Grace knows how to computer

She was 37 years old and working as a mathematics professor when Pearl Harbour happened. She joined the Navy and was set to work on the first ever general-purpose electro-mechanical computer, the Harvard Mark I. She invented the compiler (used to translate computer programs written by humans into ones and zeroes that the computer can understand), created one of the most widely used programming languages of the 20th century, and was the first to use the term “bug” to describe computer errors, after a literal bug was caught in the relays of the machine she was working on.

After WW2 she left the Navy and worked for various tech companies, but kept serving in the Naval Reserve. As was usual, she retired from the Reserves at 60, but she was recalled to active duty by special executive order, and eventually rose to the rank of Rear Admiral. When she retired (again) she kept working as a consultant until the age of 85. She also did this great Letterman interview at the age of 80.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you women can’t computer, or that you’re too old to computer. Grace knows better.

What You Get

When I posted a picture of this linocut on Twitter, a lot of people asked me if I'd be selling prints.  The answer is yes.

Here's what you get:

A original linocut art print, printed with water-based ink on 220gsm A4 card stock (21cm x 29.7cm / roughly 8.5″ x 12″). The printed area itself is 17cm x 23cm (roughly 7″ x 9″).

Each print is made by hand, and there are small variations and differences as you would expect from this process.

The print is available in

• black on white (standard)
• colour ink on white paper (premium) - choose any colour ink from this range
  
• black ink on colour (premium) - choose any colour paper from this range

The print will be shipped in a sturdy document envelope to prevent folding, spindling, or mutilation. Worldwide shipping (by standard postal service) is included in the price.

Note: prices are in AUD, which is a smidge cheaper than USD (0.94 USD at time of writing), just to save my international supporters a trip to the currency converter.

Why you should support me

I’m a community organiser who works in social justice, sustainability, and open technology. I do paid freelance work (tech for non-profits and social enterprise, event management, writing) and also spend 20+ hours a week on unpaid community and open source/tech work. I recently travelled to the US to attend several conferences around open technology and culture, which cut into my freelance work time. Around the same time, Gittip (through which I was getting a modest but steady stream of financial support) chose not to support activists on its platform, and I deleted my account.

Some of my projects: I founded Growstuff, an open source/data website for people who grow their own food, which also trains/mentors new coders (more than half our 60+ contributors are from marginalised groups in tech, non-traditional tech backgrounds, or are new to software development). I also founded and work on Geek Feminism, which addresses feminist issues in geek culture. One recent major project there was this guide for therapists to help women who are stressed and depressed by shitty workplaces or online harassment to get the help they need. You can read more about what I’m working on in a blog post from a month or two back.

The Impact

Apart from showing the world what a badass Grace is (a valuable goal in itself, in this age of dudes telling us that women don't know how to computer), if you buy a print you'll be helping support my other work as described above.

Risks & Challenges

This linocut is ready to go, and simply needs printing.  "Simply," hah.  Printing is a bit of a messy and time consuming process.  Each print is made by rolling ink onto the lino original, then placing the cardstock on it and rubbing to create as smooth a print as possible.  The prints are then allowed to dry for a few hours before handling.

The biggest risk here, for you, is that I simply don't follow through on this process.  I have to admit, that's possible, for instance if illness or some other major attack of life occurs.  However I don't see any particular reason or likelihood for this to happen.  I'm just putting it out there.

Another risk, which you will have to accept, is that handmade prints are individual pieces of art and each one is likely to have variations in colour and texture.  Don't view these as defects, but as individual quirks that make your piece of art unique.

If you choose the "premium" option (where you get different coloured ink or paper) there is a risk that your preferred colour may not be available.  If so, I will work with you to find another option that works.

Finally, there is a chance your print may get lost in the mail.  I'm going cheap on postage to keep costs down, so there's no tracking or anything.  If this happens to you, I'll do my best to get you another copy.

Other Ways You Can Help

Some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean they can't help:

• Ask folks to get the word out and make some noise about your campaign.
• Teach people about Grace and her badassery. The world needs it.