Computer Science Off Course

Recent episodes

1. Hubert Dreyfus - What Computers Can't Do from Computer Science Off Course

   Jul 28, 2026

   Is there something you wish computers could do but somehow, despite all the hype around AI, they still can't do it? In this episode, we discuss Hubert Dreyfus' book "What Computers Can't Do" (1972) and its updated revision, "What Computers Still Can't Do" (1992), both from historical and current AI perspectives. Our topics range from the limits of formalizing knowledge and fringe consciousness to dancing with strangers and picking a gift for a friend. Beyond Dreyfus, we also touch on ideas from Plato, Ludwig Wittgenstein, John Searle, Joseph Weizenbaum, and Pierre Bourdieu. Felienne, like always, brings her favorite quotes. One is so beautiful, she would like to get it tattooed on her back. Hanna does the homework, and thinks of things computers should never do, even if they could. Mentions: Dreyfus, H. L. (1972). What computers can’t do: A critique of artificial reason Harper & Row. Dreyfus, H. L. (1992). What computers still can't do: A critique of artificial reason. MIT Press. Häagen-Bot ice cream eating machine comic by Doug Savage Links: Felienne's blog post Hanna’s homework Audio and music credits: Song: "Curiosity Rag" (1910) by James E.C. Kelly (public domain) Sound effects and background sounds: Public domain/CC0 sounds from Freesound.org and self-recorded page-turning sounds Audio editing: Hanna at Earpolish.com

2. Alan Turing - Computing Machinery and Intelligence from Computer Science Off Course

   Jul 21, 2026

   Has this text been written by an AI or by us, Felienne and Hanna? It's the latter! Why does this matter? This week, we discuss what it means when you can no longer tell human and machine output apart. For the first time, we discuss a paper we are not exactly ecstatic about. Namely, Alan Turing's 1950 paper, "Computing Machinery and Intelligence," which introduced the famous Turing Test. Felienne has studied the paper in detail and points out so many problematic things about it. Hanna has finally done the assigned homework, but then goes off course again by turning it into a story about sex, robots, and weird party games. Mentions: Alan Turing's article: Computing Machinery and Intelligence (1950) Links: Felienne's blog post Hanna’s homework Audio and music credits: Song: "Curiosity Rag" (1910) by James E.C. Kelly (public domain) Sound effects and background sounds: Public domain/CC0 sounds from Freesound.org and self-recorded page-turning sounds Audio editing: Hanna at Earpolish.com

3. Brenda Laurel - Computers as Theatre from Computer Science Off Course

   Jul 14, 2026

   Are you playing a role when using a computer? We certainly are! In this episode, we connect the worlds of theatre and computers. We discuss Brenda Laurel's book "Computers as Theatre” (1991). Per usual, Felienne has read the book. And as it turns out, it gave her a new way to look at the world. Human-computer interfaces provide a stage for performances! Just like last week, Hanna is asking questions and is having trouble keeping her homework short. There is just so much to say about human-computer interaction, procrastination, slaying metaphorical dragons and the never-ending flow of emails. Links: Felienne's blog post and Hanna’s homework Mentions: Brenda Laurel’s book: Computers as Theatre (1991) Kathy Sierra’s book: Badass: Making Users Awesome (2015) Biped: A coop action adventure game Stair Climber: The best machine in the gym Audio and music credits: Song: "Curiosity Rag" (1910) by James E.C. Kelly (public domain) Sound effects and background sounds: Public domain/CC0 sounds from Freesound.org and self-recorded sounds Audio editing: Hanna at Earpolish.com

4. Peter Naur - Programming as Theory Building from Computer Science Off Course

   Jul 7, 2026

   What is programming? This week, we take a stab at this fundamental question with Peter Naur's paper "Programming as Theory Building". Felienne has read the paper (more than once), and Hanna is asking her questions about it. Apparently, programming is more than just solving problems by writing code and involves theory building! Listen in to hear more about what this theory building entails (spoiler alert: it has something to do with being able to explain and defend the solutions we come up with), some beautiful quotes from the paper, and Felienne's ideas of what Naur's argument means for current AI practices, LLM usage, and the computer science curriculum. Read the paper, do the homework, or skip the homework and listen to Hanna's homework attempt instead. Links: Naur's paper Felienne's blog post and Hanna’s homework Hanna's pomodoro timer (check it out before she gets too embarrassed and removes it) Audio and music credits: Song: "Curiosity Rag" (1910) by James E.C. Kelly (public domain) Sound effects and background sounds: Public domain/CC0 sounds from Freesound.org and self-recorded sounds Audio editing: Hanna at Earpolish.com

5. Everything you did not want to know about computer science! (Just teasing) from Computer Science Off Course

   Jul 1, 2026

   Our teaser episode for the Computer Science Off Course podcast! We bring you one paper or book each week to widen your view on what Computer Science is, and what it could be. Turing, Naur, Dreyfus, Laurel, and many more will bring some much-needed change in perspective for people who grew up on an information diet of only complex algorithms, programming, and math! Read along with us (Felienne and Hanna), do the homework and see that there is more between heaven and earth than computers and compilers. Mentions: If Books Could Kill Podcast The Academic Imperfectionist Podcast Deep Questions podcast Audio and music credits: Song: "Curiosity Rag" (1910) by James E.C. Kelly (public domain) Sound effects and background sounds: Public domain/CC0 sounds from Freesound.org and self-recorded sounds Audio editing: Hanna at Earpolish.com