… an international day of blogging to draw attention to the achievements of women in technology and science.

Women’s contributions often go unacknowledged, their innovations seldom mentioned, their faces rarely recognised. We want you to tell the world about these unsung heroines, whatever they do

Last year I blogged about Delia Derbyshire and Helen Keegan.

This year, it’s…

Rachel Armstrong

I first met Rachel at BarCampAfrica UK. I thought she was barking mad. She was demonstrating how “smart salad dressing” could re-float Venice. How proto-cells could move, communicate, change and be harnessed for our use.

After watching her speak, I was a true believer.

She’s a TED fellow and one of the founders of the Future Venice project.

To quote from her bio

Rachel is a medical doctor with qualifications in general practice, a multi-media producer, SF author and arts collaborator whose current research explores the possibilities of architectural design to create positive practices and mythologies about new technology.

Yes, that’s right – she writes Sci Fi!

Buy The Gray's Anatomy at Amazon

You can find a fairly comprehensive list of her works at the UCL website.

There’s no doubt that she’s lived a remarkable life and is destined for great things.

Follow Rachel on Twitter and watch her change the world.

Oh, and if you’re looking out for her, she looks a little something like this…

Rachel Armstrong

Ada Lovelace Day is an international day of blogging to draw attention to women excelling in technology. Women’s contributions often go unacknowledged, their innovations seldom mentioned, their faces rarely recognised.

I pledged to blog about one woman – I’m going to be slightly greedy and name two people.

The first, representing the past, is Delia Derbyshire. So much has been written about her, that I shan’t bother retreading old ground. Sufficed to say, she is still giving music geeks a run for their money. She is still being talked about as people master DVDs of ancient TV shows. She is still making kids – and adults – shudder with anticipation as they get drawn in to Sci Fi. And what is Sci Fi but playing with toys we haven’t yet invented.

The second, representing the future, is Helen Keegan – AKA technokitten.
I’ve only met Helen a few times, and I hope she won’t take umbridge at my gratuitous sucking up.
Helen tries to make women more visible in the mobile industry.
It must be really hard knowing that whenever you open your mouth, you run the risk of making yourself unpopular. But that’s what Helen does as she fights to get more women in to conferences, on the stage, asking questions, speaking up, chairing discussions and addressing audiences. She’s fighting the good fight and I have no doubt she will succeed.
It won’t happen over night – and it will need the help of men and women in the industry – but in 10 or 20 years’ time we’ll look back in horrified wonder at the levels of inequality in the mobile industry. We may not remember her by name – but those coming after us will always owe her a debt.