James Essinger

"[Ada Lovelace], like Steve Jobs, stands at the intersection of arts and technology."--Walter Isaacson, author of The Innovators Over 150 years after her death, a widely-used scientific computer program was named "Ada," after Ada Lovelace, the only legitimate daughter of the eighteenth century's version of a rock star, Lord Byron. Why? Because, after computer pioneers such as Alan Turing began to rediscover her, it slowly became apparent that she had been a key but overlooked figure in the invention of the computer. In Ada Lovelace, James Essinger makes the case that the computer age could have started two centuries ago if Lovelace's contemporaries had recognized her research and fully grasped its implications. It's a remarkable tale, starting with the outrageous behavior of her father, which made Ada instantly famous upon birth. Ada would go on to overcome numerous obstacles to obtain a level of education typically forbidden to women of her day. She would eventually join forces with Charles Babbage, generally credited with inventing the computer, although as Essinger makes clear, Babbage couldn't have done it without Lovelace. Indeed, Lovelace wrote what is today considered the world's first computer program--despite opposition that the principles of science were "beyond the strength of a woman's physical power of application." Based on ten years of research and filled with fascinating characters and observations of the period, not to mention numerous illustrations, Essinger tells Ada's fascinating story in unprecedented detail to absorbing and inspiring effect. From the Hardcover edition.

How Lord Byron's Daughter Ada Lovelace Launched the Digital Age

Ada's Algorithm

Presents the story of how Joseph-Marie Jacquard invented a loom that operated twenty-five times faster than its predecessor by working off punch cards and unknowingly began a process of scientific evolution which led to the computer.

How a Hand-loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age

Jacquard's Web

This new biography tells for the first time the story of the woman who, alongside Charles Babbage, invented the world's first computer. The daughter of Lord Byron, Ada was the visionary who recognised the true potential of Babbage's of cog-wheel computer, The Analytical Engine. She demonstrated to the world that computers wouldn't merely be adding machines, but that they would be able to think. Ada and Babbage may have been colleagues, but they were also the closest of friends. Though she was 20 years his junior, they develope lasting relationship that blossomed into romance. Babbage was a genius and Ada was a woman with a singular vision, unconstrained by her by her time. Here we learn of their friendship and extraordinary legacy.

How Ada Lovelace Lord Byron's Daughter, Started the Computer Age

A Female Genius

Sandra Koutzenko

Thalidomide: patented in Germany as a non-toxic cure-all for sleeplessness and morning sickness. A wonder drug with no side effects.We know differently now.Today, thalidomide is a byword for tragedy and drug reform - a sign of what happens when things aren't done 'the right way'. But when it was released in the 1950s, it was the best thing since penicillin - something that doctors were encouraged to prescribe to all of their patients. Nobody could anticipate what it actually did: induce sleeping, prevent morning sickness, and drastically harm unborn children.But, whilst thalidomide rampaged and ravaged throughout most of the West, it never reached the United States. It landed on the desk of Dr Frances Kelsey, and there it stayed as she battled bureaucracy, patriarchy, and the Establishment in an effort to prove that it was dangerous.Frankie is her story.

The Woman Who Saved Millions from Thalidomide

Frankie

Chris Roberts

Words and Phrases That Have Vanished from Our Language

Lost English

Thalidomide: patented in Germany as a non-toxic cure-all for sleeplessness and morning sickness. A wonder drug with no side effects. We know differently now. Today, thalidomide is a byword for tragedy and drug reform – a sign of what happens when things aren't done 'the right way'. But when it was released in the 1950s, it was the best thing since penicillin – something that doctors were encouraged to prescribe to all of their patients. Nobody could anticipate what it actually did: induce sleeping, prevent morning sickness, and drastically harm unborn children. But, whilst thalidomide rampaged and ravaged throughout most of the West, it never reached the United States. It landed on the desk of Dr Frances Kelsey, and there it stayed as she battled bureaucracy, patriarchy, and the Establishment in an effort to prove that it was dangerous. Frankie is her story.

Frankie: The Woman Who Saved Millions from Thalidomide

Jacquard's Web tells one of the greatest untold stories of science: how a hand loom invented in Napoleonic France led to the birth of the modern computer age. James Essinger, a master storyteller, traces the 200-year evolution of Jacquard's idea from the studios of 18th century weavers, through the Industrial Revolution to the development of hi-tech computers and the information age today.

