Communicating with the non-computer literate

[essentialsaltes]

It's been difficult, even from the beginning. Here's a piquant phrase from Babbage, as quoted by the Improbable Research blog:

On two occasions I have been asked,—”Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?” … I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.

To all my friends who are difference engineers, I endorse the propagation and use of this remark in similar circumstances.

Comments

Improb Research keeps giving

[essentialsaltes.livejournal.com]

Call of Cthulhu adventure kernel on a platter

[ian-tiberius.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately, I doubt that any of the people who ask me that question would appreciate a quotation from Charles Babbage.

[colleenky.livejournal.com]

That actually made me snort out loud. :-)