astutia

Let's talk about a different kind of public education for a moment. Hopefully this is maintained as but a moment...because I can get pretty passionate about the standard of education the public tends to uphold.

But first, a quick exposé on a dangerous substance that can be found virtually everywhere:

This chemical is found in overwhelming quantities in our oceans, is used on all crops, is found in the brains of cancer patients and the lungs of smokers. It is used in all vaccines. It was responsible for the sinking of the Titanic. And the government is allowing for it to be piped directly into your home.

In case you haven't gotten the joke already, dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO) is simply the long way of saying H2O, which is water.  You can educate yourself more about it here.

I find this little hoax amusing, to be honest, mostly because it is harmless.  If people actually get scared enough about all of the dangers of DHMO, it only takes twenty seconds and a google search for them to learn what it actually is.

That's the catch, though...you have to get your information from a reliable source.  And dhmo.org may look authoritative on the subject, but it's not really going to give you scientific answers in a neutral light.

This is obviously an instructive metaphor for things that are of a much less harmless nature.

There will always be some agency or individual out there, especially on the interwebs, spreading information about corrupt politicians or whether a certain substance or practice is harmful.  There are plenty of controversial things in the world, and no better place to blow them out of proportion than the internet.  But the internet can also be a great tool for education. And if more people were willing to educate themselves based on well-executed research rather than getting information through facebook campaigns, well-angled media, and manipulative corporations, I think we would be able to make better societal progress toward appropriate solutions.

Obviously, you can find just about whatever you are looking for on the internet.  Need an article to villainize renewable energy? Not hard to find. And one to praise it as the only solution? Also a simple find.  We need to be able to determine what we can accept to be true.

One of the best ways to sort things out of a scientific nature is to look for peer-reviewed articles.  These can easily be found using the filtered search engine, Google Scholar, which filters results to include only scholarly articles that are peer-reviewed and published by experts in the field.  This means that research was conducted and analyzed using approved scientific methods, and then the procedures, results, and conclusions were reviewed by multiple experts in the field for accuracy and quality before being published.  All of this establishes great scientific authority on the topic.  These articles can be long and very technical, but all of them include an abstract that can usually be viewed free (whereas the actual article may be in a journal that requires a subscription) and that abstract is a simple summary of what is in the article. This can give you a better idea as to what the science behind the topic is actually saying.

Of course, even peer-reviewed scientific articles cannot establish absolute truth alone; one of the quickest discoveries of any scientist is just how much we don't know.  Therefore it is important to also search for scientific articles that might support opposing points of view or related topics.  While this may not resolve the controversy, it can help you know what we do know, what we don't know, and what we are trying to do to figure it out.  It will help you sort out the fact from the fiction from the yet-inconclusive theories surrounding the topic.  And these generally have higher authority than whatever facebook story or infographic started the controversy.

Peer-reviewed articles are not the only reliable source, especially depending on the topic.  There are many websites with significant authority concerning the information they share, including .gov and .edu sites.  These suffixes mean that the web page is published by a governmental organization or an educational institution and generally are required to practice good information techniques and present information in a neutral light.  Websites published by organizations (.org),  commercial entities (.com), and anyone who can buy a domain name (.info) are under no obligations with regard to the quality or type of information they choose to supply.

When it comes to news sources, it can be more difficult to find a reliable, neutral source that will provide the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  Because of this it is important to do thorough research (especially on social or political issues) and gather as many articles as possible from different sources--liberal, conservative, public, private, even local and international. This will help you know what information is most reliable. The information is more likely to be reliable if it is found in multiple sources, especially sources coming from various angles.  You can also look for primary sources such as interviews with public figures or actual quotes from documents, speeches, and so on.  Having a broad array of news sources can also help you interpret the information better.  Many sources will lead the story into a certain conclusion depending on the views and goals of those presenting as well as their primary audience. This is not inherently a bad thing. Reading reports from various sources can help you gain multiple perspectives and consider the issue in ways you might not normally do so, for example on a local versus global scale.  Having a deeper understanding of the issue and its multiple sides will then help you draw a better conclusion as to what is true and what is the best thing to do.

