In My Mother was a Computer, Katherine Hayles launches into a lengthy discussion about the Regime of Computation, a continuation in the tradition of Turing’s work by adopting the view that computation starts with a limited set of elements and a small set of logical operations. These components can then be built up with increasing levels of complexity. Hayles seeks to understand the interactions between human language and programming language, beyond understanding this relationship within the “linear causal” model of thinking.
She talks about “intermediation” as a way of understanding the complex and entangled problems of interactions between the worldview of code and worldviews of speech and writing.
Hayles expands extensively on Wolfram’s Principle of Computational Equivalence, who proposes that systems found in the natural world can perform computations up to a universal level of computational power. She addresses the three claims in Wolfram’s work and proceeds to question whether computation should be understood as a metaphor pervasive in our culture, or whether it has ontological status as the mechanism generating the complexities of physical reality?
I thought this would make for an interesting discussion in class, as Hayles talks a lot about code as ontological.
Nick Montfort’s book focuses on a single line of code in the BASIC program that reads: 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10, as a way of understanding how computing works in society. He mentions this seeks to avoid fetishising code by deeply considering the context within which code functions. Interestingly, Montfort proposes code is ultimately understandable, contrary to alternative views of code as this invisible entity humans cannot understand. Montfort’s analysis of this particular code is an application of Manovich’s 5 Principles of New Media – he talks about numerical representation and modularity. Montfort even refers to Manovich’s ‘transcoding’ principle when he talks about porting.
Montfort points out the subjectivity even within the act of porting, where the final output of the program is basically determined by what the programmer chooses to prioritise that will determine the qualities of the final port.
Potential discussion: how can we use Montfort’s discussions in examining modern-day example?
Also, I found it weirdly satisfying to watch a video running the 10 PRINT code –
[On a Commodore 64]
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