4 ms·

I'm inclined to agree with you here. Unlike, for example, the timeless beauty of the Utah teapot, continuing to shoehorn Lena into digital image processing teac

by quasque 14y ago

I'm inclined to agree with you here. Unlike, for example, the timeless beauty of the Utah teapot, continuing to shoehorn Lena into digital image processing teaching and research does seem rather inappropriate in this day and age.

CamperBob2 14y ago
If you are willing to go a mile out of your way to look for things to be offended by, then, perhaps.
- quasque 14y ago
  Not really, the issue is more about making computer science and related fields equally accessible and comfortable to all genders. One way to do this is to avoid unnecessarily biasing topics towards the sexual interests of heterosexual males, e.g. using such pornography in image processing materials. I'm not personally offended by the image, but I don't think it's useful in the context just described.
  - CamperBob2 14y ago
    First of all, most people in the field were unaware that the classical "Lenna" headshot came from Playboy, or from "pornography" in general. You may be overlooking the fact that some cultures don't consider her fully-nude photograph pornographic at all, while other cultures consider even the headshot pornographic. "Pornography" is not a very useful term of art... any art. Second, women researchers are more than welcome to choose their own reference images. Third, you aren't just condemning computer graphics researchers, but practitioners in fields from advertising to art to athletics to zymurgy. The female face (and form) has been celebrated for aesthetic and artistic purposes in every civilization this side of Afghanistan. In short, I don't think I want to live in your world. I hope I continue to have a choice.
    - quasque 14y ago
      A world where female computer scientists and software developers feel as welcome as males sounds a lot better than the actual one plagued by rampant sexism and its corresponding denial.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]

by quasque 14y ago

CamperBob2 14y ago

If you are willing to go a mile out of your way to look for things to be offended by, then, perhaps.

quasque 14y ago
Not really, the issue is more about making computer science and related fields equally accessible and comfortable to all genders. One way to do this is to avoid unnecessarily biasing topics towards the sexual interests of heterosexual males, e.g. using such pornography in image processing materials. I'm not personally offended by the image, but I don't think it's useful in the context just described.
- CamperBob2 14y ago
  First of all, most people in the field were unaware that the classical "Lenna" headshot came from Playboy, or from "pornography" in general. You may be overlooking the fact that some cultures don't consider her fully-nude photograph pornographic at all, while other cultures consider even the headshot pornographic. "Pornography" is not a very useful term of art... any art. Second, women researchers are more than welcome to choose their own reference images. Third, you aren't just condemning computer graphics researchers, but practitioners in fields from advertising to art to athletics to zymurgy. The female face (and form) has been celebrated for aesthetic and artistic purposes in every civilization this side of Afghanistan. In short, I don't think I want to live in your world. I hope I continue to have a choice.
  - quasque 14y ago
    A world where female computer scientists and software developers feel as welcome as males sounds a lot better than the actual one plagued by rampant sexism and its corresponding denial.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]