Welcome to The Coded Lens

For centuries the microscope and the telescope have been iconic tools of scientific investigation, now we have the rise of algorithmic modelling, a new type of lens through which we can see and better understand the world: The Coded Lens.

My training is in computing science, my day job is commercial software development, but I have enjoyed reading widely in the sciences. For me, one of the most interesting developments over recent decades has been the use of algorithmic models as tools in scientific investigations.

An important part of science is the possibility of independently verifying the results of scientific experiments and now we have suitably powerful laboratory equipment on our desks. I've occasionally implemented models I've read about that seemed interesting, (or at least simple), and this new blog is part of my project to pull some of those implementations together in coherent form: what has been learned through them, how I found out about them, tricks and tips gleaned from implementing them myself, and reimplementing some them for public display. And also to encourage me to go further, do more, and bite off some more challenging models.

One of the unsung heroes of modern culture is popular science writing. Many great ideas are brought to public attention through the genre and the best of our public discourse often involves non-specialists who none-the-less have a solid understanding of a broad range of concerns because of it. (Conversely, some of the worst of public discourse is soured by people who don't bother to read some of these easily available and profoundly enlightening books.) Many of the models I'll write about are found in this literature and I'll refer to it frequently.

Hopefully I'll be able to give you some new tools to better understand our world: books to read, code to run (and to tweak yourself), even some pretty pictures. And I hope also that I can encourage you not to take the results of the scientific endeavour just at face value. Test the tests, understand more deeply than ever before, and from there demand even greater things from our scientists, who are true heroes of our time.

Code will be maintained here: https://github.com/scrawlings/CodedLens.git