"women didn't invent anything"
Thank you Evelyn Berezin!
Women invented pretty much every major piece of technology, before they were completely pushed out of computer science. Programming languages, compilers, wifi, blue tooth, word processors, and so so much more!
This project explores the unseen women, often referred to as “weavers,” who were instrumental to the development of computers. It focuses on both the conceptual labor and physical labor involved in the weaving of core memory, a form of read only memory for computers that was first used in the 1960s for the NASA Mars space probes and then in the Apollo Guidance Computer.
This work will bring focus to the full extent of women’s contributions to groundbreaking STEM creations. Specifically it speaks to the practices of making involved in developing technical prototypes and how these practices parallel practices of traditional textile fabrication that women have long pioneered.
During the Second World War, six talented mathematicians were brought together to make history. These women had one mission: to program the world’s first and only supercomputer. Speaking with Rachel Dinning, Kathy Kleiman explores the vital but overlooked role the “Eniac 6” played in the history of computing during and after the Second World War.
Margaret Cavendish was a pioneer of modern science fiction – except she didn’t intend to write science fiction. In the 17th century, Cavendish was a noblewoman who wanted to be taken seriously as a philosopher. In her poetry and her landmark work, The Blazing World, she imagined parallel universes, microscopic cities, human animal hybrids, zombie armies and flying vehicles. I talk with professors Emily Thomas (Durham University), Lisa Walters (University of Queensland), Lisa Sarasohn (Oregon State University), and Lara Dodds (Mississippi State University) about why Cavendish wrote for future generations that she hoped would understand and appreciate her ideas. Featuring readings by Tanya Rich.
Books by Margaret Cavendish on Project Gutenberg https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/58404
Born #onthisday in 1799, the English botanist Anna Atkins. As well as being considered by many to be first woman to create a photograph, her stunning 1843 book of algae cyanotypes is thought to be first book illustrated with photographs: https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/cyanotypes-of-british-algae-by-anna-atkins-1843 #OTD
Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner by eedeeo
(May 17, 1912 – January 13, 2006)
Mary Kenner was an American inventor who credited her father for her interest in discoveries. Interestingly enough, her grandfather invented a light signal for trains (however, this invention was stolen from him), while her sister, Mildred Davidson Austin Smith invented and sold board games. Mary herself invented an adjustable sanitary belt with an inbuilt, moisture-proof napkin pocket - which was a precursor to modern sanitary pads. In 1956, the inventor saved enough money to get her first patent on it. However, the Sonn-Nap-Pack Company rejected it after discovering that Mary was African American. Sadly, she never made any money off the sanitary belt as her patent expired and became public domain allowed to be manufactured freely.
“Every person is born with a creative mind. Everyone has that ability.” - Mary Kenner
Miss M.F. Lewis’ Fungi collected in Shropshire and other neighborhoods on the Internet Archive:
The amazing women behind the Apollo 11 spacesuit. Clip from “Moonwalk One,” 1971
“I always remember having this fight with a random dude who claimed that ‘straight white men’ were the only true innovators. His prime example for this was the computer… the computer… THE COMPUTER!!! THE COM-PU-TER!!!
Alan Turing - Gay man and ‘father of computing’ Wren operating Bombe - The code cracking computers of the 2nd world war were entirely run by women Katherine Johnson - African American NASA mathematician and ‘Human computer’ Ada Lovelace - arguably the 1st computer programmer”
Also Margaret Hamilton - NASA computer scientist who put the first man on the moon - an as-yet-unmatched feet of software engineering, here pictured beside the full source of that computer programme. #myhero
Grace Hopper - the woman that coined the term “bug”
Grace Hopper did more than coin the term “bug”. She invented the first program linker in the early 1950s, for the UNIVAC I. A program linker translates instructions from one language to another (for example, numerical codes that represent instructions translated to machine code that computers can read), which is the very foundation of how computer’s operate independently. she also pulled a steve rogers and tried to enlist in the military a bunch of times and was denied. then, an exception was made for her when she joined the navy reserves, and she ended up serving for over 40 years (half of which was active duty). she retired from the navy Rear Admiral Grace Hopper. she was born in NYC in 1906. Grace Hopper was a fucking badass.
also computing was typically a job for women (many of whom were black women that made incredible contributions) back in the day, so it’s absolutely fucking wild that straight white men think they are the foundation of computer innovation. men PUSHED women out and took the credit.
Reblogging to do what the failed education system never did.
let’s not forget the incredible women who made it possible for india to go to mars!
THIS IS EVERYTHING THANK YOU SO MUCH MANGO FOR ADDING INDIA
Simon and Rachel talk with the nature writer Rebecca Giggs. Rebecca, who is from Perth, Australia, writes about how people feel towards animals in a time of technological and ecological change. Her work has appeared in the Atlantic, the New York Times Magazine, Granta, and in anthologies including Best Australian Essays and Best Australian Science Writing. We spoke with Rebecca about “Fathoms: the World in the Whale”, her debut non-fiction book, her exhaustive research process and about the Australian literary scene.
You can find us online at alwaystakenotes.com, on Twitter @takenotesalways, and on Facebook at facebook.com/alwaystakenotes. Our crowdfunding page is patreon.com/alwaystakenotes. Always Take Notes is presented by Simon Akam and Rachel Lloyd, and produced by Artemis Irvine. Our music is by Jessica Dannheisser and our logo was designed by James Edgar.
Ada Lovelace Day Online 2020 Ada Lovelace Day on social media
Ada Lovelace Day, Tuesday 13 October, is going back to its roots with a day of blogging, Twittering and Facebooking, just like we did in 2009.
#ALD20 will celebrate women, advocates and educators in STEM. We’ll be profiling women working in STEM around the world and those women who work so hard campaigning for gender equality in industry, academia and the community.
We want you to join in by highlighting our hidden advocates, the teachers, lecturers and professors, the researchers and technicians, the women you work with, who go above and beyond to encourage and support girls and women in STEM. Who are the unsung heroines whose work is changing the future face of STEM?
You can write a blog post, record a podcast, or take part on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or any other social media platform – the choice is yours. And just like back in 2009, we’ll create a database so that you can give us your links for posterity.
Ada Lovelace Day webinars
We’re running five webinars on Ada Lovelace Day and we hope you’ll join us to hear from some amazing women in STEM. Tickets are free, so sign up via Eventbrite to stay up-to-date with our speakers, get reminders and the link to view the events.
Claire Evans is one half of the band Yacht. She’s also a tech historian who archives women’s contributions in tech and computing in her book Broadband. Claire lays out how women were always at the forefront of technology and computing and how our contributions were erased over time.
