Ada Lovelace, 1815 - 1852, a Victorian era pioneer of computing

Who wrote what many people consider to be
the world's first computer program?

Ada Lovelace.

A mathematician and writer who had a very interesting life indeed.

Her full name and title:

Augusta Ada King-Noel, Countess of Lovelace

Born on 10 December 1815, Ada was the only legitimate child of the famous poet, George Byron.

From a very early age, Ada was taught mathematics and science, and it was during her teenage years that her skill in mathematics began to emerge.

For a full account of the life of Ada Lovelace, and how she came to write what is regarded as the world's first algorithm designed to be carried out by a machine, please read the Wikipedia article about her.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada_Lovelace

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ada_Lovelace_portrait.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Diagram_for_the_computation_of_Bernoulli_numbers.jpg

Blue plaque to Ada Lovelace in St James's Sq, London

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AdaLovelaceplaque.JPG

Plus, when I saw the painting of Ada (shown above), I was reminded of the poem written by her father, Byron, (even though he wrote it before the birth of Ada):

She Walks in Beauty

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

But, at the same time, I was also reminded of the poem
about the tiger, by William Blake:

The Tyger

Tyger Tyger, burning bright,
In the forests of the night;
What immortal hand or eye,
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies.
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand, dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art,
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain,
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dread grasp,
Dare its deadly terrors clasp!

When the stars threw down their spears
And water'd heaven with their tears:
Did he smile his work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tyger Tyger burning bright,
In the forests of the night:
What immortal hand or eye,
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?

For it seems to me that Ada Lovelace was not only "an old soul" who walked in beauty like the night, but also one with the spirit of a tiger, burning bright.

"Ada Ada, burning bright,
In computers for all time;"

StoryKit -- a FREE iTunes app to make an electronic storybook

StoryKit is a fun --  and  free --  app.

Well then, where in the world can you get it?

 From  iTunes.

You can download it right now from iTunes for free.

Designed by researchers at the University of Maryland in the USA, StoryKit comes to us from the ICDL (International Children's Digital Library) Foundation.

Use it to create an electronic storybook.

For free.

On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Make any story you like.  Simply write some words, and add drawings or photos.

To get you started, the StoryKit application comes with 4 public domain children's books.
Rearrange -- edit and change -- any of the 4 books to make a  new  story that suits your point of view.

It's a lovely, creative way to spend a few spare moments.

Do it by yourself.  Or in a group.

How about using this free app to organize a story contest -- on a trip with friends, for example -- just an informal, amicable contest, of course!

Plus, if you're a teacher, find ways to use StoryKit in the classroom.

First, choose a topic for the story.

If you like, ask your students for ideas.

But keep an eye on the clock -- time management is an essential part of any lesson.

So, in one way or another, quickly decide on a title for the story.

Then, each student could come up with a sentence.  Or a drawing.  Or a photo.

As a result, the whole story would be made up of parts contributed by each student.

In other words, the story would be a joint effort.

A group activity in which everyone would have to take part by giving a sentence or a picture.

It's a great way to spark creativity in anyone, whatever their age.

So, here's the link to the free StoryKit application on iTunes:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/storykit/id329374595?mt=8

Enjoy!

Read children's books -- in many languages -- online -- for FREE -- at the International Children's Digital Library

A wonderful online library,
located in America   (in the U.S.A.)
where you can get so many children's books
 -- in so many languages, including English, of course,
-- to read online
-- for FREE !

The name of the site:

International  Children's  Digital  Library

 The  link  to the site:

 http://www.childrenslibrary.org/

There are books in various languages from:

-- North America and Central America
-- South America
-- Asia and Middle East
-- Oceania
-- Europe
-- Africa

And, of course, there are oodles of books
available in English.

Take a look at the various books offered
by using the site's location search.

Here's the link to their location search:
http://www.childrenslibrary.org/icdl/SearchWorld?area=0&type=text&ilang=English

Plus, if you go to the site's "Using the Library" page,
you can get advice to help you with
creative writing, learning languages,
and other good tips.

There's even a teacher training manual.

So, to get to the "Using the Library" page
mentioned above, click on this link:

http://en.childrenslibrary.org/books/activities/index.shtml

In addition, on the library's home page,
take a look at the left-hand side.
Examine the sidebar there.

Under THE FOUNDATION,
you'll find help and advice for
authors  &  publishers,
translators,
researchers  &  librarians,
and even an  Ambassador  program.

Well then, for those people who'd like to try their hand at
writing 
or  illustrating 
or  translating
a    c h i l d r e n ' s    book,
definitely take at least a glance at the website of the
International Children's Digital Library.

You never know, it could be the start
of a new career for you.
You could become a writer,
illustrator, or translator
of children's books.

* * * * * * *   You could also become a volunteer,
or make a donation,
or buy something at their online gift shop.

The online gift shop for the
International Children's Digital Library
can be found at:

http://www.cafepress.com/icdl_gift_shop

All for the very good cause
of free international children's books.

