Sunday 26 October 2008

Programming in Strange Places!

Earlier this month I spent a week in Cornwall without access to a computer. In the true spirit of recreational programmers everywhere, this didn't curtail my programming activity. I managed to discover a number of solutions to the Semaphore Problem in Redcode while watching the waves!

However, programming on the beach, public transport, restaurants and even a theme park appear pretty normal alongside the place where I wrote Koch Curve for the Sinclair Spectrum.

One October night 14 years ago I took shelter from the wind and rain in Victoria Cave.  After setting up for the night and studying the map, I eventually tried to code an idea I'd had a few days earlier.

Working by candlelight on scraps of paper I programmed, optimized and hand assembled Koch Curve for the Speccy's Z80. Perhaps the surroundings explain the strange names I used for labels!

What's the strangest place you've written a program? I'd love to know.

Victoria Cave, near SettleKoch Curve on the Sinclair Spectrum