Samuel Arbesman, a scientist at Lux Capital and author of "The Magic of Code," dives into the enchanting world of coding. He shares his journey from skepticism about computers to embracing their creative potential. Topics include the transformative impact of AI on programming, the historical layers of abstraction in coding, and the mystical parallels between coding and magic. Arbesman also explores the challenges of copyright in the digital landscape and the fascinating implications of simulation theory in understanding reality.
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insights INSIGHT
Rekindling Wonder in Computing
Sam Arbesman feels the current conversation about computing is either adversarial or ignorant.
He wants to rekindle the sense of wonder and connect the machine to the human.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Jim Rutt's Apple II Revelation
Jim Rutt bought a fully loaded Apple II in 1980 and instantly fell in love with computing.
He transitioned from disliking early computing to appreciating its delight and wonder.
insights INSIGHT
Coexistence of Utilitarian and Wonder
Utilitarian and wonder stances in computing have always coexisted.
The 'poetic web' represents playful, enjoyable web projects hidden beneath enterprise software facades.
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Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)
Julie Sussman
Harold Abelson
Gerald Jay Sussman
This book teaches central ideas of computation by establishing a series of mental models for computation. It covers programming concepts common to all modern high-level programming languages and uses Scheme (or JavaScript in the latest adaptation) to formulate language processors. The book focuses on discovering general patterns for solving specific problems and building software systems that make use of those patterns. It was formerly used as the textbook for MIT's introductory course in computer science and is known as the 'Wizard Book' in hacker culture.
The art of computer programming
Donald Knuth
The Art of Computer Programming is a seminal work by Donald E. Knuth that presents a detailed and systematic treatment of computer programming algorithms. The series, which began in 1962, is planned to consist of seven volumes, with several already published. The books cover a wide range of topics, including fundamental algorithms, seminumerical algorithms, sorting and searching, and combinatorial algorithms. Knuth uses a hypothetical assembly language called MIX (and its RISC version MMIX) to illustrate the algorithms, emphasizing the importance of understanding low-level machine operations. The series is known for its rigorous mathematical approach and detailed analysis of algorithms, making it a cornerstone of computer science literature.
The Half-Life of Facts
Samuel Arbisman
Overcomplicated
Samuel Arbesman
As We May Think
Vannevar Bush
Jim talks with Samuel Arbesman about the ideas in his book The Magic of Code: How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World—and Shapes Our Future. They discuss Sam's motivation for writing the book, the wondering vs. utilitarian stances toward computing, early personal computing experiences, scale in programming, AI as a "hinge of history" moment, the democratization of code through AI tools, the dual nature of code as text & action, analogies between code & magic/mysticism, HyperCard as an early programming tool, the evolution of web development & protocols, layers of abstraction in computing, code golf, imperative vs. functional languages, recursion in programming, tools for thought & note-taking software, numeric modeling & world simulation, agent-based modeling & artificial life, the simulation hypothesis, research into "glitches in the matrix," and much more.
Episode Transcript
Overcomplicated: Technology at the Limits of Comprehension, by Samuel Arbesman
The Half-Life of Facts: Why Everything We Know Has an Expiration Date, by Samuel Arbesman
The Magic of Code: How Digital Language Created and Connects Our World—and Shapes Our Future, by Samuel Arbesman
The Orthogonal Bet podcast
"As We May Think," by Vannevar Bush
Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman, Martin Henz, Tobias Wringstad
The Art of Computer Programming, by Donald E. Knuth
Network Wars
Numerical Recipes: The Art of Scientific Computing
Samuel Arbesman is Scientist in Residence at Lux Capital. In addition, he is an xLab senior fellow at Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and a research fellow at the Long Now Foundation. He is the author of The Magic of Code, Overcomplicated, and The Half-Life of Facts, and his writing has appeared in such places as the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and Wired, where he was previously a contributing writer. He lives in Cleveland with his family. The first computer he used was a Commodore VIC-20.
The Jim Rutt Show 
