Re: Irrelevant but curious

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Date: 29 Jan 2005 09:04:04 -0800

see inline comments

Jason Hawryluk wrote:
<snip>
> IMO (which may not count for much) math teaches logic, organization,
and
> figuring skills. Music teaches persistence ,passion, and
organization. Art
> trains the eye to see things somewhat different and to think out of
the box
> as does music.

When people talk about Math they are often referring to arithmetic.
The same misunderstanding applies to art. Art doesn't train the eye or
ear to do anything different although a certain degree of perceptive
technique does get refined.

When I was studying painting at the University of Nebraska with Richard
Trickey we had long conversations about what painting was about. I had
been painting for years thinking that it was simply a matter of
mastering techniques and then 'discovering' some original train of
progression that becomes a personal imprint.

But, instead the conversations that we had centered less on technique
or even the object and much more intensely on the development of a
language that is manifested visually. Now, for me this began a
lifelong turning point because instead of wasting my time trying to be
'different' in terms of what I was doing artistically I began
concentrating on doing what is important.

And over the yaers you begin reading about the psychology of
consciousness, the corporate consciousness, language, communication,
symbols, myth, and so on. The least of which is expression through
language.

So, in an intellectual thump, we suddenly land square in the field of
software engineering, knowledge engineering, and the like. when you
talk about objects, persistence, iconic notation you can be talking
about Paul Klee or Joe Programmer - same intellectual exercise.
>
<snip>

> A good programmer is always learning the new. And over 50% of his/her
> knowledge is self taught.

This is an extremely important point and one that I agree with. I have
worked at far too many jobs where the prevailing attitude is that
*we're not paying you to learn*. An absurd and self-defeating minset
for everyone concerned.

>Math is logic, if you don't enjoy math (no one
> loves it) then you will most likely not enjoy programming.

Math is one notation system for logic. Nothing more.

>In other words
> people that hate math will be less likely to waste there time
learning
> computer programming.

Not true anymore. Programming is a poor word. Conditioning may be a
better concept these days. We are now generations past simply
programming machines. They are programming us back - conditioning us
to condition them.

> The math dept got the CS class because of the logic
> factor and that they both require similar traits to master.
No. it was power politics.

>
> Good thread

Agreed.

- krasicki

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