I love this picture, if I may say so myself :)
Thursday, February 16
expression
between creation and translation
Let's start with the Oxford English Dictionary:
Creation: the action or process of bringing something into existance
Translation: the conversion of something from one form or medium to another
Expression: the process of making known one's thoughts or feelings
They are similar because they all generate something in a particular medium or context. They all have the same result. They are different because they start in different places.
Creation starts with nothing and adds something totally new. Translation starts with a source and adds nothing to it.
Expression lies in between. The process of "making known". It is translation because an expression simply points to something that previously existed. It looks like creation, because before the expression, that which is expressed was unknown.
Translation takes something visible and makes it comprehensible. Creation has nothing and makes something. Expression takes something unkown and makes it knowable.
Maybe the Author should say that software engineering is the process of expressing human desires as computer actions. The Author is right to say that translation is a powerful word, though it exists only as an aid to expression.
A software engineer doesn't translate someone's desires into computer actions, he helps people express themselves with computers.
Authors writes in their own language. Their work is later translated to other languages. The software engineer helps his clients to write directly in a language they do not know. What makes the job challening is that language affects how you think and the client must be able to express themselves as natives in a language they do not speak.
Expression: simultaneous creation and translation.
Let's start with the Oxford English Dictionary:
Creation: the action or process of bringing something into existance
Translation: the conversion of something from one form or medium to another
Expression: the process of making known one's thoughts or feelings
They are similar because they all generate something in a particular medium or context. They all have the same result. They are different because they start in different places.
Creation starts with nothing and adds something totally new. Translation starts with a source and adds nothing to it.
Expression lies in between. The process of "making known". It is translation because an expression simply points to something that previously existed. It looks like creation, because before the expression, that which is expressed was unknown.
Translation takes something visible and makes it comprehensible. Creation has nothing and makes something. Expression takes something unkown and makes it knowable.
Maybe the Author should say that software engineering is the process of expressing human desires as computer actions. The Author is right to say that translation is a powerful word, though it exists only as an aid to expression.
A software engineer doesn't translate someone's desires into computer actions, he helps people express themselves with computers.
Authors writes in their own language. Their work is later translated to other languages. The software engineer helps his clients to write directly in a language they do not know. What makes the job challening is that language affects how you think and the client must be able to express themselves as natives in a language they do not speak.
Expression: simultaneous creation and translation.
Saturday, February 11
raw & managed
tasks
It occured to me, that there are two different types of tasks that we engage in. We perform a managed task in a context that was created by someone else. Computer programs, for example. We don't actually do anything, we just give instructions. The context may do what we ask, it may do more than we ask, it may disregard our instructions, it may crash randomly. In a managed context, we are users, we are merely using a tool.
When we perform a raw task, we do something. Think of paddling a canoe or slicing vegetables. We do not tell the paddle to make the canoe move; we don't instruct the knife to cut the peppers. When we perform a raw task, we are responsible for making sure that nothing goes wrong. In a managed task, the 'manager' can prevent us from doing stupid things. When you're cutting veggies, it's up to you to avoid your fingers.
It's not just about computer programs and boats, though. Large organizations (NGOs, governments, corporations) are set up as managed context. The people in charge don't actually do anything, they give instructions to the context, the organization. In theory, organizations have adequate checks and balances to operate as a managed context. A lot of havoc is wreaked when people step out of the managed context -- they can do a lot of damage.
It occured to me, that there are two different types of tasks that we engage in. We perform a managed task in a context that was created by someone else. Computer programs, for example. We don't actually do anything, we just give instructions. The context may do what we ask, it may do more than we ask, it may disregard our instructions, it may crash randomly. In a managed context, we are users, we are merely using a tool.
When we perform a raw task, we do something. Think of paddling a canoe or slicing vegetables. We do not tell the paddle to make the canoe move; we don't instruct the knife to cut the peppers. When we perform a raw task, we are responsible for making sure that nothing goes wrong. In a managed task, the 'manager' can prevent us from doing stupid things. When you're cutting veggies, it's up to you to avoid your fingers.
It's not just about computer programs and boats, though. Large organizations (NGOs, governments, corporations) are set up as managed context. The people in charge don't actually do anything, they give instructions to the context, the organization. In theory, organizations have adequate checks and balances to operate as a managed context. A lot of havoc is wreaked when people step out of the managed context -- they can do a lot of damage.
Thursday, February 9
engineering
poetry
My TA said that reading my homework was like reading pure poetry. This is quite possible the weirdest comment I've ever received on any homework, ever. My english teachers never said that when I was *trying* to write poetry.
At any rate, I decided to answer a question on my next assignment in haiku. I have reproduced it below for your reading pleasure:
Acceleration
that causes severe damage
is one point one g.
Mind you, my first attempt had the wrong answer, so the lines came out a bit different:
Acceleration
causing total collapse is
one point seven g.
My TA said that reading my homework was like reading pure poetry. This is quite possible the weirdest comment I've ever received on any homework, ever. My english teachers never said that when I was *trying* to write poetry.
At any rate, I decided to answer a question on my next assignment in haiku. I have reproduced it below for your reading pleasure:
Acceleration
that causes severe damage
is one point one g.
Mind you, my first attempt had the wrong answer, so the lines came out a bit different:
Acceleration
causing total collapse is
one point seven g.
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