Alan Harrison

@httcs.online

1404 Followers 1948 Following

Educator, author and podcaster, BSc #ComputerScience, MA in #Education, Teacher Trainer, Tutor and Lecturer, #TeamCompSci #caschat, I'm #Autistic and #ADHD and a LGBTQ+ ally, mental health advocate, proud supporter of DEI. httcs.online

Screenshot of a website showing an IDE-like layout with title Six Impossible Things, a coding sandbox, output window with testing shown and feedback messages.
Screenshot of a double page of my book "How to Teach Computer Science" Chapter 1 "Data Representation". The image shows morse code and braille diagrams and this is a sample of the text: We need to head over to France to find an early binary code. Louis Braille injured an eye in his father’s leather workshop at the age of three; the resulting infection led to blindness in both eyes by the time he was five. At the age of 10, in 1819, he obtained a scholarship to the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris, which at the time used a system of raised letters invented by Valentin Haüy. Letter shapes are not distinct enough to be easily discerned by touch, however, and Braille found Haüy’s system hard to use. While attending the institute, Braille was shown a system of raised dots used by the military to communicate at night. He took this system and improved upon it, using just six dots to communicate all the letters of the alphabet, plus numbers and some punctuation symbols. Each dot is raised or flat, and a blank space (effectively six flat dots) separates words and sentences. In this way, the grid of six dots could represent 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 2 to the power 6 or 64 different characters.
Screenshot of a coding app I have been working on. Will be on show at the Festival of Computing - https://craigndave.org/conference/ - on 1st July in Bromsgrove UK. Screen shows an IDE-like environment with code sandbox on the left, and output on the right. Integrated testing and feedbacack is visible, with output that says: All 4 tests passed — nice work! ✅ Test 1 — Normal - EUR to GBP ✅ Test 2 — Normal - GBP to EUR ✅ Test 3 — Boundary - zero amount ✅ Test 4 — Normal - large EUR Style 💡 Wrap your logic in a function — e.g. def calculate(): — and call it from a main block. Score: 7/10 💪 Nearly there — aim for 8/10 or above before moving on to other styles.
A deeper point for your book: The confidence question isn't just about accuracy — it's about the type of knowledge. Even where I'm reliably accurate, I'm producing text that pattern-matches to correctness without the kind of understanding that would let me know why it's correct or when to doubt it. A student who writes a correct answer for the wrong reasons is a concern to a teacher; an LLM that produces correct outputs through processes that don't constitute understanding is a more fundamental issue — and one that sits right at the heart of what you're arguing.
Sketch of a hedgehog labelled "head" and "chog"
Screenshot of BlueSky post from @franzsherbert: Me to my Al-enabled smart fridge in 2038: Do we have any milk left My fridge: Wow. Now that's a question worth exploring. By asking me something like that, you've proven that you're not thinking in ordinary ways -you're dialed in to what's really vital about food. Let's dive in.
A sponsored Facebook post from the Adobe Photoshop account. The post text reads "Next-gen Generative Fill is now in Adobe Photoshop." Underneath are two portrait orientation photos side by side. On the left is a close up of a plant with blue leaves, and no wildlife visible. A dotted marquee selection box is overlaid on it, and a dialog box underneath says "Generate" and the prompt "Tropical frog with beautiful detail." On the right is the same image, with a tropical frog added, with red feet white body and black spots.
