Ada Lovelace's 197th birthday on Google Doodle: First Programmer and Math Enchantress

Ada Lovelace, who has been called the world's first computer programmer and the "enchantress of numbers," was honored by Google on Monday with a Google Doodle marking her 197th birthday.
If you've never heard of this mathematical pioneer, you are not alone. Megan Smith, a vice president at Google, and Lynette Webb, senior manager of external relations, write that as of last year, most people at Google hadn't heard of her either.
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace was born on December 10, 1815 in London--the daughter of Anne Isabelle Millbanke, and George Gordon Noel Byron--better known as Lord Byron, the poet.

Lovelace never had a relationship with her father. He and her mother separated when she was still an infant. Her mother, who was a mathematician herself, insisted her daughter be tutored in math and music in the hopes that Lovelace would not follow in her father's amoral footsteps.
Lovelace showed an aptitude early on for mathematics, and when she was 17, she met and befriended Charles Babbage, who is now considered the "father of the computer." She was fascinated by a contraption he was building -- the Difference Engine, one of the earliest attempts to create a machine that could calculate a series of values automatically.
Babbage never finished the Difference Engine. Before it was completed he started work on the Analytical Engine, which could be programmed using punched cards. In 1843 Babbage asked Lovelace to translate a French article about the Analytical Engine by an Italian engineer named Luigi Manabrea. While translating the article, Lovelace added copious notes of her own -- including the first step-by-step sequences of operations for solving certain mathematical problems. It was these sets of instructions that have led to her be called the first computer programmer.
Lovelace also saw potential in Babbage's machines that he may not have seen himself. As Smith and Webb write on Google's official blog, "While Babbage saw [the analytical engine] as a mathematical calculator, Ada understood it had much more potential. She realized it was, in essence, a machine that could manipulate symbols in accordance with defined rules, and -- crucially -- that there was no reason the symbols had to represent only numbers and equations. ... This was an astounding conceptual leap from calculation to computing."
"The Analytical Engine weaves algebraic patterns just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves," she wrote in 1843 in a lovely synthesis of mathematics and poetry.

Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-ada-lovelace-google-doodle-20121210,0,1375011.story

Pacquiao vs Marquez 4: Manny Defeated in Round Six

Pacquiao vs. Marquez 4 Contract: Details on Prize Fight Money and Purse

Nevermind the result of Manny Pacquiao vs. Juan Manuel Marquez 4; both sides will walk away happy. After all, their contracts ensure they'll be doing so with millions.

And in Pacquiao's case, it could be up to $30 million.

The fight, won by Marquez on a sixth-round KO, took place at MGM Grand Garden in Nevada and was expected to draw a heavy pay-per-view audience.

Pacquiao's contract with the Nevada Athletic Commission for this fight is $8.595 million. Marquez's contract is quite a bit smaller, but he's still taking away a guaranteed $3 million.

But that's just the beginning. The eventual purse for both fighters could be much, much larger.
This event was broadcast on HBO pay-per-view and was projected to garner over one million buys. The last Pacquiao-Marquez fight earned 1.3 million buys.

Pacquiao is perhaps the biggest draw in the sport, and the views reflect that.
A large chunk of Pacquiao's sum will come from his upside of the pay-per-view sales. And if it does well, Pacquiao will earn multiple millions from HBO.

Add that to his potential earning from the international broadcast of the fight and Pacquiao is easily projected to clear the $25-million barrier. Marquez is also expected to receive a significant sum from pay-per-view sales.




Saturday, December 8th was the Pacquiao vs Marquez 4 fight, broadcast on HBO's Pay-Per-View service, so obviously, not everyone got a chance to watch the event. The fight happened at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Manny Pacquaio had won the two most recent meetings with Juan Manuel Marquez, and this was their fourth time facing off.

This fourth match-up of two great fighters is an exciting one for fans, and in the day of modern, instant technology people are able to watch it live via pay-per-view as it happens, if they are not able to get tickets or make a trip to Las Vegas. But HBO is charging ridiculous rates for these fights (around $50), which could be considered a fair price for actual seats in the arena at the MGM Grand.
The fight results were a surprise to many, with Pacquaio being knocked out in the sixth round at 2:59. Below is a link to the video highlights of the fight, as well as a recap of the event, round-by-round.

Round One: Pacquiao starts out strong, aggressively taking the fight to Marquez, and lands three lefts and an uppercut for a round end score of 10-9 Pacquiao.
Round Two: Marquez misses a left hook and Pacquiao isn't as aggressive as he was being in the first round. Both are landing punches on the inside. Once again 10-9 Pacquiao.
Round Three: This is where things heat up a little. Marquez tries for a left hook but it is blocked by Pacquiao, who lands a right and a left. Marquez lands a left on the body and then another. Marquez tosses a hard overhand right that throws Pacquiao for a loop. This round 10-8 Marquez.
Round Four: Pacquiao seems to have lost the energy and aggressiveness he came out with in the first round. Marquez seems to be landing the majority of punches but the scoreboard reads 10-9 Pacquaio at the end of the round.
Round Five: Pacquiao lands a great left as the round begins, and knocks down Marquez. Both fighters throw some massive punches and amazingly they are still able to push back, even though the room must be spinning with the power of some of those blows. This round goes to Pacquiao 10-8.
Round Six: Manny Pacquaio lands a flurry of punches which Marquez survives, but then Manny has him on the ropes with punch combinations. Then, Marquez sees his opportunity and sends out a massive left punch, right after being hit hard. Pacquiao goes down, KO's at 2:59 in Round Six.
Some of the greatest fights in history have happened on HBO's Pay-Per-View service, but if they keep hiking the price up in pursuit of even more millions of dollars in revenue, people may stop watching boxing altogether. The November 13th fight between Pacquiao and Marquez generated nearly a million and a half buy-ins. You'd think with that many people paying to watch the fight, HBO could lower their prices to a reasonable rate.





Source:
http://sports.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474981806062

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1438227-pacquiao-vs-marquez-4-contract-details-on-prize-fight-money-and-purse