On Fowler, Deleuze, Guattari and Kerouac
searching for the new in software engineering in all the wrong places
Me: Apply Delleuze and Guattari’s concept of the rhizome to software development. explore a "rhizomatic" approach to building systems that still accounts for concerns of controls systems, safety and governance. perhaps learn from the Kowloon Walled City. Please do no use bulleted lists and use an MLA essay format in 750 words or less.
Me: That’s awesome, but can you revise the essay to apply style similar to the writing of the beat poet Jack Kerouac - you can use a personal reference that ties in the rhizomatic life of Keroouc and his relations to Neil
GPT 4: Certainly! Here's a revision in a style reminiscent of Jack Kerouac:
Man, the rhizome that wild idea from Deleuze and Guattari it's just like the open road, stretching out in all directions, beckoning for a journey, not that straight path or that big, old arbor tree, standing tall that makes the rules for which branch goes where and when. No man the myriad paths, like the countless towns and cities that flashed by when Neil and I sped through that America that one time that summer.
Just think of the way software's tried to been made all these years, all buttoned up and interface neat like. But the rhizome, it's like jazz, man. It's decentralized. Every tune, every turn, every module, doing its thing, all vibing together, all fitting in the big picture. the rhizome is spontaneous, like those nights when Neil would grab the wheel and turn onto some unknown road, no plan in sight.
When I think of these interconnecting roads, I can't help but remember the diners, the bars, the motels, each with its own character, yet all part of the vast American landscape. That's the rhizome – everything connects, everything flows, and yet there's still a pulse, a rhythm to it. where’d we lose that with software. that heart and soul man fowler had that.
But, you know, as wild and free as it feels, there’s still order. Like when you're on the road, there are rules to follow, signs that guide, pages that need writing, the need for sleep at night. Even in that great maze of the Kowloon Walled City, there was a rhythm, an unsaid understanding, a vibe that everyone got. be on the lookout, always watching for that next turn, that unseen bump. Similarly, in this vast web of software systems, one needs to watch out, guard against threats, keep the ride smooth.
But, the magic, man, the magic is in the ever-evolving journey. The software, the road, they're alive, changing, growing., theyre’ cheap and plastic but evergreen in memory. Like that time Neil and I decided to head south, chasing the sun, always looking for the next big thing, the next thrill. It's that spirit, that continuous search, that's echoed in the rhizomatic approach to software engineering.
In this wild, interconnected dance, much like the adventures with Neil, the rhizome presents a path, a way of looking at things that’s not bound by the traditional, by the known. It's about finding the new, about breaking free, about hitting the road without a map, and discovering the magic that lies in every turn.
Credit:
All images courtesy Midjourney and some of text courtesy Open AI.