Last year, our list of the Most Influential Women in Technology raised plenty of eyebrows, ire, and fist pumps of joy — depending on the reader. And we’ve no doubt this list will follow suit. But the overwhelming number of nominees and fresh names proved that, while women in tech may remain at a distinct disadvantage by almost any metric (average salary, top-management representation, etc), there is also plenty to celebrate and be inspired by.
 The Entrepreneurs  Founder 20x200 Coming of age during the tech boom, Jen Bekman worked her way up through the online ranks -- New York Online, Electric Minds, Netscape, Disney/GO Networks, AOL, Meetup -- only to split the scene for what seemed like career derailment. |  The Brainiacs  Cofounder Flowing Media As an undergrad, Fernanda Viégas dropped out twice and studied chemical engineering, linguistics, and education on two continents, before finally finishing with a degree in graphic design. And then, she didn't want to be a graphic designer. |
 The Media  Creative Innovator Switch Craft An illuminated wedding dress and RFID tea cups that can control videos are just two of Alison Lewis's tech-infused DIY projects, which involve clothing, home accessories, and small electronics and can be found in her book and blog. |  The Media Cofounder and Vice President of Production Howcast Studios What is Howcast? We're a new media company that creates shortform instructional videos and distributes them online, over on-demand TV, and through our iPhone and Android apps. We launched two years ago and have more than 100,000 videos on the site. |
 The Gamers  Cofounder and CEO Ohai The U.S. virtual goods market will jump 60% this year to $1.6 billion, and analysts estimate worldwide annual revenue could reach $10 billion -- the equivalent of Hollywood’s 2009 box-office earnings. Founder of online-gaming firm Ohai Susan Wu knew that virtual goods (products that exist only online) made real money, and she went after the digital wares like a hot commodity. |  The Brainiacs  Cyborg Anthropologist Amber Case is just your ordinary cyborg anthropologist. "My father used to read me bedtime stories out of this book called Evolution of Consciousness," Case says. |
 The Media Managing Editor CNN.com Last December, just after CNN.com unveiled a redesign with a simplified, user-centric interface to better showcase its breaking news, a new blog appeared named Afghanistan Crossroads. |  The Brainiacs Director SETI When astronomer Jill Tarter was awarded the TED Prize in 2009, she was given the opportunity to make a wish big enough to change the world, and she did: “I wish that you would empower Earthlings everywhere to become active participants in the ultimate search for cosmic company." |
WiFi owner fined for lax security in Germany. German citizen responsible for the security of their own private wireless network. http//: