Live Coding Artist. Creator of @Sonic_Pi, programmer, educator, musician, PhD, Sam 'transcends the present' - Rolling Stone. he/him bookings@sonic-pi.net
Sheffield, England
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- Followers 14,724
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With the right instrument everyone is musical.
Could code be yours?
Imagine the music you could create with the expressive power of code.
Make it your 2025 resolution to get started with this friendly introductory course.
sonic-pi-studio.teachable.co…
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It’s my last day as a European Citizen before my rights are stripped away from me against my will.
Not just my rights but those of my entire family.
It’s overwhelmingly sad.
I’m still waiting to hear a single tangible benefit to offset the cost of this huge loss.
#IamEuropean
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I'm almost too excited to type this...
I'll be live coding the Royal Albert Hall in 2019!
Over 1000 kids, voices, traditional instruments, @Sonic_Pi code, all combined. It's going to be ace!
royalalberthall.com/tickets/…
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Devastated by the loss of Joe Armstrong.
In the last few years of his life I had the immense fortune of calling him my friend.
I will forever remember his infinite curiosity and will always attempt to keep my mind so open and active as he did right until the end.
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In my 40s I'm a far better programmer than I've ever been.
I've more experience, sharper focus, a larger support network & a greater sense of mental sustainability.
Yet, there's so much age discrimination in tech.
Do companies implicitly rely on burning out youthful coders?
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People told me my goals were naïve & idealistic.
They told me I'd change once I had kids.
I had 3 and I didn't.
In fact, I turned down 6 figure salaried jobs on my journey.
Today I can hold my head up high and say I'm a successful non-corporate open-source developer & artist.
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I'm incredibly happy and proud to announce that @Sonic_Pi has seen more than one million users!
Yes, more than ONE MILLION people learning how to code creatively through music.
Thanks so much to everyone that has made this possible. Here's to the next million users :-)
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Today is the day! I’m no longer employed by any institution and am attempting to go solo.
I’d be under stating things if I said I was terrified.
Still, I’m going to give it my best shot.
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Live Coding with @Sonic_Pi in the @RoyalAlbertHall!
I still can't quite believe that this magical event happened.
Please do share this image with those that still unfortunately need to be convinced that @Sonic_Pi is a real musical instrument...
(Photo credit Pete Jones)
ALT Live coding with Sonic Pi in the Royal Albert Hall
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Erlang is not just a programming language.
Erlang is a lovely DSL designed for writing concurrent message passing systems with an amazing execution engine designed to keep those messages consistently flowing at lightning speed.
Erlang is also an incredible feat of engineering.
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3 years ago I was working extremely hard on v3 of @Sonic_Pi evolving it into a powerful live coding music studio (live audio/OSC/MIDI in & out).
Since then I struggled with losing funding & the subsequent burnout.
I slowly pieced myself back together.
❤️v3.2 is out on Feb 28❤️
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Not sure how it slipped me by but I've now officially survived on my own as an independent open source software developer for a year now.
🎈🥳🎉 Wooh! 🎉 🥳🎈
I've celebrated with a small dance and a new beta release :-)
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Check out this lovely @nytimes article on New York's vibrant and growing live coding music scene.
It's also amazing to see @Sonic_Pi covered and introduced to a whole new audience (given that its used by many of the New York live coding artists).
nytimes.com/2019/10/04/style…
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I got reminded by LinkedIn that it was recently my “2 year work anniversary”.
This means it’s 2 years since I was made redundant from my uni position (due to lack of funding).
It also means I’ve managed to survive (and grow) independently for 2 years.
Go me and go @Sonic_Pi !!
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Getting ready to release @Sonic_Pi v5 Technical Preview #1 - which integrates @_ojack_'s fabulous visual synthesiser.
ALT Sonic Pi splash screen. It has a colourful psychedelic background, the Sonic Pi logo, and the words: created by Sam Aaron Code. Music. Live. Love and thanks to all the kind people who supported this release on Patreon. https://patreon.com/samaaron Version 5 Technical Preview
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You'll be surprised by the number of established professional musicians and teachers who have told me that "Sonic Pi is not real music". I even got scolded for using the phrase "phat beats" on the BBC news.
Oh how wrong they all were :-) 💻 🎵 💻 🎶
1,100 performers. Instruments. Voices. Animation. Silent movies. Live Sonic Pi coding. Three years in the making.
Congratulations to @TBMHMusic and tonight’s performance of Convo at @RoyalAlbertHall. Great evening of music education in action.
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Quietly pleased with myself that I've managed to reach 40 whilst not having had to learn to drive.
I appreciate there's a substantial amount of privilege in this position, but I also made some explicit life choices.
Cars are overrated.
Trains let you work.
Cycling brings joy.
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I'm pleased to share that today I start a new 6 month part-time position as a Research Fellow in Music Technology at Sheffield University's Department of Computer Science.
I'll be continuing my work on @Sonic_Pi - taking it into an exciting new direction. Stay tuned for updates!
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Honoured to announce that @google have formally recognised me for my "dedication to open source communities" :-) opensource.googleblog.com/20…
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I shared this Black Lives Matter screenshot of @Sonic_Pi with my Patreons and pretty quickly lost some supporters.
🤷♀️ 🤷🏿♂️
Whilst I’m immensely grateful of all the support I get, Black Lives Matter way more than Patreon support.
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10 years ago I was making crazy live coding music systems.
Today I’m making crazy live coding music systems.
Hopefully in 10 years time I’ll be making crazy live coding music systems!
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I have such mixed emotions about my @Sonic_Pi work.
Everywhere I go I get incredibly positive excitement & enthusiasm.
Yet soon I’ll no longer be able to work on it due to lack of funds.
Free open source software is clearly right socially yet totally unsustainable economically
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As if 2020 wasn't crazy enough already...
I have the honour to be listed as one of "@FastCompany's Most Creative People in Business 2020".
Perhaps they didn't see that a core aspect of my business model is "give my software away for free" :-)
fastcompany.com/90525896/mos…
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I must be doing well with @Sonic_Pi. Today I received my first hate mail :-)
"I hate you. Why did you make this sonic pi, it’s a bunch on bs and now I have to do this in my computing lesson when I don’t want to. I hate you for this,it’ll never help me in the real world"
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This is very emotional - my first fully independent release.
Thank-you so much to everyone that has helped me through this difficult time - especially those who have supported me on Patreon.
Without you this release would not exist.
@Sonic_Pi v3.2 is my gift to you all x💝x
Sonic Pi v3.2.0 pre-release available now! patreon.com/posts/sonic-pi-v…
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When I say “I’m trying to learn X and it’s hard” why do so many people respond with “learn Y instead”?
Choosing to learn a new thing is not a decision that’s usually taken lightly.
Just because I’m struggling doesn’t mean I should quit!
I was looking for empathy & support :-)
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Last night was a personal record.
I live coded (and danced) for 3 hours straight to a packed dance floor at the @zkmkarlsruhe last night.
Such intense focus and energy was required that I feel amazingly detoxed both physically and mentally this morning.
Happy to be alive! :-)
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If someone told me I was going to use my PhD to build a next-gen synth out of code and tour the world live coding at parties and raves - I’m sure I would have finished it *much* quicker than I did!
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Only 1 week left before I’m no longer a university academic and will emerge from my chrysalis as a fully formed professional live coder!
Thanks to amazing support on Patreon + money raised from prior gigs/talks/workshops I can fund myself for at least 6 months & hopefully more.
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Deleting all the code you wrote since the last commit is the right thing to do far more often than you might think.
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10 years ago I started working on a project to teach Computing in schools which targeted the (then) newly-released @Raspberry_Pi computer.
My idea was to use sound as a way to explore and learn basic algorithms and programming techniques.
It was to be called @Sonic_Pi.
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During the interview for my first job post PhD I said:
“I have no experience. It’s like I’ve read a dictionary but I’m yet to pick up the pen”.
I got the job.
A few weeks later I was fired due to lack of experience. They said they thought I was being modest in the interview.
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Clojure is the nicest language I've ever programmed in.
Despite not using it much these days it's so wonderful to watch the language and ecosystem slowly and carefully improve.
I truly look forward to returning one day and benefitting from so much hard work and hard thought.
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OMG I now have a fully signed and verified Microsoft Windows Installer for @Sonic_Pi.
This should mean that more schools and organisations will be able to trust and install it.
Super Mega Yes!!!!!!!
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Hello lovely programming people!
Please watch the incredible SICP lecture series.
Any introductory programming course that starts by crossing out the phrase “computer science” is off to an amazing start in my book.
Your brain will never be the same...
ocw.mit.edu/courses/electric…
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Say hello to my new live coding gig-rig - finally I'm in control of my own space ship.
With these controls I reckon I could easily pilot myself around the Kessel Run in less than 10 parsecs...
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Yes! v3.1 of @Sonic_Pi is finally here!
Free to download today for Windows and macOS.
Go and make beautiful music with code.
github.com/samaaron/sonic-pi…
ALT Sonic Pi v3.1.0 screenshot
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Really very happy to hear that a completely blind musician was able to use the latest @Sonic_Pi beta.
I've been working very hard on accessibility for this release.
There's lots more work to do, but this is still a wonderful milestone to have reached.
Accessibility matters!
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People often focus on Elixir's Ruby-like syntax.
Yet, that's not what excites me the most.
I *love* how it elegantly combines the powerful Clojure functions+immutable data structures programming style with Erlang's incredible concurrency model.
Clojure + Erlang = ♥️
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Virtual conference & event organisers.
I have a dedicated studio for live streaming: 4K cameras, decent lighting, green screen, live laptop feeds, etc.
I can deliver interactive keynotes, performances, workshops on creative live coding & education with @Sonic_Pi.
Let’s talk!
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🎉 🎈 🎉 🎈 🎉 🎈 🎉 🎈 🎉 🎈
Hooray! Yippee! Woohoo!
I just released @Sonic_Pi v3.2 a little earlier than expected ;-)
Head to sonic-pi.net NOW to grab your FREE download for macOS or Windows!
Happy Live Coding!
🎉 🎈 🎉 🎈 🎉 🎈 🎉 🎈 🎉 🎈
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This week marks the anniversary of my independence working on @Sonic_Pi.
3 years ago my uni research position evaporated due to lack of funding.
Instead of being sensible & getting a “proper” job, I decided to see how long I’d last alone.
I can’t believe I made it to 3 years!
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7 years ago @Sonic_Pi was announced to the world.
It’s so amazing to see how far it has come since then.
So much amazing impact!
Thanks to everyone that has supported in any capacity along this wonderful journey.
Here’s to the next 7 years!
On this day in 2013: Sonic Pi – a free music and computing resource for teachers, and for the rest of us raspberrypi.org/blog/sonic-p…
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In Australia there’s a 5 year old girl practicing coding every day with @Sonic_Pi so she can DJ for her 6th birthday. 💕
Yet, in the UK a principle computing edu charity prematurely defunded me because I didn’t have sufficient impact or focus on education.
The world is strange.
She loved it, thank you for the opportunity! She's decided she'll DJ her 6th birthday😁. Been practicing every day, so we'll see ...
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I have so much ❤️ and respect for @josevalim.
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It’s my birthday today! 🥳 🎂 🎉
If you’d like to join me in celebrating, please do share some pics/stories/etc of you either:
1. Going for a lovely walk
2. Jamming with @Sonic_Pi
(I’ll be doing both!)
Here’s to another year of life on this wonderful earth. 🍻
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5 years ago my dream was to live code music well enough some people might dance. Today I'm headed to Finland to rock a 12th century castle.
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Block programming is not only “real programming” it’s actually advanced programming.
Industry needs to catch up!
Snap!6.1 now lets you gradually fade the blocks for a more "hacker-style" experience. snap.berkeley.edu/run
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Those close to me will know I've had a bad case of programmer burn-out these last few months brought on by: losing the majority of my funding, v3 of @Sonic_Pi being way harder than expected & the arrival of my third child.
Huge hugs to everyone that's supported me through this.
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Rust is a really hard language to learn.
Either that or as I’m getting older I’m finding new things harder to learn.
Or both are true.
Either way it’s not so fun to feel stupid.
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After such a rotten year my financial safety net for @Sonic_Pi work is finally fully depleted.
I’m now officially in survival mode.
I do have a few things planned which *should* keep me going.
However, if you were ever considering hiring me for anything - now is the time! ❤️
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Finally sorted my desk out.
ALT Desk with two monitors full of code, a led button grid, synth, split keyboard and remarkable sketch pad.
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My programming languages of choice:
* Quick prototyping: Ruby
* IO bound systems: Erlang
* Need to use JVM tech/infrastructure: Clojure
* CPU bound systems: Rust
* Audio synthesis: SuperCollider
(Note that I'm not implying these are the best choices, just my current choices)
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My three programming super powers are practice, patience and perseverance.
What are yours?
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Truly amazing to see @Sonic_Pi and live coding discussed in the @guardian today. For the record, I've performed with @Sonic_Pi on a @Raspberry_Pi, Mac and currently use a Windows tablet. It works great on all three :-)
theguardian.com/technology/a…
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Achievement unlocked!
Last night I did a 3am @Sonic_Pi set (without projection) in an industrial warehouse in Berlin.
The crowd loved it and even gave me a cheer when I finished. It felt great.
Live coded music isn’t just a gimmick. It’s a new force to be reckoned with :-)
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Hire me for:
* an inspirational keynote spanning technology, education & the arts,
* a live coding workshop for programmers & non-programmers alike,
* a coded DJ performance for your company party.
Or all three for a unique intervention & creative experience for your teams!
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Extremely honoured that @github have joined in the celebration of one million @Sonic_Pi users!
🎉 🎈🎈 🎉
github.com/explore
ALT "Congratulations, on 1 million users, Sam" - featured on a screenshot of http://github.com/explore
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ALT Image of my live coding performance equipment (laptops and synths) in a large empty auditorium.
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Yo business programmers!
Think you're more efficient with standing height desk and a large monitor?
Try live coding at music festivals.
You get a dancing height desk and a monitor as tall as the trees.
Just imagine the boost in your productivity!
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"Imagine a world where we only used writing for legal documents. That’s precisely where we are with code. Most code is used for business purposes. In the same way we can read and write poems & lyrics, we need to understand that code can be expressive too"
nytimes.com/2019/10/04/style…
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I’m buzzing so much I can’t sleep.
What an incredible night!
Huge thanks to Rohan, Kohei and @jyldamusic for sharing this magical experience with me.
We totally rocked out the @RoyalAlbertHall with our live coded synths and beats.
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Every time someone uses @Sonic_Pi to trigger an external synth or event, @joeerl's well-timed low-latency code makes this possible.
Check out this clip to hear Joe's code drive the synths that were filling the Royal Albert Hall:
Devastated by the loss of Joe Armstrong.
In the last few years of his life I had the immense fortune of calling him my friend.
I will forever remember his infinite curiosity and will always attempt to keep my mind so open and active as he did right until the end.
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Hello education sector.
Please stop funding and working on tools/techniques that prioritise and directly support the assessment of a structured curriculum.
I really believe your efforts would be better placed figuring out how to increase creativity, engagement & motivation.
