### Contemplating and computing

Thinking

- The Turing machine and the Turing test
- Leibnitz and Boole's "Laws of Thought"
- Rodin's "The Thinker" - not just computing?

Contemplating

- ... a different emphasis, not so goal-directed and clearly focused
- ... but why is it important for computing?

Why contemplating is essential ...

- challenging to model complex systems and users formally
- creative use of computers in design, arts and humanities
- new modes of interaction e.g. where agents are semi-automatic

How can computing support contemplating?

- Computer technologies as an adjunct to human reasoning and reflection
- not the separation of human and computer in the "batch job" outlook
- interactive computing is essential, but yet more significant is

  > making interpretations through interaction with computers

- in an ongoing manner, always being open to revision and extension.

Not calculations but constructions

- not targeting results but tracing states-of-mind
- spreadsheet rather than program
- not action a:=b+c but relationship a is b+c

... illustrate with a model to support human Sudoku solving ...

A final comment ...

- The world of human contemplation is intensely rich and messy
- The world of calculating computers is exceptionally precise and orderly
- There is a danger of trying to adapt humans to the world of computers

... it is more important to adapt computers to the human world

If you would like to explore the Sudoku model yourself, you can access it at:

> `http://www.dcs.warwick.ac.uk/~wmb/webeden/OpenDayNov2008.html`

The presentation of the model you will find there is intended to support the relatively knowledgeable user. For best results, you should first copy and paste the fix to the EDDI parser on page 11 of the Workshop Information mini-book into the input window. For other variants of the Sudoku model intended for less specialised use, consult:

> `http://www.dcs.warwick.ac.uk/~wmb/sudokuExperience/workshops/`