Software as Art

Alright, I might be stretching it a little to postulate that software can be art, but give me a chance …

I’ve had this idea in my head for a while that writing computer software is a form of art and deeply creative. Occasionally I have described what I’m about to write to a few people as well. I was reminded of this again while watching a video on www.code.org. In that video, which is encouraging young people to consider a career in software development, there are ideas and philosophies that I can align with.

So let me build an analogy. There are hundreds of languages in the world. Each language begins with an alphabet, a set of characters or symbols. Then these characters are combined into words which have a meaning. The compilation of all those meanings becomes a dictionary. Those words are grouped in types, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. To do anything with those words requires grammar, a set of rules on how words can be used together. All this learning and none of it has been used in any communication!

Then we take those words and use our minds and hearts to create something – sentences, paragraphs, Haiku, poetry, plays, books, short stories, epics, songs, and so on. Each one is a creative effort. Even the mere idea of composing a sentence such as this one requires a great deal of creativity since it’s likely a sentence rarely if ever repeated before. Of course some are more artistic than others, some touch us and resonate more than others. But that’s language and art all mixed together.

In software development there are also languages, dozens of them. Again each language has an alphabet, most often Latin. Then for each language the characters are combined into words which have a meaning within the software language, though the set of words is much smaller. Again those words are grouped into types such as conditional statements, mathematical, logical, and so on. Software languages also have a distinct grammar of how to put those words together. There is one piece that is highly unique about software and that is it allows those who write software to create new words or concepts by combining the prescribed words using the rules of the grammar for that language! That’s cool.

While spoken/written languages are primarily about communication, one of the essences of software is to solve a problem. It may be a superfluous problem like Angry Birds, or something specialized like the software for the Space Shuttle. For any problem there are thousands and thousands of ways to solve the problem, everyone would most likely solve it quite uniquely. It’s the same with spoken/written words – there are thousands and thousands of ways to express the same idea.

So software is about problem solving, not necessarily about logic as everyone presumes so quickly. Problem solving of this kind to me is just as creative as writing a poem or an epic story. How can the design be made elegant and efficient, and even beautiful? I know I’ve looked at code other people have written and admired what they’ve done; and I’ve seen spaghetti code that boggles my mind as well. Of course software is rarely seen at this level – it all gets compiled into programs that run on computer or phones which has no resemblance to the actual code that was written. To me there is beauty, and creativity, and art in software which unfortunately most people will never see, much less understand. Maybe I’ve turned your opinion just a little – ask me and I’ll show you my code sometime (can I use that as  pickup line;-).

Maybe we could take code and put it up on our refrigerators, or frame it and hang it on the walls of our house like any other art!

Proud to be a software artist.

Zero Degrees Kelvin

This past week there was an article about scientists demonstrating a negative temperature in an experiment. Here’s the article - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/absolute-zero-record-setting-negative-temperature_n_2404666.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false.

A little background first – we usually think of temperature as a measure of hotness or coldness. It some ways it may be more accurate to say that temperature measures the amount of movement and interaction of molecules. If there’s no movement there’s no interaction. But when there is movement, there is interaction and every interaction involves a release of some energy as heat. Where there is absolutely no movement that is considered zero degrees Kelvin, where Kelvin comes from the scientist Lord Kelvin. The Kelvin scale and Celsius scale are closely tied where every 1 degree equates to 1 degree Kelvin, the different is that Celsius was meant to be more convenient and relatable to everyday interactions. Hence 0 degrees Celsius is the temperature at which water freezes or goes between solid and liquid, and 100 degrees Celsius is the temperature at which water changes between liquid and gas. Minus 273.15 degrees Celsius is equivalent to 0 degrees Kelvin.

As I’ve read more, like many topics, there are layers. Like when we learn physics equations seem in pure form, and then we learn about friction and other small factors that turn simple equations into complex formulas. The simple equations demonstrate the concepts which the full-blown equations are needed for more detailed areas. Temperature is like that as well where 0 degrees Kelvin is no translational movement in the classical model. Now I’m not sure what the classical model is, but there are clearly other dimensions of this.

