\nI watch soap operas with my wife. One evening a few years back, we were watching an episode where two computer experts (on the show) were trying to hack into some site. The hack wasn’t working, so far.<\/p>\n
\nOne of them said he would check the underlying code of the routine they were using: “Oh, it’s been compromised. I’ll rewrite it in pseudocode,” he commented. He seemed to type a few lines. “We’re in,” he continued. The scene continued as the two characters bent in close to look at the screen of the laptop.<\/p>\n
\n“I’ll rewrite it in pseudocode” was, I’ll assume, meant to be ironic, since pseudocode is meant for human consumption rather than computer. Therefore, a routine written in pseudocode would be almost certain to fail.<\/p>\n
\nI’ve listened more carefully to that soap opera ever since, but never noticed such a questionable line as that one. I wonder how many other people noticed it.<\/p>\nJack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane,<\/a> Campbell River, BC.\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Self-tutoring about pop culture: the tutor begins about how computer science ideas have penetrated everyday life. I watch soap operas with my wife. One evening a few years back, we were watching an episode where two computer experts (on the …<\/p>\n