Creative coding - why "doing nothing" doesn't mean you're not working

As programmers we create the most fantastic systems and constructions out of nothing, and there are endless possibilities in achieving this. Yet we are still confided by the structure and rules of the language we use, which makes programming an exciting profession to be in: in the cross fire of creativeness and boundaries. Our most important tool, no, not Vim, but the brain, can handle this perfectly well. Unfortunately, and much like the rest of the world, there is a clear focus on logic, rationality, and knowledge of the parts. An expert coder is also intuitive, creative, and remembers to include the whole picture.

This talk covers the creative process, our dual CPU-brain and the cognitive skills needed for successful programming. As an added bonus we will also investigate why doing nothing does not mean you are not working.

Transcript

1. Creative Coding Why doing nothing doesn't mean you're not working
2. This then is programming, both a tar pit in which many efforts have floundered and a creative activity with joys and woes all its own - Fred brooks, The mythical man month
3. Outline •What is creativity •The right mind •Why should I care? •Put this on a post-it
4. What is creativity? Creating something new of value
5. What is creativity?
6. The creative process
7. How the brain works
8. Your dual CPU-brain
9. Linear mode
10. Rich mode
11. How can I use this? • Intuitivity is an expert trait • Pattern matching is a spatial ability - code faster • Holistic and analogic - useful when designing • Learn by synthesis • Analogy and metaphors • Pair programming
12. Spatial
13. Synthetic Prototyping Unit testing
14. Analogic xdebug.scream Type: boolean, Default value: 0, Introduced in Xdebug 2.1 If this setting is 1, then Xdebug will disable the @ (shut-up) operator so that notices, warnings and errors are no longer hidden
15. L-mode & R-mode
16. Creative with test data
17. Easter eggs
18. Easter eggs cont. • PHP Credits http://www.php.net/?=PHPB8B5F2A0-3C92-11d3-A3A9-4C7B08C10000 • ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A start • Hyper Text Coffee Pot Control Protocol ◦ 418 I'm a teapot
19. Summary • metaphors • learn by synthesis • Have fun
20. Thinking in progress
21. Sources http://pragprog.com/titles/ahptl/pragmatic-thinking-and-learning - Andy Hunt The master and his Emisary - Iain McGilchrist http://programmer.97things.oreilly.com/wiki/index.php/97_Things_Every_Programmer_Should_Know http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple_Drafts_Model Mythical man month - Frederick P. Brooks Jr. http://lifedev.net/2008/07/programmer-creativity-boost/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consciousness Dan roam - back of the napkin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuA_yz7aTo0 http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/09/the-difference-between-art-and-design/ http://www.tv2.no/nyheter/okonomi/oslo-kommune-ba-leverandoerer-kontakte-donald-duck-3494844.html http://www.cenqua.com/pairon/index.html (chair) http://www.etftrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/post-it-note.jpg (post-it) http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RKpjMnzcQZg/ShrXvR-ZZwI/AAAAAAAAA6o/qCPFxmusPL0/s400/everyday-things.jpg (teapot) http://onward.justia.com/2005/07/20/google-maps-goes-extraterrestrial/ (moon cheese) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Phpunit-Logo.gif (PHP Unit logo) https://joind.in/4952