In the Public Eye
In 2009 Josh Harris made a film called We Live In Public. It recorded all aspects of his life. This does not sound radical in 2022, but back in 2009 it was. As a side note, Josh Harris was also the founder of one of the first web video companies Pseudo.com.
We do a lot of things in public these days, but some things are hard to do in front of a group. Coding appears to be one of them.
Image: Eye for an Eye by Augusto de Campos
Live Coding
Two weeks ago I started coding on twitch 4 days a week. I try to adhere to the posted schedule. Coding in public has radically changed my programming practice. It forces me to do the code equivalent of making my bed.
I am now conscious of my coding environment (tmux and vim). I am conscious of my code structure. I am conscious of my repository commit messages. When I narrate myself coding, I am aware of my programming habits and areas to improve.
Code as Conversation
Musicians become better when they play in front of an audience. Writing improves when you read to a group.
When I code in public, I learn about code. I also learn where my attention goes. I learn about how I dissect issues. When I narrate coding, my experience of writing code changes.
I am now exploring what happens when we move from code narration to code conversation. It is a part of an exploration I call Love and Code.
Much Love,
Meredith
Endnotes
Ondi Timoner directed We Live in Public. She also directed the fantastic 2004 music documentary Dig!