Introducing: The Hacker School For Women

If you're a hacker, computer programmer or coder, chances are pretty high that you're a dude. Don't worry, we're not about to gripe about gender inequality in the workplace. This isn't a case of the computer programming world being hostile to women, it's just that women don't as often aim to start careers in this particular sector of the tech industry. Less than 1 in 5 software developers are women--and we think that's a shame. .

Etsy wants to help change that statistic by offering twenty women a $5,000 grant to go to Hacker School, a three-month-long program held this Summer at Etsy's office in New York.

Hacker School was founded by two men and a woman--but of their twenty current students, only one is female. The statistics at Etsy are equally male-dominated. According to GOOD, Etsy's vice president of engineering, Marc Hedlund, says that during his seventeen years in web-based business he's hired hundreds of men and only about twenty women. "Just 11 of Etsy's 96 current employees in Engineering and Operations are female."

Hacker School describes itself like "a writer's retreat for hackers." The three-month immersion program focuses on coding and open-source software as opposed to the more typical how-to-build-a-startup approach. They also strive to create a classroom environment that’s "free from the negative conversational habits that all nerds sometimes fall into. They establish rules such as (no feigning surprise) ‘You don’t know who RICHARD STALLMAN is!?’” The curriculum itself is mild on structure. There are no grades or professors. Instead, it teaches through project-based assignments. Read more about the school and if you're a lady, apply for a grant and spend your Summer showing those boys who's boss.

-- Perrin Drumm

Watch This Now // Our Top 5 Videos From TEDxBrooklyn

 

Just over a month ago the second annual TEDxBrooklyn took over Brooklyn Bowl to tackle the theme of "redefining better." If you missed it, or just want to relive your favorite moments, you can watch video of the entire program on the TEDxBrooklyn YouTube Channel.

Since it would take you a good chunk of your day to get through all 17 videos, we've handpicked five we found most enlightening, ranging from hacking ethics to urban agriculture, for your immediate viewing pleasure.

Get your brain movin' after the jump.

Chad Dickerson, CEO of Etsy, talks about the definition of a hacker:

Brian Meece, CEO of RocketHub, talks about the science of crowdfunding:

Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transporation Alternatives, talks about transportation reform:

Julia Kaganskiy & Ciel Hunter talk about The Creators Project:

Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens, talks about innovations in urban agriculture:

-- John Ruscher

THIS THURSDAY // Holiday Photo Op: Say Cheese And Get Your Own Holiday Photo At Etsy Labs

Photo by sinstuff

With their seemingly infinite range of unique items, our friends at Etsy are an essential stop on your holiday gift hunt. But for those of us in the NYC area, they're offering up another way to spread the holiday cheer. This Thursday, December 8 from 6-9pm Etsy Labs in DUMBO will be hosting Making Smiles Bright: A Holiday Photo Card Event.

Bring along your family, friends, apartment mates, coworkers and whomever else you can think of and pose for a classic holiday portrait. You'll get to choose from three hand-curated backdrops featuring merchandise from Etsy sellers, and Magnolia Photo Booth Co. will be their to print and send your pictures. If you want to turn your photo into a proper holiday greeting card, printshop Moo will also be offering a 15% discount on their services. Etsy will be leading workshops to help you make your own envelopes, so bring along your favorite paper, old or new.

In addition to walking away with a timeless snapshot, you'll also have the chance to win some of the items featured in Etsy's backdrops as they'll be raffled off throughout the evening. So pull on that ugly holiday sweater, gather up your friends and grab your ticket for Thursday's event. We'll most definitely be seeing you there.

-- John Ruscher

HAPPENING NOW // Etsy Social Media Week

Photo by Brian Tamborello

If you're here reading this post, we're assuming you know how to make something--maybe even something someone would want to buy. But if you've ever tried, you realize that selling your indubitably gorgeous product (we're not being facetious--we've seen what you guys can do) isn't as simple as just posting a pretty picture of it. Maybe your business plan looks something like this:

1. Open Etsy store

2. ????

3. Profit!

Well our friends over at Etsy are swooping in to help you with that second step. It's Social Media Week there, and they'll be hosting both live workshops and Online Labs to help you utilize Facebook and Twitter to your shop's advantage. 

