you’re a role model us women can be really proud of!

A Poem

I've been trying to remember to write a blog post every week, just about things that have occurred to me in the past 7 days. It's not always obvious to me what's the best thing to write about, what would be interesting or thought-provoking or original. So, this week I thought I would post up a poem I wrote, just because...

There is no going back
Less and less I am what I was
Everything is the same, but not
And I have grown, up, out, beyond

I am a puzzle piece
With edges slightly altered
I no longer fit the original structure
There is no going back

I am free to be whoever I want to be
This is good and this is right
And this is the value
Of no going back

Richard Dawkins Responds to Todd Thomsen

Today, I watched the introduction video of Richard Dawkins' speech at the University of Oklahoma. It's been in the news this week because of a certain Todd Thomsen who tried to stop Dawkins being allowed to speak. Dawkins, of course, used the event as a forum to respond to Thomsen, by adding a special introduction to the speech.

One of the points Dawkins made particularly resonated with me, probably because I work for a university myself,

"What on earth is a university for if it only reinforces opinions that students already hold?"

He's right, of course. What's the point of a university if it doesn't strive to hold dear the tenets upon which every university should be based? Tenets such as (to quote one of the key principles and values of the stategic plan at my university), "freedom of thought, innovation and intellectual curiosity".

Well done Oklahoma, you deserve recognition for not bowing down to the increasingly outrageous demands of the US Christian right-wing.

Encouraging Self-Esteem

My mother recently joined a self-esteem raising group. As far as I can tell, she's struggled with this for a long time. I always thought she had humility, which is fine because I have never had much respect for arrogance and conceit. Still, there is a point at which humility becomes an extreme lack of self confidence and this is actually psychological self-harm. So, I applaud her for having the courage to face the issue and do something about it.

She has been given a task by the group, to ask someone she trusts to write five positive things about her. She decided to ask me, so I want to publicise the things I have written. There's a reason for this; I know some of my relatives have read my blog in the past and I am hoping they will leave some comments on this blog to encourage her along. So, here are my comments:

1. She has an excellent sense of fun, she's not afraid of being silly and enjoying life. I have a particular memory that sums this up nicely; when we were children, if my brother and sister and I were arguing, she would sing (loudly and deliberately off-key) a few lines of 'Home on the Range'. It always got our attention
2. She is extremely creative. If I ever want to come up with ideas about something, whether it's a fancy dress costume or how to tile my bathroom, she's the one I go to for advice because I know she will come up with the perfect solution. Ask her grandkids, she's always making them outfits for school plays and concerts.
3. She will help anyone in need. She hates to see someone who's lonely or emotional or just needs assistance with something. She will always offer to help, with no expectation of receiving anything in return.
4. She is an incredibly loyal person, fiercely protective of her family and friends. Even if you do something to upset her (and, believe me, I have!), that sense of loyalty means she will always forgive you.
5. She is not afraid to try new things. This is tough for a lot of people, since many of us don't like change, but she will give it a chance. For example, though she's now in her sixties, she has had no problem embracing technology; just the other day she was telling me how she'd found out how to use chat on Facebook, so she could connect with my brother. For her, it's a great way to keep in touch and, as I'm sure everyone who knows her will agree, she is very much a people person - friendly, open and warm-hearted.

She only asked for five positive things, but I could have written more. If you're reading this post and you know her too, can I urge you to leave a positive comment too? You can do it here or on Facebook, but if you have the time, please do it. Thank you.