The Evolution of Programming: Reflections on the IBM 650

Donald Knuth is a computer scientist, Turing Award winner, father of algorithm analysis, author of The Art of Computer Programming, and creator of TeX. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
– Coinbase: https://coinbase.com/lex to get $5 in free Bitcoin
– InsideTracker: https://insidetracker.com/lex and use code Lex25 to get 25% off
– NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/lex to get free product tour
– ExpressVPN: https://expressvpn.com/lexpod and use code LexPod to get 3 months free
– BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/lex to get 10% off

EPISODE LINKS:
Donald’s Stanford Page: https://profiles.stanford.edu/donald-knuth
Donald’s Books: https://amzn.to/3heyBsC

PODCAST INFO:
Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast
Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2lwqZIr
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8
RSS: https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/
YouTube Full Episodes: https://youtube.com/lexfridman
YouTube Clips: https://youtube.com/lexclips

SUPPORT & CONNECT:
– Check out the sponsors above, it’s the best way to support this podcast
– Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman
– LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman
– Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman

OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(07:02) – First programs
(30:26) – Literate programming
(33:35) – Beauty in programming
(39:30) – OpenAI
(48:41) – Optimization
(54:46) – Consciousness
(1:03:29) – Conway’s game of life
(1:16:16) – Stable marriage
(1:19:35) – Richard Feynman
(1:30:29) – Knuth-Morris-Pratt Algorithm
(1:40:02) – Hardest problem
(1:57:41) – Open source
(2:02:54) – Favorite symbols
(2:12:27) – Productivity
(2:20:08) – Meaning of life