Everything Old is New Again

Hello Femmebots! This is Chakra Girl, your new hostess of the “Latinas in Tech TV Show” on Substack. In case you’ve missed the past few episodes, I’ve assumed the role of showrunner while Dr. Nutmeg and Femmebot 7.0 are in a coma. So far, it’s been fun!

Instead of using The FACTory stage for pitching silly apps to Sharky B the Vulture Capitalist, I’m teaching all the Femmebots in the audience how to write JavaScript in between episodes of “Model Ricans” on Monday nights and “The Nine Lives of Maria La Gata” on Thursday nights.

Why?

Cuz everything old is new again! I have this theory that we can awaken Dr. Nutmeg and Femmebot 7.0 by re-writing these specific memory files from the 1980s and the 1920s through a 21st century lens — especially after two white male billionaires took charge of the Interwebz last week. While they’re influencing the Zeitgeist from their POV for the next four years, we’ll continue shining the spotlight on those of us that were excelling as a result of…at first I was gonna write DEI, but we all know it’s ourselves that got us where we are.

We’re still here.

Here at The FACTory, we’re used to the marginalization so if you’re new, let us teach you how to manage the present reality and re-shape the future by looking at trends in the past. 🌀My late mentor Hazel Henderson, a futurist and Godmother of Socially Responsible Investing, used to call it “Trendspotting.”

“If we can recognize that change and uncertainty are basic principles, we can greet the future and the transformation we are undergoing with the understanding that we do not know enough to be pessimistic.”

— Hazel Henderson

Hazel also said:

“Don't wait for anyone to deputize you or authorize you or empower you. You have to just start out with yourself...and put one foot in front of the other.”

Knowing this is true, and after watching Kamala put one foot in front of the other for 107 days, let our TV show, “Model Ricans” bring you back in time, to the so-called comfort and nostalgia of the 1980s. It was a time when we were always invisible to the mainstream. It was a time when all we knew how to do was empower ourselves by putting one foot in front of the other, in spite of the obstacles. It was a time when life could be segmented into 30-minute episodes —

But first, a word from our sponsor:
Javascript In the Browser!

Tonight, we're releasing Episode 1 of “Model Ricans,” sponsored by an old 80s game written in JavaScript called Guess My Number.

We will build the game using Visual Studio Code, which you can download free for either Windows or Mac. You can also download the starter code from GitHub here. If you don't already have node.js installed on your computer, you can download it here.

Whew! That's a lot of set-up to create a game, but hey - this is how it is when you play with technology. Using the starter code, we will first try some DOM (Document Object Model) Manipulation:

console.log(document.querySelector('.message'));

This code yields this HTML statement:
<p class="message">Start guessing...</p>

If we add .textContent to the code, like this:
console.log(document.querySelector('.message').textContent);

The browser will show the text content like this:
Start guessing...

That's a good start! We will continue building our game backstage in the “Re-coding Room” while you watch the show. For un-paid subscribers, here’s a synopsis so you can decide if you want to upgrade:

Desiree Sanchez is a Model Rican. This means she is a Math Olympiad, the fastest runner in her class, gets good grades, washes all the dishes after dinner, and blends in easily with the Black, White, and Brown neighbors of her Nuyorican family’s suburban house in Strong Island. When Desiree’s Dad tells the family they will be moving to Orlando-snOrlando-Borelando, Fla., she announces that she will be running away.

• Will Desiree succeed in her plot to run away?

• How is Desiree related to Dr. Nutmeg and Femmebot 7.0?

• Will Desiree eventually grow up and pull Dr. Nutmeg and Femmebot 7.0 out of a coma? Follow the story by upgrading your subscription now!

Model Ricans Episode 1 — Running Away

1985
While Mom, Dad, Lil Bro and Big Sister are watching the end of the “Cosby Show,” I am quietly plotting my escape to The City. My bag is packed. I’ve got $35 saved. As soon as “Family Ties” begins, I’ll tell them all goodbye. I will say something like, “I’m not moving to Florida with all of you because I’ll be going to The City tonight with my best friend Diana Rodriguez.”