[goldenkey]

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.

[nivla]

Although you have a point, it does lie within the mix of others. There are horny men in every sector/industry but yes it is much noticeable in the IT and gaming sector. However this has a lot to do with the social settings, stereotypes and minority/majority issue. I remember once setting up an Xbox account for my gf and making her play a round of some game (she is not into gaming). I was amazed at how many friend request and messages she received in such a short period of time.

There are three types of people who funded this project:

1) People who were really interested in the book.

2) People who saw a woman and thought funding it would be right thing to encourage and lessen the gender divide.

3) People who saw a pretty girl and wanted to please.

I honestly don't believe the third type of people were responsible for the majority of funding. Why? Simple, most of them would have tried to get in touch with her by now and since its not a pleasant experience getting creepy messages from strangers, had it happened, it would have been mentioned on her blogpost.

The reasons why I din't fund?

I was turned off by the marketing video. She was being unnecessarily flirtatious/kiddish with the camera. Not even once did they show an actual kid in the whole video, let alone trying to get them to learn from it.

I din't have a need for the product, or it wasn't appealing enough to have it for my nephew and niece.

[acdha]

> Not even once did they show an actual kid in the whole video, let alone trying to get them to learn from it.

Many parents are extremely hesitant to put pictures of their children online. If you're concerned, ask about it – a testimonial, note, etc. might be more within her comfort zone.

[nivla]

>If you're concerned, ask about it – a testimonial, note, etc. might be more within her comfort zone.

I don't really care enough to ask(email) about it but it is really unusual to see a product targeted for children being marketed by a flirtatious woman (or mom?) instead of showing actual kids using it. I would find it similarly unusual if I were to see an ad on TV for a kid's toy without any kids in them.

[balls187]

She mentioned future kids. Perhaps she didn't want to exploit her friends kids for marketing purposes.

Still though, I'm curious if she's done any product-market fit?

[acdha]

The difference is that most of the TV ads you see are produced by media professionals with 6+-figure budgets. I thought the video was understandable for someone who isn't a professional video producer and is trying to get a project off the group on a shoe-string budget.

[MartinCron]

I won't even try to convince you not to be such a terrible sexist monster, but I will politely request that you:

1) Keep that shit to yourself

2) Don't attribute your perverse motives to others

[sergiotapia]

I personally know 3 other people who contributed for the exact same reason. Not friends, but people I know personally.

[king_jester]

I would distance myself from people who are that misogynist.

[sergiotapia]

How is that a misogynist view though? Men aren't allowed to see women as attractive in the USA?

[MartinCron]

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.

[ebfe]

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 skills equally problematic? If not, what do you see as the difference that makes this latter example of objectification ok?

[balls187]

Hopefully with time, this sexist/childish behavior towards women in tech will die, and we won't have to put up with it anymore.

Thank you for calling him out.

[j2kun]

I think you're downplaying the fact that many people still view computer science with mystery, fear, and antagonism. Improving pointlessly negative cultural attitudes from a young age is a worthwhile venture, and I wish someone would do it with mathematics as well.

[tjr]

When I was maybe six years old or so, my mom was taking a calculus class, and had this book checked out from the library:

http://www.math.sjsu.edu/~swann/mcsqrd.html

I didn't understand the mathematics, but I thought the cartoon characters were delightful. They made me want to learn math, and I could hardly wait until getting to calculus myself, so I could actually understand the book.

[eliteraspberrie]

An educational app for children's mathematics has been on my mind for years. But I always thought the market was too small. The success of this story is making me think about finally writing one, maybe less technical and more adventurous.

[sitkack]

The funding level validates the kickstarter and the video not necessarily the topic. I totally support thoughtful, engaging intellectual children's apps. Build something small and see how well it sticks, iterate.

[Pxtl]

You probably should apply for a job at your local movie theatre, because you're impressively good at projecting.

[forgottenpaswrd]

Do you realize that this talks more about yourself than about other people?

I watched the entire video and not a single sexual thought came out out it, far from it, just the thought that it could be useful for my kids.

I found also very interesting how she frame adding publicity of her cause in HN as useful advice, because it is useful advice!!. I have a company on my own so I know a little about marketting.

[king_jester]

Ugh. This video wasn't made for your male gaze. I can't believe you are sexualizing a video featuring a woman because its whimsical (well I can believe it, you sound like a tremendous asshole).

[thorntonbf]

And this is why we can't have nice things. We wonder why we have such problems getting girls interested in coding?

[hashberry]

The presentation and video was amazing. I immediately fell in love with her. She smiles non-stop. She jumps around with giddy excitement in a cute little dress. She's the perfect manic pixie dream girl trope. I want her to have all my babies.

[jacalata]

What made you think that was worth sharing?

[GFK_of_xmaspast]

Don't be a creep.

[JonnieCache]

People are subconsciously affected by sexual drives. Welcome to 1880. What's your point?

[andreasklinger]

you are kidding right?

why is this even top comment.

[runamok]

I really need to earn the right to down vote. That this nonsense appears so high up bothers me. I supported her campaign because I thought coding needs to be made more approachable and interesting to kids. Let's be honest, most kids have no idea what most professions do. I think just making people more familiar with programming is a great social goal.

[ZirconCode]

Just upvote the rest instead. That's what I did. Eventually this shit will sink to the bottom.

[throwkr]

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.

[adamman]

You're also a dick.

[kyberias]

He might be a dick but it's still a valid argument.

[Pxtl]

What, that the dominant/only reason men want more women in tech is to have sex with them? Really? Do people really think the bulk of the men in tech are that cynical?

We can be brutally honest and say that yes, having women who share our passions (and workplaces) would be good for the personal lives of many developers. But I don't think there's any advocate for more women in the industry who would see that as anything but a fringe benefit.

[sitkack]

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.

[MartinCron]

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.

[MartinCron]

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

[Pxtl]

> sexualized

I am so not seeing this.

[king_jester]

> 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 over the top.

[sitkack]

Hyperbole not projecting.

This video was a toned down version of SBV with a grown woman acting childish and coy, my hyperbolic statement tapped into other performers who utilize the same mechanic. It is not whimsical and youthful, it is offensive. She was selling herself rather than her art. I don't need to look at her knitted socks, watch her fluff her hair or jump on the damn couch. It is manipulative. Recognizing that manipulation is not sexist, on the contrary.

This video would have been way more mature if it showed children engaging with the content, rather than an artful selfie. We need to see how she explains ideas that lead children to a scientific mind.

[Pxtl]

> 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 anime.