LGBT History Month - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 05:16:53 pm
content: In England, February is LGBT History Month (and here in Rotherham, they are calling itFabruary). The purpose is to celebrate the history of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans people.Why am I posting this on an Electronics forum? Because, for some reason, the organisers gave it a theme this year of science and engineering.In Rotherham, there is an art gallery, where one option for submissions was the theme of science/engineering. I came up with some ideas for some electronics related stuff, but unfortunately I only came up with the ideas around the time the exhibition opened, so certainly no time to actually make anything.But I still might have a go at making something for the sake of it. Something with a PCB and maybe lots of colourful LEDs. It would be cool to make something like this as I think electronics engineers/hobbyists seem to be under represented in the LGBT community.Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions?

author: jaqie
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 05:28:13 pm
content: That's because most of us are in hiding for one reason or another.

author: N2IXK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 05:37:08 pm
content: Quote from: jaqie on February 10, 2013, 05:28:13 pmAnd who can blame you? Things have gotten a bit better since Alan Turing's day, but there is still a long way to go...

author: jaqie
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 05:44:58 pm
content: Yep.The only things I can think of that wouldn't be insulting or playing to stereotypes would be something having to do with open / non-hiding LGBT folks in the history of electronics... and the things they invented/created/et al.

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 08:59:35 pm
content: I thought that you people were talking about IGBTs' for a minute. It would be wasteful to have them switching low voltage LEDs

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 09:23:12 pm
content: @ smashedProton...QuoteBest laugh I had for some weeks

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 09:43:04 pm
content: A whole month just for IGBT's...? what about all the oppressed MOSFETs, BJTs, JFETS etc....oh, hang on.....

author: david77
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 10:00:13 pm
content: How about a LED rainbow flag or electronic hankys?Now that I think of it a LED rainbow flag type button (with a pin to put on bags) might be a good idea...It's a good motto for a LGBT month. There's still this stereotype that gay people are good with colours and arranging cushions but not with sciency stuff.Give a gay man some wires and he'll knit you a nice placemat or something... bullshit. I get to hear that sort of stuff at work regularly, there are still some proper cavemen out there.

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 11:12:05 pm
content: Quote from: smashedProton on February 10, 2013, 08:59:35 pmhehe.I think I'll have a go at making a rainbow LED flag.I thought about doing something like these which Mike posted, but thought it might be a bit inappropriate (http://www.electricstuff.co.uk/electrofun.html).

author: ftransform
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 11:23:01 pm
content: lettuce guacamole bacon tomato sandwich probably originated somewhere in California I see no reason to cover an entire month to trace its history, it is only a sandwich after all

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 11:23:34 pm
content: This thread is getting more and more 'on topic'! Dave must be pretty happy with us

author: SLJ
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2013, 11:52:15 pm
content: My first workbench was in a closet. Does that count?

author: jaqie
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 02:10:06 am
content: it's really sad how everyone seems to completely forget/ignore the L B and T in LGBT.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 05:48:38 am
content: I thought LGBT was "Latching Gate Bipolar Transistor" or an IGBT that is designed to latch on/a SCR with a high impedance gate...

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 06:33:35 am
content: I always wondered if, given proper medication and therapy, bipolar transistors can be become productive members of society again , like their J-Fet and mosfet counterparts...

author: justanothercanuck
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 10:38:22 am
content: Some of these comments...

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 12:20:56 pm
content: Quote from: smashedProton on February 10, 2013, 11:23:34 pmBeing this is an EE forum your mind tends to autocorrect things to what you expect... I also read the title as "IGBT History Month" at first.Along the same theme here's something I found on a Chinese connector manufacturer's site many years ago:

author: N2IXK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 12:54:21 pm
content: Gotta love auto-translate!What exactly is a "gay" or"lesbian" connector, anyway? 2 connectors of similar contact style that intermate are covered under "hermaphroditic".Back when RS-232 serial connections were everywhere, I occasionally heard of "gender changer" or "gender bender" adapters referred to that way, though. A "gay adapter" coupled 2 male plugs, and a "lesbian adapter" did the same for 2 females.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 03:42:22 pm
content: Let's not forget the sexless connectors used in RF applications.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APC-7_connectorThese guys flipflop between male and female at will. Kinda like the clownfish that changes sexes when the matriarch in the anemone dies.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 03:52:01 pm
content: That is a cool connector. Bet it's expensive as hell though...

author: Jon Chandler
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 04:14:44 pm
content: This well-intentioned thread is bordering on the offensive.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 04:22:07 pm
content: Ever since the recent talk about off-topic stuff on this forum, there's been a significant rise in catastrophic thread derailings. And it's not like I've participated in any of them or anything...

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 05:47:19 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on February 11, 2013, 06:33:35 amMaybe you should start a transistor counseling service?

author: jaqie
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 06:08:17 pm
content: Quote from: Jon Chandler on February 11, 2013, 04:14:44 pmwell past it, I'd say.

author: chrome
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 06:34:58 pm
content: Quote from: jaqie on February 11, 2013, 06:08:17 pmOh boy, please tell us what's so offensive.

author: smashedProton
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 07:18:41 pm
content: I started this.. :(Im Sorry if I have offended any IGBTs

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 08:01:02 pm
content: Quote from: steve30 on February 11, 2013, 05:47:19 pmFreud / Nietsche and Jeung would have a field-day on that one... then again they don't call those field-effect transistors for nothing...

author: steve30
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 08:25:46 pm
content: Quote from: jaqie on February 11, 2013, 02:10:06 amI've noticed that before. Could it just be because there are more Gs than Ls, Bs and Ts?

author: N2IXK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 09:29:12 pm
content: Some straight people also do things that attract media attention. But they generally don't have to deal with having their sexual orientation deemed a causative factor for their behavior by the media or the religious right types.Interesting watching the Boy Scouts of America trying to deal with their policy on gay scouts and leaders. They seem to be trying to have it both ways, by taking no stance at a national level, but allowing individual troops to continue to discriminate if they choose to.BTW, I notice that they aren't even talking about lifting their ban on atheists...I Wonder if they would let a local Pastafarian congregation sponsor a troop?

author: Jon Chandler
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2013, 01:04:08 am
content: Quote from: smashedProton on February 12, 2013, 12:58:54 amUhhh....no. I do not believe you will find any properly conducted study that will show this.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2013, 01:11:46 am
content: How about a PCB with no straight tracesYou can always get one of those RGB LED cubes and do fancy animations. Or solder a grid of RGB LEDs on a board and add some TLC5940 PWM chips. Use Arduino just for the blog cred.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2013, 01:24:31 am
content: Quote from: smashedProton on February 12, 2013, 12:58:54 amAssuming you're accidentally typingIGBT and this isn't a continuation of the above LGBT/IGBT joke that's goingwayover my head.Um.... no. First of all, please cite these studies. Not just that, but show why they aregoodstudies that can be trusted, because anyone can make a study say anything if they understand statistics better than the average person and can select an advantageous sample. Second, please provide proof that this is causation, not correlation, and if you cannot, it becomes an irrelevant point and makes you sound a tad silly. Even if there were a correlation, the best you can do is suck it up and live with it, because otherwise, gay people aren't hurting anyone.If it were discovered that there was a slightly higher occurrence of pedophilia in the black population, we'd still have abigproblem with anyone's decision to bar black people from something. Statistics are not an excuse not to treat fellow humans like fellow humans.

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 12, 2013, 05:13:20 am
content: Getting way off topic, even the topic is way off topic.

author: Simon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 12, 2013, 07:48:13 am
content: if we are lucky enough it will come full circle