Timothy's Thoughts

I 'm a software engineer by trade and in my studies I learned about a programming language called Prolog. Unlike most programming languages, which are written as a sequence of events, with Prolog you define a goal and let the computer figure out how to accomplish it. It’s a fascinating approach to programming, but most of the examples looks something like this: dog(spot). dog(rex). cat(tom). cat(sheba). animal(X) :- dog(X). animal(X) :- cat(X). ?- animal(Y). spot ; rex ; tom ; sheba ; ?- I won't ask you to try to make sense of that, unless you really want to. Essentially, given a list of named dogs and cats, and a definition that specifies that dogs and cats are animals, the computer will return the names of all animals. I’m sure I find that more impressive than you do, but even I have to wonder what is so great about being able to get the complete list of animals in this way. It demonstrates the language, but it doesn’t really tell us...

You arrive at the designated classroom five minutes before class time. Some of the other students have already arrived, so you take a seat near the front of the room. On the table in front of you is a binder and a cardboard placard. You use the green marker to write your name on the placard. It isn’t neat, but it will do. You place the placard on the table, doubting that anyone will read it. You begin to look through the course materials and wonder why you are required to take this class. The instructor takes his place at the front of the room. The first slide in his presentation tells you what number to put on your timesheet. The next slide shows an outline of the day’s activities. Then you hear those familiar words, “Let’s go around the room. Tell us your name, how long you have worked her and what department you are in.” Why do we have to waste time doing that? You try to think up what you need to say, so you don’t sound silly. What’s the name of our department again? Though their ...