You\u2019d think poetry and programming are light-years apart. They aren\u2019t. Their intersection is the charming, useless zone where engineers become artists.<\/p>\n\n
Linguistics isn\u2019t pure humanities \u2014 it\u2019s closer to biology. But programming languages have words, syntax, and expressiveness. Just like in human speech, you can say anything in any programming language. The difference? How many lines you write and how much cruft the CPU swallows.<\/p>\n\n
\nLatin lets you say \u201cthe generation that will beget even worse\u201d in one tight phrase. Russian? Awkward illiteracy. Same in code: Python is concise but hides massive overhead. Assembly is verbose but brutally efficient.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
\n \n \n \ud83d\udd01 The assignment quirk\n<\/h3>\n\n
Most languages write
x = 5<\/code> (right to left).
\nR flips it:5 -> x<\/code>.
\nIt\u2019s a tiny rebellion against how we think.<\/p>\n\n\n \n \n \ud83d\udcdc Poetry in binary?\n<\/h3>\n\n
Victor Pelevin once joked about writing poems in assembly \u2014 \u201cfewer rhyming problems in binary.\u201d A wink at the myth that poetry needs rhymes. (It doesn\u2019t. Ask the Japanese or ancient Greeks.)<\/p>\n\n
\n \n \n \ud83c\udfad Esoteric languages: beauty without utility\n<\/h3>\n\n
These are languages built not<\/em> to solve problems, but to amuse, provoke, and confuse.<\/p>\n\n
\n \n \n 1. Perligata<\/strong> \u2014 code in Latin\n<\/h4>\n\n
No fixed word order. Declensions do the work.
\nnexto stringum reperimentum da<\/code> = assign to$next<\/code> the position in a string.
\nFree order, just like Latin poetry. The creator: \u201cIf you ask \u2018Why?\u2019 \u2013 the answer won\u2019t make sense anyway.\u201d<\/em>
\nPure humanities fuel.<\/p>\n\n\n \n \n 2. Shakespeare<\/strong> \u2014 programs as Elizabethan plays\n<\/h4>\n\n
Variables are characters (Romeo, Juliet).
\nLogic is hidden in dialogue: \u201cThou art as villainous as the square root of Romeo!\u201d
\nIt can only add, subtract, and print. But it looks<\/em> like a postmodern play.<\/p>\n\n\n \n \n \ud83d\udca1 Why this matters for devs\n<\/h3>\n\n
Because not every line of code needs to ship to production. Sometimes you write for the weird joy of it. These languages remind us that programming is also a form of expression \u2014 absurd, beautiful, and deeply human.<\/p>\n\n
\n\u201cIf you have to ask \u2018Why?\u2019, then the answer probably won\u2019t make any sense to you either.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n
Enjoyed this?<\/strong> Share with a colleague who secretly writes poetry in their comments. Or someone who still thinks Latin is useless. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n","category":["esoteric","programming","poetry"]},{"title":"A Skeptical Review of Critical Code Studies","pubDate":"Sat, 27 Jun 2026 04:45:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/dev.to\/nevmenandr\/a-skeptical-review-of-critical-code-studies-2lne","guid":"https:\/\/dev.to\/nevmenandr\/a-skeptical-review-of-critical-code-studies-2lne","description":"
\n \n \n Is Code Really a \u201cSocial Text\u201d? A Skeptical Review of Critical Code Studies<\/em>\n<\/h2>\n\n
TL;DR:<\/strong> A sharp academic review takes aim at Mark C. Marino\u2019s Critical Code Studies<\/em> (MIT Press, 2020). The verdict? Lots of hype, some interesting cases, but little real code analysis. If you\u2019re a programmer who rolls your eyes at postmodern buzzwords, this one\u2019s for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n \n \n \ud83d\udcd6 The Book in a Nutshell\n<\/h3>\n\n
Marino argues that code has escaped the programmer\u2019s dungeon and entered mainstream culture. Code is no longer just a tool \u2013 it\u2019s a social text<\/strong> whose meaning changes with every new reader (lawyers, poets, activists, etc.). The book promises a literary\u2011style reading of software, drawing on postcolonial, feminist, and queer theory.<\/p>\n\n
