Life in Code

Should be compulsory reading for anyone in software. The chapter on MOOCs (“Programming for the Millions”) is especially good.

I love Ellen Ullman's writing and personal anecdotes on coding culture, the allure of algorithms, about falling into the zone and about becoming closer to the machine. She's been on the scene for 40 years now and has the ability to zoom out, and reflect on SF's startup culture, not to trust the bubbles and the bursts, how the web revolution got rid of the middleman. Plus, she's had a unique voice about the industry's geek guy culture (she demonstrates how present it is even in mooc classes) and its inherent sexism for a while already. This new collection of essays falls well in line with her previous work. The only thing out of place is the mid-section about Artificial Life, as it feels detached from the more personal narrative of the other chapters.