Marie Curie - cyclist?

I am in the middle of a kind of Marie Curie kick it seems. After reading Julie Des Jardins' thought-provoking The Madame Curie Complex [affiliate link], I felt compelled to do my own research into the life and work of a woman who seems to have become more legend than anything else.

I am currently about halfway through the biography by Eve Curie, Madame Curie [affiliate link], and while I have had to put the book down for a while to process the heartbreak of Pierre's death, I keep going back to this photograph of the two of them with their prized bicycles.

The story we most often hear about Marie Curie is the one about her absolute dedication to her research and the endless hours she spent in her laboratory. These are certainly honorable, if super-human, traits worth celebrating, but I have to wonder why we so rarely hear about her more mundane and human moments? I am thoroughly fascinated by her research and the Eureka! moments as well as the years-long hard labor to prove her ideas. But I am equally fascinated to know how she and Pierre organized their home life, and what they did in their rare moments of relaxation. Maybe it's just a matter of human nature, but all while reading about the life and work of this remarkable woman, I am enjoying little pings of "hey, me too!' when I find threads of similarity between her life and mine.

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She's Crafty - Sci Chic

I absolutely love the trend of blending science and engineering and girly items. Geeky jewelry, clothing, and hair accessories are just so flippin' awesome. It takes the tired old trope of science being a masculine pursuit and drops it in a box, sets it on fire, and sends it into outer space. All with a girly flair, of course.

So when I came across the amazing 3D printed jewelry from SciChic, I made an audible squealing noise from a place of pure glee. Fortunately, when I asked, Erin Winick, one of the two amazing young women who dreamed up this fantastic business, she agreed! We had a fabulous conversation, and now I admire her work even more.

Their APEX collection is launching on Pi Day (March 14), and judging by the items they've previewed, it will be a beautiful assortment of science and engineering themed pendants and rings. I can't wait to see them all.

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Gamer Girl - Damsel

Not too long ago, I saw a tweet from the excellent Giselle Rosman, whom I was lucky enough to meet while visiting Australia a couple of years ago, raving about a new game looking for votes for on Steam Greenlight. That in itself is not all that unusual, since it's pretty much her mission to promote awesome Aussie game developers. And, to be honest, I almost always check out the games she recommends because there have been so many really great games coming out of Australia lately (see Ninja Pizza Girl) so it's a pretty good gamble. And, again, she was right. Damsel look like an awesome game.

In this arcade platformer, play as agent Damsel as she races across the world keeping humanity safe from the forces of evil. Complete dozens of missions, rescue hostages, gather intel, and eliminate the vampire hordes with an ever expanding arsenal of upgradable weapons and equipment.

OK, so it's got a kickass female protagonist fighting vampire hordes with awesome weapons and saving the world from evil? Yes, please!

Over the last couple of weeks, I managed to strike up a great conversation with Megan Summers, the producer of Damsel. She shared with me a bit about herself as a female game developer and her work.

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