Hello there!
I’m Linda. Emeritus Professor in Computation, I’ve been coding since 1967, have recently published my memoir. I’m a wife, mother, grandma, STEM ambassador and OG Girl Geek.
Hello Computer
Hello Computer is a story of a working-class girl who begins a life-long love affair with technology after seeing a computer for the first time in 1967.
Her journey takes us through exciting times and epic events, from the dawn of the internet to the dotcom boom, from punch cards to the raspberry pi and virtual worlds.
Linda shares her experiences of computing through real life stories where systems are designed to make a difference to people’s lives.
Demonstrating that although technology changes constantly, fundamentally, people don’t change that much.
A story of ambition, passion and programming, inspirational for future generations of women and girls in STEM.
AVAILABLE FROM all good bookshops
What people say…
An easy to read, entertaining book – F. Coller
An immersive yet subtle read appreciating the different realities of women in the workplace – O. Eghagha
It is a definite contribution to the history of our subject – M. Campbell-Kelly
About Me
‘Does your husband expect his tea on the table when he gets in from work?’
– a question I was asked when being interviewed for a job as Applications Programmer. I was 23yrs old with a degree and masters in computing and yet it was the fact that I was a married woman that was at the forefront of his mind. It couldn’t happen now or could it? Can a woman be technically minded, want to be financially independent and still be a good wife and mother? I tried to be that woman and this is my story. A story of tension between old and new, between career and family, between the quest to keep apace of technology while retaining humanity – about explaining why who codes matters and why more of us should be women.
I’m an Emeritus Professor of System Design at the University of Manchester, specialising in Human–computer interaction, Requirements engineering.
Photo by Dani Cole, The Mill article The White Heat of Technology
Want to know more about my thinking?
In this blog I tell of some of my encounters, how computers have evolved over time, share stories about tech with women in mind, review amazing books written by or about women in tech, share inspirational stories of leadership and success, discuss challenges facing women and girls in STEM.
Do I need an AI Advisor?
I’m troubled, truly troubled by the endless talk of AI. We don’t even say Artificial Intelligence anymore. ‘AI’ has taken on a life of its own. ‘Oh it’s the AI’ ‘It’s all decided by AI’ ‘they are AIs’ Do I need help? I read recently that the Pope has an AI Advisor. If such an elevated…
10 years at CoderDojo
In case you don’t know, CoderDojo is a programming club for young people aged 7 to 17. The Manchester Dojo celebrated its 10th anniversary in Dec 2022 with almost 50 children (ninjas) and 20 volunteer mentors (including me). I was asked by fabulous organisers Claire McDonald and Lisa Chan Brown to make a 90sec video…
Women need more self-belief
A great leader and one of my role models is the fearless woman and exceptional politician, Barbara Castle, who in 1970 introduced the Equal Pay Act. When giving a speech at an all-girls school she said: “I marvel at women’s instinctive acceptance of men’s belief in their own superiority” Adding that women need more “self-belief”…
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