Wed, 24 Mar 2010
Ada Lovelace Day - 2010
So today is Ada Lovelace day and we're
supposed to "celebrate the achievements of women in technology and
science." I don't know many women in science but I do know a few in
technology and one in particular seems to go from back breaking task to
another with politeness and grace I wish I could muster.
So for my 2010 Lovelace day (and because she'll need all the happy thoughts she can get now she's president of the Perl Foundation) I'm naming Karen Pauley. A long standing member of the perl community who's been involved in getting things done for more years than many people realise. Listing all her achievements would take a LOT of screen space (and annoy the hell out of her) but, to name three, her TPF work, YAPC::EU organisation and involvement in more related FOSS communities than you can shake a stick at are no small matter.
Speaking as someone who's seen her speak over half-a-dozen times, it's easy to see that Karen has a gift when it comes to presenting. Whether it's about technology, business or community its rare to hear her speak and not come out feeling both smarter and entertained, a combination we'd all love to be able to perform.
I've been lucky enough to chat with Karen outside of conferences and I've always come away from our email conversations with a smile and often with an idea of two, it's hard not to when you're speaking with someone who's both intelligent and a remarkable communicator. Karen is an exceptional person who we're lucky to have in the perl world, and I'm very fortunate to be able to call a friend.
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Posted: 2010/03/24 23:35 | /geekstuff | Permanent link to this entry | This entry and same date
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