Compile With Style: Coding for Creativity

Slides presented at TIFF Nexus: Women in Film, Games and New Media (Dec 9th, 2011) on the importance of code literacy. Last 3 slides are bonus slides with resources to start learning programming.

Video of this talk is up on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJcBNMyKFQM

Transcript

1. COMPILE WITH STYLE Pearl Chen Google+: gplus.to/pearl Twitter & Slideshare: androidsNsheep CODING FOR CREATIVITY
2. % OF MY LIFE SPENT WITH TECHNOLOGY with technology without technology
3. looks like Pac-Man does not look like Pac-Man FUTURE % OF MY LIFE SPENT WITH TECHNOLOGY
4. DON’T RUN AWAY FROM CODE! CODE YOU?
5. HAVE NO FEAR! THERE IS HELP . CODE YOU? HELP
6. CODE LITERACY WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUES OF EDUCATION IN THE COMING DECADES.
7. EACH YEAR IN THE CANADIAN TECH INDUSTRY: ~19,000 NEW JOBS source
8. JOBS THAT DIDN’T EXIST 10-20 YEARS AGO
9. SandFibers
10. (fly)light
11. txt2hold
12. klab.eventbrite.com
13. CuteCurcuit ANerve
14. XS Labs
15. 1. SELF EXPRESSION 2. … 3. … TOP 3 REASONS
16. 1. SELF EXPRESSION 2. DYNAMIC CONTENT 3. … TOP 3 REASONS
17. We Feel Fine
18. I Want You To Want Me
19. 1. SELF EXPRESSION 2. DYNAMIC CONTENT 3. INTERACTIVE TOP 3 REASONS
20. PixelJunk Eden
21. Braid
22. 1. SELF EXPRESSION 2. DYNAMIC CONTENT 3. INTERACTIVE BONUS: IT PAYS WELL! TOP 3 REASONS
23. craib.com
24. Ladies Learning Code
25. slideshare.net/androidsNsheep (or search “TIFF Nexus”) MOAR! RESOURCES TO GET YOU GOING: Google+: gplus.to/pearl
26. SO YOU WANT TO LEARN… GENERAL CODING SKILLZ Beginner resources: • Ladies Learning Code (Classes held ~1-2 times per month in downtown Toronto; topics vary.) • Processing (Projects are called “sketches” due to the simple and easy coding environment but you can make very complicated things the better you get at learning this simplified version of Java.) • Scratch (aimed at children for game making but everyone’s a kid at heart, right? Drag and drop blocks to help you understand logic.) And beyond… • Friends of ED (Series of books aimed at “Every Designer” or code beginners. Now part of Apress and super annoying to filter for on apress.com but look for their logo on the cover of books at the bookstore.) • Safari Books Online (Online version of tech books from various publishers. FREE with Toronto library card! Great for doing all your reading or previewing before you buy or borrow a hard copy version.)
27. SO YOU WANT TO LEARN… HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN WEBSITE Beginner resources: • My Ladies Learning Code JavaScript slides (I haven’t tested this outside a classroom so please tell me if it works as an online resource!) • Eloquent JavaScript (Available as a print book or as a FREE online interactive version.) • w3schools (Always keep it open in another tab and refer back to it when you need to reference anything HTML, CSS, or JavaScript.) And beyond… • A List Apart (Think of it as a newspaper for people who make websites.) • jQuery or mootools (Two of the most popular JavaScript frameworks that help you write interactive elements quicker than regular JavaScript) • WordPress (Use it as a blog or as a “content management system” (CMS) for any website whose content changes often.)
28. SO YOU WANT TO LEARN… HARDWARE INTERFACING OR CREATIVE CODING Beginner resources: • Arduino (Inexpensive and beginner- friendly microcontroller board. The programming environment looks a lot like Processing because they share similar roots. Check out Creatron and other places in Toronto to buy electronics components.) • openFrameworks (A C++ library created for artists. Not as easy as Processing to get started with but C++ is the basis for most hardcore gaming languages so it’s a good place to start… or stick to for various projects.) And beyond… • Making Things Talk, 2nd edition (Intermediate hardware projects) • Programming Interactivity, 2nd Edition (Get the low down on Processing, Arduino, AND openFrameworks. #win) * Remember that some books can be found via the Safari Books Online portal on the Toronto Public Library website.