Alan Harrison

@httcs

Educator, author and podcaster, BSc #ComputerScience, MA in #Education, Teacher Trainer, Tutor and Lecturer, #TeamCompSci #caschat, I'm #Autistic and #ADHD and a LGBTQ+ ally, mental health advocate, proud supporter of DEI. httcs.online

1948 Siguiendo1404 Seguidores1688 Publicaciones

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Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 15

As seen at the Festival of Computing hosted by @craigndave.bsky.social and @aqaeducation.bsky.social My new #coding fluency app six(im).possible().things() is FREE until end September and early adopters get a discounted Teacher Pro subscription for just £99/year. #TeamCompSci #UKEd #Programming

Screenshot of a website showing an IDE-like layout with title Six Impossible Things, a coding sandbox, output window with testing shown and feedback messages.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 14

This is great stuff and influenced me to put Data Rep as chapter 1 in my book, and to ask you to join me on an early podcast episode! pod.httcs.online/e/e003/ #TeamCompSci

Screenshot of a double page of my book "How to Teach Computer Science" Chapter 1 "Data Representation". The image shows morse code and braille diagrams and this is a sample of the text:

We need to head over to France to find an early binary code. Louis Braille injured
an eye in his father’s leather workshop at the age of three; the resulting infection
led to blindness in both eyes by the time he was five. At the age of 10, in 1819, he
obtained a scholarship to the National Institute for Blind Children in Paris, which
at the time used a system of raised letters invented by Valentin Haüy. Letter shapes
are not distinct enough to be easily discerned by touch, however, and Braille found
Haüy’s system hard to use.
While attending the institute, Braille was shown a system of raised dots used by
the military to communicate at night. He took this system and improved upon it,
using just six dots to communicate all the letters of the alphabet, plus numbers and
some punctuation symbols. Each dot is raised or flat, and a blank space (effectively
six flat dots) separates words and sentences. In this way, the grid of six dots could
represent 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 2 to the power 6 or 64 different characters.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jun 15

Coming soon... #TeamCompSci

Screenshot of a coding app I have been working on. Will be on show at the Festival of Computing - https://craigndave.org/conference/ - on 1st July in Bromsgrove UK.

Screen shows an IDE-like environment with code sandbox on the left, and output on the right. Integrated testing and feedbacack is visible, with output that says:

All 4 tests passed — nice work!
✅ Test 1 — Normal - EUR to GBP
✅ Test 2 — Normal - GBP to EUR
✅ Test 3 — Boundary - zero amount
✅ Test 4 — Normal - large EUR
Style
💡 Wrap your logic in a function — e.g. def calculate(): — and call it from a main block.
Score: 7/10
💪 Nearly there — aim for 8/10 or above before moving on to other styles.

Alan Harrison@httcs· May 20

It goes on (ignore the bit about a book I'm probably not going to write...) "Even where I'm reliably accurate, I'm producing text that pattern-matches to correctness without the kind of understanding that would let me know why it's correct or when to doubt it. " More in Alt Text #TeamCompSci #UKed

A deeper point for your book:
The confidence question isn't just about accuracy — it's about the type of knowledge. Even where I'm reliably accurate, I'm producing text that pattern-matches to correctness without the kind of understanding that would let me know why it's correct or when to doubt it. A student who writes a correct answer for the wrong reasons is a concern to a teacher; an LLM that produces correct outputs through processes that don't constitute understanding is a more fundamental issue — and one that sits right at the heart of what you're arguing.

Alan Harrison@httcs· May 19

Then you'll love this...

Sketch of a hedgehog labelled "head" and "chog"

Alan Harrison@httcs· Nov 6

Screenshot of BlueSky post from @franzsherbert:

Me to my Al-enabled smart fridge in 2038: Do we have any milk left
My fridge: Wow. Now that's a question worth exploring. By asking me something like that, you've proven that you're not thinking in ordinary ways -you're dialed in to what's really vital about food. Let's dive in.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Nov 5

Go home, AI, you're drunk. #ai #genai #teamCompSci #computing

A sponsored Facebook post from the Adobe Photoshop account. The post text reads "Next-gen Generative Fill is now in Adobe Photoshop." Underneath are two portrait orientation photos side by side. On the left is a close up of a plant with blue leaves, and no wildlife visible. A dotted marquee selection box is overlaid on it, and a dialog box underneath says "Generate" and the prompt "Tropical frog with beautiful detail." On the right is the same image, with a tropical frog added, with red feet white body and black spots.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Oct 24