\n \n \n \ud83d\udd0d What the Review Says (Boris Orekhov, Digital Humanities<\/em>, 2026)\n<\/h3>\n\n
Me, Boris Orekhov - a digital humanities scholar - is not impressed<\/strong>. My main gripes:<\/p>\n\n
\n
Overblown claims<\/strong> \u2013 \u201cAudience of code has exploded!\u201d Really? When was the last time a climate change debate hinged on reading source code? I call it cherry\u2011picking.<\/p><\/li>\n
Case\u2011dropping, not analysis<\/strong> \u2013 We get anecdotes: a protest sign in C, a feminist PHP app, the Transborder Immigrant Tool. But actual code examination<\/strong> is superficial. A license phrase (\u201cno warranties\u201d) is noted as tragicomic \u2013 that\u2019s about it.<\/p><\/li>\n
Lost the plot<\/strong> \u2013 Marino sets up a story about two programmers competing for a job, then\u2026 never finishes it. This happens every 10\u201115 pages.<\/p><\/li>\n
Postmodern catechism<\/strong> \u2013 The book wears its ideology on its sleeve (postcolonial, queer, feminist). Fine, but it substitutes slogans for rational argument. Systematic methodology? Nowhere.<\/p><\/li>\n
Missing prior work<\/strong> \u2013 My own 2015 paper<\/a> on code as poetry, and Black\u2019s 2015 Mozilla history (which does<\/em> a real textual analysis), are ignored.<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\n \n \n \ud83e\udd16 The Elephant in the Room: LLMs\n<\/h3>\n\n
The book was written when only humans<\/strong> wrote code. Now LLMs generate code without intention or social context. That guts Marino\u2019s entire framework of authorial social meaning.<\/p>\n\n
\n \n \n \ud83c\udfaf Final Verdict\n<\/h3>\n\n
\n\u201cThis book is less a scientific study and more a cabinet of curiosities \u2013 or a postmodern art exhibit catalog dressed as a monograph.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n
It might find its audience, but don\u2019t expect a toolkit for actually reading code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n \n \n \ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83d\udcbb Why Should Programmers Care?\n<\/h2>\n\n
Because the gap between how we write code<\/strong> and how humanities scholars talk about it<\/strong> is huge. This review gives you an honest, critical look at one of the most hyped books in \u201csoftware studies.\u201d You\u2019ll learn:<\/p>\n\n
\n
- Why calling code a \u201ctext\u201d is both obvious and misleading\n<\/li>\n
- Why social\u2011justice lenses often skip the actual
for<\/code> loops\n<\/li>\n- What happens when ideology meets semicolons\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
And you\u2019ll get a good laugh at academic overreach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n \n \n \ud83d\udcc4 Read the Full Review (PDF)\n<\/h2>\n\n
\ud83d\udc49 Critical Code Studies review \u2013 Orekhov 2026<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n \n \n \ud83d\udcda Cite the Original Review\n<\/h2>\n\n
\n \n \n APA\n<\/h3>\n\n
Orekhov, B. (2026). \u0420\u0435\u0446\u0435\u043d\u0437\u0438\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u043a\u043d\u0438\u0433\u0443 \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0430 \u041a. \u041c\u0430\u0440\u0438\u043d\u043e \u00ab\u041a\u0440\u0438\u0442\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0435 \u0438\u0441\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f \u043a\u043e\u0434\u0430\u00bb [Review of Critical Code Studies<\/em>, by M. C. Marino]. \u0426\u0438\u0444\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0435 \u0433\u0443\u043c\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0440\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0438\u0441\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f<\/em>, (1), 114\u2013121. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.31860\/cgi-2026-1-114-121<\/a><\/p>\n\n
\n \n \n MLA\n<\/h3>\n\n