Now the experiment used precise fields of lasers and magnetics to align molecules and generate a new energy state. This also begs the question – are our ideas of temperature wrong? Or need adjustment? And what about forces.

As I thought about this, I also wondered about force. There are four types of forces – gravity, electromagnetic, weak nuclear, and strong nuclear. The weak nuclear and strong nuclear are present within the nucleus of an atom. Gravity is an attraction between matter, and electromagnetic that is everywhere. Scientists don’t fully understand the mechanisms of these forces – how they work, how they exist, but clearly they do. Is it possible to have no movement or no energy while these forces exist? How is it that a single molecule could have no movement and no energy – after all it have the energy of the weak nuclear and strong nuclear force to hold it together? Or how is it that two molecules could remain completely stationary given there is a gravitational field between them?

I have no answers, only a curious mind that was blown open by this article and the idea of temperature loops and ‘negative’ temperatures. Science continues to amaze me!

Paradox, Science, and Taoism

The Tao gives birth to one

one gives birth to two

two gives birth to three

three gives birth to ten thousand things

-- Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching, verse 42

This first part of the 42nd verse of the Tao Te Ching is absolutely remarkable to me. It is such a precise picture of the universe and yet completely abstract at the same thing.

If you look at it in terms of classic teachings, the Tao can be understood to be the nothingness beyond anything we know with our mind, beyond anything we understand. The one can be understood to be the source energy, the single energy underlying, cradling everything; from everything derives from. The two paints the vision of the polarities that exist in this world – masculine and feminine, light and dark, north and south, sun and moon. Yin and yang in all its amazing forms. It’s also all the paradox that is all around, with each paradox falling apart and settling back into the one the two births from. The three is stepping stone to ten thousand, or the metaphorical infinite. That is everything that exists, in all its forms.

As in any birth, or any definition of birth we understand as humans, there is a lineage and connection back to the parents, grandparents, and so on. In one sense, the Tao is how we can understand that everything remains one and connected, even as there are distinct forms. There is one of those great paradoxes – the distinct forms of each of us or the distinct idea of each rock, plant, and so on, and still it’s connected to everything else.

The word connect, or interconnect, is one of the resolvers of the paradox. To be connected, or interconnected, implies both that there are at least two objects or people that are distinct and yet by being connected they become one! Try to wrap your head around that one – or better not to and just let it be.

If you are more of a scientific bent, you might understand the universe as born from a Big Bang. The Big Bang Theory implies a nothingness before anything (the Tao). Then there is a single entity, a single energy that explodes; the single energy is similar to the one. And as in human conception, cells splits, and that one energy has split apart into two, now we’re at the two above. As the Big Bang progress, then three, then ten thousand, or infinite.

The scientific bent also has wonderful paradoxes, like the dual-nature of light. Depending on what experiment that’s set up, light can either be detected as a wave or as a particle. Wow, that’s wild. Or consider Eintein’s famous equation E=mc2 which says that energy (E) and matter (m) are different forms of the same thing! Then there’s electromagnetic waves which are everywhere being released and absorbed by atoms all the time. Those waves the connection between everything. All atoms, and subatomic particles within, are constantly connecting and interacting.

Reality, as we know it in this universe, can be described in so many ways, from the sublime description of the Tao Te Ching from thousands of years ago which contains so much in so few words, to the deep and philosophical scientific inquiry to understand something of what we experience and put equations to that.

Just some of my random musings about science and philosophy and how they may not be as difference as we like to believe.

Lists

I used to be a listmaker. Lots and lots of lists. Lists of everything. Grocery lists, lists of when to pay bills, travel lists, lists for cycling events, lists for work. They were everywhere. They never ended. It felt good to cross an item off, but ultimately once half the page was crossed off I’d rewrite the list and add more at the end. The list was never finished.

I am now a recovering listmaker. Before I get to the ‘recovery’, I want to share two influences on my change of habits regarding listmaking.