These practices won't protect you from ever being misled about something, but it will make it much less likely for you to engage in a meaningless argument on the internet where neither party can separate fact from opinion.  It can also help you be a more well-informed and critical reader of the things that you see online and in the news.  Most of all, I hope it helps people to open their minds to new evidence and ideas, to be willing to say they were wrong about something, and to be willing to discuss controversy civilly and move toward a solution and a compromise.

So, next time you find some surprising information on your facebook feed or in the news, please take a quick moment to do some research before sharing, commenting, or otherwise reacting.  You may find out that the terrifying chemical found in all autopsies is really...just water.

unitates

Little-known fact: Buzz Lightyear was an ingenious physicist.  You can tell because his name is also a unit of measurement.

Think of all the other units we have in physics.

The Webber.  The Tesla.  The Joule, Hertz, Ampere, Celsius, Coulomb, Henry, Newton, Pascal, Kelvin, Ohm, Watt, Gauss, Siemens...

All these guys made breakthrough discoveries and did fancy science to such an extent that they needed an entirely new unit in order to to more science.  Which is pretty incredible stuff.

And good old Buzz Lightyear is up there with them.  You thought he was just an overzealous space ranger, but much of our modern-day astroscience is possible thanks to Mr. Lightyear, the scientist.

anomalia

I met a guy on campus the other day, at a political event.  When he asked what I was studying, I told him I was going into Engineering.  His response was this:

"You're an anomaly.  You're interested in politics, you're going into engineering, and you're a girl."

Yes.  Yes I am. Thank you, thank you.

My roommate heard of this exchange and she agreed with the boy, because on top of being politically interested and adept at maths and science, I also like fine literature and working out.  

Hopefully none of this is coming as a surprise to you, o blog readership.  I feel like I have mentioned many of these aspects of my life here on the blag-o-blag.

What makes me wonder, though, is this:
If there was a guy who was politically interested and an engineer...would he be an anomaly?
I mean, there were about as few women at the political event as there are in my engineering classes...in fact, after the event a few of us hung around to keep talking to the speaker, and of those twenty of so, I was the only one sans Y chromosome.

So am I an anomaly in the sense that I do a lot of different things, or am I an anomaly in the sense that I do things and I am a girl?

I prefer to think that perhaps anyone who is interested in engineering and politics and literature and soccer could be considered an anomaly, regardless of their gender or race.  

Of course, I would prefer to think that anyone who is interested in a vast array of differing subjects is not an anomaly.  Why do people assume that if you are good at one thing, you must be inept at others?  People see math and English as an either/or skill set; you can't possibly succeed at both.

Society...

It's not that I don't like being so different. I love being an anomaly, really.  The problem here is not that I am an anomaly, but that society can be so narrow-minded sometimes.  

Please don't be so surprised that an engineering major reads books.  Don't think it weird that a girl takes apart motors to see how they work.  Don't think that somebody who likes playing soccer in the mud and isn't afraid to get messy cannot also read fine poetry and sing classical music.

And even moreso, please don't limit yourself to your own paradigms and fallacies.

viridi

Today was Saint Patrick's day.

My roommate and I tried to explain how such a holiday works here in America to our roommate from South Korea.  Basically, it went like this:

"Well, you celebrate by binge drinking...except we don't really do that, because we don't drink...and you have to wear green clothes or else people can pinch you."

It makes sense, right?  What a strange, strange world we live in...

Anyway, I got home from church and promptly changed into a red t-shirt.  That's right, RED.

Just like that.

Was I asking for pinches?  Perhaps.

But I felt like I was wearing more green this way than by adorning myself in viridity.  See, if I wear red, then all the green light waves are absorbed by my apparel and the red ones are reflected into the eyes of the beholder.  Ergo I am clad in green.

