GirlGeek of the Week
April 2001

Sydney Work

Sydney was a late bloomer. Before becoming a geek she was afraid of technology except for her Intellivision game console (which many geeks don't count as "high tech"). During graduate school in 1995 she found herself freezing in a cramped apartment, in a town she knew nothing about. And a late-night television show led her to the Internet, where she hooked up with other fans of her favorite show.

It was enough to get her hooked on computers for good. After school she talked her way into a job in tech and very eagerly learned everything from programming to design. Now firmly entrenched in the geek world, Sydney's latest passion is to design logic games for smart girls who are left cold by the shoot-em-up arena of games like Doom and Quake.

How do make a living?

I am a somewhat disgruntled Web Department Manager/Lead Web Designer for a publishing/new media company. I freelance and brainstorm on the side to keep the creative juices a-flowing.

Do you consider yourself a Geek?

Almost as much as I consider myself a girl. Can I get a witness?

What is your favorite Website?

I don't have a *favorite* favorite. I spend quite a bit of time here laughing my butt off: www.mightybigtv.com

What do you do when you are not working?

I write like a fiend, read anything I can get my hands on, make ridiculous cartoons in Illustrator and Photoshop, watch movies until my VCR weeps from the heat and friction, find foster homes for stray cats, take Pilates, dance and sing like a fool around my apartment, hang out with geeks and non-geeks alike.

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

Gillian Anderson. In platform boots.

What would be the title of your autobiography?

"Premature Immaculation"

Who is the person you most admire?

I admire any woman who has the confidence and faith in herself to wake up every morning and live life the way she wants to live it — no exceptions, no excuses. I respect a woman's commitment to herself. Uh, yo!

If you could have one super power what would it be?

The ability to breathe underwater.