The Magic of Code
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In the tradition of classics such as The Lives of a Cell by Lewis Thomas, a bold reframing of our relationship with technology into one that is more positive and human centered.
In the digital world, code is the essential primary building block, the equivalent of the cell or DNA in the biological sphere—and almost as mysterious. Code can create entire worlds, real and virtual; it allows us to connect instantly to people and places around the globe; and it performs tasks that were once only possible in science fiction. It is a superpower, and not just in a technical sense. It is also a gateway to ideas. As vividly illustrated by Samuel Arbesman, it is the ultimate connector, providing new insight and meaning into how everything from language and mythology to biblical texts, biology, even our patterns of thought connect with the history and nature of computing.
While the building block of code can be used for many wondrous things it can also create deeper wedges in our society and be weaponized to cause damage to our planet or our civilization. Code and computing are too important to be left to the tech community; it is essential that each of us engage with it. And we fail to understand it at our peril.
By providing us with a framework to think about coding and its effects upon the world and placing the past, current, and future developments in computing into its broader setting we see how software and computers can work for people as opposed to against our needs. With this deeper understanding into the “why” of coding we can be masters of technology rather than its victims.
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Solid Explanation Of Why Knowing The Basics Of Software Development Is Essential In Modern Life. Full disclosure up front: My degree is in Computer Science. I actually started the program at 16 years old and was already going into Programming 3 by the time I graduated high school. I spent over three years in college as a Programming 1 tutor, having never made less than a 95 on *any* assignment or test - including the handwritten final exam - in Programming 1. I was a middle school/ high school teacher for a year before spending the last 18 years as a professional software developer building everything from credit card processing applications at a Fortune 50 megacorporation to various medical billing systems to even a couple of stints at the Savannah River Site as a nuclear software engineer on various projects, including one that informed the chemical engineers of when any one of a couple dozen nuclear waste tanks ranging in size from a few hundred thousand gallons to over a million gallons were about to explode within 24 hours if they didn't act in time.
All that to say, obviously, I love my craft. I'm a 25+ year student of this industry as well as practitioner, and I've learned, done, and seen quite a bit. I *know* how critical my industry is to modern life.
Here, Arbesman does a truly remarkable job of explaining to everyone *else* what I've known for quite some time. No matter your background outside of software development - including those non-coders inside of the more general Information Technology industry - Arbesman does a truly great job of explaining the basics of coding and why it is important to modern life - both for good and ill - in such a way that it is both easily approachable and easily understandable by pretty well anyone who can read at all.
Reasonably well documented - at least by my more recent, more relaxed standards - at 15% or so, this book explains the wonders and pitfalls of this industry in ways that will make most anyone understand just how critical it is and why it is critically important that they have at least some understanding of it... and also make those of us who have been in the trenches for quite some time come to love what we do all over again. It is both informed and inspiring, and while it doesn't go into all of the complexities of the field, it does give a solid overview of at least a lot of the key issues in such a way that it invites the reader to discover even more about this industry.
Overall a great book for anyone, and seemingly destined to be at minimum suggested reading - if not required - in perhaps a lot of Computer 101 courses in college or even high school.
Very much recommended.
Originally posted at bookanon.com.
