Friday, January 17, 2014

New non-fiction: The Problem With "Problem-Solving Skills"

Problems, my friend- I say we've got problems. Big, big problems. Right here. With a capital P that rhymes with C that stands for Computers.

So, knowing the "Little Red Hen" Principle as I do - that if one needs something done, one should do it one's self - I have started a new series, "Case Studies in Computer Science." After all, a doctorate and over thirty years of experience (not to mention a knowledge of GKC and an adventurous mind) ought to bear all sorts of interesting fruits!

So... I am now very happy to anounce that the first volume, called The Problem with "Problem-Solving Skills" is now ready for purchase. Strike up the band!

(Band? What band? Ah... I always think there's a band, kid.) Yep, Professor Harold Hill gets to play a part, as does a huge cast of characters - Winthrop Paroo, Aquinas, Henry of Langenstein, Robinson Crusoe, Hugh of St. Victor, Boethius, Milo (from The Phantom Tollbooth), Gauss, Jaki, Babbage, Captain (ahem, Admiral) Grace Hopper, Seymour Cray, Danny Dunn, Rovol of Norlamin, the Abominable Snow Monster of the North - and eight Russian dolls...

Very tech, very bizarre, and a pleasantly curious selection of strange problems and even stranger solutions. Now you will know some of the things you can add to your own toolbox of "problem-solving skills" even if you aren't a computer scientist.

See here for details, or my website, http://www.DeBellisStellarum.com.