Using math to prove the correctness of computer programs, called formal methods, is perhaps the complete opposite of my usual interest in human–computer interaction. But they have fascinated me since my college years at Caltech, when I learned about them in my sophomore computer science class (a very unusual topic to cover at such an …
Author Archives: Jimmy Lin
Updating Reason and ReScript in Wikipedia
A few years ago, I first learned of the Reason programming language, which is an alternate syntax to OCaml that more closely resembles JavaScript. Through a compiler called BuckleScript, Reason could also target JavaScript. But later, BuckleScript was rebranded as ReScript and introduced its own somewhat different syntax, essentially becoming its own programming language. It …
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How a homeless boy became a foster parent hero
Here is an incredibly inspiring story about a homeless boy in Uganda who grew up to be a child advocate in the U.S., who has fostered 47 kids and adopted 3 more, and the man who changed his life.
Stephanie Shirley, a pioneer in tech
I think my knowledge of computer history is decent, yet only now am I learning about Stephanie Shirley, a pioneer in the tech industry who started a software company in 1962 employing mostly women working part-time at home. Way ahead of her time 🫡
The Gorton Font
Marcin Wichary has done it again. He has written a wonderful essay on the Gorton font, a font you probably have never heard of but “probably saw earlier today.” As I read it, I realized I had been noticing it my whole life subconsciously, and the words using it always felt important, since it was …
Carol of the Bells in its original Ukrainian
This holiday season, I learned that the melody of the Christmas carol “Carol of the Bells” is from a Ukrainian New Year’s song called “Shchedryk” (Щедрик), first arranged in the early 1900s, which in turn is based on a traditional Ukrainian folk melody. Here is “Shchedryk” sung in its original Ukrainian: Happy New Year everyone …
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Handcrafted software in a mass-produced world
I’ve joked with my friends that I want to get into building hand-crafted, artisan software. Then Lian Proven of The Register makes the case for it, such as higher quality and being more attuned to a specific group’s needs. I can think of a few examples of folks making hand-crafted software:
Bob James performs the theme song from Taxi
I’m a bit too young to have watched (or certainly understood) the sitcom Taxi, but I remember the opening theme song vividly. Here is Bob James, who wrote the song, performing it with his jazz trio at age 82. (Sometimes the YouTube algorithm is good for something!)
Yang Liping’s Rite of Spring
Last night, I watched Yang Liping’s interpretation of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring at Stanford. Totally stunning and definitely worth watching. We also enjoyed her conversation with Thomas Mullaney (Stanford professor of history and East Asian languages and cultures) — like him, I didn’t fully understand what I saw but it set off my brain in …
Let’s Get Creative
I love this collection of free online creativity tools, from drawing and music to creative coding.