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All I want for Christmas is the funding to continue to innovate and push the boundaries of creative programming for both educators and artists with @Sonic_Pi throughout 2018.
I have to believe it’s possible :-)
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In Feb I was made redundant from my university job due to lack of funding but you’ve all stepped up to help me back on my feet.
Thanks so much to everyone that’s hired me for talks/performances and/or supported me on Patreon.
💕💕 hugs to you all 💕💕
patreon.com/samaaron
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Important & profitable are not the same thing.
Valuable & profitable are not the same thing.
Innovative & profitable are not the same thing.
Sustainable & profitable are not the same thing.
Profitable is just about making more money. Nothing else.
Profitable is not the goal.
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Wow, there’s so much anger going around.
It seems I’m not allowed to be sad about leaving the EU.
Reminds me of when I was at school and couldn’t escape all the idiotic bullies.
Luckily there’s both the block button and the off switch on my phone these days :-)
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Dark mode.
ALT Image of my new live coding rig - a windows pc tablet, split keyboard, Moog Sirin and a midi controller.
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The New York Times
ALT A screenshot of the first 3 paragraphs of a New York Times article on live coding & Sonic Pi - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/04/style/live-code-music.html
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I’m officially COVID-free on Christmas Day. :-)
Whilst I appear to have managed to beat the virus down (likely with the help of vaccinations) its effects are still very present. I can’t taste anything other than salt & still need multiple naps during the day.
Progress though!
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A very early experimental prototype of @_ojack_’s Hydra running natively inside the @Sonic_Pi GUI.
I’m exploring web tech as an extension of the current GUI - all powered by the existing embedded Elixir server.
ALT A computer monitor showing the Sonic Pi GUI with an extra pane running a Hydra visualisation - layers of coloured cloud-like abstractions.
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It's a massive honour to see @Sonic_Pi featured in the University of Cambridge Computer Science and Technology's "Hall of Fame" list of companies founded by graduates and staff:
cst.cam.ac.uk/ring/halloffam…
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Code is a form of expression.
Learning to code therefore also means learning new ways to express yourself.
Somewhere within the act of expression through code lies new meanings for people.
I think realising & exploring these meanings provides real motivation to learn to code.
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Next time your open source app 'just works', please stop for a moment to appreciate all the incredibly hard work required to achieve this.
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With over 510,000 known users, it's quite possible that @Sonic_Pi is now the most popular live coding music system in the world :-)
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I just received some gorgeous samples from one of my all-time favourite electronic artists for inclusion within @Sonic_Pi - for everyone to use *freely*.
Today is a beautiful day.
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Fuck Brexit.
The hurt & sadness I feel about it deepens daily.
The lies.
The bullshit.
The smugness of “winners”.
The lack of any substantial and constructive reasons why it’s a good move other than “I’m British and proud”.
Well I’m British and I’m not proud.
I’m ashamed.
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I can’t quite believe I’m going to be live coding a @Sonic_Pi set at Tresor in Berlin tonight.
It’s a dream come true.
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Say hello to our beautiful little boy - born at home (quite by surprise!) on the 7th of April, 2017 :-)
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I just committed the start of an exciting new collaboration with @thormagnusson porting the core ideas of ixi lang into @Sonic_Pi.
I'm really excited to see where this leads...
github.com/samaaron/sonic-pi…
ALT A screenshot of code showing experimental ixi lang functionality within Sonic Pi
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I’m excited to announce that I’m officially a Visiting Scholar at @SheffieldUni’s Computer Science Department.
I’m looking forward to learning from others & contributing my experience developing live programming languages for expression e.g. @Sonic_Pi.
sheffield.ac.uk/dcs
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Yey, @Sonic_Pi is at the top of HN again.
I'm bracing myself for the comments. So far there's a couple of people wishing the docs were better?!?! And the standard person wishing it was written in the snake language.
Nobody is mentioning the badass Erlang in there! ;-)
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