Computer Science | Grinnell College

March 12 CS Table location: JRC 224B, noon.

The reading this week is The Story of Mel: a classic short story about a "real programmer" to give you some historical perspective on computing. There will probably be terms that aren't familiar to you, such as "drum memory," "core memory," and "machine code." While the faculty can provide some context during the discussion, we recommend that you do a bit of delving into strange terms in advance.

• Ed Nather (1983). The Story of Mel. Usenet.
• You can find an annotated version of the story here.

Computer science table (CS Table) is a weekly meeting of Grinnell College community members (students, faculty, staff, etc.) interested in discussing topics related to computing and computer science. CS Table meets Tuesdays from 12:00–12:50pm. Most CS Tables for the spring semester will meet in JRC 224B inside the Marketplace, though a small number will be in an alternate location, so watch each week for the location. Contact the CS faculty for the weekly reading. Students on meal plans, faculty, and staff are expected to cover the cost of their meals. Visitors to the College and students not on meal plans can charge their meals to the department (sign in at the Marketplace front desk).

For CS table next week we will spend time looking at some of the unusual hardware and software from previous eras in computing. There is no reading for next week’s discussion; instead, please send your recommendations to Prof. Curtsinger by email. If you’ve heard of anything particularly funny, odd, creative, or just different from current computing technology, please send it along. It could include examples like gaming consoles, calculators, mechanical computers, and anything else you think is relevant. We will have a projector available at CS Table pictures or videos are welcome, too. Please send suggestions by 5pm on Monday, May 7, so Prof. Curtsinger has time to organize them.

Here are a few examples to inspire you:

• The Cray 1 is a $10 million supercomputer designed to look like a victorian-era sofa.
• Mercury delay memory uses sound waves traveling through a tube of mercury to store data for a short time.
• When punching cards was the final step in writing your software, many programmers started out by designing their programs on paper with a flowcharting template. Oddly enough, nobody seems to bring this up as a contender during programming text editor debates.
• The Compaq Portable is an iconic example of a “luggable.” It weighed almost 30 pounds and had to be plugged in, but it was technically portable.

Computer science table (CS Table) is a weekly meeting of Grinnell College community members (students, faculty, staff, etc.) interested in discussing topics related to computing and computer science. CS Table meets Tuesdays from 12:00–12:45pm in JRC 224A (inside the Marketplace). Contact the CS faculty for the weekly reading. Students on meal plans, faculty, and staff are expected to cover the cost of their meals. Visitors to the College and students not on meal plans can charge their meals to the department (sign in at the Marketplace front desk).

This is the near-final draft schedule for the Fall 2016 Grinnell Computer Science Affinity Reunion. It is intended to give potential attendees some sense of what the reunion will look like. Confirmed speakers are listed. So many of our alums are doing cool things that it was very difficult to put together a program. I feel bad that I could not find spaces for more of you to speak.

Register for the reunion here!

Friday, 2016-11-18

The reunion primarily starts at 4:15 p.m. on Friday with Henry Walker's opening. However, alumni who choose to arrive earlier will be able to tour campus, visit classes, and have lunch with students and fellow alums.

Saturday, 2016-11-19

The main day of the reunion. We've tried to offer a wide variety of talks and panels, as well as a job and internship fair. If you'd like to recruit Grinnell students or alums, contact Nathan Dobbels and he'll help you get set up with a table.

Sunday, 2016-11-20 - Unofficial Events

Affinity reunions are normally only Friday/Saturday. However, we expect that some alums will want to stick around on Sunday for some additional fun. We're considering an un-conference, but you have other suggestions, we'd love to hear them!