Ellen Ullman's "Close to the Machine: Technophilia and Its Discontents"

Hacker News - AI

Jul 16, 2025 17:42

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Summary

The article discusses Ellen Ullman's "Close to the Machine," exploring how the book examines the emotional and ethical complexities faced by programmers, including the phenomenon of "hacker's disease"—an obsession with code at the expense of human connection. The piece highlights the relevance of Ullman's insights for today's AI developers, emphasizing the importance of balancing technical innovation with ethical considerations and human values.

Article URL: https://pluralistic.net/2025/07/16/beautiful-code/#hackers-disease Comments URL: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44584961 Points: 1 # Comments: 0

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