I was about 15 when I first read The Cuckoo’s Egg by Clifford Stoll, and it left a pretty big impression on me. Something about Stoll’s endearingly rambling tale of ingenuity in the face of what turned out to be a case of major international espionage really opened my eyes, and I think the book should be required reading for anyone considering a career in programming.
TED talks are something I have only recently been introduced to, but it turns out they have been around forever. Consisting basically of some dudes asking some other guys to give some short talks on stuff at a conference, TED has managed to attract some big names speaking about the big issues, with the odd juggler thrown in for good measure. Over 200(!) of the TED talks are available online, either through YouTube or as a podcast, and I highly recommend them.
Being a fan of both Clifford Stoll and TED Talks, imagine my delight when a podcast of Stoll giving a talk at TED showed up in iTunes. Here he is talking about – well he talks about a lot of things…
By the way, I strongly agree with his views on the roll of computers in education.
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