Ada Lovelace Day
happy Ada Lovelace day to everyone! Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to celebrate the achievements of women in technology and science, and here’s a roundup of some relevant posts and info.
first, Ada herself:
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was born on 10th December 1815, the only child of Lord Byron and his wife, Annabella. Born Augusta Ada Byron, but now known simply as Ada Lovelace, she wrote the world’s first computer programmes for the Analytical Engine, a general-purpose machine that Charles Babbage had invented. Understanding that computers could do a lot more than just crunch numbers, Ada suggested that the Analytical Engine “might compose elaborate and scientific pieces of music of any degree of complexity or extent.” She never had the chance to fully explore the possibilities of either Babbage’s inventions or her own understanding of computing. She died, aged only 36, on 27th November 1852, of cancer and bloodletting by her physicians.and other must-read posts:
- a profile of EFF Legal Director Cindy Cohn
- more info on Ada and her legacy at Harpyness
- FWD has a fascinating list of women with technological or scientific advances relevant to people with disabilities (such as the home diabetes test and drugs that facilitated kidney transplants)
- an ode to the Geek Feminism blog
- a profile of Dr. Mae Jemison, first black woman in space
- and a tribute to a female tech colleague
- (thanks to Hoyden for the last three links)
which females in science and technology do you admire?
