They are mothers, sisters, daughters, wives - all are bridging gaps which impact the way we live. Some are closing gaps between research and commerce, to ensure that the pillars of our wired world are rooted in public interest. Others are closing gaps in access to technology, and gender gaps in the design of high-tech products by developing tools for living that extend, and improve, our lives. All are bridging gaps in the public consciousness, by sparking an appreciation of women as inventors and influencers of technology. No two lives are the same, and men's and women's lives are defined differently - by society and economics, culture and biology.
Differences exist, too, in the balance of power in our world.
Interactive technology is not passive. Every minute of every day, anyone with online access can speak up and be heard. A virtual voice can echo, and influence. This reality was revealed to me one summer evening in the early 1990s while working on a documentary about the Internet's founding fathers. That night, a final email arrived just before midnight.