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Ellen Ullman

The document summarizes Ellen Ullman's book "Life in Code" in which she reflects on her career and life experiences in the technology industry as a female programmer from the 1970s onwards. It provides biographical details about Ullman, an overview of the structure of the book as a diary with different parts highlighting technology eras. It summarizes some of the topics covered in different chapters, such as early tech developments, artificial intelligence, and challenges faced as a woman in a male-dominated field.

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246 views

Ellen Ullman

The document summarizes Ellen Ullman's book "Life in Code" in which she reflects on her career and life experiences in the technology industry as a female programmer from the 1970s onwards. It provides biographical details about Ullman, an overview of the structure of the book as a diary with different parts highlighting technology eras. It summarizes some of the topics covered in different chapters, such as early tech developments, artificial intelligence, and challenges faced as a woman in a male-dominated field.

Uploaded by

api-579418001
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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/Life in Code by

Ellen Ullman
:A reflection on life with
technology
:Katie Chiu
/Ellen Ullman

- A writer, programmer, software engineer


- Actually majored in English at Cornell
University
- Started programming in the 1970s
- Her adoptive father’s family was made
up of computer scientists and
mathematicians
- Currently resides in San Francisco
/Contents

/01 /Structure of Book /02 /Early Tech Developments


Dates, Parts, and a
Y2K, Unix, Me
Diary

/03 /Artificial intelligence /04 /To Not be a Woman


What is human?, Sadie Women in a
the Cat male-dominated field
/Structure of the Book

Written and read as a diary


- Dates represent when she wrote that
chapter/essay
- Five parts: highlighting different
eras of technology and her life
- Mostly in chronological order
/Early Tech Development

Linux and UNIX:


- “You’re the human being, after all, and it
is a mere operating system. Maybe you want
to kill off your system”
- Doubting decisions

Y2K:
- End of time for computers
- Not a bug
- Design flaws
/The Museum of Me and Opinions

“Each person can live in a private thought bubble, reading only those websites that
reinforce his or her desired beliefs, joining only those online groups that give
sustenance when the believer’s courage flags”

- What belongs to me and what belongs to you?


- What will make me the most happy?
- Faucets
- Donald Trump

“On the web, the commercial world does not really revolve around you; it twils you
around”
/Artificial Intelligence

To successfully create an intelligent


computer, we need to ask:
What are humans?
- Computers
- Ants
- Accidents

“DNA is not “code” Now that we know the


complete human genome, DNA has literally
been decoded, stripped of its programming
powers”
/Artificial Intelligence: Sadie the Cat

The difference between Sadie and the toy cat


A trick of emotions? Relationships?
Digitalizing affection, reactions, and love

“Companionship, familiarity, expectation,


mutual recognition, bodily comfort: if this is
not a definition of love between aging
creatures, I don’t know what is.”
/To Not be a Woman

- Ullman was annoyed when anyone brought up how this book was a book about “women in
STEM”
- Equality in the tech companies

“I’m an engineer for the same reason anyone is an engineer: ascertain love for the
intricate lives of things, a belief in a functional definition of reality.” (pg 28)
/Additional Points

- (To catch a Falling Knife) Early explosion of the web: Porn


- (Programming for the Millions): Humanities should break into programming and coding
- (Boom Two: A Farewell) Have the young dreamers find guidance through the past, the
damages of the internet, while also expanding the future
YOUR LOGO HERE

/THANKS!
/DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?
[email protected]
+91 620 421 838
yourcompany.com

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