Show HN: The Magic of Code – book about the wonders and weirdness of computation
The intro is well written and captivating, but is an intro. Unfortunately, it leaves me less wanting to read and experience the meat of the book and more curious what that meat even is. With a target audience that doesn't know how to code already, where is it going? That's not generally a mystery I want in this kind of book. If I'm going to have something bubble up high enough on my to-read pile I'll ever get to it, I need to have some prior idea of whats in it.
Wow. Delightful. I'm reaching that jaded mid-career stage where software DEFINITELY does not seem magical anymore -- more like a collection of broken promises about the magic that could have been -- and this was a great reminder that, yeah, hey, it is kinda magical anyway, isn't it?
Congrats for writing something that is both accessible to a wide audience and yet still meaningful to grumpy audience.
I will certainly be picking this up!
> Right now there is so much worry and concern around technology that I feel like some people—though not the folks here—have forgotten how much fun that code and computation can also be.
I believe that future generations will continue to re-discover the wonders and merits of computer code and writing programs. Similar to subjects like math and physics, the appreciation won’t be going away for those who have an affinity for it.
Author here! Happy to answer any questions about the book, the ideas in it, or even book writing more generally!
Have you read "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software"? I enjoyed it.
I like the book’s premise. Aside from a longstanding propensity for popular science fiction, I’ve often felt that programmers tend to overlook the humanities. I’m curious to see how your book bridges that gap. I just bought a copy.
Saw your talk at the Recurse Center, and really appreciated it. I'm looking forward to reading this book!
That's a very cool cover.
This looks cool! There's been so many books with a utopian or dystopian take on technology, it's refreshing to see someone tapping into the wonder. I've certainly experienced wonder with my programming journey.