Bill Mei

@Kortaggio
Thinking Like a Hacker
What is a Hacker?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
hacker /hkr/ noun
1. a person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data.
2. an enthusiastic and skillful computer programmer or user.
3. a person who engages in an activity without talent or skill.
4. a person who subverts an established system to his/her personal advantage.
What is a Hacker?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Hack your diet
Hack your sleep
Hack your education
Hack your brain
Hack your life
Hack your refrigerator
Hack the kitchen sink
Close, but no cigar
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
For now, just assume a Hacker refers to someone who is passionate about using
computers.
Ill tell you the answer later
Why do Hackers
salivate to the words
Open Source?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
And the food tastes awful.
What can you do?
Walk away
Dont tip your server
Leave a bad review on Yelp
Complain to your friends
Turns out, a container labelled sugar is actually filled with salt
Imagine sitting at a restaurant
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
But You cant fix the problem because
the restaurant is closed source.
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
What if the restaurant was
open source?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
What can you do?
Walk away
Dont tip your server
Leave a bad review on Yelp
Complain to your friends
Fix the problem yourself
Imagine sitting at a restaurant
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Open Source means that you can
take action to make things better
Whats the best
programming
language?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Fastest?
Most reliable?
Easiest to write?
Easiest to read?
Has the largest libraries?
Most powerful?
Define Best
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Power = Leverage
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
High leverage
Less code doing more stuff
Low leverage
More code doing less stuff
Example:
Lets say a program in C takes 50 lines
The same program in Haskell takes 10 lines
Therefore, Haskell is 5x more powerful than C
What is Leverage?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Smaller amount of code means:
Program takes less time to read (easier to scan)
Program takes less time to write (fewer things to memorize)
Program occupies less space in your head
Program is more poetic
Do more stuff with less code
Why count lines of code?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Example: Leverage
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Give me all the even square
numbers that are smaller than 100
JAVA
import java.util.*;
public class ListComprehension {
public static void main(String[] args) {
ArrayList<Integer> s = new ArrayList<Integer>();
ArrayList<Integer> result = new ArrayList<Integer>();
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
s.add(i * i);
}
for (Iterator i = s.iterator(); i.hasNext(); ) {
int j = (int) i.next();
if (j % 2 == 0) {
result.add(j);
}
}
System.out.println(result);
}
}
PYTHON
s = [x**2 for x in range(10)]
print [x for x in s if x % 2 == 0]
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Succinct code is like poetry
ENCYCLOPEDIA
Unskilled individuals suffer from
illusory superiority, mistakenly rating
their ability much higher than average.
This bias is attributed to a
metacognitive inability of the unskilled
to recognize their mistakes. Actual
competence may weaken self-
confidence, as competent individuals
may falsely assume that others have
an equivalent understanding.
SHAKESPEARE
The fool doth think he is wise, but the
wise man knows himself to be a fool.
(DunningKruger effect)
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Dont tell hackers which language to use!
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
I want you to use C++
Instead of Ruby
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
1. http://www.lowes.com/images/LCI/Planning/BuyingGuides/bg_PowerNailerBuyignGuide_stick.jpg
2. http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/hammer-1.jpg
I want you to use a
Instead of a
Whats next for
technology?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Whats next? or Whats popular?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Do more with less
Reach more people with less effort
Make more features with less time
Produce more products with less resources
Etc.
Leverage: Another way of thinking
about technology
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
By definition: Technology is Leverage!
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Agriculture:
Your Hands
Shovels
Ox plows
Tractors
Transportation:
Horses
Trains
Cars
Airplanes
The history of technology is a
history of leverage
Communication:
Mail
Telegraph
Telephone
Internet
Education:
Grandpas stories
Books
Brick and Mortar Schools
Virtual Schools
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
To think about the future of technology,
think about how to increase leverage
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Increasing Leverage
Decreasing Mass
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
An unanswered question
What is a Hacker?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
hacker /hkr/ noun
1. a person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data.
2. an enthusiastic and skillful computer programmer or user.
3. a person who engages in an activity without talent or skill.
4. a person who subverts an established system to his/her personal advantage.
What is a Hacker?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Hack your diet
Hack your sleep
Hack your education
Hack your brain
Hack your life
Hack your refrigerator
Hack the kitchen sink
Close, but no cigar
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
What is a Hacker?
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Someone who makes a big impact
with relatively small effort
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Thank you!
QUESTI ONS?
Exercises
Bill Mei
@Kortaggio
Automation
Black Box thinking, or reductionism
Functional thinking
Forms of Leverage