The Magic of Code – book about the wonders and weirdness of computation

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I recently published a book called “The Magic of Code” which is about the delights of the computational world, examining computing as a kind of “humanistic liberal art” that connects to so many topics, from art and biology to philosophy and language. The link I’ve shared is to a page on my book’s website where you can download a pdf of the introduction, to give HN readers a taste of what is inside. Right now there is so much worry and concern around technology that I feel like some people—though not the folks here—have forgotten how much fun that code and computation can also be. So I wanted to rekindle some of that sense of wonder. But, as I’ve written elsewhere, this is also the kind of book I wish I had when I was younger and getting interested in computers. I’ve always enjoyed the kinds of writing that talks about computing but in the context of so many other big ideas, especially ones I’ve explored at various points in my own life, from evolution to simulation. And that’s what I tried to do. But while “The Magic of Code” is certainly for a wide audience, and for people who are unfamiliar with programming and code, I’ve also (hopefully!) designed it to be of interest to those who are more expert in this realm, with lots of rabbit holes and strange ideas to pursue. And if there exists a genre of book to explain to outsiders why you love a topic, this is in that genre, for computing and code. I think the HN community will really enjoy it.

Visit product View on Hacker NewsJul 22, 2025

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Product HuntOn track for Day 1 leaderboard · Strong signals: computer, context, code · Missing: mac, agents, macos

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Hacker NewsStrong engagement from HN community · Strong signals: exist, ide, io · Missing: https docs, excited, just released

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AppSumoMay struggle as an AppSumo deal · Missing: plus, platform, intuitive

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BetaListMay not resonate with beta-testers · Missing: web3, chat, crypto

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