Stop Drawing Dead Fish by Bret Victor

This is probably one of the most amazing talks I've ever heard. At its core it lets you understand just how unexplored the computer is as a medium.

Not opposed to Bret's ideas but also feel he has never looked into how artists use code and design interactions. Many like programming environments that are visual (like max/msp) with immediate feedback while other prefer the austerity of code. There is something very satisfying when going from code straight to simulation. It often feels more like materializing ideas than noodling around with guis.

Canonical example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQhoe_hJIZ8

tl;dw:

* "Drawing dead fish" refers to using a dynamic medium (the computer) to make static images and unchanging animation.

* Games represent the promise of dynamic media: things on the screen have behaviors.

* Dynamic behaviors are generally defined by code. We should break that association and design tools that allow more direct, visual manipulation of behaviors.

* Code thinking is like algebra. Tools demonstrated define behaviors more like geometric construction.

* Key takeaway: dissatisfaction with Photoshop, After Effects, and other digital art tools that don't take advantage of the media.

There are other submissions of this - you might want to check them out in case discussion arises there first. This one is the first, the others are here:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5634668

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5634677

This reminded me of many hours exploring The Geometer's Sketchpad before my coding days (and before that, a straight edge and compass). Ooh just found http://geogebraweb.appspot.com/app.html

I like being able to code in different paradigms and switch between them.