On the other hand, if I were wearing something that appeared to be green, I would have no green light on my personage; it would have all been reflected off of me.

Science deserves no pinches.

machinor

So it's Engineering week at my university.  What this means for me, an engineering student, is that I get free food. :D

I guess the university wants to try to make engineering look cool so that more people will be interested in it as a major or something.

 

As if they really needed to convince people that it's cool.

A friend of mine believes it's more likely to give a pep talk to those of us already in the program.  We're hitting that awful part of the year when all your tests pile on and your classes smell bad (mostly figuratively) and you can't get enough sleep for the life of you, and so you do irrational things like contemplate switching to be an English major.

Sorry, English majors.

So the college of engineering put up these signs all over campus that say things like
"Without engineers, there would be no water slides or roller coasters or happiness.  You're welcome."

This may be a bit of an exaggeration...maybe...but really, engineers are pretty concerned about improving people's lives and creating new solutions to new problems.  Which is useful and perhaps altruistic in its own way.

Most people have heard of engineers before but it can sometimes be hard to really get a feel for what they do.  Writers write, for example.  Bakers bake, directors direct and actors act, officers office, lawyers lawy, and engineers....engine?

Here is one job description:

"Scientists investigate that which already is;

Engineers create that which has never been." 

-Albert Einstein

In fact, the verb "engineer" has its roots in the Medieval Latin verb for "to design or devise".

It's a pretty broad job description, really...everything has been designed and devised.  Look around you.  The device you're reading this on has been engineered many times over.  Whatever you're standing or sitting on has been carefully designed by an engineer.  A lot of what you're wearing had some engineering involved in its manufacturing, if not in the product itself.  YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY THE PRODUCTS OF ENGINEERS.

So why not become one and participate in the creation of your own future?

 

educationem

Baaaaugh. I feel like it's been forever since I posted last (indeed, a whole week).  I've been having a small case of writer's block, really.

But that's ending today. Not because I have a good idea now, but because I'm sick of it. So I'm going to write stuff whether it's good or not.

Ha, whether it's good or not...
See, I used to be an avid writer.  Throughout most of middle school I thought I wanted to grow up and become an author.  So I would write stories all the time.  I had a particular preference for stuff set in medieval times and also science fiction.  Kindof a weird match, but true...I was really quite steampunky, looking back.
I was going through some old writings I found recently and was like "Woh, this was written forever ago!  I think I was a better writer five years ago than I am now..."
Which, when it comes to fictitious writing, may very well be true.

Once upon a time in ninth grade, I got sick of English.  I think part of it was that I got bored with the teacher and a little distracted by myriad other things, but I stopped enjoying writing assignments (and really, stopped doing them altogether) and since then I've been largely focused more on maths and sciences than writing.

It doesn't really help that my high school writing career largely involved analytical and technical writing.  I still enjoyed it and succeeded at it, but it wasn't as inventive and didn't always consist of a whole lot of myself.

So frankly, it's a bit strange to me that now I'm in university, studying mechanical engineering (where all my classes are math and science-based) I've kindof resurrected my former writing self.  Of all times to do so.

Perhaps it just goes to show that now I've finished all my required English and Art classes for the rest of my foreseeable educational journey, I have to get my fix some other (optional) way.

I just think it's interesting that when it comes to science versus art, the only ground seems to be middle ground.  You really can't have one without the other; even in individuals it's somewhat impossible to devote yourself to becoming entirely immersed in one while completely avoiding the other.

"Ohai, I'm Leonardo da Vinci, and I'm the boss of Art and Science."

It almost seems as if the further you delve into one area, the deeper you go in others as well.  Like the more you know about anatomy, the better you are at drawing people.  And the more experience you have with music, the easier it is to understand sound waves and sound interference. 

So I guess as long as you're learning something, you're gradually learning everything. Which is a pleasant thought to me.

dominus

So it's now the third day of the semester, and an interesting pattern developed over the past two days as I went through syllabus after syllabus.