How a hand-loom led to the birth of the information age

Henry S. Gurr

We hope readers have enjoyed the quest for the ultimate goal, of finding enough re Sarah Vinke, to say how she came to be aware of the Ancient Greek " Arête' ", and from this, tease out why she introduced the corresponding concept of "Quality", to Robert Pirsig, Author of book "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". In particular, we want readers to see just why Sarah asked Robert Pirsig, "Are you teaching Quality?"we hope we have established, the absolutely vital role Sarah Vinke played in it, and the key inspiration she gave its author Robert Pirsig to focus on 'Quality. This was so our readers would fully understand, how Sara Vinke and Montana State College were crucial, to how ZMM came to be written. It was Sarah's Classics training (Grinnell College & U Wisconsin Graduate School), and most particularly her deep understanding of the Ancient Greek life practice of Arête' (her Quality), that enabled and embolden her to be the outstanding person she became. Thus: In writing our Sarah Vinke Biography, our investigative journey, we have answered many questions as to "The Mystery ¿ The Mystique ¿ The Enigma ¿ of Sarah Vinke". And thus, there is a NEW Mystery, and a critical one, since this evidently turned Sarah's own path to the full realization, for all of us & especially Robert Pirsig, of the vital importance of the Ancient Greek's (not Romans), and thus she must have become more fully aware, vitally aware, of their living excellence, their highest aspirations, their Arête'.

The Origins of Robert Pirsig's Metaphysics of Quality, As Described in His Book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

A Woman of Quality Sarah Vinke, 'the Divine Sarah', and the Quest for the Origin of Robert Pirsig's Metaphysics of Quality,

Welcome to the illogical, idiosyncratic, outrageous linguistic phenomenon known as the English language. The story of how this ragtag collection of words evolved is a winding tale replete with intriguing accidents and bizarre twists of fate. In this eye-opening, fabulously entertaining book, James Essinger unlocks the mysteries that have confounded linguists and scholars for millennia. From the sophisticated writing systems of the ancient Sumerians through the tongue twisters of Middle English, the popular National Spelling Bee, and the mobile phone text-messaging of today, Spellbound chronicles the fascinating history of English spelling, including insights about the vast number of words English has borrowed from other languages (“orange,” “vanilla,” and “ketchup,” to name a few), and how their meanings differ from country to country. Featuring a lively cast of characters ranging from the fictional to the historically noteworthy (Chaucer, Samuel Johnson, Noah Webster, Shakespeare, Bill Gates), this affectionate tribute to English spelling shows why our whimsical, capricious common language continues to hold us spellbound.

The Surprising Origins and Astonishing Secrets of English Spelling

Spellbound

"Ten million thalidomide pills had already been produced for distribution in the United States when it was first submitted to the FDA for approval. The morning sickness wonder drug had been approved for sale in Germany, Canada, and the UK, and the drug's distributors assumed that it would be no different in the United States. The answer they received was unexpected and firm: it needed more testing. It later came to light that thalidomide was causing severe birth defects throughout the world, and that Frances Kelsey, the FDA pharmacologist who had denied the drug's approval, was in fact a hero. Her courageous and unwavering integrity proved to be decisive in preventing one of the greatest pharmaceutical disasters of the twentieth century.Now, in this first ever biography, the fascinating and unlikely hero is portrayed in full detail. Read about the quiet, matter-of-fact woman who stood up to a major pharmaceutical company, did her job in the face of enormous pressure, and when presented with the highest civic honors, credited her whole team with the accomplishment. It's an incredible story of integrity in the moment of truth, of the power of humble courage, and of hundreds of thousands of lives saved by an ordinary woman."

How One Woman Prevented a Pharmaceutical Disaster

'One Man's Mountain' is a powerful and energetic memoir describing how what seem to be distant and unachievable dreams can become real and develop into a life's experience that is way beyond what was thought possible.The book depicts life's experiences leading from war-time to normal peacetime living. An ordinary suburban lifestyle enables the writer to explore and adventure on two wheels and brings to life a competitive spirit, which causes the writer to see and develop an ambition. The goal to be achieved centres upon an island in the Irish Sea, yet seems beyond reach. The difficulty is that it combined the need to ride and earn a living! Yet strangely, work and play relate.

One Man's Mountain

“[Ada Lovelace], like Steve Jobs, stands at the intersection of arts and technology."—Walter Isaacson, author of The Innovators Over 150 years after her death, a widely-used scientific computer program was named “Ada,” after Ada Lovelace, the only legitimate daughter of the eighteenth century’s version of a rock star, Lord Byron. Why? Because, after computer pioneers such as Alan Turing began to rediscover her, it slowly became apparent that she had been a key but overlooked figure in the invention of the computer. In Ada Lovelace, James Essinger makes the case that the computer age could have started two centuries ago if Lovelace’s contemporaries had recognized her research and fully grasped its implications. It’s a remarkable tale, starting with the outrageous behavior of her father, which made Ada instantly famous upon birth. Ada would go on to overcome numerous obstacles to obtain a level of education typically forbidden to women of her day. She would eventually join forces with Charles Babbage, generally credited with inventing the computer, although as Essinger makes clear, Babbage couldn’t have done it without Lovelace. Indeed, Lovelace wrote what is today considered the world’s first computer program—despite opposition that the principles of science were “beyond the strength of a woman’s physical power of application.” Based on ten years of research and filled with fascinating characters and observations of the period, not to mention numerous illustrations, Essinger tells Ada’s fascinating story in unprecedented detail to absorbing and inspiring effect.