Orekhov, Boris. \u201c\u0420\u0435\u0446\u0435\u043d\u0437\u0438\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u043a\u043d\u0438\u0433\u0443 \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0430 \u041a. \u041c\u0430\u0440\u0438\u043d\u043e \u00ab\u041a\u0440\u0438\u0442\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0435 \u0438\u0441\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f \u043a\u043e\u0434\u0430\u00bb.\u201d Review of Critical Code Studies<\/em>, by Mark C. Marino. \u0426\u0438\u0444\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0435 \u0433\u0443\u043c\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0440\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0438\u0441\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f<\/em>, no. 1, 2026, pp. 114\u2013121. DOI: 10.31860\/cgi-2026-1-114-121.<\/p>\n\n
\n \n \n Chicago\n<\/h3>\n\n
Orekhov, Boris. \u201c\u0420\u0435\u0446\u0435\u043d\u0437\u0438\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u043a\u043d\u0438\u0433\u0443 \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0430 \u041a. \u041c\u0430\u0440\u0438\u043d\u043e \u00ab\u041a\u0440\u0438\u0442\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0435 \u0438\u0441\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f \u043a\u043e\u0434\u0430\u00bb.\u201d Review of Critical Code Studies<\/em>, by Mark C. Marino. \u0426\u0438\u0444\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0435 \u0433\u0443\u043c\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0440\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0438\u0441\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f<\/em> 1 (2026): 114\u2013121. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.31860\/cgi-2026-1-114-121<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
\n \n \n BibTeX\n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n@review<\/span>{<\/span>Orekhov2026code<\/span>,<\/span>\n title<\/span> =<\/span> {\u0420\u0435\u0446\u0435\u043d\u0437\u0438\u044f \u043d\u0430 \u043a\u043d\u0438\u0433\u0443 \u041c\u0430\u0440\u043a\u0430 \u041a. \u041c\u0430\u0440\u0438\u043d\u043e \u00ab\u041a\u0440\u0438\u0442\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0435 \u0438\u0441\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f \u043a\u043e\u0434\u0430\u00bb}<\/span>,<\/span>\n author<\/span> =<\/span> {\u041e\u0440\u0435\u0445\u043e\u0432, \u0411\u043e\u0440\u0438\u0441}<\/span>,<\/span>\n year<\/span> =<\/span> {2026}<\/span>,<\/span>\n doi<\/span> =<\/span> {10.31860\/cgi-2026-1-114-121}<\/span>,<\/span>\n journal<\/span> =<\/span> {\u0426\u0438\u0444\u0440\u043e\u0432\u044b\u0435 \u0433\u0443\u043c\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0440\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u0438\u0441\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0434\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043d\u0438\u044f}<\/span>,<\/span>\n number<\/span> =<\/span> {1}<\/span>,<\/span>\n pages<\/span> =<\/span> {114--121}<\/span>\n}<\/span>\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n \ud83d\udcac Let\u2019s Discuss\n<\/h2>\n\n
Have you read Critical Code Studies<\/em>? Do you think code has a \u201csocial life\u201d beyond its function? Drop your take in the comments \u2013 and share this post if you want more honest, no\u2011BS book reviews for devs.<\/p>\n\n
\n \n \n CriticalCodeStudies #BookReview #SoftwareStudies #Programming #DigitalHumanities\n<\/h1>\n\n","category":["bookreview","softwarestudies","programming","digitalhumanities"]},{"title":"Poetry in Code","pubDate":"Wed, 17 Jun 2026 04:08:00 +0000","link":"https:\/\/dev.to\/nevmenandr\/poetry-in-code-3iak","guid":"https:\/\/dev.to\/nevmenandr\/poetry-in-code-3iak","description":"
\n \n \n Poetry in Code: When Code Becomes Poetry\n<\/h2>\n\n
Have you ever written poetry in Java? Or C++? It turns out there\u2019s a whole genre at the intersection of programming and poetry \u2014 code poetry<\/strong>. Not just poems about<\/em> computers or programmers, but actual executable programs that are also poetic texts.<\/p>\n\n