Re:As Interest Fades in the Humanities, Colleges Worry
by Shorel on Thursday October 31, 2013 @01:18PM
(#6648104)
I love anything related to art and humanities, I play beginner's go, read all the science fiction I can find, but coding is the thing that gives me food and always has.
It was an obvious decision to study computer science, and I guess I am not the only one.
BTW, I envy those toys you had.
Re:As Interest Fades in the Humanities, Colleges Worry
by lyricalpolymath on Thursday October 31, 2013 @02:15PM
(#6648616)
I myself often thought that If I went back I'd choose CS. It's a good almost all round discipline.
some of the "toys"/sculptures can be purchased. check the catalogue on link nº2 Since we know the educational value we are looking into making cheaper plastic versions for kids to handle. The artist himself wanted to them in plastic but didn't have the resources when he designed them in the 60-70's
Moreover there is large evidence that Art (and humanities) can set you in the mindset of hacking. PG himself says that painting can teach many things about hacking [1] and I am living proof that Art can definitively teach you how to hack (and also be an entrepreneur): I received my first computer only when I was 19, but I had been hacking since I was 3 years old, through the art of Berrocal whose sculptures can be taken apart, transformed and combined, they are like 3d puzzles, tactile problems that need to be solved [2]. It has taught me practical tools, methodologies and ways of creatively find solutions that can be applied to both programming and to the day to day challenges of entrepreneurship.
There is actually a necessity and a current trend to connect Arts+Design+Humanities in the STEM education. it's called "from STEM to STEAM" [3] and it's backed by great figures in both art and computer science such as John Maeda
Don't despise arts+humanities, you'll be only limiting yourself. A good old poem can hack your brain! give it root! ;)
[1] http://www.paulgraham.com/hp.html [2] http://berrocal.net [3] http://stemtosteam.org/