The main event is tonight--Almost Internet Famous will be divided into two sessions: During the first half, comedian Eugene Mirman (Flight of the Conchords, Delocated, Bob's Burgers) will talk about how he's used Kickstarter to fund projects and utilized Twitter to build the audience for them. The second half of the night will be a panel discussion with Twitter brand guru Elizabeth Weil, Etsy Social Media Coordinator Laura Chin, Amy Turner Sharp of Little Alouette wood toys, and Jen Rubio of Warby Parker Eyewear.

Etsy requests that you RSVP for any and all events that you're interested in--and of course tweet about it and post it to your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google+. Then sing about it and listen to the song on Spotify. And then, at long last, profit.

--Layla Schlack

BEST OF // Our Top 5 Etsy How-Tuesdays

It's no secret that our friends at Etsy know good crafts and DIY projects when they see them. And now they're spreading the love. Every Tuesday, the Etsy blog posts How-Tuesday projects, so you can learn a new skill without ever leaving your computer, as it should be. We've formed something of an addiction to the feature and we thought we'd share 5 How-Tuesdays we think are tops (presented in no particular order of course).

Via Etsy1. Sew a Skirt in One Hour: For those of us who are not quite whizzes on the sewing machine, the title of Brett Bara's book is, in itself, awe-inspiring. The How to Sew In a Straight Line author stopped by Etsy studios to show us how to sew in enought straight lines to create a wearable garment--in five easy steps.

Yarrow, pre-tea2. Urban Herbalist: Ok, it's no secret that 3rd Ward likes urban farming. But what we like even more than farming is learning what to do with those plants that grow wild all over (sometimes called weeds). Irina from Phoenix Botanicals gave us the scoop on plantain bandages, yarrow tea, mugwort pillows, and more. It's a great intro to her Foraging Herbal Medicine class at 3rd Ward.

Hit the jump now for three more amazing ideas.

3. Build Your Own Seltzer Maker: You know who doesn't like seltzer? Nobody, that's who. But no one likes piles of plastic bottles or the accompanying environmental effects. So your options are to buy a fancy seltzer-maker, or McGyver your own with a trip to the hardware store and a handy tutorial by painter Randy Stoltzfus.

4. Spread the Word for an Event: This feels like one of those things that you're just supposed to know. You think that if you tell friends, they'll tell friends, and bam, packed house. But there's method and skill to tailoring your invite to your event and getting people in the door who aren't already in your circle (if you're into that sort of thing). Danya Cheskis-Gold of Skillshare shows us the way.

5. Mustard: It turns out making your own mustard is easy enough that it might be worth doing even if you don't like the stuff (at the very least, just for bragging rights.) We also love projects like this where we can make a big batch and give everyone we know a homemade gift. And once you've learned how to pack your event, you could even have a mustard party (trust us, they happen.) Michelle Fuerst, formerly of Chez Panisse, gives us the recipe and walks us through it with a video.

Honestly, we could've made this list 300 ideas long, but then we may have broken the internet. So do yourself a favor and get How-Tuesdays bookmarked for your weekly project inspiration.

--Layla Schlack

Registration Discount // Sunday's DIY Business Association Conference

What: Brooklyn DIY Business Association Conference—“a talent show for productivity, a swap meet for arty types, a crucial meeting of the minds, a think tank for the Creative New Economy.”

Who: You and all sorts of aspiring and established creative entrepreneurs. Participate in networking groups and learn from expert panelists including Grace Bonney (founder and editor of Design*Sponge), Andrew Wagner (ReadyMade editor-in-chief), and Chris Kaskie (president of Pitchfork). Click here for a full line-up.

When: Sunday, June 26 with light breakfast, lunch, and beer-and-wine evening reception

Register for HALF DAY: 
Brooklyn DIY Business Association Conference for the Music Industry (3–6:30 pm)
Register for FULL DAY: 
Brooklyn DIY Business Association Conference (10:45am–6:30pm)

Take advantage of a discounted full-day pass ($99; regular price $125) by entering "3rdward" at registration checkout. 

Where: The DUMBO Loft (55 Water St, Brooklyn) and Etsy Labs (55 Washington St, Brooklyn)

Why: “It takes a community to do it together,” says DIYBA founder Amy Schroder. We couldn’t agree more!