Computing

Although computer architecture is my main interest in the broader field of computing, I also have some interest in programming language design and usage and human-computer interfaces.

My initial attraction to computers probably came from the naive view that ordinary operation was non-destructive and behavior followed simple rules. Not being afraid of making a mess, wasting expensive supplies (electricity is cheap), or breaking hardware was very freeing.

I was not exposed to assembly-level programming and only wrote three very tiny BASIC programs. One calculated the interest and principal of a mortgage. Another found linear best fit of log-log height-weight data for high school athletes in various sports (the power relationship varied between sports and was less than 3). The third was a simple game where a blimp would load a word at one edge of the screen and then cross over to the other end; the player had to select all letters in the word (which would drop down and slide to their position in the alphabet on the ground) before the airship reached the other side. This game was surprisingly fun, perhaps partially because playing it affirmed that I had made something that worked (the IKEA effect).