Today is Ada Lovelace Day! You may be asking, Who is Ada Lovelace, why does she have her own day, and why is Missus writing about her?
Ada Lovelace is regarded as the worlds first computer programmer working in conjunction Charles Babbage, the famous mathematician and engineer who is credited as being the Father of the Computer, she created an encoded algorithm which is now considered to be the worlds first computer programmer. She also predicted that one day these computing machines could do far more than crunch numbers, including creating music. Windows 7? Her idea, probably.
As a lifelong geek and technophile, Ive always found her influence on modern computer sciences to be pretty impressive. The influence of her work has been both practical and inspirational. Apart from helping to light the way for those who followed, she had a programming language named after her, the British Computer Society hands out a medal with her name on it, and Microsoft have used her portrait on their product authenticity hologram stickers. Its a fairly impressive way to leave your mark on the world for anybody, but particularly impressive when you remember she was a woman who lived in the early to mid 19th century, prematurely popping her clogs at the age of 37. Given that women today still often have to struggle against preconceived notions that theyre somehow limited when it comes to science and maths because they possess a set of ovaries, her achievements are incredible.
So once a year, people in tech like to remind the world that not only are there more notable faces in the history of science, technology and engineering than just Bill Gates, some of them are actually women. As a woman in technology myself, I feel obliged to honour the cause. So, who to write about?
Its a tough one for me, because Ive worked with so many amazing talented women 3d artists, programmers, etc. Obviously Ive worked with equally talented men, but they generally havent been treated like some sort of freakish aberration for their interests and careers by friends, family and colleagues! So in a bold move (and in a vague attempt to keep this post in keeping with the rest of the blog) I give you
Roxy Lo!