[Ottawa-pm] Meaninglessness Rulez

[Yanick Champoux]

Mr. Shawn H. Corey wrote:
> FYI, a little something about programmers from Boing Boing :
> http://www.boingboing.net/2008/12/12/comfort-with-meaning.html

	I think I get what the author is trying to convey, but I'm not sure 
that "meaningless" is the word he's looking for.  What he's talking 
about seems to be more the aptitude to disassociate the goal of an 
activity with the activity itself.

	According to his definition, of course the rules that a computer follow 
are meaningless. And so are strings of mathematical relationships, or 
two wooden boards nailed together.  It's only for us that they do gather 
a meaning at the end and become a program, the proof of a theorem or a 
birdhouse.  And yes, people that assume that the computer will "just 
figure it out" are just like people assuming the birdhouse will stand, 
no matter they didn't know where the nails ought to be hammered -- they 
just forgo causality for the empty promises of wishing thinking.


	This being said, I think I'm ripe for my first coffee, now. :-)

Joy,
`/anick