ESP Biography



THOMAS MURPHY, Haskell Programmer




Major: Computer Science

College/Employer: Swipely

Year of Graduation: Not available.

Picture of Thomas Murphy

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I'm a Haskell programmer at a startup company.

I was a student at Splash and HSSP back in the day!



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

S6682: How Music Works in Splash! 2012 (Nov. 17 - 18, 2012)
How can a trumpet sound so different from a piano, even when they play the same note? How can a computer speaker mimic the sounds of both these instruments at the same time? How do you write beautiful music? I can't answer that last question, but if you're curious about the first two, this is the class for you! We'll go on a crash course through as many of the secret inner workings of music as we can cram in, and by the end you'll know enough to be able to synthesize your own basic musical sounds.


A5508: Intro to Livecoding in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Play two instruments at once! Not impressed? How about 100? Livecoding is performing music, live, with computer programming. Imagine being a coder and a rockstar (or pianist, or rapper) at the same time. It's so fun! I'll demonstrate the basics of how it's done, and show what musicians have done with it. There are two sections of this class. This is the Arts one, and we'll spend more time on the basics of programming. You don't need to know much (really anything) about music theory or programming.


C5568: Intro to Livecoding (C.S. Section) in Splash! 2011 (Nov. 19 - 20, 2011)
Play two instruments at once! Not impressed? How about 100? Livecoding is performing music, live, with computer programming. Imagine being a coder and a rockstar (or pianist, or rapper) at the same time. It's so fun! I'll demonstrate the basics of how it's done, and show what musicians have done with it. There are two sections of this class. This is the Computer Science one, where you should have some experience with programming, so we can jump deeper into the music. If you aren't very comfortable with computer programming, there's another section of this class under Arts.


C3900: Programming Skills for the Future in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
Most computer programmers like to say how different and special their favorite language is. Underneath, though, almost all modern languages require similar ways of thinking about problems. Modern hardware (especially multicore and distributed computing) is starting to demand a new set of tools, and programmers will have to bend their brains further. We'll start from the ground up with Haskell and Erlang, and learn about functional purity, typeclasses, transactional memory, the dreaded Monad, and much more.


C3991: Haskell, Hands-On in Splash! 2010 (Nov. 20 - 21, 2010)
Whether or not you've ever programmed before, if you want to learn Haskell, and you like to learn things by trying them, instead of hearing about them, come join us! We'll play with as much code as we can in 50 minutes. Haskell is an incredible, fast, elegant, full-featured language. It's been used by academics for over 20 years, and has only recently started being used by major companies and "regular people." Haskell is a pure functional language. These languages make you think differently about almost every programming skill you have. People who've never programmed before might even have an easier time getting used to it. For the challenges you face, pure functional languages reward you with clearer code, fewer bugs, and almost unbeatable performance (especially on modern, multicore computers).


C2983: Movies! in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
Classes at Splash are fun and informative, but also sometimes tough and exhausting. This class is a way to relax a little, while hopefully finding new passions for movies you'll have for a lifetime. I will try and play a role that's in-between teacher, movie clerk, and DJ, by discussing what we like about movies and why we relate to them, then showing as many clips as we can cram into 50 minutes. We'll talk about the clips I show, and based on what you like or are curious about, we'll watch more movies in that vein. All the clips I show are guaranteed not to give things away or spoil the movies. Whether you're a fan of Will Ferrell or Ingmar Bergman, Tyler Perry or Arnold Schwarzenegger, sci-fi anime or romantic comedies, we'll explore and expand your interests in 50 minutes. **Note: although we'll steer away from it, it's inevitable that there will be some mature content. You'll have to bring in a permission slip from a parent or guardian.**


H3003: Creativity in Splash! 2009 (Nov. 21 - 22, 2009)
Creativity is one of the most highly-valued human traits. It has application in every field of human endeavor. We will talk about creativity's role and function: What causes it? Is it always desirable? Can peoples' limitations cause (or be) creativity? How much does it depend on environment? What is worth sacrificing for it? Because they are well-suited to short classes, we will primarily talk about creativity in terms of art (movies, music, painting), but we'll also talk about business, interpersonal relationships, computer programming, and more.


S2039: Who Do You Think You Are? in Splash! 2008 (Nov. 22 - 23, 2008)
Almost everyone agrees that the way other people think of you will affect your quality of life. Most people also believe that what you think of *yourself* affects your living conditions as well. Still, you may be surprised at how much - and the ways in which - self-image affects your place in the world. Formatted something like a mixtape, with media and not discussion providing most of the tone and ground-level thoughts of the class, we will read, watch, listen to, and then discuss many diverse sources of reflection on self-image (not self-esteem!), from Haruki Murakami to Shaft to contemporary economics.