Happy Birthda Ada Lovelace

Happy Birthda Ada Lovelace

[John McCormick]

On December 10, 1815, Anna Isabella (Annabella) Byron, whose husband
was Lord Byron, gave birth to a daughter, Augusta Ada.  Ada's father
was a romantic poet whose fame derived not only from his works but
also from his wild and scandalous behavior.  His marriage to Annabella
was strained from the beginning, and Annabella left Byron just a
little more than a month after Ada was born.  By April of that year,
Annabella and Byron signed separation papers, and Byron left England,
never to return.

Byron's writings show that he greatly regretted that he was unable to
see his daughter. In one poem, for example, he wrote of Ada,

        I see thee not.  I hear thee not.
        But none can be so rapt in thee.

Byron died in Greece at the age of 36, and one of the last things he
said was,

        Oh my poor dear child! My dear Ada! My God, could I but have
seen her!

Meanwhile, Annabella, who was eventually to become a baroness in her
own right, and who was herself educated as both a mathematician and a
poet, carried on with Ada's upbringing and education.  Annabella gave
Ada her first instruction in mathematics, but it soon became clear
that Ada's gift for the subject was such that it required more
extensive tutoring.  Ada received further training in mathematics from
Augustus DeMorgan, who is today famous for one of the basic theorems
of Boolean algebra, which forms the basis for modern computers.  By
the age of eight, Ada also had demonstrated an interest in mechanical
devices and was building detailed model boats.

When she was 18, Ada visited the Mechanics Institute to hear Dr.
Dionysius Lardner's lectures on the "difference engine," a mechanical
calculating machine being built by Charles Babbage.  She became so
interested in the device that she arranged to be introduced to
Babbage.  It was said that, upon seeing Babbage's machine, Ada was the
only person in the room to understand immediately how it worked and to
appreciate its significance.

Ada and Babbage became good friends and she worked with him for the
rest of her life, helping to document his designs, translating
writings about his work, and developing programs to be used on his
machines.  Unfortunately, Babbage never completed construction of any
of his designs.  Even so, today Ada is recognized as being the first
computer programmer in history. That title, however, does not do full
justice to her genius.

Around the time that Babbage met Ada, he began the design for an even
more ambitious machine called the "analytical engine," which we now
recognize was the first programmable computer.  Ada instantly grasped
the implications of the device and foresaw its application in ways
that even Babbage did not imagine.  Ada believed that mathematics
eventually would develop into a system of symbols that could be used
to represent anything in the universe.  From her notes, it is clear
that Ada saw that the analytical engine could go beyond arithmetic
computations and become a general manipulator of symbols, and thus it
would be capable of almost anything.  She even suggested that such a
device could eventually be programmed with rules of harmony and
composition so that it could produce "scientific" music.  In effect,
Ada foresaw the field of artificial intelligence over 150 years ago.

In 1842, Babbage went to Turin, Italy, and gave a series of lectures
on his analytical engine.  One of the attendees was Luigi Menabrea,
who was so impressed that he wrote an account of Babbage's lectures.
At age 27, Ada decided to translate the account into English, with the
intent to add a few of her own notes about the machine.  In the end,
her notes were twice as long as the original material, and the
document, "The Sketch of the Analytical Engine," became the definitive
work on the subject.

It is obvious from Ada's letters that her "notes" were entirely her
own and that Babbage was acting as a sometimes unappreciated editor.
At one point, Ada wrote to him,

"I am much annoyed at your having altered my Note.  You know I am
always willing to make any required alterations myself, but that I
cannot endure another person to meddle with my sentences."

Ada gained the title Countess of Lovelace when she married Lord
William Lovelace.  The couple had three children, but Ada was so
consumed by her love of mathematics that she left their upbringing to
her mother.  For a woman of that day, such behavior was considered
almost as scandalous as some of her father's exploits, but her husband
was actually quite supportive of her work.

In 1852, Ada died from cancer.  Sadly, if she had lived just one year
longer, she would have witnessed the unveiling of a working difference
engine built from one of Babbage's designs by George and Edward
Scheutz in Sweden.  Like her father, Ada lived only until she was 36,
and, even though they led much different lives, she undoubtedly
admired Byron and took inspiration from his unconventional and
rebellious nature.  At the end, Ada asked to be buried beside him at
the family's estate.

