LIS-3353 - Software I - Big Ideas Programming and Math
Created Tuesday 08 September 2026
Some big ideas
..YMMV
BIG IDEAS - Influencers!
(no, not that kind)
- Economics
- Law
- Etiquette
- Psychology
- CODE/TECHNOLOGY
A L'IL ECON
The marginal cost of software (and anything else "digital") is zero,
and economics (for better or worse) tells us that its real price will approach zero.
A reasonable idea
If software is infinitely reproduceable and can be shared everywhere for free;
then no piece of software should *ever* be rewritten;
and everyone should always have the best one.
A reasonable idea THAT DEFINITELY DID NOT HAPPEN
If software is infinitely reproduceable and can be shared everywhere for free;
then no piece of software should *ever* be rewritten;
and everyone should always have the best one.
This...
Before THIS????
YUP I WAS THERE
Nassim Taleb's..
Evolution
Individual pieces of software are sometimes intelligently designed...
...but the ecosystem is DEFINITELY evolution.
Evolution (sometimes sucks)
(i.e., a lot makes no sense
Our knees TOTALLY bend the wrong way.
Top 2 Games at the Innovation Hub: #2
#1
Why do we still have these?
What is a computer?
Simplest Computer?
HUGE CONCEPT #1
All computers do is “numbers”
- you put numbers into them
- it messes with the numbers
- it gives you some numbers back
(but, you can store anything in numbers)
Understanding Power
- 10 PRINT “John is AWESOME”;
- 20 GOTO 10
Computers
The smartest and dumbest things in the world.
Teaching the robots to escape
1) If there's a door in arms-reach, exit – you're done, else
2) If you can, take one step forward then goto 1), else
3) Rotate to the left until there's not a wall in front of you
then goto 1)
(this will get you out of any “regular” empty room)
An almost random bit on recursion
In computers, it's actually okay to define something with itself.
PSUEDOCODE!
- Define function=”EscapeFromRoom”{
- 1) If there's a door in arms-reach, exit – you're done, else
- 2) If you can, take one step forward then EscapeFromRoom, else
- 3) Rotate to the left until there's not a wall in front of you then EscapeFromRoom
- }
(this will get you out of any “regular” empty room)
Here we go
Go to the store; if they have 2% lactose free
chocolate milk, then get me a carton.
CODE, again
- go to the store;
- if [[ they have 2% lactose free chocolate milk]]
- then
- get me a carton.
IF THIS BOTHERS YOU
You should NEVER EVER PROGRAM
IF THIS BOTHERS YOU
LOL JK AI
That was, computers (used to be) dumb.
On to: Computers can fake being very smart
The Magic Genie
Recursion, trees, and AI.
AKA
AI is (not) extremely impressive
Let's go..
Making a computer a genius in 4 steps
- {0) Start with “Is it Batman”?}
- 1) Ask my (yes/no) questions down the tree
- 2) If win, “yay”
- 3) If lose, add/replace new last question to one for which my guess was wrong and her
guess was right (optionally, try to be general or“half-y”?)
- repeat until genius
The Magic Genie
(can be used for evil too...)
What about instead of
“Is your person a DC character?”
you ask real questions about real people?
(more on this later, but this demonstrates why
surveillance is easy and anonymity is hard.)
HUGE CONCEPT #1
All computers do is “numbers”
- you put numbers into them
- it messes with the numbers
- it gives you some numbers back
HUGE CONCEPT #1
All computers do is “numbers”
- you put numbers into them
- it messes with the numbers
- it gives you some numbers back
(but, you can store anything in numbers)
HUGE CONCEPT #1
ANYTHING IN NUMBERS
yields
HUGE(R) CONCEPT #2
HUGE(R) CONCEPT #2
All computers do is follow a very
precise list of instructions that one or
more people wrote.
(much more on this later, but .. Kaleidoscope)
other set of slides please
Backlinks: Misc:Raw LIS3353 Slides