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Happy 197th Birthday, Ada Lovelace
Today is the birthday of one of my personal heroes.
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace
Ada was the only legitimate child of the English poet, Lord Byron. Born in the 1800s, she was part of a world that didn’t have many female scientists and mathematicians like her.
Why was she badass?
Among her many other accomplishments, Ada is widely considered to be the world’s first computer programmer.
In 1842–43, Ada translated an Italian manuscript on Charles Babbage’s proposed Analytical Engine, the very first design for a Turing-complete general purpose computer. With the article, she appended a set of notes explaining the Analytical Engine’s function.
This was difficult, considering other scientists did not actually grasp Babbage’s concept. The notes she left were longer than the manuscript itself and included, in complete detail, a method for calculating a sequence of Bernoulli numbers with the Engine.
When the first complete Babbage Analytical Engine was completed in 2002, her method was found to successfully and efficiently run on it. Yes, the algorithm she wrote in the notes of a translation she did, for a computing device the likes of which had never been seen and that had not even been built and wouldn’t be tested until 150 years after her death.
Although it is a bit silly, I like to think that one can trace a long line of female computer programmers down from Ada Lovelace. I learned my first programming languages from my mother. I’ll tear down any chauvinist who says girls can’t code.
Oh, sure, the program worked. But it still took 159 years to compile.
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Posted over at Boing Boing, originally via Darren, who says: “A disarming video of an 86-year-old WWII veteran from a public meeting on Maine’s marriage equality bill on April 22, 2009.”
Wow. And yes. Beautiful. Listen to Philip, speaking:
The woman at my polling place asked me do I believe in equality for gay and lesbian people. I was pretty surprised to be asked a question like that. It made no sense to me. Finally I asked her: what do you think I fought for in Omaha Beach?
…My wife and I did not raise four sons with the idea that three of them would have a certain set of rights but our gay child would be left out. We raised them to be hardworking, proud and loyal Americans. And they all did good.
(video via EqualityMaine)
This hit me hard around the 2:00 mark. ”What do you think I voted for at Omaha Beach?” It’s not just what he says, it’s how he says it. The little crack in his voice. It’s all very matter-of-fact up to that point, where it’s suddenly clear just how much this man means it, how much he feels it. I know I’m not the only one moved to tears by this.
