chapter 1 is not a written as a text, but as a simulation.
coding contingencies is a dwarf-fortress-ish take on how different characters got to code.
so instead of writing my bio that begins like "ah, i always approached things from the other side, probably because for us* this everything is new" and then continue on how i got into coding from the arts (not a real developer!), and into codings as a job (not a real artist!), and bla bla.
Chapter 1 is not a written as a text, but runs a simulation.
Coding Contingencies (CC) is a procedural take on how different characters got to code.
but here we are doing a simulation, a software fortress, also known as computer.
(context: dwarf fortress is a roguelike game that lets you explore incredibly detailed and rich simulations) (there are funny videos about it, the most famous is a bug report about dead cats in a tavern because of simulated alcohol on their paws that they were ingesting while cleaning themselves)
How did they choose a particular programming language, a coding paradigm, a development environment, an infrastructure where to run the code, and so on?
These are not just technical choices, but rather coding contingencies.
so back again
chapter 1 is not written as a text, but as a simulation.
Personal decisions, trending technologies, curiosity and boredom, to name a few. A class focused on object-oriented programming, a collegue with enthusiasm to share about live coding, a crypto-boyfriend, the tech stack of a company, the historical moment, etc. etc.
These contingencies are situated in precise contexts.
Programming then is not just sharing code, but sharing context.
It's providing a point of view and a perspective to look at the world, before attempting to get some grip onto it with a script.
Using the simulation as a writing machine we can articulate these CC through a series of steps. Zooming out from a particular case, we get a glimpse of a more subtle and diffuse process. The code is not confined inside the machine, but it floats around everywhere. It fills the room and clouds the windowpane.
This procedure helps us to think about software as cultural object. Something "deeply woven into contemporary life –economically, culturally, creatively, politically– in manners both obvious and nearly invisible." (Software Studies, 2009), and not just as technical tool existing in a vacuum.
>notes:
- refactor without dwarf fortress
- elaborate on the idea of simulation: why is it useful?
- elaborate on the idea of contingencies (take from project proposal)
software contingencies
------+.
|`. | `.
| `+--+---+
| | | |
+---+--+. |
`. | `.|
`+------+
the simulation
first we need things to simulate:
@ -26,13 +48,17 @@ aha how do we define actors?
it reminds me of this OOO statement:
objects sink into themselves
that is an effective and graphical way to describe technical reference pages, or auto generated API specs, with nested nested nested layers of list.
that is an effective and graphical way to describe technical reference pages and auto generated API specs, with nested nested nested layers of list.
to avoid that
let's define actors not for what they are but for what they do
(that is fun bc then i wrote grandma, that means functional grandma, that means not someone that has grandchildren but someone that does grandparent functions ??? ok this is not fun anymore and i am sorry)
>notes
- expand simplest simulation: few elements, 1:1:1 relation
- more context for the ooo statement, or keep it for later
- the grandma joke is not super fun
- actors
- web designer
- interaction designer
@ -60,21 +86,61 @@ let's define actors not for what they are but for what they do
then we need to combine thigs from the three categories
00 web designer, rust, activism
01 teacher, haskel, work
01 teacher, python, work
02 grandma, rust, fun
03 interaction designer, vvvv, art
04 musician, pure data, work
05 musician, python, research
05 musician, haskel, research
06 student, python, art
07 student, javascript, work
08 student, javascript, fun
09 graphic designer, haskel, research
...
side note
NOT is the series on theory in italian by NERO
their first pubblication was Capitalist Realism, Mark Fisher and it was a declaration of intents.
at some point every first is a declaration of intents.
but is that so also in random generated series?
the first in a series
NOT is the series on theory in italian by NERO editions
their first pubblication was Capitalist Realism, Mark Fisher and it was a declaration of intents.
at some point every first is a declaration of intents.
but is that so also in random generated series?
at first one is tempted to write: no
the random generated series is random, and its first element is random as every other.
but taking a step back, zooming out, one wonders: which element is the first? where is the declaration of intents?
could the command that generate the random series be the first, significative, element of the series itself?
now that the setup is done, the simulation can start.
to build something meaningful out of these random combinations we can balance between what is defined and what is not.
leveraging on the unknown of the simulation gives room for narrations.
so for example we have #04
a musician what is their background?
which kind of music do they play?
where are they based?
using pure data an open source visual programming language
works in real-time
focus on interaction and sound design
for work which kind of occupation?
is it for interactive installations?
to teach sound design?
for live gigs?
see how there are a lot of open questions in the first and third fields, while the programming language is slightly more defined and fixed. this is a good starting point. obviously a programming language is vast and complex and with dozen of features one could be interested in, but for the sake of our system it is useful to leave these things unsaid.
we can use the software as a pivot to orientate the relation between the actor and their intentions.
from where they are coming and where do they want to go?
who took them there?
what do they need?
which particular aspect of pure data resonates with their view of the world?
is it the open source nature and the licensing of the source code?
the welcoming community thriving around the programming language?
or the visual paradigm that facilitates the thinking about and connecting abstractions together?
