[HN Gopher] Show HN: A storybook designed to teach kids about ho...
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Show HN: A storybook designed to teach kids about how computers
work
I've been working on a unique storybook designed to teach kids
about how computers work, and I would love to get your feedback.
Set 500 years in the future, the story follows two kids - one a
robot, the other a human - as they explore the workings of what to
them is ancient technology: our present-day computers. I've aimed
to keep each story short and engaging, sprinkling in humor and
illustrations to captivate young readers. As an open-source
project, you're also welcome to check out the source here:
https://github.com/yong/lostlanguageofthemachines
Author : yawl
Score : 58 points
Date : 2024-04-19 18:45 UTC (2 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.lostlanguageofthemachines.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.lostlanguageofthemachines.com)
| gabrielsroka wrote:
| Neat! Thanks for sharing.
|
| In chapter 1, change reminder to remainder.
| mocovc wrote:
| Thanks!
| severine wrote:
| And "Simillarly" to "similarly".
| nsonha wrote:
| "Binary" is a weird place to start. Even adults dont start there.
| card_zero wrote:
| Yeah, it doesn't appear until page 26 of _The Beginner 's
| computer handbook_
|
| https://archive.org/details/beginnerscompute0000unse/page/26...
|
| Or page 10 of _Inside the Chip,_ illustrated with Tron cycles
|
| https://archive.org/details/insidechip00hele/page/10/mode/2u...
|
| It's on the cover of _Machine code for beginners,_ but nobody
| read that one first. (It 's available in full though, BTW.)
|
| https://archive.org/details/machine-code-for-beginners
| graypegg wrote:
| This is really neat! But if I can make a suggestion, a good and
| interesting explanation should use a strong analogy. A story
| wrapped around the explanation doesn't do as much to help with
| understanding
|
| Check out Code by Charles Petzold for what I personally consider
| the best example! The analogies build on each other in steps that
| never feel too complex in order.
| rspoerri wrote:
| How is explaining something with higher mathematics reasonable
| for childrens? Exponentials arent something you can use. Also
| shorter sentences are usually easier to understand.
| citizenkeen wrote:
| Key question on children's books: Who's the illustrator?
| lionkor wrote:
| IMO its far too technical for an actual child to want to get
| into. Starting at a higher level of abstraction would be easier
| for them
| hasoleju wrote:
| This is the first time I saw book in the form of a webpage. I
| really like it. Problem is that my children are don't speak
| English yet. I wonder if those storybooks also exist in other
| languages.
| indigoabstract wrote:
| Learning about programming through storytelling?
|
| Well I'm not in the target audience, but I like the style and I
| feel it's a lot less intimidating (and more interesting) than a
| typical book on programming computers. Pretty neat!
| kjellsbells wrote:
| I really like it. And, please, don't be discouraged by any HN
| commenters. Creation is the important act, not commenting.
|
| Side note: I get a very Usborne vibe from your story. If you are
| not familiar, Usborne published a series of introductory computer
| books for young readers in the late 1980s that were well loved by
| a lot of us here on HN. You can probably find threads and links
| to copies of the material here.
| card_zero wrote:
| The text message conversations between the chapters are good.
|
| The chapters themselves are oddly twee, as if written in the
| 1950s. I think it's the parts where you talk to the reader in the
| present tense, to directly describe the characters, that give
| that impression. It's kind of babying for something generally
| written at a YA level.
|
| In fact you mix present and past tense from the first paragraph,
| that's not good, choose one and stick to it.
|
| I'm not at all sure about that cat flipping the switch, either.
| How does it generate more than one 0 or 1 in a row?
|
| Also: when we mix red paint with green paint, it becomes gray-
| brown paint, not yellow paint. When we mix red _light_ with green
| _light_ it becomes (perceptually) yellow light, because that 's
| additive mixing, which does not apply to paint. OTOH perhaps this
| future art studio uses digital paint, which might work how you
| want it to, but that's not made clear.
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Additive_color
|
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtractive_color
| xandrius wrote:
| This is for geeky parents who think their kid will absolutely
| totally get it.
|
| Starting with binary (wonderfully pointless), exponentials and
| walls of text just show how this is not actually for kids.
| mrbluecoat wrote:
| > Cat pictures are ageless for little girls like her.
|
| Is that a common stereotype? Felt unnecessary to me, especially
| for a narrative that bills itself as modern.
| empressplay wrote:
| Great stuff, reminds me a bit of
| https://archive.org/details/Gortek_and_the_Microchips_1984_C...
|
| I think your language might be a little too sophisticated for
| your audience. Try to use shorter sentences and more common
| words.
|
| Good luck!
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(page generated 2024-04-21 23:00 UTC)