The answers are here. So why do I want to code?
Do I want to do stuff like this? Or like a Mondrian?
Tihs was more fun as I modded the colors to get a cool blue. I like blue. It's cool.
I modded the zombie to make it a bat... but I could have easily made this in Illustrator. For a much more interesting result. And again, after messing with these shapes for a while. I became frustrated. Being used to shape building in a much more efficient manner this tedium really got to me. This is probably why I am much happier with my drawings which kind of get around the prompt rather than address it head on - they were quick, simply, and produced a beautiful result. I already know this is something I will need to fight back against the entire time I am at ITP. But I think it will be easier when the problems stray further from my area of expertise.
This i basically copied code - well I still needed to set up HTML - but then I drew. Nice to see something come together.
Sure. It’s fun, but it’s not really what I’m here to do.
To me coding represents as essential middle ground between humans and the rest of nature. We have already converted so many signals from the surrounding world into languages we can read and understand and respond to, I have a distinct hunch that there are tidal waves of obviously helpful technologies just hiding around the corner.
And perhaps because of my ego - large, or because of how I view the world – perpetually seeking understanding & simultaneously endlessly creating, or because I know I know so little in this arena, I have a strong feeling that all I need is to be well versed in this subject for me to have a powerful impact. And that naivety is exactly what I need to make such an impact.
For we live in a world of fear, of indecision, of simplicity, of ease, of convenience – or at least, that is the American world.
And those are not bad things in and of themselves. But together, their compounding negativity is overwhelming.
So why coding? Because the opportunities are endless, the power is immense, the capabilities so much more powerful than I in specific ways, and the applications broad. How can I quickly determine what toxins may be present in a body of water, in real time, in different locations? How can I gather energy from a hurricane? How can I power a self-contained sink (I have a quarter bath that contains just a toilet so this is actually a burning question). How can I recycle plastic bags in an efficient way?
These are not just complex problems, they are problems with answers that support an ecosystem, they improve life in general, and most importantly they are not human-centered.
I want to code ecosystem centered projects, nature centered projects, life-centered proejcts which acknowledge our small role to play in the vastness of this planet. For we are but one player in a seemingly infinite web of organisms, let’s not forget it.