They all included the word "master".

And it wasn't even in the context of "In order to pass the final, you will have to pray to your Master" or "I am the ENGR2210 Master, I will decide who will pass and who will fail."

No, it was always along the lines of mastering the subject material.

And really, that's nothing unusual to be said, but I guess after being beaten over the head with in first in Statics, then in Calculus and Electronics and Physics and Graphics (Yes yes...you're all jealous of my kick-butt schedule) it made me think about the phrase a little more...than anyone really should, I guess.

Master. Mastery. Mastering...
In terms of education and syllabi, it's really not that strange. It means that you have gained an understanding of the subject and you can use it and not look silly in front of the nerds.

But then I started thinking about it in different terms.  I like to do this with words, really...and sometimes it's enlightening, and sometimes it's confusing, and sometimes it really doesn't get anywhere at all.  I guess we can decide where this one ended up after I describe it to you.

Master, as in "Master and slave"
Initial reaction: "slavery is bad!"
Then: "waiiiiit a minute.  I could enslave physics?  It could do my bidding?  Ooooh."  NOW this syllabus is getting somewhere.

"Physics! Solve this paltry homework conundrum!"
"Yes, Master..."

Suddenly, the world is becoming mine, and I'm realizing just how important education is, if it allows you to enslave Physics.  Calculus and Electronics, too.  Pretty soon I could be the master of lots of things!

Master, as in "Master's Program"
Yes...but this isn't a master's program...this is a sophomore-level engineering class...
But I suppose getting a good grip on this stuff is not a bad idea either way.  To get accepted to a master's program. So far off, but so much to think about...

Master, as in "Master, the Tempest is Raging"
Initial reaction: "RAAAAAAGING."   This tempest, Lord. 'Tis furious.
Then: Well, I suppose He mastered physics, too.  And calculus and electronics and graphics and statics...
I mean, to take a raging tempest:

I have labelled some stuff here (e.g. propagating waves :D), but it's very minimal.
I have not yet mastered all the physics...

And make it pleasant. Peachy, even:

Net Force: 0  Net Torque: 0
Net Celestial Fruit: Peach.

You kindof have to be a master of Physics and Statics to do that.  And in order to Master those, you have to master Caculus.  And when there's lightning, knowing a thing or two about Electronics probably wouldn't hurt, either.
As far as graphics, though...I'm pretty sure the Big Guy has a supercomputer.  And one heck of a laboratory.  And a huge white board in the sky for math...

But we can talk about Heaven and science later.

Anyway.  This semester is a promising one, if any of those three 'Masterings' comes true...
Most likely that of a Masters' Program.
...but I really wouldn't be disappointed if my mastery of science resulted in weather control or enslaving physics...

gyrus

And now, as promised, a post before the end of the world.

So my family and I visited the Yucatán peninsula a couple years ago.  We toured the ruins of various civilizations there, largely known as the Maya.  Of course, each independent civilization was a little bit different, but there were many striking commonalities between the two or three groups we studied there, and so it will be simpler and still fairly correct to lump them all into one general group of Mayans.

We visited Chichen Itza, perhaps the most popular Mayan site.

This Central American ziggurat is also believed to be a calendar, as it has a total of 365 steps on each side.  A theme throughout much of Mayan construction was that their structures would align with the sun in specific ways on important dates including equinoxes and solstices.  For example, el Castillo (above) has a snake head at the bottom of its staircase, and on the equinoxes the body is perfectly illuminated.  To the Maya, this represented the serpent either ascending or descending (depending on the equinox).  Other structures featured windows that would align with sunrise or sunset on specific dates.  One such date is April 6th, for anyone to whom that is significant. :)

There are so many fascinating things about Maya culture and the things they constructed with such careful precision. They studied the stars, and even built observatories (below), and even though they are known for being bloodthirsty in their rituals and contests, I find them to be an advanced and scientific civilization.

