Extreme TrackingCCS Working Group: Week 2 Wrap-up
Ξ March 1st, 2010 | → 0 Comments | ∇ CCS, working group |
Week 2 ushered in a host of new discussion topics and code critiques. Here’s a recap on recent activity, and a look at what’s to come:
Week 3: Guest Speaker, Dennis Jerz, Seton Hill
Exciting news!
Jeff Young, senior writer for Wired Campus, featured Critical Code Studies in his most recent article “Scholars Use Social-Media Tools to Hold Online Academic Conference.” Check out the story and see what all the buzz is about.
Highlights of last week’s presentation:
Jeremy Douglass‘s thought-provoking ideas about how we read code have invoked a flurry of discussions pertaining to the specifics of Critical Code Studies. Douglass asked members to closely examine some of the most important questions about our studies: How should we read code? How do we read code? Who reads code? The exhaustive list generated in response to the latter question includes fields that encompass territory far beyond computer science. And this presentation does not simply urge us to consider the finer points of Critical Code Studies — it engages in a critical reading of an example case, one that participants have continued to examine throughout the week. Overall, Douglass’s presentation has generated insightful discussions and a plethora of critical code readings.
* 17 members contributed to follow-up discussions of Douglass’s presentation, totaling 41 replies
* The Week 2 thread will remain open for further discussion.
Here’s the scoop on code critiques:
Encouraged by Jeremy Douglass’s presentation on how we read code, working group members invested their efforts in finding new code and following up on critiques from Week 1. Discussions have been reinvigorated by ideas formulated in response to the week’s presentation, such as the role of an “ideal [software] user,” or an “implied programmer.” The programming languages at hand include Actionscript, BASIC, C++, Javascript, and even a reading of a Puredata patch. Code complexity ranges from the most obfuscated of functions, comprehensible only to those literate in certain programming languages, to easily understandable text that the novice reader can pick apart. In all, a wide variety of source-code characterizes our Code Critiques section such that any member can find something accessible and interesting.
* Code critiques in numbers: 5 new critiques, plus discussion in 10 others from Week 1
New code critiques:
* Aphasia, John Bell
* Bad Code Indulgences, David M. Berry
* Ontology, Desire, and Object Calculus, Gregory Bringman
* Calling all Trojan hunters, Max Feinstein
* Micropolis and Proceduracy, Mark Sample
Highlighted code critiques:
* Mark Sample’s examination of Micropolis (an opensourced version of SimCity), specifically on how the game handles crime and natural disasters
* Gregory Bringman’s insight into the complex relationship between computer code and human desire, tinged with elements of psychology and philosophy
* John Bell’s look at a javascript program that randomizes links on a webpage, with special focus on the disruptive nature of such software
On the agenda for Week 3:
Dennis Jerz will start the week by inviting CCSWG members to participate in an unprecedented collaborative code reading of William Crowther’s interactive fiction game Adventure, a piece of software with tremendous historical importance. Working together and continuously annotating the code throughout the week, members will produce a first-of-its-kind reading that incorporates a variety of perspectives and methods, all of which reflect the diverse make-up of our group. This exciting project will bolster the wealth of innovative ideas and activities emanating from Critical Code Studies in general, and the working group in particular.
Other news:
* The CCSWG had 29 new entries this week, bringing the total to 110.