Turtle Talk

I have been taking an undergraduate computer science class so I can learn to program in Python.  I am loving it and sometimes in the middle of class I totally get everything the professor is saying and I think, "Damn, I missed my calling and I should have majored in computer science in college."  Other days the professor starts talking about radians and sine and cosine and I realize that a whole MAJOR in computer science is pretty math-y and I think, "Screw this, Thank God I didn't major in this in college."  

Anyway, a couple weeks ago we were given the homework assignment to write a Turtle Graphics Program.  This is the Logo language stuff where the kids type in a command and make a turtle move across the screen, turn left and right, and draw a picture.    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo_(programming_language)

Anyone know what I am talking about?  I totally used a program like this in the 1980's, in 3rd or 4th grade.  It was my very first introduction to using a computer.  Actually, I thought that was all computers were used for--to draw little pictures of hexagons and stuff.  Not long after that, when my family purchased a Real Home Computer.   I remember being shocked that we got a printer too; that seemed like such an unnecessary luxury to me.  I think I even said, "Wow, so when I make pictures on the screen I'll be able to print them out?"  Little did I know my parents expected me to do more with that machine than just Turtle Graphics.      

And now, 30 years later, I was being asked to write the interpreter that translates the kid's command of  "fd 200" in Logo language to make the turtle actually move forward 200 pixels.  How cool is that?  So I wrote the program and was feeling So Proud and dying to show it to someone who would appreciate it.

And then the most amazing coincidence ever occurred.  Tai came home from first grade this past Monday and I asked, "What did you do in computer class today?  (Yes, they have computer class starting in kindergarten now).  And he said "Oh!  It was cool, we talked to a turtle on the screen.  I typed stuff in and made the turtle move!"

HOLY CRAP!  So of course I pulled up my program and let him play with it for 20 minutes.  It was so cool to be able to do that.  Too bad he could not appreciate all the programming (not to mention the trigonometry) I had to do to make it work.  And of course he kept telling the turtle to move forward more than 7,000 pixels when the graphics window I made was only 600 x 700.  Kids, man.  They find a way to break everything.

New Developmental Milestone

Recently, Quynh has been a bit extra-emotional and more prone to tantrums that usual.  Last week we had a horrible drawn-out, tear-filled drop-off at preschool that all started over a picture she asked me to draw her before I left for work.  Prior to that, we had this nice little ritual where I'd outline a silly picture on paper before I left and she'd happily color it in and show it to me at the end of the day.

But last week that all fell apart when the picture I drew was Not.Quite.Right. so she ripped it up and asked me to start over.  And when I refused she flipped out.  For 20 minutes.  So I vowed not to draw her pictures at school anymore if it's going to cause drama.

This morning I brought her into school, said hello to her teacher and friends, and hugged her goodbye.  As I went to leave she said, "I want you to draw me a picture."

No way was I falling for that game again. Nuh-uh.  No sir.  So I calmly said, "No, I don't do that anymore because it can make you upset."  (And inside I was thinking, "Oh, no, here it comes, she's going to scream and I have to get to work......what do I do?")

But instead of screaming she looked at me with just a hint of malice in her eyes explained, "If you don't draw me a picture I'm just going to start throwing a tantrum."

Wow.  What a complete and total understanding of power and threats.  Any sympathy I might have had for her if she had started to cry vanished the moment she verbalized her intentions.  So I called her on it.  I said, "Threats won't work with me. "  And I turned around and left.  

And I didn't hear a peep out of her.