
The CS Primer Show
A show about computer science and computer science education by Charlie Harrington and Oz Nova.
Latest episodes

Nov 10, 2023 • 1h 14min
E14: Brit Cruise and the computer magic show
Brit Cruise creates educational videos, learning experiments, and other amazing things that "connect young people with their futures as young as possible." He's worked with Khan Academy, Codecademy, Pixar, Disney, Unity, and more to conjure up magical educational experiences for kids.Shownotes:Brit Cruise's websiteStoryxperientialX in a BoxArt of the ProblemPixar in a BoxKhan Academy James Burke "Connections"

7 snips
Sep 21, 2023 • 1h 5min
E13: Why some people learn much faster than others
Charlie wants to talk about the latest Paul Graham essay "How to Do Great Work" and Oz wants to talk about jiu-jitsu (again).Show notes:How to Do Great Work - Paul Graham You and Your Research - Richard Hamming"Jozef Chen On Rapid Learning From Jiu-Jitsu Instructionals & Technique Tinkering"Jozef Chen recent competition victoryMikey Musumeci on Joe Rogan"There's no speed limit" - Derek SiversTeach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy LessonsOz's article about how his 3 year old learned to readLaura Deming on The Good Time Show#computerscience #learning #education #jiujitsu #startup #technology

Sep 7, 2023 • 55min
E12: Two self-taught engineers building large scale data systems
We're joined by the co-founders of Warpstream Labs, Richie Artoul and Ryan Worl, to talk about how exploring your curiosity as a software engineer can lead to all sorts of interesting avenues and opportunities, like going from a coding bootcamp grad to building Warpstream - a Kafka-compatible data streaming platform.You may remember Richie from our previous podcast Escaping Web! Richie is one of Oz's students at Bradfield, and he's always up to something interesting and computer science-y.Shownotes:Warpstream Labs Kafka is Dead, Long Live Kafka (Warpstream blog)Richie's "Escaping Web" episodeIntroducing Husky (Datadog blog)Turing Tumble (game where you build logic gates with marbles)

Aug 17, 2023 • 1h 3min
E11: Helping kids fall in love with computers
Linda Liukas (author and illustrator of HELLO RUBY - "the world's most whimsical way to learn about computers, technology and programming") joins Oz and Charlie to discuss how and why we love our computers, lessons learned from teaching kids about computer science using paper and scissors and glue, and Linda's latest project - designing an outside playground in Helsinki as a computer you can play in.Shownotes:Linda's websiteHello Ruby (Linda's book series) Love Letters for Computers (Linda's video series)

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Aug 10, 2023 • 1h 8min
E10: The magic of Bell Labs
Jon Gertner, an author exploring innovation history, is joined by Jimmy Soni, who focuses on technology and biography. They delve into the transformative environment of Bell Labs and ponder if its unique culture can be replicated today. The discussion highlights Claude Shannon's groundbreaking contributions and how he might react to modern AI, especially ChatGPT. They also reflect on the significance of pursuing meaningful work and the delicate balance between independent creativity and structured projects in a rapidly evolving tech landscape.

Jul 21, 2023 • 59min
E9: What makes programming fun? With Steve Krouse of val.town
Steve Krouse is the founder of val.town, a social network where you write and run - and maybe poke - code? Steve's a fellow computer science education and developer tools enthusiast. We explore what makes programming fun - and how tools like val.town might just be able to recapture that joy we've all felt with computers before.Shownotes:val.townSteve Krouse Seymour PapertMindstorms by Seymour Papert (book)ZachtronicsCaveman Chemistry (book)Primitive Technology (book)Hack Club

May 30, 2023 • 24min
E8: Should we stop doing this podcast?
Are we creating evil in the world with this podcast? Should Charlie feel guilty about playing Zelda? Do any Oz-approved video games exist? What's going on with Charlie's book? Can we use GPT-4 as an effective personal tutor? And should we stop doing this podcast?Shownotes:Khanmigo (Khan Academy)Silicon ZeroesShenzhen I/OHuman Resource Machine

May 11, 2023 • 1h 1min
E7: How Jesse Farmer designed the first coding bootcamp curriculum
Jesse Farmer, Co-founder of Dev Bootcamp, shares insights on designing a coding bootcamp curriculum, the significance of daily rituals, challenges of teaching public speaking online, reflections on online learning, and the importance of physical presence in education.

May 4, 2023 • 31min
E6: Can you develop an engineer's mindset?
Explore the engineer mindset inspired by 'The Martian', von Neumann probes, self-publishing creativity, and a new social media protocol. Embrace side projects for joy and growth, diving into problem-solving with curiosity and proactive attitudes.

Apr 21, 2023 • 1h 3min
E5: Omar the High-Octane Learning Machine
Omar Rayward, a Senior Staff Software Engineer who attended an early coding bootcamp, shares his study habits and motivation. Topics include consistent learning routines, transitioning careers from ophthalmology to software engineering, embracing failure, and the importance of mentorship and problem-solving in the workplace.
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