Assignment
Write a program. Use a notation system distinctly different from text-based programing languages such as C, Java, PHP, etc. Because the programs will be executed by people and not machines, how can you diverge from standard syntax? Hand in three copies of your program, each on a 8.5 x 11 page.
Concept
I wanted to create a program that encourages the human interpreter to view the world in a different way, like Yoko Ono's "Painting to see the sky." I also wanted to experiment with a symbolic language. The program asks the user to put on headphones without listening to music, and to instead listen to the people surrounding him or her.
Results
According to Mike Chang, who ran my program, my iconic notation was not entirely successful, but he was still able to understand the program. He wanted to play a more active role as the interpreter of the program.
Using symbolic notation makes creating abstractions kind of difficult. Symbolizing that the interpreter stand in a crowd ended up looking too specific, because I did not care if it was people waiting in line, people on a bus, or any other similar situation.
The program also does not have any concrete output, so documenting the results from a single person is a bit unfulfilling.