Before I answer the question "What's so special about March 24th?", I'll ask another question.
Do you know Ada Lovelace?
Probably not, since she lived some 160 years ago. In fact, I had never heard of Ada Lovelace until March 24, 2009 - the first international Ada Lovelace Day. That's when marilyn.pratt/blog enlightened me with her Ada Lovelace Day and the SAP Community Network.
So who was she? THE WORLD'S FIRST COMPUTER PROGRAMMER, that's who! Coincidentally, Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852) was also the daughter of famous poet Lord Byron, although sadly she never knew her father. You can learn more about Ada Lovelace on Wikipedia.
How incredible that a female mathematician living in the mid-1800's is credited with writing the world's first "computer" program! This amazing woman and her accomplishments should be commemorated in the hopes that it will inspire and encourage other women in the technology field.
By now I'm sure you've guessed ...
What's so special about March 24th, 2010?
That's right, it's the second annual Ada Lovelace Day, an international day of blogging (videologging, podcasting, etc.) to recognize the achievements of women in technology and science.
According to http://findingada.com/: "Women's contributions often go unacknowledged, their innovations seldom mentioned, their faces rarely recognised. We want you to tell the world about these unsung heroines, whatever they do. It doesn't matter how new or old your blog is, what gender you are, what language you blog in, or what you normally blog about - everyone is invited."
I'm not a "technical" woman, but I am a woman in the technology field, and I'd be honored to shine a spotlight on some special women this year. That's why I plan to celebrate Ada Lovelace Day by writing about some of SAP's brightest and best.
I've made my pledge at http://findingada.com/ and will be publishing my blog here on the cory.coley-christakos/blog. marilyn.pratt/blog has offered to support others who wish to do the same right here.
Will you join us?
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