The Queen of Engines.

"That Enchantress who has thrown her magical spell around the most abstract of Sciences and has grasped it with a force which few masculine intellects could have exerted over it."

Ada Lovelace as described by Charles Babbage.

October 14th is one of the less known holidays on the geek calendar, but nonetheless an important one. Today is Ada Lovelace Day, a celebration of the accomplishments of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. 

For readers unfamiliar with Ada King, Lady Lovelace, she is a pivotal figure in the history of computing, working closely with Charles Babbage, the creator of a steampunk gear-driven calculating machine that he called the Difference Engine*. Lovelace's speculations as to the potential of Babbage's proposed next-gen Analytical Engine, published in 1842, predict the eventual development of hardware able to solve a wide variety of mathematical problems, and her notes regarding the manner in which the Engine could calculate a sequence of Bernoulli numbers are widely considered to be the first computer program in history.

Although I completely agree with the adoption of Lady Lovelace as the symbol of women in science, why not celebrate the more visionary arts as well? Let's acknowledge the woman who occupies the same position in the pantheon of science fiction authors that Ms. Lovelace holds in the programming world, the woman who invented Frankenstein's monster, the woman who wrote the first eponymous post-apocalyptic Last Man novel in 1826?  Next year, let's see if we can't get Mary Shelley Day onto the calendar as well.

- Sid

* Astute readers will recognize this term in the title of one of my birthday gifts - a book in which an alternate history Lady Lovelace makes an appearance.

 

Remember, drink responsibly!

After a couple of pints, Sid starts flashing his TARDIS in the bar.

- Sid

UPDATE: As it turns out, my sister's question below about the ghost at the Inn on the Falls is not entirely correct.  Apparently there is a total of three ghosts on site, not one.  Now, as I've previously commented, I'm a bit of a sceptic when it comes to this sort of supernatural phenomenon, but it's an interesting coincidence that out of all the places we could have stayed in Muskoka, we ended up at the haunted inn.

 

Sentimental Concrete Robot and Other Toronto Vignettes

As per my birthday posting, I'm currently in Toronto as part of a one-week vacation trip to Ontario. Following are a few quick outtakes from the trip so far.

Good advice, but unexpected.

Really not the kind of thing that I was expecting to see for sale in Yorkville.

 
The alien invaders were quick to adapt their buildings to ours.

I'm not going to claim that the original Royal Ontario Museum is an example of classical architectural excellence, but seriously, these two styles do NOT work together.  In fact, if you told me this was the result of alien spores rather than deliberate planning, I might well believe you.
 

Abandoned Raygun, Rockwood Conservation Centre.

 

Score.

Whenever I visit Colin, he always takes me to the Pickering Flea Market - I'm not sure why, there's only so much shopping I can do when I'm travelling with carry-on - but this time there was an unexpected bonus.  The Market has added an Antiques section, where I was surprised to find some copies of Galaxy magazine from the 50s for a mere $3.50 each.  They're not in mint condition, the spines are a bit beaten up, but I know a lot of people of similar vintage who also have back problems.



Not a bad name for a band - okay, maybe an 80s band.

And, in conclusion - sentimental concrete robot, as per the posting title.

- Sid