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This is one of my favourite posts on Hacker News of all time. There are so many obvious lessons for the very definition of a programmer of any skill level to le

This is one of my favourite posts on Hacker News of all time. There are so many obvious lessons for the very definition of a programmer of any skill level to learn in this metaphor that it feels hollow in comparison to how beautiful the story is to life itself; even though that secondary comparison is quite valid in its own right. Thanks for sharing.

exmadscientist 6y ago
And for anyone who doesn't realize why your mention of "programmer" is completely appropriate here in discussing an article about weaving, I can only suggest a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacquard_machine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacquard_machine
- rektide 6y ago
  Mariko Kasako had a lovely talk on weaving, punch cards, & her own neat DIY work. Fun talk, some good history there too, with a bit of the modern too. The Jacquard loom is featured! https://youtu.be/e7wwuZnnM9k https://youtu.be/e7wwuZnnM9k
  - tworingsoft 6y ago
    Shameless plug for an essay [0] I wrote a while back comparing looms and computers (which also has some of the best other videos I could find on looms, for those who want to learn more about them specifically). Wish I had seen this video back then, thanks for sharing! I find this comparison so fascinating to contemplate. [0]: https://tworingsoft.com/blog/2017/08/29/looms-and-computers.html https://tworingsoft.com/blog/2017/08/29/looms-and-computers....
greenyoda 6y ago
In particular, this passage about asserting control over chaos resonated with me, as a software developer: > I sort of think that it has to do with creating calm in chaos. There is so little in the world that we have any control over. But what happens at our looms, that thing, we have control over. And if what happens on our looms becomes total chaos, then patience, tenacity, and time will make it work. That’s why I did it. Also, here are explanations of some of the weaving terms used in the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving#Process_and_terminology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving#Process_and_terminolog... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft
- aceBacker 6y ago
  I've never been able to articulate why I got good at coding when I was very young. Growing up in a chaotic household coding gave me an area of life that I could control. This seems obvious to me now.

exmadscientist 6y ago

And for anyone who doesn't realize why your mention of "programmer" is completely appropriate here in discussing an article about weaving, I can only suggest a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacquard_machine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacquard_machine

rektide 6y ago
Mariko Kasako had a lovely talk on weaving, punch cards, & her own neat DIY work. Fun talk, some good history there too, with a bit of the modern too. The Jacquard loom is featured! https://youtu.be/e7wwuZnnM9k https://youtu.be/e7wwuZnnM9k
- tworingsoft 6y ago
  Shameless plug for an essay [0] I wrote a while back comparing looms and computers (which also has some of the best other videos I could find on looms, for those who want to learn more about them specifically). Wish I had seen this video back then, thanks for sharing! I find this comparison so fascinating to contemplate. [0]: https://tworingsoft.com/blog/2017/08/29/looms-and-computers.html https://tworingsoft.com/blog/2017/08/29/looms-and-computers....

greenyoda 6y ago

In particular, this passage about asserting control over chaos resonated with me, as a software developer: > I sort of think that it has to do with creating calm in chaos. There is so little in the world that we have any control over. But what happens at our looms, that thing, we have control over. And if what happens on our looms becomes total chaos, then patience, tenacity, and time will make it work. That’s why I did it. Also, here are explanations of some of the weaving terms used in the article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving#Process_and_terminology https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weaving#Process_and_terminolog... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft

aceBacker 6y ago
I've never been able to articulate why I got good at coding when I was very young. Growing up in a chaotic household coding gave me an area of life that I could control. This seems obvious to me now.