As I was distracted all day yesterday by work, potty training, and, uh…Final Fantasy XIII, I completely forgot to make mention of a terribly important and worthy observance, that of Ada Lovelace Day, celebrating the achievements of women in technology and science.

Ada Lovelace is widely considered the world’s first computer programmer, based on her work on processing algorithms for Babbage’s analytical engine in 1842-43(!). As such, it’s important to recognize her contribution to the field of computer science, and her status as a hell of a role model for modern women, especially those in technical fields.

Surely, my love for geeks of the female gender is well documented, both in who I married and who I admire from afar, so it makes perfect sense that I’d take a moment to honor the day…even if it’s a day late.

I’m wholeheartedly of the opinion that there ought to be more women out there who embrace their aptitude for (and love of) technical fields, sharing their knowledge and skill with the world, writing, researching, publishing, discovering, and making things, without regard to societal constructs telling them that everything they touch has to be pink and frilly.

I’d hate to see the next Great Discoverer thrown off her path by a society that tells her she shouldn’t be doing that sort of thing because she’s got her reproductive organs on the inside.

this also gives me a moment to mention that my particular geek girl spend this year’s Lovelace day reconfiguring the wifi card in a laptop running ubuntu linux, and how really sexy I think that is.

(I hope that last statement doesn’t completely blow the preceding grand feminist argument…though I don’t think there’s anything particularly wrong or belittling to women in my being attracted to smart, is there?)