They created a solar calendar that is highly accurate in correlation to our current calendar, which is quite a mathematical feat.  They mastered principles of acoustics, astronomy, architecture, medicine, and so much more.  So they do have quite a bit of credence for predicting the end of the world.

But did they really do that?

Something interesting about the Mayan culture (almost religion, really) is that they were very dedicated to cycles.  Seasons, years, astronomical events...there are countless cycles that we experience throughout a lifetime. The Maya believed that the Earth completed many different cycles, some 52 years long, some 5125 years long.  Today marks the end of the thirteenth 5125-year long cycle, called a Baktun, and the beginning of a new one. Many people are elated at the new beginnings and believe that we have started a new and better age.

So where do we get all these prophecies of doom?

Well, the Maya do believe that the Earth goes through elemental cleansings from time to time (another cyclical occurrence).  One such cleansing, that of Water several millenia ago, is commonly known as Noah's flood.  So there has been speculation that this new Baktun could usher in another elemental cleansing, perhaps of fire, earth, or air.

Aside from the Maya, there has been mass speculation from the scientific world for several years now saying that the world is due for a few massive explosions having to do with tectonic pressures and other sub-surface happenings.  Yellowstone National Park is one such hotspot, waiting for a meltdown.

There have been several astronomical speculations from the scientific world as well, as the end of 2012 coincides with a solar maximum, an 11-year cycle where the sun reaches a maximum of sunspots and radiation.

In addition to the solar maximum, our solar system is allegedly passing through an area of its orbit through the galaxy that will bring it closer to the center than ever before, and some are expecting disasters to yield from our unusual proximity to what is commonly regarded as a black hole at the center of the milky way.

And for the Mormons reading my blog, there's quite a bit of hearsay about China opening soon (or already being opened, depending on who you ask, and whose Bishop's wife heard it from a relief society lady who was friends with the wife of an Area Seventy who overheard it in an elevator in the Church office buildings...)

(If you're not Mormon and you have no idea what China opening means, and how that even relates to the end of the world, all I can say to you is to investigate the Mormon church's missionary system and maybe you'll get an explanation later.)

Overall, it seems to me that 2012 is the coincidence of any number of cycles beginning anew, reaching an apex, or some other significant part of the cycle, and the sum of it all is what many are regarding as the end of the world, which is something we seem to have been waiting for for quite some time.

Personally, I do not believe that this world will end anytime soon (which is a very relative term, so...I'm right no matter what, ha!) but I do believe that it is the beginning of a new epoch. I wouldn't be surprised if there were any manner of disasters, natural or otherwise. I might even be excited for the challenge.

So for now, keep on being alive, go ahead and celebrate being alive if you must (which is something you should do every day...you don't need an excuse like an apocalypse to do that) and participate in the cleansing of the earth by improving yourself and the world immediately around you.

draconum

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of the Brothers Grimm's first book of fairy tales.

...is that the possessive of "Brothers Grimm"?  Personally, I'm more in favor of "Brothers' Grimm", but...either way, now you know that it belonged to them.

So originally I wanted to make a post about the end of the world, since today is supposedly the last day we have to live.  But I think I will postpone that until tomorrow morning (explanations and justifications to come...tomorrow) and go for some commentary on fairy tales instead.

See, procrastination at its finest.

For now, it's time to spend my last hours talking about fairy tales.

Which is something I never thought I would be doing.

So, 200 years ago the Brothers Grimm wrote down some fairy tales.  They didn't invent these tales, because the description of these two men provided by Google is:

"The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, were German academics, linguists, cultural researches, and authors who together collected folklore."

So although they are listed as authors, they also collected folklore, and I have reason to believe that fairy tales fall under the "folklore" genre.  Even though the fairy tales are so universally popular and often common.  Or perhaps because they are.  I mean, we're still making fairy tale movies. All the time.  And even though I've heard the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs countless times and seen many movie variations and read the story in countless variations....I still watched a Snow White movie last night.

