#219 – Donald Knuth: Programming, Algorithms, Hard Problems & the Game of Life

About this episode

<p>Donald Knuth is a computer scientist, Turing Award winner, father of algorithm analysis, author of The Art of Computer Programming, and creator of TeX. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:<br /> &#8211; <b>Coinbase</b>: <a href="https://coinbase.com/lex">https://coinbase.com/lex</a> to get $5 in free Bitcoin<br /> &#8211; <b>InsideTracker</b>: <a href="https://insidetracker.com/lex">https://insidetracker.com/lex</a> and use code Lex25 to get 25% off<br /> &#8211; <b>NetSuite</b>: <a href="http://netsuite.com/lex">http://netsuite.com/lex</a> to get free product tour<br /> &#8211; <b>ExpressVPN</b>: <a href="https://expressvpn.com/lexpod">https://expressvpn.com/lexpod</a> and use code LexPod to get 3 months free<br /> &#8211; <b>BetterHelp</b>: <a href="https://betterhelp.com/lex">https://betterhelp.com/lex</a> to get 10% off</p> <p><b>EPISODE LINKS:</b><br /> Donald&#8217;s Stanford Page: <a href="https://profiles.stanford.edu/donald-knuth">https://profiles.stanford.edu/donald-knuth</a><br /> Donald&#8217;s Books: <a href="https://amzn.to/3heyBsC">https://amzn.to/3heyBsC</a></p> <p><b>PODCAST INFO:</b><br /> Podcast website: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/podcast">https://lexfridman.com/podcast</a><br /> Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://apple.co/2lwqZIr">https://apple.co/2lwqZIr</a><br /> Spotify: <a href="https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8">https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8</a><br /> RSS: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/">https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/</a><br /> YouTube Full Episodes: <a href="https://youtube.com/lexfridman">https://youtube.com/lexfridman</a><br /> YouTube Clips: <a href="https://youtube.com/lexclips">https://youtube.com/lexclips</a></p> <p><b>SUPPORT &#38; CONNECT:</b><br /> &#8211; Check out the sponsors above, it&#8217;s the best way to support this podcast<br /> &#8211; Support on Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman">https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/lexfridman">https://twitter.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman">https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman">https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Medium: <a href="https://medium.com/@lexfridman">https://medium.com/@lexfridman</a></p> <p><b>OUTLINE:</b><br /> Here&#8217;s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.<br /> (00:00) &#8211; Introduction<br /> (07:02) &#8211; First programs<br /> (30:26) &#8211; Literate programming<br /> (33:35) &#8211; Beauty in programming<br /> (39:30) &#8211; OpenAI<br /> (48:41) &#8211; Optimization<br /> (54:46) &#8211; Consciousness<br /> (1:03:29) &#8211; Conway&#8217;s game of life<br /> (1:16:16) &#8211; Stable marriage<br /> (1:19:35) &#8211; Richard Feynman<br /> (1:30:29) &#8211; Knuth-Morris-Pratt Algorithm<br /> (1:40:02) &#8211; Hardest problem<br /> (1:57:41) &#8211; Open source<br /> (2:02:54) &#8211; Favorite symbols<br /> (2:12:27) &#8211; Productivity<br /> (2:20:08) &#8211; Meaning of life</p>