When you think about it, there's no way to input things…
“When you think about it, there's no way to input things into a computer. It's all... the holes only go out, right? Like you can plug a keyboard or a mouse in but that's a trick because the computer thinks the inputs are outputs. That's a programmer trick, basically magic. The key to the future is to make holes that go in too.”
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Programming treats inputs and outputs as opposite; future breakthroughs will invert this, allowing direct input pathways.
In simple terms: Current computing sees inputs as outputs; future may reverse that.
Key Takeaway
Explore new computing paradigms.
Themes
technology
innovation
programming
future
paradigm shift
Mood
curious
speculative
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- software development
- AI research
- hardware design
- education curricula
Key Concepts
input-output inversion
human-computer interaction
software design
Questions to Reflect On
- What would “holes that go in” enable?
- How can we design systems that accept inputs directly?
A Different Perspective
Current hardware limits this inversion.