Programming from A to Z Overview

Introduction and Inspiration

• The playlist "Programming from A to Z" is introduced, created by an ITP NYU professor.
• The course's origins are traced back to an influential presentation by Nick Montfort, a poet and artist, discussing computational techniques in writing.
• Text processing and generation are central to the course.
• The instructor's prior experience with a Java-based "Programming from A To Z" course inspired this version.
• Allison Parrish's "Reading and Writing Electronic Text" course is mentioned, similar in concept but focusing on Python and poetry/generative text.
• The revival of the course uses JavaScript for web-browser interactivity, enabling text display on the web.

Course Goals and Topics

• The course aims to enhance JavaScript programming skills, for beginners familiar with courses like P5js.
• Key programming concepts like prototypes, closures, and anonymous functions will be taught.
• The course encourages creativity in developing computational text outputs via experimentation and playful approaches.
• The curriculum starts with DOM manipulation (using P5js) and comparisons to other frameworks.
• Regular expressions, text input methods, and challenges generating random poetry are included.
• A "found poetry" web page creation assignment is planned.

Examples and Inspirations

• Regular expressions are highlighted as a powerful text manipulation tool.
• Data-driven text generation is covered, using resources like Wordnik and Google spreadsheets.
• Server-side programming using Node.js is emphasized.
• Twitter bots are a key focus, leveraging existing video tutorials.
• Classic text algorithms (word counting, TF/IDF, Bayesian analysis) are included.
• Markov chains for probabilistic text generation and generative grammars are part of the syllabus.
• The course incorporates the Tracery story generation library by Galaxy Kate Compton.
• Custom grammar-based language design and generation are discussed.
• Chrome extensions are referenced, with Addie Wagenknecht's "Girls versus Git" as a creative example.

Course Format and Accessibility

• The course content on YouTube is free to access.
• A Patreon subscription provides enhanced interaction through a Slack channel for discussion and support.
• The instructor's philosophy is "free content, paid interaction."
• Other inspirational figures in the field, including Lynn Cherny and Darius Kazemi, are acknowledged.
• Relevant links and resources will be provided in the video description.