The first comes from a guy I used to work with 15-20 years ago. He eventually moved into significant management positions being very successful in those. At one point we had a conversation about his style; I don’t know how we arrived at that subject or even what the rest of the conversation was about, but this is what I remember. As a manager he received hundreds of emails every day and could spend all day simply reading and responding to emails, some of which had no significant relevance for him and his position. That wasn’t where his time needed to be spent. While he had long-term objectives he always kept in mind, what he did every morning was scan through as many emails as he could as quickly as he could. From all that he’s find the 3-5 more important and mark those. The importance was also business related and obviously somewhat subjective. He would focus on making progress on answering those 3-5 emails every day so that when he went home he could really be with his family and leave the list nearly empty to start the next day.

The second is a different sort of prioritization system which comes from a long-time nuclear engineer – I don’t know exactly what he did other than that was his title. Again I don’t remember the context or the full conversation, just these bits. He said on the corner of his desk was a stack of folders. The folders came from various people and it was his responsibility to do something with the information in the folders. When he began his work, he always grabbed the top folder and dealt with what was in that first. Then move on to the second one and so on. If someone came back and asked about what happened with a folder, he could either tell them it had been dealt with, or if it was in the pile still, it would immediately be moved to the top. This system has two automatic priority systems – one was the newest items were always dealt with first. The second was that if something was really important, it would be mentioned repeatedly and find its way back to the top. Eventually some folders would drift down to the bottom and he would probably never get to them. If that was the case, it truly wasn’t important that it needed his attention.

While I’m sure both of these accounts have more detail, they do inform my change and list making strategy now.
My ‘recovery’ began perhaps 5 years ago. I made a conscious choice to stop making lists, or at least to reduce the number of paper lists significantly. Instead I would use my mind and my memory. I used a combination of strategies from both my friends – if it was really important I would remember it and if it really needed attention, I’d get to it right away and wouldn’t need to remember it anyway. I also changed how I made lists. I’d make lists based on priority and time, and most importantly I’d keep them short. For example my weekend list might be a few general items like cleaning, yard work, and laundry. With this system I knew what was really important, and at the end of the weekend I could throw away the list knowing it was fully done. I still have some long-term lists, and they clearly have lower priority and don’t get as much attention, but they do exist.

I’ve kept up this system since then and it has worked extremely well. I feel like I get more done, and get it done more efficiently. Life is simpler and easier with so much done, and not seeing lists of stuff still to do. There will always be stuff to do, but I don’t need to constantly remind myself of that, or even worse feel guilty for it. I really enjoy the satisfaction of getting done what really needs to be done.

The Oddities of Air Travel

I’ve done my share of air travel in my adult life with at least several hundred thousand miles under my belt. At first it was unusual, but after so many trips it feels like just another part of life. But overall, it seems like a rather unusual experience.

It would seem that the restrictions and frustrations of air travel would generate a lot of complaints and backlash.  There are multiple modes of travel besides the plane itself – moving walkways, taxis or buses or trains to get to and from the airport, trains at the airport. Flying requires being at the airport several hours before the flight. After the flight, often waiting for baggage can take a long time even in small airports. It’s even true that airlines have scaled back services – no more pretzels, no more free baggage, and some contemplating charging to use the bathroom.

The reality is I rarely hear a complaint, even from friends and family who travel. Of course when there is severe weather or other unusual situations that disrupt the system and cause massive delays, complaints are there. After all it’s no fun sleeping on an airport floor or spending 36 hours in an airport.

Oddly, it seems just the opposite. Every line is usually calm – the check-in line, the security line, getting on the plane. Even the atmosphere on the plane seems relatively calm. There’s not a lot of disruptions or unruly passengers or words spoken in anger or frustration. How is that?

I wonder – is this because of the rules. It does seem that there are quite a few rules – take off your shoes, take out your laptop, only seating area 1 first, an assigned seat, put your luggage in wheels first, etc. These rules are not oppressive in any way and even not that restrictive. The truth is they make travel easy because they are simple, they are easy; everyone knows what to expect and how to behave. Everyone can relax for a bit.

That’s what people do – they relax. This is nothing to do but follow the pattern from leaving home to getting to the airport to checkin to the actual flight. There’s nothing to do, no place to go, nobody to please, no cellphones to answer, no email to attend to. It’s peaceful in an unusual way. Just grab a book, listen to music, take a nap, do a crossword – it’s like recess or free time.

It’s not that I particularly look forward to the routine of travel, still it offers an unusual calmness.