I was surprised by the number of women that appeared at the Manchester Geek Girl Dinner last week.

I don’t generally go in for gender specific events, as I’m sure an all boys meeting would cause some industry bra burning, but I was invited by one of the organisers, Valerie De Leonibus, who is one of the founders of i2m Online Business, so I figured a night of food, drink and geek chatting couldn’t hurt too much.

I was surprised by the similar stories though, much the same as I’ve experienced. A lot of women I spoke to were the only one, or amongst a small minority on a technology course or in a techie job.

Much of the geek stereotypes hold true, but there are obviously exceptions. They showed this video… I love the IT crowd.

You can find out more about Manchester Geek Girl Dinners here.

The BBC have another article about the uses of nanotechnology… they describe how ‘machines’ the size of just 17 molecules can be controlled with a type of microscope (scanning tunnelling microscope).

It’s like something from a science fiction film… and part of me wonders if they’re just making it up!

It looks like you’ll be able to use your PS3 to make free calls over the internet using Skype.

We use Skype in the office and at home to communicate between ourselves and with clients. It avoids us being dependant on the horror that is BT, it’s cheap (and often free), and it’s less distracting than MSN messaging.

The accessories you need to make calls are not out yet, but if you’re not particularly into gaming, and want to make free ‘Skype to Skype’ calls and cheap normal calls, all you need is an Internet connection and either a computer & microphone or a Skype phone.