Introduction to Data on the Internet
Chapter Ten was a delightfully short read that began by discussing data and the theorems relevant to it. It then connects data to computer programming, explaining how programming is very effective for data sorting and searching. Having programmed since middle school, this chapter was much more “my speed,” and although I already understood the concepts because of that, it was still a delightful read. It gave me a perspective on programming from a data analyst’s perspective, rather than a programmer’s; I find that understanding how your applications are perceived and used by end users is very useful when you’re a programmer, as it helps you design your applications around the user.
In addition, the Chapter implores the reader to be conscious about how websites they use track them and what data they keep track of. I consider myself very conscious of and proactive against websites’ attempts to track me, so much so that I have both a content and a tracker blocker on my web browser right now. As of writing, my content blocker, UBlock Origin, tells me they’ve blocked 1,062 telemetry attempts from Office 365, just in this session alone.
This Chapter also discussed Computational Thinking, and while it explained it as a method of thinking specifically for computers, it is also just good advice in general, particularly for troubleshooting; for instance, arbitration and decomposition are important steps to take when troubleshooting, regardless if you’re having a computer problem, car engine troubles, or whatnot. For those first two steps allow you to narrow down your problem, fix specific parts, and then analyze how your attempted fixes affect the problem and the machine as a whole.