----------------------------------------------
Ada Lovelace biography material excerpted from "Programming and
Problem Solving with Ada" by Dale, Weems, and McCormick, published by
Jones and Bartlett, 2000

The film "To Dream Tomorrow" from Flare Productions, www.flarefilms.org,
tells the story of Ada Lovelace and her contributions to computing.
It is a great film for Ada enthusiasts.  See if you can find the error
in the inscription on her tomb.

Re: Happy Birthda Ada Lovelace

[Jeffrey R. Carter]

John McCormick wrote:
> 
> Ada gained the title Countess of Lovelace when she married Lord
> William Lovelace.  The couple had three children, but Ada was so
> consumed by her love of mathematics that she left their upbringing to
> her mother.  For a woman of that day, such behavior was considered
> almost as scandalous as some of her father's exploits, but her husband
> was actually quite supportive of her work.

Actually, Ada married William King. It was when he became an earl through 
inheritance that she became a countess.

-- 
Jeff Carter
"Don't knock masturbation. It's sex with someone I love."
Annie Hall
45

Re: Happy Birthda Ada Lovelace

[Gene]

On Dec 10, 11:20 am, John McCormick <mccorm...@cs.uni.edu> wrote:
> On December 10, 1815, Anna Isabella (Annabella) Byron, whose husband
> was Lord Byron, gave birth to a daughter, Augusta Ada.  Ada's father
> was a romantic poet whose fame derived not only from his works but
> also from his wild and scandalous behavior.  His marriage to Annabella
> was strained from the beginning, and Annabella left Byron just a
> little more than a month after Ada was born.  By April of that year,
> Annabella and Byron signed separation papers, and Byron left England,
> never to return.
>
> Byron's writings show that he greatly regretted that he was unable to
> see his daughter. In one poem, for example, he wrote of Ada,
>
>         I see thee not.  I hear thee not.
>         But none can be so rapt in thee.
>
> Byron died in Greece at the age of 36, and one of the last things he
> said was,
>
>         Oh my poor dear child! My dear Ada! My God, could I but have
> seen her!
>
> Meanwhile, Annabella, who was eventually to become a baroness in her
> own right, and who was herself educated as both a mathematician and a
> poet, carried on with Ada's upbringing and education.  Annabella gave
> Ada her first instruction in mathematics, but it soon became clear
> that Ada's gift for the subject was such that it required more
> extensive tutoring.  Ada received further training in mathematics from
> Augustus DeMorgan, who is today famous for one of the basic theorems
> of Boolean algebra, which forms the basis for modern computers.  By
> the age of eight, Ada also had demonstrated an interest in mechanical
> devices and was building detailed model boats.
>
> When she was 18, Ada visited the Mechanics Institute to hear Dr.
> Dionysius Lardner's lectures on the "difference engine," a mechanical
> calculating machine being built by Charles Babbage.  She became so
> interested in the device that she arranged to be introduced to
> Babbage.  It was said that, upon seeing Babbage's machine, Ada was the
> only person in the room to understand immediately how it worked and to
> appreciate its significance.
>
> Ada and Babbage became good friends and she worked with him for the
> rest of her life, helping to document his designs, translating
> writings about his work, and developing programs to be used on his
> machines.  Unfortunately, Babbage never completed construction of any
> of his designs.  Even so, today Ada is recognized as being the first
> computer programmer in history. That title, however, does not do full
> justice to her genius.
>
> Around the time that Babbage met Ada, he began the design for an even
> more ambitious machine called the "analytical engine," which we now
> recognize was the first programmable computer.  Ada instantly grasped
> the implications of the device and foresaw its application in ways
> that even Babbage did not imagine.  Ada believed that mathematics
> eventually would develop into a system of symbols that could be used
> to represent anything in the universe.  From her notes, it is clear
> that Ada saw that the analytical engine could go beyond arithmetic
> computations and become a general manipulator of symbols, and thus it
> would be capable of almost anything.  She even suggested that such a
> device could eventually be programmed with rules of harmony and
> composition so that it could produce "scientific" music.  In effect,
> Ada foresaw the field of artificial intelligence over 150 years ago.
>
> In 1842, Babbage went to Turin, Italy, and gave a series of lectures
> on his analytical engine.  One of the attendees was Luigi Menabrea,
> who was so impressed that he wrote an account of Babbage's lectures.
> At age 27, Ada decided to translate the account into English, with the
> intent to add a few of her own notes about the machine.  In the end,
> her notes were twice as long as the original material, and the
> document, "The Sketch of the Analytical Engine," became the definitive
> work on the subject.
>
> It is obvious from Ada's letters that her "notes" were entirely her
> own and that Babbage was acting as a sometimes unappreciated editor.
> At one point, Ada wrote to him,
>
> "I am much annoyed at your having altered my Note.  You know I am
> always willing to make any required alterations myself, but that I
> cannot endure another person to meddle with my sentences."
>
> Ada gained the title Countess of Lovelace when she married Lord
> William Lovelace.  The couple had three children, but Ada was so
> consumed by her love of mathematics that she left their upbringing to
> her mother.  For a woman of that day, such behavior was considered
> almost as scandalous as some of her father's exploits, but her husband
> was actually quite supportive of her work.
>
> In 1852, Ada died from cancer.  Sadly, if she had lived just one year
> longer, she would have witnessed the unveiling of a working difference
> engine built from one of Babbage's designs by George and Edward
> Scheutz in Sweden.  Like her father, Ada lived only until she was 36,
> and, even though they led much different lives, she undoubtedly
> admired Byron and took inspiration from his unconventional and
> rebellious nature.  At the end, Ada asked to be buried beside him at
> the family's estate.
>
> ----------------------------------------------
> Ada Lovelace biography material excerpted from "Programming and
> Problem Solving with Ada" by Dale, Weems, and McCormick, published by
> Jones and Bartlett, 2000
>
> The film "To Dream Tomorrow" from Flare Productions,www.flarefilms.org,
> tells the story of Ada Lovelace and her contributions to computing.
> It is a great film for Ada enthusiasts.  See if you can find the error
> in the inscription on her tomb.

