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> The reason I disagree with this position is because the visual cortex exists. [...] There's no reason to eschew [graphics] when it comes to program representa

> The reason I disagree with this position is because the visual cortex exists. [...] There's no reason to eschew [graphics] when it comes to program representation. Not everyone can take advantage of the visual cortex. Please don't take away one area where we're on a fairly level playing field.

akkartik 4y ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron
- mwcampbell 4y ago
  That story is clearly absurd. But in the real world, it might not always be such a bad thing to hold back the runaway feedback loop where the people with the most advantages gain even more. If non-textual program representations do catch on, based on the unchecked assumption (as in this talk) that everyone has normal vision, then figuring out accessibility for future non-textual program representations will be good job security for someone, if that work gets funded. I just hope that no blind programmers lose their jobs in the meantime. (Personally, I could probably muddle through with my limited vision, albeit possibly with lower productivity.) I should be used to people like me and some of my friends being routinely overlooked, as if we don't exist or can be relegated to a footnote, but sometimes it gets to me.
  - akkartik 4y ago
    I'm sorry to hear it :/ I've been trying harder to provide alt texts in images, for what that's worth..
switchbak 4y ago
So don't leverage a powerful capability because a small number of people can't use it? That's like saying don't build sidewalks because some people can't walk. We already lean heavily on the language centers, I don't see why we shouldn't lean on the visual and spatial ones.
- rini17 4y ago
  I think visual cortex did not evolve to process dense symbolic information, with the emphasis on symbolic. Dense diagrams are much more difficult for most people than plain text arranged in lines or in a grid.
nigerianbrince 4y ago
The easier it is to do engineering, the quicker we will be able to stream a camera into your brain.

akkartik 4y ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron

mwcampbell 4y ago
That story is clearly absurd. But in the real world, it might not always be such a bad thing to hold back the runaway feedback loop where the people with the most advantages gain even more. If non-textual program representations do catch on, based on the unchecked assumption (as in this talk) that everyone has normal vision, then figuring out accessibility for future non-textual program representations will be good job security for someone, if that work gets funded. I just hope that no blind programmers lose their jobs in the meantime. (Personally, I could probably muddle through with my limited vision, albeit possibly with lower productivity.) I should be used to people like me and some of my friends being routinely overlooked, as if we don't exist or can be relegated to a footnote, but sometimes it gets to me.
- akkartik 4y ago
  I'm sorry to hear it :/ I've been trying harder to provide alt texts in images, for what that's worth..

switchbak 4y ago

So don't leverage a powerful capability because a small number of people can't use it? That's like saying don't build sidewalks because some people can't walk. We already lean heavily on the language centers, I don't see why we shouldn't lean on the visual and spatial ones.

rini17 4y ago
I think visual cortex did not evolve to process dense symbolic information, with the emphasis on symbolic. Dense diagrams are much more difficult for most people than plain text arranged in lines or in a grid.

nigerianbrince 4y ago

The easier it is to do engineering, the quicker we will be able to stream a camera into your brain.