Jul. 19--Christina Tynan-Wood was giving an interview not long ago to Radio New Zealand, promoting her new book, "How to Be a Geek Goddess: Practical Advice for Using Computers With Smarts and Style" (San Francisco: No Starch Press, $24.95 paperback).

"The guy actually asked me why I'd be interested in such a small demographic," she said, shaking her head in wonder over a salad at Basics in downtown Wilmington.

Well, sorry, Mr. Chauvinist Pig. The notion that software and gizmos make women go all girly -- that the only true geeks look like the stars of CBS' "Big Bang Theory" -- is about as outmoded as a TRS-80.

True the number of women earning bachelor's degrees in computer science has dropped from nearly 40 percent in the mid-1980s to less than 20 percent today. Tynan-Wood, however, doesn't think that reflects what's happening in the real world.

Women, millions of them, are selling stuff on eBay and craigslist. They're downloading songs, blogging, managing family pictures with Photoshop and, boy, are they Twittering.

"How to Be a Geek Goddess" simply offers them a painless tour through the brave new cyberworld. Chapters cover such topics as how to erase your disks when you dispose of an old computer, how to shop safely online, how to protect children from online smut, how to go wireless and even how to date online without risking one's life.

Tynan-Wood and her husband, Dan Tynan, have been writing for years for PCWorld, Family Circle, Infoworld.com and other magazines and media outlets. Originally based in San Francisco, they headed east to research a story out of the Research Triangle, detoured to the coast, fell in love with the Wilmington area and moved here about nine years ago.

They and their children put down roots in New Hanover County and bought a house in Forest Hills.

Tynan-Wood -- a Boston native -- handles her freelance career from a rented office overlooking Front Street, where she edits her blog Geek Girlfriends (geekgirlfriends.com).

Although much of cyberspace still looks as if it were designed for adolescent boys, Tynan-Wood says the territory is growing more female-friendly.

Just about every woman, and lots of kids, could benefit from a netbook, she added -- a purse-sized laptop.

Now, if we could get a laptop that mowed lawns and did simple home repair ...

Contact Ben Steelman at 343-2208 or ben.steelman@starnewsonline.com.

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