Hello there!
I’m Linda, emeritus Professor in Computation, fellow of the British Computer Society and STEM Ambassador. Understanding the interaction between people and computers is my passion and Hello Computer is my story.
A story of a life empowered by computers, of love and politics, innovation and leadership, of why who codes matters and why we need more women in tech.
Hello Computer is on Audible, Kindle and Paperback
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.
Once Upon a Prime
What an amazing book! I was so excited when I read about ‘Once Upon a Prime’ by Sarah Hart in the Guardian. It coincided with Celeste my 9 year old granddaughter asking ‘Grandma, what is a prime number?’ I replied with the usual explanation: ‘It’s a number that can only be divided by itself and 1’ though I…
How many robots does it take to empty a waste bin?
It’s good to know that robots with all their artificial intelligence are not too high and mighty to empty the waste bins. Of course being intelligent, they don’t just empty the bins. Oh no, they analyse what is in there, categorise it, list it and sort it out. No more emptying the whole lot into…
Archives of IT
Feeling honoured to be included in the Archives of IT – a digital database of media and interviews from leading people associated with the UK IT and Telecoms industry. The archive aims to help understand and encourage the study of the industry and how it has changed our lives. It certainly changed my life! See…
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