Live data from Hacker News

My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

lindaliukas.tumblr.com

101–110 of 118 posts

Re: My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

#101
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That isn't what was said. The video was extremely flirtatious. It had the same sexualized energy of a Disney movie about Tank Girl starring Bjork with the sound track by Blonde Redhead. It was way to over the top.

If you think that is flirtatious, you may want to recall rate yourself. I saw nothing more than positive nervous energy and passion about a project.

Um, I meant "recalibrate yourself"... terrible spelling.

Re: My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

#102
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is a huge difference between finding someone attractive and reducing them to nothing more than a sex object. Funding this because you're horny is disrespectful to everyone.

Imagine for a second that Lebron James were to create a Kickstarter for a cookbook he wanted to make, which was funded to the tune of $100,000. Obviously, much of this money would come from people who didn't really care about the superstar's take on the perfect omelette, but valued his athleticism enough that they wanted to support him in other endeavors. Is this reduction of James to nothing more than his basketball…

What a terrible analogy. It's not like Linda Liukas is a pin-up model trying to trade on her sexuality. She's an educator and illustrator who is trying to do something great.

Please, stop being so damn creepy and/or supporting people who are so damn creepy. This community doesn't have to be such a hostile place.

Re: My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

#103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Makes me think that maybe I could write the code equivalent of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark" using Java

Makes me chuckle thinking of Bill Gates reading Code Complete as a bedtime story.

Just for those who didn't get the reference https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMkBphtQRxs

Re: My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

#104
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The video was extremely flirtatious. No it wasn't. It is whimsical and youthful, which fits with the theme of making a book for children. Attributing that personality type with flirtation is disturbing and misogynistic. > It had the same sexualized energy of a Disney movie about Tank Girl starring Bjork with the sound track by Blonde Redhead. Projecting much? > It was way to over the top. I find your sexist crap ov…

> whimsical and youthful Hah, yes. Honestly, if that woman's behavior is "sexual and flirtatious" then my son's kindergarten teacher is hitting on him (she puts on the same act around her students). Yes, the video was as much about selling Liukas as a character and internet-celebrity as it was about selling her book. That's how marketing works. But anybody who sees it as "sexual" watches too much of the wrong kind of…

When that same kindergarten teacher behaves towards one of the male parents as to an infant then it's flirtatious. Certainly in Western society much behaviour which is considered fine with a child is inappropriate with an adult, and vice-versa of course.

If I bounce my friend's daughter on my knee and chat to her it's fine - if I bounce my (married) friend on my knee then it would be considered highly inappropriate in the same circumstance and an affront to my partner and hers. Same behaviour, the first is innocent; the second might be but would be assumed to be sexual or appear pseudo-sexual and so [in my country and circumstance] be considered wrong.

[I've not watched the video yet but am addressing the general case.]

Re: My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

#105
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine for a second that Lebron James were to create a Kickstarter for a cookbook he wanted to make, which was funded to the tune of $100,000. Obviously, much of this money would come from people who didn't really care about the superstar's take on the perfect omelette, but valued his athleticism enough that they wanted to support him in other endeavors. Is this reduction of James to nothing more than his basketball…

What a terrible analogy. It's not like Linda Liukas is a pin-up model trying to trade on her sexuality. She's an educator and illustrator who is trying to do something great. Please, stop being so damn creepy and/or supporting people who are so damn creepy. This community doesn't have to be such a hostile place.

> It's not like Linda Liukas is a pin-up model trying to trade on her sexuality.

So, I get what you're trying to say, but this is a tough one. Because, Linda did play up as a flirtatious girly girl in the promo video. Seriously, just watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lindaliukas/hello-ruby - and imagine if it was a man doing all of those things. Very strange, right? She's not behaving like a mature adult, she's got her shoes on the sofa... she's sitting in a clearly uncomfortable way... and I have to sit through a video in which I have to watch her fix her cute shoes? Why? Why not feature some kids in a promo video doing kiddy things, if she was going for the kiddy vibe? The flirtatious vibe that she instead chose to force in that video was very unnecessary in my opinion. So, paradoxically, it's Linda that's reducing women to sexual objects if she feels she has to behave in that way in order to sell up some books.

