Hullo,

This week I found out that the mother of a dear friend from college has died. She was a consistent inspiration to me – she was awarded a PhD in the history of Maths the same year her oldest child went to university, and then went on to make a significant contribution to research and thinking in her field. Her gentleness and her kindness meant a lot to me at the time my own mother died, and you can see from this obituary that these are characteristics that worked through all aspects of her life and work.

[S]he challenged the view, prevalent among historians, that mathematics somehow progresses only by means of “great and significant works” and “substantial changes” […]: in a gently civilised way, she moves the subject and its image away from a male-dominated, Eurocentric picture to a more inclusive and sophisticated world view.

http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/oct/24/jacqueline-stedall

While we’re on the topic of gentleness (sort of*2), Zuzana Gombošova is 3D printing by growing things:

This controlled system in which our products are slowly grown, as opposed to quickly manufactured, has the potential to change our relationship to an object as nurturing becomes an element of the process.

http://artistsandalgorists.com/invisible-resources/

As a tribute to Dr Stedall’s interest in dissenting religious traditions, have the full text of Margaret Fell’s “Women’s Speaking Justified” (it's great):

There is enmity between women and the Serpent just as there is enmity between the Seed of Woman and the Serpent's Seed. Therefore, if the Seed of Woman is not allowed to speak, the Seed of the Serpent speaks. It is clear that those who speak against the preaching of women are speaking also against her Seed, and they speak out of the malicious enmity of the old Serpent.

http://theroundearthsimaginedcorners.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/womens-speaking-justified-guest-post-by.html

Enjoy your day,

Alex.