John,

Thanks for this!  I am about mid-way through Toole's "Ada -
Enchantress of Numbers"

http://www.amazon.com/Ada-Enchantress-Numbers-Selection-Description/dp/0912647094

It's fascinating.

More to the point, we're acquiring through commission a lifesize bust
of Ada by Tracy H. Sugg.  See http://tracyhsugg.com/gallery.php for
some of her work.  I'm curious if the readers here know what interest
there might be in editions of the piece if they were available in the
$3500 range (white clay, not bronze as the pictures; bronze jumps the
price to the $8k range).  E.g for university computer science and
upscale industrial spaces.  As best I can tell there exists no similar
item available for sale.

Thanks.

Re: Happy Birthda Ada Lovelace

[oenone]

> The film "To Dream Tomorrow" from Flare Productions,www.flarefilms.org,
> tells the story of Ada Lovelace and her contributions to computing.
> It is a great film for Ada enthusiasts.  See if you can find the error
> in the inscription on her tomb.

Any idea where to get this film?

Re: Happy Birthda Ada Lovelace

[John McCormick]

Drop an email to John Füegi at Flare Films.  jf@flarefilms.org  I met
him at an ACM SIGCSE meeting and ordered a DVD from him.

On Dec 11, 8:29 am, oenone <jul...@vgai.de> wrote:
> > The film "To Dream Tomorrow" from Flare Productions,www.flarefilms.org,
> > tells the story of Ada Lovelace and her contributions to computing.
> > It is a great film for Ada enthusiasts.  See if you can find the error
> > in the inscription on her tomb.
>
> Any idea where to get this film?

Re: Happy Birthda Ada Lovelace

[Jeffrey R. Carter]

Jeffrey R. Carter wrote:
> 
> Actually, Ada married William King. It was when he became an earl 
> through inheritance that she became a countess.

I blew that. King was Baron King when Ada married him, so she became Lady King. 
He was made 1st Earl of Lovelace after they married, and that is when Ada became 
Countess of Lovelace.

-- 
Jeff Carter
"If a sperm is wasted, God gets quite irate."
Monty Python's the Meaning of Life
56