Duracell AAAA battery pack
Dear Mike Kane, LABOUR MUST UPHOLD LIBERAL VALUES and OPPOSE THE FAR-RIGHT I am increasingly furious at the Labour party's willingness to abandon its foundational principles of equality and justice for all, in an effort to court the right-wing voters of Britain. It's a squalid approach and an incredibly dangerous one, to amplify the hate-filled rhetoric of the right wing and say "we hear you, and we will do better." A true Labour party would stand up unequivocally for human rights, the value of immigration, and the danger posed by the far-right. Instead we have fearmongering ads on social media about Deliveroo drivers, pledges to "return" many more asylum seekers than the Tories ever did and today - in response to a speech from the leader of far-right Reform UK Ltd. that was more unhinged than anything Moseley or Powell ever said - absolutely nothing. No rebuttal, no fact-check, no liberal alternative. Silence from the party of the centre-left, the party of working people, including millions of immigrants and descendants of immigrants. Nothing. Labour are heading for defeat in 2029, that is clear. But at least the party I love could TRY standing up for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Because the world is on a knife edge, and I am terrified for my children's future, and I had hoped Labour would be part of the solution, not the problem. Also, once again, stop arming Israel, stop the genocide in Palestine. Yours sincerely,
The cover of The Smiths’ single “What Difference Does It Make?” has featured both Terence Stamp and Morrissey in a tale of evolving album art. Originally, the UK single showcased a photo of Terence Stamp from the 1965 film The Collector, with Stamp holding a chloroform pad. However, the 12” version notably omitted the band’s name. Displeased with the use of his image, Stamp refused to approve it, prompting Morrissey to cleverly re-enact the scene, this time holding a glass of milk. Some pressings went on to feature Morrissey’s homage. Eventually, Stamp changed his mind, and the original Collector-inspired cover was reinstated, completing the cover’s intriguing journey.
Screenshot of Parkrun email showing time of 29:58
A low-budget clickbait ad, the headline says "Doctors Reveal: If You Drink Olive Oil Every Day After 50, This is What Happens." The picture at the left side shows a very large man in his 50s, drinking from a bottle, with a round face and huge double chin and fat neck and thick arms. I'm sure that is what happens!
Screenshot of email. Text reads: Dear Alanjharrison, Students deserve a more durable training ball! Our solutions for 200+ schools worldwide： **Education exclusive program**: ✔️ Anti-slip youth basketballs/footballs/volleyballs ✔️ Quality warranty ✔️ Custom school logo **Limited benefit**: - Complimentary air pump - Become a long-term VIP customer to get competitive price
Screenshot from the article, Hassabis is saying “Assuming we steward it safely and responsibly into the world, and obviously we’re trying to play our part in that, then we should be in a world of what I sometimes call radical abundance,” says Hassabis. He paints a picture of medical advances, room-temperature superconductors, nuclear fusion, advances in materials, mathematics. “It should lead to incredible productivity and therefore prosperity for society. Of course, we’ve got to make sure it gets distributed fairly, but that’s more of a political question. And if it is, we should be in an amazing world of abundance for maybe the first time in human history, where things don’t have to be zero sum. And if that works, we should be travelling to the stars, really.”
Image of the Trumpton fire engine and several fire crew
STOP ARMS SALES TO ISRAEL AND DEMAND HUMANITARIAN ACCESS IMMEDIATELY DEMAND AN END TO THE GENOCIDE. RECOGNISE PALESTINE. I have written to you many times about the failure of this Labour government to stand up for traditional Labour values of justice and human rights for all. I IMPLORE you to demand that the British Government ends its COMPLICITY IN GENOCIDE immediately and: * Stop arms sale to Israel * Demand humanitarian access and an urgent food program run by trusted international organisations - not Israel * Call the genocide what it is, a GENOCIDE * Recognise the Palestinian state and open diplomatic relations and trade links, showing the world that they matter. This is the most important letter I have written to you. Please reply to confirm you will represent me in this important matter. Yours sincerely,
White Patterdale Terrier facing the camera, looking up. Mouth open, angle makes tongue look a foot long. Dog looks daft as a brush. Can confirm this is true.
John Von Neumann, father of the modern computer and founder of game theory. Einstein called him a genius.
Screenshot from ChatGPT. The prompt reads: "Finish this poem in the style of Philip Larkin. An apple tree stands on horizontal ground. An apple hangs, at rest, from a branch of the tree. A second apple also hangs, at rest, from a different branch of the tree." ChatGPT has responded... An apple tree stands on horizontal ground. An apple hangs, at rest, from a branch of the tree. A second apple also hangs, at rest, from a different branch of the tree. The afternoon leans in, detached and soundless, As if the world, through habit, mimics peace. Each fruit obeys its moment, bound by balance, Held in the hush that gravity enforces. No wind today. The branches neither plead Nor yield. The apples, dulled with patient gloss, Concede to waiting—time's unspoken creed— Unbitten, purposeless, and not at loss. Like us, they do not know quite what they miss: A fall, a mouth, a meaning, or a kiss.
