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RubyConf 2016 - That Works?! Quines and Other Delightfully Useless Programs by Colin Fulton Performance, readability and correctness are fine and dandy, but what happens when we start optimizing for whimsy, illegibility and outright silliness? Self-rewriting programs that also function as ASCII art? Yup. Rewrite any JavaScript program only using six characters? Why not? Let's take a break from the practical and laugh at some of the most unbelievable code you've ever seen. Then let's pull out the magnifying glass to figure out how it actually works. Learn how to read the unreadable and how to write code that—to borrow a phrase from the Ig Nobel Awards—makes people laugh, then think.
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The video titled "That Works?! Quines and Other Delightfully Useless Programs" features Colin Fulton at RubyConf 2016, where he explores the whimsical and entertaining side of programming, particularly through the lens of quines and esoteric programming languages. Fulton begins by sharing anecdotes from the history of computing, illustrating how playful experimentation can lead to significant advancements, exemplified by figures like Ada Lovelace and Linus Torvalds. ### Key Points Discussed: - **Introduction to Fun Programming**: Fulton sets the tone of the talk by inviting attendees to enjoy the 'whimsy' present in programming, diverging from the typical focus on performance and correctness. - **Historical Anecdotes**: He shares stories from computing history, including Ada Lovelace’s insights on the analytical engine, highlighting the prediction of information technology's far-reaching implications. - **Esoteric Programming Languages**: Fulton introduces languages such as Brainfuck and Intercal, emphasizing their absurd and often impractical design, which is representative of programming as a form of art. - **Code Golf and Obfuscation**: He explains the practice of code golf, where the goal is to solve programming problems using the fewest characters, and discusses obfuscation as a playful art form. - **Quines**: A significant focus of the talk is on quines—programs that output their own source code—showcasing their complexity and creativity required to write them. - **Examples of Playful Code**: Fulton provides examples, such as attempts to create a Fibonacci sequence in CSS and a chess program represented as ASCII art, encapsulating the joy of programming purely for fun. - **Community and Collaboration**: The speaker encourages the audience to engage with these concepts, emphasizing the collaborative aspect of programming and the shared joy in creating absurd or whimsical code. ### Conclusions and Takeaways: Fulton's talk concludes with a reflection on the importance of playfulness in programming, illustrating how it fosters creativity and encourages experimentation. He urges programmers to explore unconventional avenues and not shy away from absurdity in their coding practices. Fulton promises to share the code and resources discussed during the presentation on GitHub, inviting further engagement and exploration of these ideas among his audience.
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