> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gregory Brown [mailto:gregory.t.brown / gmail.com] 
> Sent: 05 May 2007 15:04
> To: ruby-talk ML
> Subject: Re: Ruby love
> 
> It's potentially a very good way to help address the broader 
> issue by simple, direct participation.  Teaching person to 
> person might be one way to reduce the tensions that arise in 
> academic or professional settings.

Let's not forget that it's fun in all this =D  Athena really enjoyed coding
with me, and she got the same buzz from telling the computer what to do as I
did when I started.  That's all it takes.

> That's why I think parents who have daughters who seem to 
> enjoy the computer might want to introduce them to Hackity 
> Hack, or programmers who have cousins or sisters or a friend 
> who always ask them interesting questions about computing 
> might be able to give them a lesson or two.
> 
> It won't magically make things better, but it could make a 
> difference, I think.

On the contrary, ultimately I think this is the key.  Programming is one of
those 'spark' things.  It's not a career you generally 'fall into' per se.
Most people see a computer as a black box of tricks with total ignorance of
the myriad of man hours spent behind the scenes making it all happen.  It's
a whole world you either see or you don't.  Thinking back, I can name a fair
few people I've introduced to programming who are now professional in some
capacity, and they've all been friends.