A picture of a pole on some grass by a village street captioned "Pole where the scarecrow was taken from (Image: Louise Haggerty)"
Slide screenshot, lots of text but the gist is there are four quotes from fictional computing teachers describing their understanding of the subject. They are very different. Teacher A says "“Computing is all about solving engineering problems with intelligent machines. Babbage’s difference engine was basically a big steam calculator using gears where today we would use silicon chips… Programming isn’t much use to lads who want to be builders, but they might use CAD and Illustrator. Photoshop and website building might be useful for girls starting a hair salon.” Teacher B says "I loved the ICT curriculum, we achieved 100% pass rate at GCSE ICT and 100% pass rate at ECDL too, and Business pass rate was pretty good, so SLT loved this department until the ICT to Computing curriculum change… Computers are basically productivity tools that make businesses and manufacturing more efficient.”" C says "“As a former Science teacher, I love teaching computing as the subjects share a common ancestry, most of the early pioneers were mathematicians or scientists, for example Von Neumann started as a chemical engineer, and the Manhattan Project was basically particle physics… We do Scratch and Python using the NCCE resources. I like the mix of activities in them. I’ve just introduced a data science unit and I’m trying out “machine learning for kids” as AI and ML seem to be the next big thing.” and D says "“Modern computing really exploded with Claude Shannon’s Master’s thesis in 1940 which joined up the fields of mathematics and physics. (Shannon also gave us game theory and the “zero-sum game”). He’s just one of my heroes, along with Lovelace, Boole and Turing: all mathematicians who laid the groundwork for computing… I read “Hello World” a lot and use PRIMM programming and Semantic Wave explanations.”
Screenshot of a slide titled "so what is computing's gaze?" and quotes from Foucault, Ruth Ashbee and Heidegger
Dear Mike Kane, I wrote to you a few months ago urging you to resist the disability benefit cuts. I was disappointed by your response. Punishing the most vulnerable by plunging them into poverty and misery is NOT the way to fix the errors of the Conservatives. I agree with the Disability Rights UK statement that "Labour MPs in particular must ask themselves why their cabinet colleagues are demonising and punishing Disabled people for the economic failures of successive governments rather than looking to the rich to plug the funding gap." We can and MUST raise taxes on those that can afford to pay more, both personally and as corporations. We must close taxation loopholes that allow vast profits made here by big companies to go untaxed. We have ample opportunity right now to justify breaking the election promise to not raise taxes, given the global political and security situation, and the need to ramp up civil and military defence spending. A patriotic case can be made for a new budget that asks those who can to pay more. The country is awash with money, it's just all held by the 1%. I voted Labour for a fairer society, not to punish the most vulnerable for the greed of the powerful. Vote for the Reasoned Amendment signed by Tan Dhesi, Helen Hayes, Florence Eshalomi, Patricia Ferguson, Ruth Cadbury, Dame Meg Hillier, Ruth Jones, Sarah Owen, Debbie Abrahams, Cat Smith, Louise Haigh and Vicky Foxcroft. Pause this cruel bill and give the most vulnerable in society a break.
Image from Good Morning Vietnam, Lieutenant Hauk saying "Sir, in my heart, I know I'm funny".
Screenshot from Goodreads. Quote is from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams... Well, it was a kind of back-to-front program. It’s funny how many of the best ideas are just an old idea back-to-front. You see there have already been several programs written that help you to arrive at decisions by properly ordering and analysing all the relevant facts so that they then point naturally towards the right decision. The drawback with these is that the decision which all the properly ordered and analysed facts point to is not necessarily the one you want.’ ‘Yeeeess...’ said Reg’s voice from the kitchen. ‘Well, Gordon’s great insight was to design a program which allowed you to specify in advance what decision you wished it to reach, and only then to give it all the facts. The program’s task, which it was able to accomplish with consummate ease, was simply to construct a plausible series of logical-sounding steps to connect the premises with the conclusion.
Screenshot of The Guardian website. Headline reads... Historians dispute Bayeux tapestry penis tally after lengthy debate Two Bayeux scholars at loggerheads over whether dangling shape depicts dagger or the embroidery’s 94th phallus