Sheffield celebrates Ada Lovelace Day

This event has now happened. If you would like information on the event please contact the Digital 20/20 team.

Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to celebrate the achievements of women in technology and science. In Sheffield, a newly formed network of female techies are using the Day to encourage people to get online, find out about inspirational women and blog about their heroines.

Ada Lovelace was one of the world’s first computer programmers, and one of the first people to see computers as more than just a machine for doing sums. She wrote programmes for Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine, a general-purpose computing machine, despite the fact that it was never built. She also wrote the very first description of a computer and of software.

Women (and men) of all ages are invited to take part in Ada Lovelace Day by dropping in to the Showroom Café from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. There will be computers set up so that you can blog or, if you haven’t blogged before, you’ll be able to learn how at a special “blogging surgery”. We’ll also be showing short films and generally networking to spread the word about the contribution that women can and do make to technology.

There’s lots more information about Ada Lovelace and the Day over at findingada.com, which has been developed by Sheffield’s own TechnoPhobia. To sign up for the Sheffield event, please go to http://adalovelaceday.eventbrite.org – there’s no charge to attend, so bring a friend!

This event is part of activity in Sheffield to establish a networking group for women who work in, want to work in, are studying or are just interested in technology. If you would like to be kept informed about the group, please contact us.