What is Ada’s Technical Books and Cafe?

Since opening on Broadway in the historic Loveless Building the beginning of June, 2010, Ada’s Technical Books has had the same mission: To open the doors to technology and science as widely as possible. We live in a technological era of the neo-maker and a revitalized DIY ideology, and thus we are determined to stoke those fires by empowering people to learn about, as well as learn how to do, the things they want to do.

In October, 2013, Ada’s moved to 425 15th Ave E, breathing new life into an old house still warm with memories of the beloved Horizon Books. In the spirit of embracing growth and change, Ada’s expanded to include a cafe, where we serve freshly prepared foods from 8-8 every day in addition to baking all of our breads, cookies, croissants and other pastries in-house.  Served alongside our food and baked goods are coffees and espressos from local roasters Kuma Coffee, plus a selection of teas and other beverages crafted by Ada’s baristas, sometimes with the help of some robots (see: Kyoto slow-drip tower modified with an Arduino microcontroller).

Our book selection has also grown since finding our new home. With about twice the space we had at Ada’s Prime, Ada’s 2.0 has shelves adorned with books that push the umbrella of technology and science to a wide breadth. We maintain that there is something in Ada’s for most everyone, including self-proclaimed techno-phobes.  For example, adjacent to the electrical engineering shelf is our young adult section, complete with a range of choices from programming books written for young programmers to The Adventure Time Encyclopedia. One of the most popular spaces in the bookstore is the puzzle shelf, covered with puzzles, many of which were designed and manufactured here in Seattle.

Along with taking care to curate a fine selection of books, an integral part of Ada’s mission has always been to support authors, scientists, programmers, engineers, and more by hosting intimate and dynamic events. We’re proud to offer a platform for presenters where they can showcase the many ways in which technology and science affects our lives, from the highly technical, to the most broadly accessible. Nearly all of our events are free and open to the public, covering a range of topics including 3-D Printing, living in a post-Snowden U.S., volcanoes, women working in technology, and reading works of electronic literature. Augmenting our featured events are monthly book clubs, workshops, and space made available for community members to host their own events, meet-ups, meetings, or parties. The main objective of Ada’s Events? To facilitate community, especially within Seattle Tech.

So what is Ada’s Technical Books and Cafe? We’re a place that believes the most important thing humanity must do is ask the questions: What? Why? and our favorite, How?

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WTIA is hosting our next Tech Author event @ Ada’s Technical Books on January 22nd! Find out more & register here: https://washingtontechnology.org/event/tech-author-joshua-davis/

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Guest Blogger: Alex Hughes | Events Manager | Ada’s Technical Books & Cafe

Alex maintains an elaborate love-affair with all manifestations of the written word, from complex tech manuals, to children stories, to the back of cereal boxes; though his true love is fiction.