Dive into an exploration of whether the universe itself acts like a computer. Delve into philosophical debates about computation and the mind, where historical insights from figures like Alan Turing enrich the discussion. Discover distinctions between deterministic and non-deterministic systems, and their implications for understanding reality. The conversation poses lofty questions about existence and our place in the cosmos, mixing humor with deep thoughts on how computation shapes our understanding of time and change.

In this engaging discussion, Alexander Repenning, an innovator in educational tools, shares insights from his 20-year journey with AgentSheets, a platform designed to foster kids' computational thinking. He delves into the evolution of block-based programming, critiques the limitations of syntax-focused education, and advocates for more accessible coding tools for diverse students. Repenning humorously addresses the naming conventions in programming and emphasizes the importance of a deeper understanding of semantics and pragmatics in coding education.

The podcast delves into the history and significance of Pygmalion, the originator of concepts like icons and programming by demonstration. It explores the original paper by David Canfield Smith, the debate between reading sequentially or jumping to conclusions, and critiques gender dynamics in visual programming. The hosts also discuss the role of language in thought, explore the existence of triangles, and examine visual representations in programming.

The podcast delves into topics like 'Inventing on Principle' by Brett Victor, Paris Fashion Week, Canadian Tuxedo, hot module replacement, and innovative programming demos. It also discusses the intersection of technology and art, exploring surrealism, direct manipulation in art and technology, and the utilization of tools and constraints for creativity.

Dave Ackley challenges conventional software engineering by advocating for a balance between correctness and efficiency. The episode explores robustness in computing, prioritizing resilient solutions over peak performance. Examples range from RAID to Byzantine fault tolerance, highlighting the importance of handling unpredictable situations in software development.

Author Mary Shaw discusses myths and mythconceptions in programming, including the dominance of ill-specified software, the confusion caused by the lack of structure in a paper, and the importance of recognizing limitations in myths. They explore the concept of vernacular software development and its tools, the contributions of vernacular programmers and the capture of their work by commercial entities, and the reality of software engineering. The speakers also touch on gender-neutral terms, the acquisition of knowledge, the varying interpretations of correctness, and the myth of the professional programmer.

Philip Wadler discusses the deep connection between logic and programming, revealing how every program corresponds to a proof. The podcast explores historical models of computation, Godel's influence, and challenges in defining calculable processes. It also delves into lambda calculus, Turing machines, comedy in programming, and the evolution of computing from military funding to logical systems.

Renowned computer scientist and idiosyncratic grump, Edsger Wybe Dijkstra, discusses his influential 'Go To Considered Harmful' paper and its impact. They debate the use of 'go to' statements in programming and explore concepts like coordinate systems in programs. The harmful aspects of go to statements and dependency injection are also discussed. They highlight the value of the elder generation in shaping technology and reflect on code styles and building something new. The podcast also covers scar tissue in bureaucracy and the differences between podcasting and radio.

The podcast explores various topics such as unconventional games like 'Frog Fractions', the social aspect of the game Silent Football, the concept of end user computing, the limitations of conversational agents, distributing drafts and tracking read status, the essence of programming, motivations in programming, communication through formal languages, and empowering users to modify apps.

The execution of code, by its very nature, creates the conditions of a "strong legalism" in which you must unquestioningly obey laws produced without your say, invisibly, with no chance for appeal. This is a wild idea; today's essay is packed with them. In drawing parallels between law and computing, it gives us a new skepticism about software and the effect it has on the world. It's also full of challenges and benchmarks and ideas for ways that code can be reimagined. The conclusion of the essay is flush with inspiration, and the references are stellar. So while it might not look it at first, this is one of the most powerful works of FoC we've read: Interpreting the Rule(s) of Code: Performance, Performativity, and Production by Laurence Diver, 2001. Next episode, we're having an open-ended discussion about end-user programming. The reading is Bonnie Nardi's 1993 classic, A Small Matter of Programming, with the referenced articles from the 1991 Scientific American special issue Communications, Computers and Networks as extra background. Links Nova is the new code editor from Panic. Ivan is using it now that his beloved Atom has hit end-of-life. Ira Glass spoke about The Gap Ivan's unicorn-puke GUI Jimmy tried recreating the grainy effect used by The Browser Company's Arc Chris Granger's Light Table was an early Kickstarter success. iA Presenter has a clichéd video teaser. Mimestream, a great native Mac client for Gmail, also made one of these. Ivan first saw this style of video over a decade ago with Sparrow — and at least this one has a narrative. Occasionally, someone does a playful tweak on the formula, like this video that keeps getting interrupted for Dark Noise. But in general, this format is worn out, and it was never great to begin with. Here's the classic Atom 1.0 announcement video Very Bad Wizards and If Books Could Kill are podcasts that talk through a work from beginning to end sprinkling in reflections as they go, rather than jumping around randomly or separating recap from reflection. Speech act has a philosophy corner within the philosophy corner. Elephant 2000 by Lisp creator John McCarthy, and Dynamicland, both make use of speech acts. On The Expressive Power of Programming Languages by Matthias Felleisen The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Black, a reflective Scheme by Kenichi Asai. Hollow Knight is a great game for a 4-year old, and a 40-year old. It's just a great game. Maybe the greatest? Doom Eternal, not so much — but the inventive soundtrack absolutely slays. Local-first software Tony Gilroy's Andor and Terry Gilliam's Brazil. In hindsight, I'm surprised we made it all the way to the final minutes of the show before mentioning Brazil. Get in touch, ask us questions, DON'T send us the sound of your knuckles cracking: Ivan: Mastodon • Email Jimmy: Mastodon • Twitter Join the Future of Coding Slack https://futureofcoding.org/episodes/065Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/futureofcodingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.