The Secret Lives of Computer Scientists

Do you ever wonder who computer programmers are? What they do? How their work can spread past their scope of interest?

They make all these fancy new gizmos be usable by ordinary folk. They're mocked and worshipped at the same time for their prowess and DnD collection, usually respectively. They also usually know the 2-times table by heart.

Has it occured to anyone just how dependent our society has become on these guys? I myself wouldn't have thought so four years ago, but four years ago I wasn't a compsci student.

Ya see, good software is software that is nearly invisible. It lets you do all sorts of things that you don't have to worry about its reliability or its capability, it just does as you say. It's a pure interface, at least that's the goal. For all the focus there is on hardware, all the bits and such, it's all the software that really matters.

The influence of a programmer is quite subtle on each individual, but programmers usually don't code things for just you (however special you are). They manage to affect the psyche of a group of people quite easily, each user starts to think just a little bit alike. It shapes their expectations, their thoughts, and it's one aspect that only a small part of a computer scientist's education addresses. Even then, most sniffle at graphical interface design as the frosting on the cake.

Software. Interfaces. Who the hell cares?

We navigate through this whirling tornado with nothing but our browsers, layers of software upon each other allowing communication. We're connected and insulated at the same time.

This isn't meant as some kind of alarmist "We're all going out of touch because of technology!" post. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Take that from a programming dude.

Perhaps if this rambling, barely coherent post accomplishes something, I hope it fosters an appreciation for all these things that work underneath it all.