Re: My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

#106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What a terrible analogy. It's not like Linda Liukas is a pin-up model trying to trade on her sexuality. She's an educator and illustrator who is trying to do something great. Please, stop being so damn creepy and/or supporting people who are so damn creepy. This community doesn't have to be such a hostile place.

> It's not like Linda Liukas is a pin-up model trying to trade on her sexuality. So, I get what you're trying to say, but this is a tough one. Because, Linda did play up as a flirtatious girly girl in the promo video. Seriously, just watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lindaliukas/hello-ruby - and imagine if it was a man doing all of those things. Very strange, right? She's not behaving like a matur…

If you think that is flirtatious and sexualized, you have some serious issues. That video is whimsical and a bit over-produced, but it evokes play, not foreplay.

Does someone need to be in a burqa and talk in a monotone to keep the creeps from being creepy? How narrow a range of expression do you want for women before you start to make their objectification their fault?

Re: My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

#107

Cool idea. My only gripe was after she said she was from Finland, she mentioned Scandinavian summers, when Finland isn't a Scandinavian country. Nordic, yes. Scandinavian, no. Minor quibble for sure.

I'm a Finn and although I didn't truly grow up there, I've always considered Finland a Scandinavian country. You can be pedantic and say that because of geographical and linguistic reasons, it's not Scandinavian, but outside of those specific contexts, no one really cares.

I grew up thinking Finland was also Scandanavian, but I'm a dumb american, and so Geography isn't really my forte.

My girlfriend is Swedish-Finn and she was the one who insisted.

If you didn't grow up in Finland, have you at least been back to visit? Helsinki is such a great city.

Re: My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's not like Linda Liukas is a pin-up model trying to trade on her sexuality. So, I get what you're trying to say, but this is a tough one. Because, Linda did play up as a flirtatious girly girl in the promo video. Seriously, just watch the video: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lindaliukas/hello-ruby - and imagine if it was a man doing all of those things. Very strange, right? She's not behaving like a matur…

If you think that is flirtatious and sexualized, you have some serious issues. That video is whimsical and a bit over-produced, but it evokes play, not foreplay. Does someone need to be in a burqa and talk in a monotone to keep the creeps from being creepy? How narrow a range of expression do you want for women before you start to make their objectification their fault?

Thought experiment: you see a man, same age as Linda, doing all the things Linda is doing (squinting eyes, and then abruptly opening them and doing an affected laugh, fixing clothes, fixing cute socks, sitting on a sofa with legs bent and shoes sitting alongside, jumping up and down on the couch, etc.), what do you think of him?

If you're not picking up on the flirtatious undertones, if you have no problem with that kind of unprofessional presentation, it's not me who has some serious issues, it's you.

Also, I'd rather have my kids focus less on trying hard with clothes and looks and more on the more substantive things in life. The focus in that video simply should not have been on Linda and her awesome persona. But it was. I wish I didn't have to sit through Linda fixing her shoe-socks, but it was in the video, I watched it. It was peculiar.

Re: My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

#109
post #78

It took me a while to work this out - but I think its a great and brave choice. Yes, totally agree software is "literacy 2.0". And yes, of course, we need pre-school books on software. I had weird books teaching me BASIC without putting it into context - and context not ability has been where I have missed opportunities or regreted actions. So I applaud Linda for her insights, hope her world view is one I want my dau…

To be honest, I'd focus less on it being about learning how to code, and more about deductive problem solving skills and numeracy in general. If you have a pretty good foundation there, picking up a particular programming language isn't problematic. I think most people who stumble in basic programming have trouble because of a more fundamental deficiency than "I never learned to code in grade school".

Comprehension is different to simple reading and writing of course, and problem solving is a different skill to simple coding.

But we teach comprehension through literacy, and we will have to teach coding the same way.

Re: My children’s book on technology raised 100k within 24 hours – here’s how

#110

I'm pretty sure the only reason this is getting so much funding is because the majority of computer science folk are horny men who are glossing over the dreamhouse attire / makeup / presentation put on in the video. "Hi I'm little Ruby and I wear polka-dots and pink lipstick, let me be your fantasy" That said, I did fund it, because I'm a horny coder and Linda is very sexy.

I'm ready to bet that if she wasn't attractive, she wouldn't have gotten past the $10k milestone. In other words, by being "playful", flirtatious, she was using her looks to her advatange. To me this is manipulation.
Post reply on HN