Book now for my #Programming #Pedagogy short course from OTSA. Learn proven techniques like #PRIMM, #SemanticWaves, Parson’s Problems and the Notional Machine to help you teach programming more fluently in Secondary Schools. Wed, 12 Nov 2025 16:00 - 17:30 GMT, £45. #TeamCompSci bit.ly/otsaprog1

Alan Harrison@httcs· Oct 13

Spot on as always. Meanwhile, Tech power broker Peter Thiel is having a normal one...

Alan Harrison@httcs· Oct 13

Are you trolling? Altman says exactly that. "If jobs get wiped out..." See headline.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Oct 7

Battery manufacturers: can we just start again at A?

Alan Harrison@httcs· Sep 17

Day 2 at #AIEOU @ox.ac.uk #TeamCompSci #UkTeachers #ai

Alan Harrison@httcs· Sep 7

Haha remember Lock Stock...

Alan Harrison@httcs· Aug 26

I wrote to my MP again. Sigh. @mikekanemp.bsky.social #UKLabour #ukpolitics #reformuk #refugeeswelcome #stopthegenocide

Dear Mike Kane,

LABOUR MUST UPHOLD LIBERAL VALUES and OPPOSE THE FAR-RIGHT

I am increasingly furious at the Labour party's willingness to abandon its foundational principles of equality and justice for all, in an effort to court the right-wing voters of Britain. It's a squalid approach and an incredibly dangerous one, to amplify the hate-filled rhetoric of the right wing and say "we hear you, and we will do better."

A true Labour party would stand up unequivocally for human rights, the value of immigration, and the danger posed by the far-right. Instead we have fearmongering ads on social media about Deliveroo drivers, pledges to "return" many more asylum seekers than the Tories ever did and today - in response to a speech from the leader of far-right Reform UK Ltd. that was more unhinged than anything Moseley or Powell ever said - absolutely nothing. No rebuttal, no fact-check, no liberal alternative. Silence from the party of the centre-left, the party of working people, including millions of immigrants and descendants of immigrants. Nothing.

Labour are heading for defeat in 2029, that is clear. But at least the party I love could TRY standing up for democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Because the world is on a knife edge, and I am terrified for my children's future, and I had hoped Labour would be part of the solution, not the problem.

Also, once again, stop arming Israel, stop the genocide in Palestine.

Yours sincerely,

Alan Harrison@httcs· Aug 19

From that link.. "... Over 70 years old. Refurbished in 2017 by North Byron Resort, the train has solar panels on its roof that provide 6.6 kW of power. This is enough to power the train for its 3 km journey between North Beach and Byron Beach stations at an 18 km/h leisurely speed. "

Alan Harrison@httcs· Aug 17

Ah sad news, he was a great British icon. My favourite Terence Stamp story is this one, hat tip Instagram user "loveshackvinyl" www.instagram.com/loveshackvin... text in alt text.

The cover of The Smiths’ single “What Difference Does It Make?” has featured both Terence Stamp and Morrissey in a tale of evolving album art. Originally, the UK single showcased a photo of Terence Stamp from the 1965 film The Collector, with Stamp holding a chloroform pad. However, the 12” version notably omitted the band’s name. Displeased with the use of his image, Stamp refused to approve it, prompting Morrissey to cleverly re-enact the scene, this time holding a glass of milk. Some pressings went on to feature Morrissey’s homage. Eventually, Stamp changed his mind, and the original Collector-inspired cover was reinstated, completing the cover’s intriguing journey.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Aug 16

After 8 months of training and 18 Parkruns I broke through the 30 minute barrier today. Thank you @mracolley.bsky.social for your support and encouragement, even if you did have the cheek to be in France for my big day! #TeamCompSci #Edurunners

Screenshot of Parkrun email showing time of 29:58

Alan Harrison@httcs· Aug 14

I like to think that this is a single complete article. The image is, in fact, "what happens".

A low-budget clickbait ad, the headline says "Doctors Reveal: If You Drink Olive Oil Every Day After 50, This is What Happens." The picture at the left side shows a very large man in his 50s, drinking from a bottle, with a round face and huge double chin and fat neck and thick arms. I'm sure that is what happens!