Netherlandish Proverbs painting -- INTERACTIVE version -- point and view each proverb

Here's the ♥ link to an interesting interactive version of
Netherlandish Proverbs, the famous painting by
Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

♥ http://bruegel.analog.is/

When you click on the link, you'll see
a large white X --  X  -- on the upper right-hand corner.
Click on that.
You'll get the interactive picture.

Use your mouse to place your pointer (mouse cursor)
on each small yellow ring in the interactive painting.

You will then be able to read the relevant proverb/idiom.

♥ Try to guess the proverb/idiom  before
you put your pointer on each yellow ring!

♥ After you've read them all, try to remember each one.
That's a good way to test and train your memory.

On the upper left-hand corner is a small white box
with a plus and minus sign -- click them to make the
picture larger or smaller.

O      By the way, if you  can't  see the small yellow rings,
look at the upper right-hand corner of the picture.


You'll see a small white box with something that
looks like a stack of three papers.
Put your pointer (mouse cursor) on that white box.
The word "Proverbs" will appear,
with a tiny box in front of the word.

Is the tiny box checked -- does it have a tick mark?
If not, click the word "Proverbs" -- to make a tick appear
in that tiny box.
You should then be able to see the small yellow
rings in the interactive painting.

Of all the proverbs/idioms, which one resonates the most with you?

Is there a similar saying in your own language
or in another language that you have learnt?

Share this interactive picture with your friends
and see how many they can guess correctly.  ♥

A classic painting full of good advice -- Netherlandish Proverbs by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

A fun and very educational work of art.

Even though it was done in the 16th century,
it still has a lot of relevance in the world of today.

The title of the painting:  Netherlandish Proverbs

Painted in 1559 by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, it is well-known for its illustration of proverbs and idioms.

As the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words".

Well, Netherlandish Proverbs is a picture which is worth at least a hundred proverbs and idioms that can be identified in the scene it depicts.

Here's the painting.

(Click on the painting to enlarge it).

Take a good look at the picture, examine it carefully, and try to spot as many proverbs as you can.

For instance, here's a detail from the left part of the painting, under one of the wooden shutters of the window:

 The above part of the picture depicts the expression

"it depends on the fall of the cards"

meaning

"it is up to chance".

Here are some other details from the painting.

Try your luck and see whether you can guess the proverb/idiom each is meant to illustrate.

To get the answers to the above pictorial puzzles,
and for a detailed article on the Netherlandish Proverbs painting,
including all the pictures shown in this post,
here is the Wikipedia link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netherlandish_Proverbs

Do you know the cats in this video?

Here's a lovely video about cats.

Some of the cats are famous -- very well known indeed.

Plus, the video contains a short quiz about these cats.

The answers to the trivia quiz questions are shown at the end of the video.

Here's the link to the above video on youtube, just in case!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40XfBHsTfSg

♥

Street of dreams -- test your memory and concentration in this fun online free game

So you think you can focus like a laser beam?  :-)

And what about your memory?  Is it virtually eidetic?  :-)

Now you can test both your concentration and your memory
in a fun and free online game ♥ called "Street of dreams".

It's a game I play from time to time to give my brain a fast and fun workout.

Plus, the game is family friendly.   Like everything on this blog!

http://www.shockwave.com/gamelanding/streetofdreams.jsp

♥

How strong is your vocabulary? Merriam-Webster dictionary word quiz

How many English words do you know?

How wide is your vocabulary?

For example, what's the meaning of "infrangible"?

If you'd like to test or expand the list of words that you know,
and at the same time enjoy a quick brain/memory workout,
try "How strong is your vocabulary?"

It's a quiz on the Merriam-Webster dictionary site.

It won't take long -- just 10 multiple-choice questions
in each quiz, and there are a lot of quizzes to try.

Here's the link:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/quiz/index.htm

A good (and free !) online audio dictionary -- hear how to pronounce place names, and words re. science, medicine, culture, and many others

How do you pronounce Slough?

What about Albuquerque, Berkeley, Cholmondeley, Edinburgh, Montreux, Reading, Versailles, Zeebrugge?

Now you can find out how to pronounce quite a variety of place names, as well as medical, scientific, and cultural terms, and even a few surnames like Montaigne and Rousseau.

Quite a while ago, I came across a good online audio dictionary, and I'd like to share it here.

It's easy-to-use and free of charge.

The dictionary is called howjsay and here's the link to it:

http://www.howjsay.com

For some more notes regarding the dictionary, click below:

http://www.howjsay.com/notes.html

As for the dictionary's editor, he's a professional English educator with a lot of experience, and if you'd like some more information about him, click the link below:

http://www.fonetiks.org/eds/timbowyer.html

Here's how to use the dictionary:

-- type a word in the dictionary's search box
-- press Enter on your keyboard or click Submit on the dictionary's page
-- the word will appear in pink, and you will hear its pronunciation
-- to hear it again, either mouse over the pink word, or keep on clicking Submit
 (you can listen to the word as many times as you want)