For over four years I wrote the column “On Computing” for IEEE Software, a journal of the IEEE Computer Society, wherein I explored themes associated with Computing: The Human Experience. You can download the podcast of each column on iTunes, or you can listen to them here.
- The Human Experience
Computing has transformed humanity in ways that we have only begun to metabolize; computing amplifies what we celebrate most about being human, but it also has the capacity to magnify that which we mourn
- Three Stories
We live in an enchanted land of our own making; while much of the world benefits from the technology that has made that enchantment possible, much of the world neither knows nor cares about the inner life of computing
- Woven On The Loom Of Sorrow
Computing was once a companion to conflict; computing is now an instrument of war; computing is becoming the theater of war
- The Great And Terrible Oz
Computing is transforming every aspect of the human experience; as creators of this technology, what obligations do we have to the general public, for whom we make the complex machinery of computing increasingly invisible?
- From Minecraft To Minds
The subject of the computability of the mind introduces complex philosophical, ethical, and technical issues
- In Defense Of Boring
On the one hand, we seek to build software-intensive systems that are innovative, elegant, and supremely useful; on the other hand, computing technology as a thing unto itself is not the place of enduring value
- The Wonder Years
For those on the outside of the curtain of computing, there is much mystery behind the matter of software-intensive systems: to some it looks like magic but to most, its inner workings are irrelevant insofar that it simply works; to those of us behind the curtain, we know that such systems are filled with chaos, regularity, and beauty
- The Stories Of Possibility
There are three things that future generations may never experience: the smell of books, the sound of a computer, and the sanctuary of privacy
- Deus Ex Machina
No matter your individual position on the matter, faith is a powerful element of the human experience; it comes as no surprise that computing interacts with the stories of belief
- The Human And Ethical Aspects Of Big Data
Every line of code represents a moral decision; every bit of data collected, analyzed, and visualized has moral implications
- The Stores We Tell Ourselves
Storytelling involves weaving abstractions about fundamental truths regarding the world and the human experience to entertain and educate; when it comes to movies and television, producers and directors often make computer technology look like magic, but it doesn’t have to be that way
- The Incredible Lightness Of Software
Viewed from the inside of a software-intensive system, there are many different styles of implementation, each with its own subtle characteristics; from the outside, it all looks the same…it’s completely invisible
- The Big Questions
The big questions whose answers shape the systems with which we engage
- To Code Or Note To Code
What a functioning member of society should know about computing
- The Persistence Of Memory
Even in the face of the tumultuous changes brought about by computing, the threads that define our very humanity still persist and bring a poignant texture to our digital life
- Of Boilers, Bits, And Bots
Parallels exists between the Industrial Revolution and our current computing revolution regarding risk, transparency, and responsibility
- All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace
We must coming to grips with a number of practical and ethical conundrums as machines of our own creation become our companions, helpmates, and servants
- Anarchy And Order
Computing amplifies the actions of governments, but can also temper its behavior by enabling mechanisms for private communication as well as for open and transparent communication by the people
- Then A Miracle Occurs
Developing software-intensive systems is like many other things, but it is also like no other thing
- My Autobiography
The story of computing is the story of humanity: this is a story of ambition, invention, creativity, vision, avarice, and serendipity, powered by a refusal to accept the limits of our bodies and minds
- I, For One, Welcome Our New Computer Overlords
We reject the fear that machines with superintelligent computing powers will eventually spell the end of humanity
- Remembrance Of Things Past
Although we live in a world of unprecedented complexity and astonishing possibility, we should never forget our past: those who came before us in computing enabled those possibilities
- The Computational Human
The different ages of humanity have required different modes of thinking
- It Is Cold. And Lonely
The next generation of software-intensive systems will be taught instead of programmed
- Disrupting The Disrupters
To disrupt an industry is to question the fundamental, sacred assumptions on which that industry is founded
- No Laughing Matter
The journey to understand the theories, mechanisms, and algorithms that discern and define funny
- Once Upon A Time
The creation stories and myths of computing