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this is what a nanosecond looks like
2012-Mar-08, Thursday 05:42 pmGrace Hopper wrote the first computer language compiler back in 1952. She was also a Commodore (Rear Admiral) in the U.S. Navy. Her mind was quite sharp throughout her lifetime, and at one point she was the oldest active duty officer serving in the U.S. military. She was among the programmers who coined the phrase "computer bug" after they found the first very literal bug in their computer. This short video shows her brilliantly presenting a thought-provoking analogy about computing and communicating within the known constraints of time and space.
There are certainly other famous women who have had a profound influence over the progression of science. Ada Lovelace postulated the first computer algorithm (1843), at a time before computers. I've written more than once about the famous Jane Goodall. Madame Curie was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize, once for Physics (1903) and again for Chemistry (1911). Mary Kies was the first woman granted a U.S. patent (1809) at a time when women couldn't even own property independent of their husbands.
These accomplishments are worth repeating today in celebration of International Women's Day. It's also worth saying that I have worked for more female bosses than male bosses during my lifetime, so it's not surprising that the best boss I ever had was a woman.
It is especially worth keeping these high standards in mind throughout this year, considering the nature of political discourse in the USA recently.
There are certainly other famous women who have had a profound influence over the progression of science. Ada Lovelace postulated the first computer algorithm (1843), at a time before computers. I've written more than once about the famous Jane Goodall. Madame Curie was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize, once for Physics (1903) and again for Chemistry (1911). Mary Kies was the first woman granted a U.S. patent (1809) at a time when women couldn't even own property independent of their husbands.
These accomplishments are worth repeating today in celebration of International Women's Day. It's also worth saying that I have worked for more female bosses than male bosses during my lifetime, so it's not surprising that the best boss I ever had was a woman.
It is especially worth keeping these high standards in mind throughout this year, considering the nature of political discourse in the USA recently.