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What does it look like when someone has spent decades writing real software, then walked into a classroom to help the next generation figure it out? In this episode, Mr. Fred sits down with a longtime colleague, Dr. Hal Smith, a professor of Information Sciences and Technology, former software developer at Raytheon, and yes, a ukulele player, for one of the most honest and wide-ranging conversations the show has had yet.
Dr. Hal traces his journey from a Cub Scout field trip to a power facility, where a computer playing Hangman lit a spark, to programming on a Timex Sinclair, learning Basic in a Cornell enrichment class, and eventually writing missile guidance algorithms in Tucson, Arizona. He talks about what industry taught him that no textbook could, including the time he had to debug a compiler and the time he built a globe display for a ground-based radar tracker from scratch.
But this conversation goes deeper than origin stories. Mr. Fred and Dr. Hal dig into the real challenges of teaching software development today: the students who arrive expecting to build video games by week two, the disconnect between how young people experience technology and what a first-semester class actually looks like, and why the elegance of code still matters even in an age of AI.
They also tackle the big questions parents and students are asking right now. Should kids learn to code? Are we too late? What does AI mean for the future of software development? And is curiosity something that can be taught, or does it have to be sparked?
This one runs longer than a typical episode, and every minute is worth it. Whether you are a parent wondering where to start, an educator trying to keep up with a world that will not slow down, or a curious person who has always wondered how the tech around you actually works, this conversation is for you.
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