I think they do mention Lovelace in that NYT article (and darn it, I was going to offer the PDF version which I have!) but the whole Guardian piece I linked is about her. And says she has a great steampunk name, which is accurate. Thanks for reading!
Your mom is a total bad ass! I am so impressed with her story and all the things she did in a time when women were so under valued.
Way back when (1980) I took my first programming class at Rutgers and I too, fell in love. I loved programming. I learned Fortran. If I hadn't dropped out of college and eventually moved to Montana, I would have stayed in computer science. In this new part-time gig I have, I am writing and fixing lessons that will eventually be used in Texas. Because these things are short, I find myself calling on my programming skills of logical sequencing to make the lessons flow. And I realized I have always done that when lesson planning. if I want kids to be able to do that and they only know this, how do I get them there? And that is why all kids need to learn computational thinking skill: it helps with everything.
This might be in the NYT article (they’re always blocked for me), and I’m sure you know all about her anyway--the first computer programmer ever was a woman, Ada Lovelace. This all reminds me of something a botanist friend wrote recently, how botany in England used to be mostly done by women, until men decided they wanted to “own” it and turn it into a more serious science (as if it wasn’t one already, all over the world).
Your mother sounds amazing and what great photos of her!
I think they do mention Lovelace in that NYT article (and darn it, I was going to offer the PDF version which I have!) but the whole Guardian piece I linked is about her. And says she has a great steampunk name, which is accurate. Thanks for reading!
Good Guardian piece! And 😂👍 on the steampunk name. She was such an interesting person all around.
Capital one, baby!
Your mom is a total bad ass! I am so impressed with her story and all the things she did in a time when women were so under valued.
Way back when (1980) I took my first programming class at Rutgers and I too, fell in love. I loved programming. I learned Fortran. If I hadn't dropped out of college and eventually moved to Montana, I would have stayed in computer science. In this new part-time gig I have, I am writing and fixing lessons that will eventually be used in Texas. Because these things are short, I find myself calling on my programming skills of logical sequencing to make the lessons flow. And I realized I have always done that when lesson planning. if I want kids to be able to do that and they only know this, how do I get them there? And that is why all kids need to learn computational thinking skill: it helps with everything.
I love this connection from programming to teaching, Colleen! I never thought of that before.
This is awesome. Your momma sounds like one helluva woman.
Anna, all of your posts have resonated deeply with me and this one even more so. Thank you for making me think, feel seen and smile with every post.
Thank you for reading them!
What a fascinating life your mother has lived and what a fantastic legacy for you to experience.
This might be in the NYT article (they’re always blocked for me), and I’m sure you know all about her anyway--the first computer programmer ever was a woman, Ada Lovelace. This all reminds me of something a botanist friend wrote recently, how botany in England used to be mostly done by women, until men decided they wanted to “own” it and turn it into a more serious science (as if it wasn’t one already, all over the world).
Your mother sounds amazing and what great photos of her!