Jacqueline Harper: “Shining Star”

Jacqueline Harper has a story that is rarely told and exactly the kind that we’re trying to bring to light with this podcast. As one of the first black female programmers, her career goes back further than most of our guests. At her job in the IBM typing pool in the 1960s, she was asked to go home when she became pregnant with her first child. Eventually, she went back to work and pushed herself to learn programming while also raising her family. Jacqueline talks about the programming languages used decades ago, sifting through hexadecimal code, and what it was like when laptops entered the market.  She also brings her passion to a new project in the Hudson Valley in New York, excavating the artifacts of freed slaves and reconstructing what their lives were like—she just doesn’t slow down! Listen to this remarkable story of perseverance and pursuit from a perspective we don’t hear often enough.   LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE: Chronological History of IBM (1970s) More about Jacqueline’s current work to excavate artifacts from freed slaves: Poughkeepsie Journal article: “Slavery's hidden history in the mid-Hudson Valley coming to light”  The Archaeological Conservancy: Locals Dispute Over Guinea Community Artifacts The earliest core dumps were paper printouts of the contents of memory, typically arranged in columns of octal or hexadecimal numbers (a "hex dump"). [Wikipedia]  I am Not Your Negro, by James Baldwin; and Official Trailer for I am Not Your Negro Film   MUSICAL INSPIRATION FOR THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY: "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire   ABOUT THIS PODCAST Stayin' Alive in Tech is an oral history of Silicon Valley and technology. Melinda Byerley, the host, is a 20-year veteran of Silicon Valley and the founder of Timeshare CMO, a digital marketing intelligence firm, based in San Francisco. We really appreciate your reviews, shares on social media, and your recommendations for future guests. And check out our Spotify playlist for all the songs we refer to on our show.

Om Podcasten

The tech industry is great at talking about the future, especially on podcasts. What we're not so great at is taking the time to understand our past. And that's what this podcast is all about. From the Noyce and Fairchild Semiconductor generation through the founding of social media, the history of Silicon Valley has many lessons for us. And we'll be interviewing the people who lived through these experiences to bring their knowledge to you. You'll get explanations for how we got where we are, which can also suggest where the future might be; along with a few laughs and inside stories from those who lived through it. So pull up a seat and listen to the tales of the past, in which may lie seeds for our future. New Episodes twice a month on Thursdays.