And the funny thing is, I still found it engaging. Despite Kristen Stewart! I still found things to think about that I hadn't necessarily thought about in that way before. I knew exactly what was going to happen throughout the plot, and I still had hopes and anxieties concerning the ending.

And, of course, I still wondered what in the world is the appeal of kissing a dead person.

Any clarification on that would be welcome in the comments.

So, what is up with our seemingly innate fascination with fairy tales?  I mean, here I am, a known skeptic and perhaps even hater (or anti-fan?  do those exist?  Well, they do now, and I am one) of fairy tales, and yet...they're making an appearance here on Martin.

And they're so cliché!  We have countless fairy tales, but they all have so many things in common.  Magic and curses to be broken, orphaned children, stepmothers, kissing dead people, dragons and other fantastic creatures, groups of three, princesses, kingdoms, good versus evil, the power of love...

So it might be nice to have all this touchy-feely imagination stuff balanced out by some hardcore science and realistic mathematics.  Enjoy the following quote from Albert Einstein:

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” 

Apparently our friend Mr. Einstein is an advocate of fairy tales. Perhaps this is a conspiracy, though, because both Alberto and The Brothers Grimm were German-born...

So, perhaps a quote from an Englishman. G.K. Chesterton:

“Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” 

That no matter how evil your stepmother is, or how many apples she gives you, or how many small men you have to clean up after, there's still a way for you to win a man and a kingdom in the end.

That even after a wolf has eaten your grandmother and in some versions, yourself, his digestive acids are very slow, and he didn't chew his food well at all, so a nearby lumberjack can come and free you by chopping the wolf up with his axe while keeping you unharmed.

That after someone curses you to die at the hand of a spinning wheel and your father destroys them all, then foolishly sends you to live far away from any protection so you die anyway, fairies can drug everyone into sleeping for thousands of years until a prince finally finds his way to the castle (needed to wait for GPS to be invented) where he can kiss this rotting dead girl, suck the death out of you, and marry you.

It gives us this unrealistic expectation that no matter how bad it gets, there's still a way for it to end happily.  It will require sacrifices, but after the big battle, you're settled down with a prince, the dragons are gone, the kingdom is at peace, and the happily is ever after.

But it is nice to be taken out of our own world and our own dragons to a much more objectified world, where villains wear capes and the good-looking are also good people.  Where things are predictable and there's always a catch to the evil plans. Where there is a clear line between good and evil, where evil is fated to fail, and good is destined to prevail.

And I think it's important to visit this place from an early age, and to indulge in a return on occasion, but certainly not to live there.  It is important to live in your own world, which is indeed a different world from anyone else's.  Our individual worlds are affected and sometimes even defined by other worlds though (such as Jupiter shielding the earth from fatal asteroid attacks...there's some science for you) which is why it is important to choose worthwhile worlds to visit.

So here's an answer that might just say a lot about you:
What is your favorite fairy tale?  And if you care to provide any explanation, go for it.

sciscitator

I've been thinking about superheroes lately.  There are plenty of different ones with varying powers and situations and nemeses, but the other day when I was watching part of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog, I thought it was a little bit funny that so many villains shared a common trait:

Science!

And who do we have to defeat misguided nerds like Lex Luthor, the Mad Hatter, Doctor Two-Brains, the Terrible Trio, Megamind, Doctor Octopus, and the Lizard?

Heroes!

The typical hero is brawny and has origins either on another planet, or from some radioactive mishap.  They defeat science by punching things and bending steel and flexing muscles.  Yeah, a lot of superheroes use science and gadgets and technological wonders, sometimes built by themselves, sometimes built by their inventor-ally, but on the whole, the people seen in the laboratories doing the science and math are the villains, and the people seen punching things and succeeding in life are the heroes.

And I am well aware that this is not characteristic of every superhero-villain setup.  Indeed, there are many superheroes and villains and they represent a varied array of strengths and former lives, but how many villains' names include the word "Doctor"?  How many superheroes' names have the suffix "-man"?  It's a fairly recurring theme.

