Q: Who is the target audience for these stories?
A: There is no single target audience for all the stories on this site. Different stories are written at different levels, including:
1) Children who are just getting interested in computer science,
2) People of all ages that want a high level motivation of different concepts (without diving immediately into the technical guts), and
3) Computer scientists who already know the concepts but enjoy weird takes on them.
Q: Can some one learn computer science from these stories?
A: That is not the full goal. Most of the stories focus on the high level concepts, motivation behind them, and application in a non-computer domain. These are not meant as a substitute for a solid technical description of the concepts. Think illustrations in a chapter instead of the full chapter itself. The stories are meant to supplement the concept the way an illustration would.
Q: Is the book just a print copy of your blog? Why should I buy the book?
A: There are a few significant changes. First, there are fifteen new chapters. Second, the book covers the full tale of Ann's quest to save the kingdom from the darkness. The stories are set up to provide a natural progression both within the computer science concepts and within the fairy tale quest. Third, the stories have been rewritten and edited by a professional editor.
Q: Wait! Did that story change?
A: Maybe. I continue to rework and rewrite the stories after they are posted. Most of the stories are posted in approximately first draft form. I also incorporate reader feedback. Please do contact me if you have suggestions.
Q: What programming language do these fairy tales teach?
A: The stories do not depend on (or teach) any particular programming language. I occasionally describe aspects of specific programming languages (usually C and C++) when they make for good stories. Expect to see appearances from a wider range of languages as the blog continues.
Q: Can I use these stories in my class / education program?
A: Yes. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. For all other uses please contact the author at: computationaltales@gmail.com.
Q: Do you take requests?
A: If there are particular topics that you are interested in seeing a story about, please let me know at the e-mail address below. However, I cannot promise that I will actually be able to think of a relevant story.
Q: How can I contact you with requests, corrections, questions, or general comments?
A: Send e-mail to: computationaltales@gmail.com.
Q: Have you ever considered putting this into a book?
A: Yes! The book is now available!
Q: Have you ever considered writing a second book?
A: Yes! The second and third books are now available!
Q: Have you ever considered topics other than computer science?
A: Yes. My first batch of stories was actually about chemistry and physics. At some point I might clean those up enough to post them online too.
