Wow, not only did Canada kick our butts on the ice, they are doing it in Fashion Technology too. Don’t believe me, take a look at these gorgeous lighted fabrics and this dress from Karma Chameleon.

Jana Thomson from Geek Austin gets the dirt on Alison and her Core Conversation at SXSW, " Duh...It's Like Tech for Girls" 

Both Syuzie Pakhchyan of Fashion Technology and Alison will be running this core converstaion at SXSW. Please join them on Monday, March 15 at 11:00 AM. http://my.sxsw.com/events/event/487

Below is an excerpt from the interview, you can read more on GeekAustin.com at http://geekaustin.org/2010/02/24/sxsw-panelist-alison-lewis

"Jana: Technology is seen as a man's world, more than even business these days. One of the questions on the SXSW website for your panel was' why does getting girls involved in technology matter to our quality of life?' In my experience, seemed that even very competent and intelligent and otherwise confident women seem to be intimidated by the use of technology. Do you think that by discussing technology and encouraging the use of it in domains where many women are more comfortable and confident that it will encourage women to become more confident in their understanding and usage of computers and mobile phones?

Alison: Not to be brash, but I don't care much if they learn to use their mobile phones.

What you are looking at here is the cover of Tricks with Makeup, a pamphlet published by Ladies' Home Journal circa 1940s. What would be the wisdom you may find within?

Hi all, Alison is away right now in California to attend the annual TED (Technology, Education, Design) Conference. It is an amazing event that "bring[s] together the world's most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes)." You can keep up with what is happening at TED through its official blog and the #TED conversations on Twitter.

(Above: Me taking a break with the cast and crew on the MyHome2.0 set in 2008)

BACK for ANOTHER EPISODE for the tech home makeover show MYHOME 2.0! I worked on 5 episodes in 2008 creating unique interactive systems, with my fellow Gurus Brian and Lloyd and made five families lives better through technology. Like before, we get only 48 hours to seamlessly mesh the new computer equipment, one-of-a kind interactive designs, and install Verizon FiOS into the newly redesigned home.

However, this season, the show has a fabulous new cast of characters. The Makeover team is now made up of a Head Guru, Scott Martian Brooks, the show Host, Tiffany Smith, Design Guru Mark Montano, a local FiOS Guru, and a Tech Guru - which is me for this episode. The Tech Guru used in the episode depends on the families needs and what type of installation they looking for. Brian is the mega metal headed mechanical technologist, Lloyd is the computer genius who can connect and code any home for an upgrade straight into the future, and then there is me, the
Techno-Fashionista, who softens everything up with personalized electronic designs that focus on aesthetics (of course!).

(Brian, Lloyd, and me hugging it out before the big reveal!)

You can watch the older episodes on Vimeo. Some of the projects you will find there include a
FiOS-Enabled Emotion Detector, an infrared digital harp, a digital Memory Wall, a whimsical PB&J Machine and more!

Girls in Tech Conference(GIT) attendee looking surprised. Maybe they were learning about making money with online gaming? [photography: femmefotographie.com]

One of the hot topics of the GIT Conference was gaming. In the early gaming days, the majority of the players were male but that was because the developers were/are male. However, today women spend more hours per month gaming than men. In fact, the vast majority of this is due to online gaming (like Facebook and Yahoo Games). This online gaming industry is mainly women between the ages of 35 - 45 and the console players are not far behind with 40% being women with the average age being 32 (see chart below). This is a big change over the past 10 years. There is a lot of growth in this area for women because men do not know what women want or what peaks their interest.

This week, Switch welcomes Tiffany Lawson as our guest blogger from San Francisco! Tiffany is a smart and stylish account manager for Sonic.net, an Internet Service Provider based out of Santa Rosa, CA. She spent yesterday gathering up the latest trends, news, and topics from the Girls in Tech: Catalyst Conference and will be sharing them with Switch readers tomorrow and Friday.

Tonight on Carol's Corner on Technology, Co-hosts Lloyd Emelle and Stephanie Lowe are discussing technology gift ideas on a budget. I'll be there discussing not only gifts that you can get online or at the store, but also gifts that you can make in your spare time using supplies from your local electronics and crafts store. If you are struggling with gift ideas, this is the episode you don't want to miss!
http://900amwurd.com/

Photography by Michael Sinterniklaas

Aloha! I am posting from the beautiful island of Kauai today where I am celebrating the wedding of my friends Julia Howe and Dekker Dryer. Julia came to me a few months ago and asked me to design her wedding dress with one special feature, it had to light up. Of course, I jumped at the chance to make a lighed wedding dress!