Writing Fiction is a little pot of gold... "e;Screenplay"e; by Syd Field for film, "e;Writing Fiction"e; by James Essinger for fiction. It's that simple.'William Osborne, novelist and screenwriter'Writing Fiction - a user-friendly guide' is a must-read if you want to write stories to a professional standard. It draws on the author's more than thirty years of experience as a professional writer, and on the work and ideas of writers including:- Anthony Burgess- Joseph Conrad- George Eliot- Ken Follett- Frederick Forsyth- Dan Harmon- Ernest Hemingway- David Lodge- Norman Mailer- John Milton- Ben Parker- J.K. Rowling- William Shakespeare- Martin Cruz Smith- J.R.R. TolkienThe twenty-four chapters cover every important matter you need to know about, including: devising a compelling story, creating and developing characters, plotting, 'plants', backstory, suspense, dialogue, 'show' and 'tell', and how to make your novel more real than reality.Also featuring special guest advice from legendary screenwriter Bob Gale, who wrote the three immortal 'Back to the Future' movies (1985, 1989 and 1990), and novelist and screenwriter William Osborne, whose many screen credits include the co-writing of the blockbuster 'Twins' (1988), this highly entertaining book gives you all the advice and practical guidance you need to make your dream of becoming a published fiction writer come true.

Writing Fiction - a user-friendly guide

So what are you saying, Josh?' Lindsay asked me, 'that there's a secret Roman town down here where people speak Latin and which nobody knows about in the world we come from?' This extraordinary, highly imaginative, hugely entertaining novel tells the story of fifteen-year-old Josh Moonford, his younger twin brother and sister Sam and Dora, Cornish girl Lindsay Penhaligon, warm-hearted gang leader Troy Wilson and arrogant sixth-former (and self-proclaimed genius) Declan Jacques, and their mind-blowing adventure in the underground high-tech Roman world of Cantia, located beneath the famous cathedral city of Canterbury. Can Josh and his friends - aided by the world-famous movie star Carlo Clancy - end the brutal Cantian revolution that could lead to disaster for our world?

Josh Moonford and the Lost City of Cantia

Jovanka Houska

A New Romance Novel from the British Women's Chess Champion

The Mating Game

Gdyby dwa wieki temu pomysł Ady Lovelace został uznany za genialne odkrycie, a nie szaleńczy wymysł kobiety, era komputerów mogłaby się rozpocząć już wtedy. W XIX-wiecznej Anglii, w cieniu skandalu wokół kazirodczego związku lorda Byrona, rozwija się niebywały talent jego córki. W czasach, w których przywilej edukacji nie przysługuje kobietom, nikt się nie spodziewa, że odkrycie Ady może zmienić świat. Napisany przez nią algorytm to nic innego jak pierwszy program komputerowy. Dlaczego nie zyskał wówczas zasłużonego rozgłosu? Czy przyjaźń Ady Lovelace i Charlesa Babbage’a, u boku którego rozwija swoje zainteresowania, zostanie wystawiona na próbę? „Algorytm Ady” to inspirująca historia nieprzeciętnie inteligentnej i ambitnej kobiety, która musi się zmierzyć ze światem nauki zdominowanym przez mężczyzn. Powyższy opis pochodzi od wydawcy.

Algorytm Ady

Following the continued success of a wave of spelling and punctuation titles published in the past eighteen months, James Essinger''s ''Spellbound'' is an engagingly written, unique and comprehensive account of why the English language is riddled with words that are difficult to spell.With a close look at the origins and history of the English language, the book tells the intriguing story of how the spelling of words has evolved over the centuries, from runes to Anglo-Saxon, Middle English to the early dictionaries, and up to the mobile phone text messaging of today.''Spellbound'' reveals answers to the mystery of why many words are, on the face of it, spelled in such an irrational, chaotic and illogical manner. Explaining why we should care about spelling, the book is an entertaining and practical guide to effective communication, as well as an original historical study of one of the most curious linguistic phenomena in the world.

James Essinger

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