And it seems a little too reflective of the Jocks beating up on the Nerds.  Like society is supporting these weirdos from other planets coming in to beat up on someone half their size.  The fact that the scrawny nerds were about to destroy the city could explain for this glorification of middle-school violence, but I think the bullying stereotype still stands in comics.

Is there something just not heroic about knowing lots of math and pushing the limits of science?  Does scientific research always get pushed too far and end in manic disaster?  Because it certainly seems to be the theme here...

So.  If you know any comic book designers or movie script writers or anyone working with DC or Marvel, tell them it's about time we had a nerd hero.  Who uses math and science and maybe even language and history for the common good!  Who defeats muscle-brained bullies with their smarts!  Who throws protractors as ninja stars!

Because really, the nerds are the ones bringing about the progress of society.  Saving lives from cancer, diseases, unsafe conditions, car crashes, drowning, bridges collapsing, pollution, constantly studying ways to improve our lives and make things a little bit better by solving real-world problems.

And we do still have the brawny heroes like soldiers and firefighters and the FBI, but they too rely on their nifty, nerd-made gadgets and safety apparati. (Apparently "apparati" is not the plural of "apparatus", but it should be.) 

So don't buy into the silly superhero mindset and wait for some muscly, hansdome fellow to come punch all your problems away.
Start sending your distress calls to the nerds in your life ;)

prima

In case you have not been on the internet yet today...check out the Google Doodle!

Okay, so it's not really up anymore, because of time zones or something...and it is pretty late in the day...but don't get mad at me, because I've done several hours of physics today in preparation for finals.

Anyway.

It's a tribute to Ada Lovelace, who was the first person (get that, PERSON.  Not "woman".  PERSON!) to envision a computing machine that was much more complex than just a simple calculator.  If you know much about computer history, you'll recognize the name "Charles Babbage", who is the inventor of the first mechanical computer.  Well, our girl Ada worked alongside Mr. Babbage and developed the first algorithm to be interpreted by a computing machine...making her the first computer programmer.

SHE'S A WOMAN AND A SCIENTIST AND A MATHEMATICIAN AND AN INVENTOR AND SHE WAS THE FIRST.

In case you can't tell, I am a little bit excited to learn that this is one of those rare instances in history where women were the ones breaking boundaries. None of this "the first man in space, then the first woman in space" or "first president, first female president" or "first comment on a youtube video, and then twelve comments later, a comment saying 'FIRST!'" crap.
FIRST.  PERSON.

I am elated.

Also, something noteworthy, Miss Lovelace was born "The Honorable Augusta Ada Byron of Lovelace"...also known as Lord Byron's daughter.

This girl has got EVERYTHING going for her.

Though her mother did remove her from her father's influence when Miss Ada was but one month old.  Her mother apparently wanted to avoid her father's influence of more "eccentric" careers like poetry and naming bridges and guide young Ada down a more practical path, namely maths and science.  (Way to go, Mom!)

Miss Lovelace took such a big role in technology that was not the norm back in 1833 that she now has a holiday, aptly named "Ada Lovelace Day". (perhaps her father could give that a more imaginable name sometime when he's not busy...)  It is celebrated by people writing about women in science and technology whom they admire.  And apparently the date is variable (perfect for a mathematician, no?) because it was last celebrated on March 24th, but the next Ada Day will be October 15th, 2013.  PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDARS NOW.

My only question is why we don't do this every day?  Or even just write about PEOPLE we admire?

(And if you need help admiring someone, just spend some time on wikipedia learning about influential people in whatever interests you.  Like soccer, math, or bacon.  You will find lots of noteworthy people.)

And so...get ready for some posts in the near future about admirable people :)

And in the meantime...POWER TO THE PEOPLE, when we can lead and be led by men and women alike, and nobody has to wait for the Same Old White Guys to be first at everything.