Blogging for Ada

Commemorating 19th century geek Ada Lovelace is as good a reason as any to (1) start blogging again after a long hiatus and (2) honour two people I know who are admirable examples of women who embrace technology and science with enthusiasm. I am very blessed to know them personally – they are my mother and my daughter. My mother is herself an active blogger and wastes no opportunity to coach and mentor her peers so that they too can enjoy the world wide web, a world she delights in every day for keeping in touch with friends and family and always learning something new.

It’s no surprise that my daughter is comfortable with technology. Her generation grew up with computers and as a world traveller she counts on skype and texting to keep track of people back home. She has pursued a career in animal behaviour, but now she is expanding her knowledge of the sciences by studying conservation biology, while still working directly with animals at Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.

Both of these women have had very different influences and experiences from the genteel countess, “The Enchantress of Numbers” Ada Lovelace, but I think they both share her passion for learning and delight in what technology can make possible.