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Show HN: Segfault, a podcast mapping the field of computer science

by sohamsankaran on 6/19/20, 11:04 AM with 3 comments

  • by sohamsankaran on 6/19/20, 11:25 AM

    Hey folks, I'm Soham, the host of Segfault, a podcast mapping the terrain of Computer Science research. The first episode, available at https://honestyisbest.com/segfault/2020/Jun/16/programming-l... & linked above, is about the research area of Programming Languages (PL), and features Adrian Sampson, Rachit Nigam, and Alexa VanHattum of Cornell's Capra group. There's a complete transcript for the episode at that link as well, if you would rather read it than listen to the audio.

    What's the point of this? Well, Computer Science is composed of many different areas of research -- operating systems, algorithms, and cryptography, for example -- each with their own problems of interest, publications of record, idioms of communication, and styles of thought. What people doing research in these areas actually do, and how that interacts with what people in other areas do, is not usually apparent to folks who haven't spent a lot of time in academia or are just starting out.

    Segfault intends to serve as a map of the field, with each episode featuring discussions about the core motivations, ideas, and methods of one particular area, with a mix of academics ranging from first year graduate students to long tenured professors as guests.

    If you find the time to listen to it or read the transcript, I'd love to get your feedback.