Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Mayim Bialik leaves tech on 'Big Bang' set

LOS ANGELES — Mayim Bialik, who plays nerdy scientist Amy Fowler on CBS' smash hit Big Bang Theory, has been promoting the cause of nerd-dom for nearly two decades — ever since she got a Ph.D. in neuroscience after her 1990s sitcomBlossom ended in 1995.
Bialik is having fun with her inner geek in mock-serious YouTube spots for razor maker Gillette on the science of how Superman shaves. She's also a paid spokeswoman for Texas Instruments. We met Bialik at her house here, where she home schools her kids, who are 8 and 5.
NO TECH AT HOME
"I don't use the Internet, yet, to teach my kids. It's good old-fashioned paper, pens and pencils. I know the Internet is available to me and them, and that it 

will be useful, but I'm teaching them the way I was taught."
NO VIDEO GAMES, TV OR INTERNET FOR THE KIDS
"I've never turned the television on for them ever, except to watch the Rose Bowl and Thanksgiving parade and Olympics."
This includes Big Bang and Blossom. "They've seen some episodes of Sesame Streeton the iPad." It's no Internet at home — except once. "They wanted to see what (singer) Adele looked like, so I showed them."
BLOGGING AND SOCIAL MEDIA
Bialik is a blogger for the Jewish parenting website Kveller, where she announced her recent divorce from Michael Stone and has since written at length about her post-divorce life. She's also a frequent contributor to her Facebook and Twitter pages. "I use (social media) for professional purposes only. I post articles I write and sometimes post other people's articles." She doesn't tweet often, "because I don't think in small sentences."
NO GOOGLING POLICY
"That can be very detrimental to your mental health. It can be difficult. I haven't Googled myself in years. I went on a strike from reading comments. I have a lot of other things to do than look at myself and get sad because some random dude in Ohio hates my shoes."
NEUROSCIENCE
"It's the study of brain and nervous system. Psychiatry, neuro-engineering, anatomy, everything that deals with brain and nervous system. I view the world as a scientist. The appreciation I have for the biggest and smallest things and every human interaction is affected by my course of study on a macro and micro scale."
GEAR
She has a MacBook Air, iPad and HTC One phone. "I like it because the screen is larger and (the phone is) lighter." She doesn't use many, beyond the National Public Radio app.
MAKING VIDEO CALLS
She started using Skype and FaceTime to video chat when it was introduced to her on Big Bang. "I have it (FaceTime) on my MacBook and FaceTimed with my boys while I was in Paris recently while they were taking classes at the park. It is amazing to me. My parents were born during World War II, so they saw every kind of technology created in their lifetime. I have that same sense of wonder they instilled in me."
TALKING STEM
Bialik promotes STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) to students, on behalf of Texas Instruments. "I'm known for being a scientist on TV, but the fun thing is I'm a scientist in real life. I come from a family of teachers. I've taught since my degree and will continue to teach. It's been one of the most pleasant partnerships to put myself out there and put a positive face — a female face — on STEM."
TECH ON SET — NOW VS. THEN
"There was no tech then," says Bialik, about working on her first big TV hit, Blossom,in the early '90s. "Literally, we were called to set on a phone that rang. When I started college nobody had a PC." And now, "Texting during rehearsal is such a ubiquitous part of everyone's life. Everyone is constantly texting and sending pictures.
"When I was in Paris recently (Big Bang co-star) Jim Parsons was there. We were texting and e-mailing to find each other. I took photos on my phone — but I haven't figured out how to put them on my laptop yet."

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