Alan Harrison@httcs· Aug 13

Every day a spam message or two gets through the filter on one of my email accounts. They are usually very earnest Chinese businesses. But they don't seem to know (or care) what I actually do! Enjoy today's...

Alan Harrison@httcs· Aug 6

Read this and get back to me www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Alan Harrison@httcs· Aug 4

Let me remind you, via Cory Doctorow, that Google has *deliberately made it's search feature terrible* to make more money out of you: doctorow.medium.com/https-plural... Sure they will use this tech wisely for the benefit of all 🙄. Hassabis is brilliant but naive.

Screenshot from the article, Hassabis is saying “Assuming we steward it safely and responsibly into the world, and obviously we’re trying to play our part in that, then we should be in a world of what I sometimes call radical abundance,” says Hassabis. He paints a picture of medical advances, room-temperature superconductors, nuclear fusion, advances in materials, mathematics. “It should lead to incredible productivity and therefore prosperity for society. Of course, we’ve got to make sure it gets distributed fairly, but that’s more of a political question. And if it is, we should be in an amazing world of abundance for maybe the first time in human history, where things don’t have to be zero sum. And if that works, we should be travelling to the stars, really.”

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 24

I just verified my age by chanting Pugh, Pugh, Barney McGrew, ******* ****** and **** (redacted for security reasons)

Image of the Trumpton fire engine and several fire crew

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 24

I wrote to @mikekanemp.bsky.social to demand the #Labour @teamlabouruk.bsky.social government: * stop arms sales to Israel * demand humanitarian access * Name the #GENOCIDE * Recognise Palestine. If you learned about the holocaust and said "never again", never again is happening now.

STOP ARMS SALES TO ISRAEL AND DEMAND HUMANITARIAN ACCESS IMMEDIATELY
DEMAND AN END TO THE GENOCIDE. RECOGNISE PALESTINE.

I have written to you many times about the failure of this Labour government to stand up for traditional Labour values of justice and human rights for all. I IMPLORE you to demand that the British Government ends its COMPLICITY IN GENOCIDE immediately and:
* Stop arms sale to Israel
* Demand humanitarian access and an urgent food program run by trusted international organisations - not Israel
* Call the genocide what it is, a GENOCIDE
* Recognise the Palestinian state and open diplomatic relations and trade links, showing the world that they matter.

This is the most important letter I have written to you. Please reply to confirm you will represent me in this important matter.

Yours sincerely,

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 22

Monday challenge: post the least flattering photo you have of your pet(s) (sorry it's late)

White Patterdale Terrier facing the camera, looking up. Mouth open, angle makes tongue look a foot long. Dog looks daft as a brush. Can confirm this is true.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 18

Yep, could not live without Windows-V, it's a game changer. Also go get Powertoys, and use the Smart Paste, you can copy an image and paste the text from the image straight into a document with Win-CTRL-V (or choose ur own) learn.microsoft.com/en-us/window... - loads more great hacks in the toy.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 18

Did someone say "game theory"?

John Von Neumann, father of the modern computer and founder of game theory. Einstein called him a genius.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 15

Screenshot from ChatGPT. The prompt reads:
"Finish this poem in the style of Philip Larkin.
An apple tree stands on horizontal ground.
An apple hangs, at rest, from a branch of the tree.
A second apple also hangs, at rest, from a different branch of the tree."

ChatGPT has responded...

An apple tree stands on horizontal ground.
An apple hangs, at rest, from a branch of the tree.
A second apple also hangs, at rest, from a different branch of the tree.
The afternoon leans in, detached and soundless,
As if the world, through habit, mimics peace.
Each fruit obeys its moment, bound by balance,
Held in the hush that gravity enforces.

No wind today. The branches neither plead
Nor yield. The apples, dulled with patient gloss,
Concede to waiting—time's unspoken creed—
Unbitten, purposeless, and not at loss.
Like us, they do not know quite what they miss:
A fall, a mouth, a meaning, or a kiss.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 7

I love the Forest app for helping me with screen time.

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 7

Ah the old "photo of the space where the missing item was", textbook stuff.

A picture of a pole on some grass by a village street captioned "Pole where the scarecrow was taken from (Image: Louise Haggerty)"

Alan Harrison@httcs· Jul 5