Ada Lovelace Day!

Posted on by scott

I sort of missed it, but yesterday was Ada Lovelace Day!

adalovelace

Ada Lovelace, of course, is the patron saint of Dess, the hypernumerate character from my Midnighters series. She’s also one of the towering figures in the history of computing, given that she wrote the world’s first computer program . . . back in 1843. This achievement is as amazing as it sounds, given that the computer didn’t exist back then, except in theory. But that didn’t stop Ada.

It’s stories like this that make me realize that history itself can be quite steampunk. That is, ideas and technologies don’t all appear in a neat, predictable order. Sometimes theory gets ahead of practice in ways that are profound and mysterious, and imagination is never limited by the engineering capabilities of the present.

That’s a good thing to remember, so happy belated Ada Lovelace Day.

Also thanks to everyone at Marrickville High School, where I had a great visit yesterday. About 40 students (mostly Year 9s, or what us USians call freshmen) were stuck with me for about two hours. That’s a long stretch, but they all stayed focused and smart and full of brilliant questions.

Thanks for a great day, Marrickvillians, and good luck with your NAPLANs.

49 thoughts on “Ada Lovelace Day!”

  3. Cool! I wish I could’ve seen the artwork if Google had one! >_< Btw, Ada Lovelace is a child of Lord Byron, who we have to thank for the Byronic hero. GO Ada!!! XD

  8. i agree with Alli-wa… even if im a junior. i would sneak out of class and pretend to be a freshman

  9. wish you could come to my school.

    omg!……..i found my dress for my senior prom!!!!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂

  13. That’s really exciting! And I really want you to come to my school….that would be soooo icy!

    Go Ada!

  16. I get mistaken for a freshman, I could totally sneek in, lol.
    I had to do a report on Ada Lovelace, quite an interesting lady!

  19. (How about coming back to Texas??)
    O.o

    Did anyone else hear that or was that just me, I didn’t say anything 😉

  23. wow, that’s quite somthing, much better than a twirly ballerina…
    Hmm. I thought you didn’t do schools? Mine was trying to get you for ages…

  24. Wish I could’ve been stuck with you for two hours! By the way, they’re acutally called “freshies” at my school XD.

  25. Hi Scott!

    I was one of the year 12 students at Marrickville High and I thought your talk was brilliant.
    Hope you write more novels with plenty of illustrations because it’s unfortunate how it’s not so common these days.

  26. congrats Kim-la!

    I just got accepted to New York University!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    And I might spend my first year in Paris :O

  27. I haven’t read all of the comments, but I will later, just wanted to say happy belated Ada Lovelace day, and Scott-la, PLEASE COME TO MY HIGH SCHOOL! EARL H. WARREN HIGH SCHOOL IN SAN ANTONIO TEXAS! COME ON OVER!!!! Hehe I hope to get to finally meet you someday, wether at a signing or at my school!

  28. SCOTT-LA…
    I’m a freshman in high school! Come visit my school! We don’t bite!
    …No wait. Felicia does. But still! We’re small, too, so it’d be more fun. There’s about 60 total students, if even, in the freshman class.

  30. Can’t you get to sweden somehow? i’d love to hear you babbling bubblies 4 two hours straight. i’ve peeped abit in ur book peeps, and i’ve read all of your ugly series. i’vre read them about 23 times. kidding, only 13. 🙂 well, what about sweden – next stop?

  31. haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay mate x im a student in year9 from marrickville high school. i really enjoyed the session you had with us (: thankyou for coming to our school and hope you liked your present.
    P.S. im a big fan of your novels Uglies,Pretties,Specials etc. i’ve read the whole series about ten times now and still reading! i can’t wait to see the film. I’m also waiting on your book Leviathan but it’s sold out at my nearest book store. okay then….BYEEEEEE xoxo
    P.S.S. you’re welcome to visit Marrickville any time you’re in sydney =]
    Year9 of Marrickville High School say hi!
    okay ciao once again xoxo

  32. hiya budd i’m a year9 student from marrickville high school. I was one of the girls who were supposed to perform at the end of your session. You should have stayed longer! coff coff jokes ahahahahahahahahahaha ahh stitch ahh stich okay anyways…we are using your books ‘Uglies’ and ‘so yesterday’ in our study of teen culture. These are the best english lessons i’ve had i enjoy studying your books and talking about it in class. I think english is my favourite subject now! Anyways i recently broke my pinkie toe because i got so excited you were here i was telling all my friends and bumped into the wall. it came out of no where!
    –x sulaiha

  33. hi =]
    im josie. im in year9 from marrickville high school. i was the girl who asked you what advice would you give someone if they want to be a successful writiter. I took your advice in and started wrting stories myself and i’m going to use your advice in my NAPLAN test.. I’m reading your book ‘Uglies’ and so far so good!It was fun having you here at marrickville high school and want to say thanks for coming! All the best in the years to come and hope you come to marrickville high again.

    thanks .x Josie

  34. Thankyou for running a session with our students at Marrickville. Your generous sharing of the illustrations in Leviathan and your discussion of the importance of experience and research were very valuable- you’re a great story teller! Your visit to our school was inspiring and has definitely stimulated our students to read and write more. We are all looking forward to the release of the films based on your books which many of us are reading (teachers and students).

  35. I love youu !!!! YOU’RE THE BEST AUTHOR EVERRRRR ps. i go to marrickville high and i am in year 9 IM YOUR NUMBER ONE FANNN !!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

  36. I enjoyed your talk and it inspired me to borrow your books and read them especially uglies and peeps. I wish to see you again and hear from you more!!!!!!!!!!!!

  37. Thank you very much for your visit to my school !!!!! i was so excited to meet a famous author. I like to read “uglies” its so great. thank you for autographing my school diary. i’m from marrickville high school AND YEAR 9. I GONNA READ YOUR BOOKS IN THE HOLIDAYS. CAN YOU WRITE ROMANCE NEXT!!!

  39. hayy i really enjoyed your time with us at marrickville high school its been an awesome experience having you here. You have truly inspired us marrickvillians that we should go for our dream and try our best in life! you’re an amazing author with great passion. we all hope to hear from you again and hope that you keep writing great teen literature. i know that one day i will fulfil my dreams in life and try my best to succeed in life. wish you the best in the future take care xxx

  40. I’m a year 9 student and a member of the creative writing group at Marrickville high school. I really want to read uglies in the holidays. I found the different book covers very interesting. I’m looking forward to watching uglies. Hope to see you soon.

  41. I just want to say thanks for coming to our school and giving and sharing with us your writing skills.

  42. Hey scott i love all ur books. they r amazing! can u somehow come to montana????? or u cud just get my lame and easily angered language/reading teacher to have us read the uglies series for a class novel instead of his lame “red badge of courage” book about the civil war. 😛 please?!

  44. Hey, thanks to all you Marrickvillians for coming and commenting! It was a great day, and, yes, the chocolate was awesome.

  45. MARRICKVILLE HS?!
    WHOAH SO LUCKY!
    Hahaha I can’t believe you came to a school so close to mine xD
    Any chance of visiting Tempe HS in the future? 😛

  47. hey! your books are awesome! Tally is so much like me, it’s amazing! My boyfriend’s name is Zane, too, and my brother’s name is David! people actually call me bubbles.
    me and my friends call each other the crims, too, which is really fun.

  48. One of my favorite books! definitely missed ada’s day… Can you write a 4th book? maby something about the things that happen on their search for more midnighters? New York would be a good setting or maby the great city of…SEATTLE! Forks has gotten to much press because of Twilight. Seattle is better!

Comments are closed.