Keynote: Collective Problem Solving in Music, Science, Art, and Software

(originally titled: “On the Origins of Opera and the Future of Programming”)

Blog write-up

Abstract

There’s a story to tell, about musicians, artists, philosophers, scientists, and then programmers.

There’s a truth inside it that leads to a new view of work, that sees beauty in the painful complexity that is software development.

Starting from The Journal of the History of Ideas, Jessica traces the concept of an “invisible college” through music and art and science to programming. Along the way she learns what teams are made of, where great developers come from, why changing software is harder for some of us than others, and why this is a fantastic time to be alive.

Past public deliveries

  • RubyConf, Nashville, November 2019. Video
  • Philly ETE, Philadelphia, April 2019. Video
  • YOW! Australia (Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne), December 2018
  • … several more …
  • originally: Mob Programming Conference, April 2018