Why computer engineering is like standup comedy: Wayne Cotter at TEDxRainier

Summary

In this engaging talk, the speaker reflects on their career transition from computer engineer to stand-up comedian, emphasizing the creative synergy between the two fields. They recount a childhood experience at the New York World's Fair, where a bell curve demonstration inspired them to see patterns in randomness. Drawing parallels, they argue that both engineers and comedians analyze complex systems to reveal underlying truths or humor. The speaker also challenges stereotypes, like the notion that math is a masculine domain, and uses humor to dissect societal norms and pseudoscience, ultimately advocating for a broader perspective that embraces the full spectrum of human potential.

Takeaways

• 🎓 The speaker transitioned from a career as a computer engineer to a stand-up comedian, challenging the notion of contradiction between the two fields.
• 📊 A childhood experience at the New York World's Fair, where the speaker was fascinated by a bell curve demonstration, influenced their perspective on patterns and randomness.
• 🧠 The speaker believes that both engineers and comedians analyze patterns and inconsistencies to understand the world, albeit in different contexts.
• 📚 A deep interest in numbers and mathematics was a constant in the speaker's life, even as a child, which later influenced their comedic style.
• 💼 The speaker's experience working as an engineer was formative, comparing the complexity of computers to a 'mega probability machine'.
• 🎭 The creative process for the speaker was the same whether working on engineering or comedy, suggesting a commonality in the creative juices that fuel both fields.
• 🚀 The speaker humorously points out stereotypes about engineers and comedians, emphasizing the diversity and creativity within the tech industry.
• 🌐 The speaker critiques societal pigeonholing, likening it to the bell curve's average, which often oversimplifies the vast range of human potential.
• 👧 The speaker addresses gender stereotypes in math and technology, recounting a study about American high school girls and their perception of math as a masculine quality.
• 🌟 The speaker uses humor to highlight the absurdity in certain scientific and pseudoscientific claims, such as crop circles being messages from aliens.
• 🔍 The speaker concludes by advocating for a broader view that looks for patterns and combinations in life, inspired by the bell curve machine's demonstration of order in randomness.

Q & A

What was the speaker's career change in the 1980s?

The speaker changed careers from being a computer engineer to a stand-up comedian in the 1980s.

What significant event from the speaker's childhood influenced their perspective on patterns?

The speaker was deeply influenced by an exhibit at the New York World's Fair when they were 9 years old, which demonstrated the bell curve using a mechanical machine that dropped balls through a grid of pegs.

Who invented the bell curve machine that the speaker found fascinating?

The bell curve machine was invented by Charles and Ray Eames.

How did the speaker's experience with the bell curve machine at the fair impact their thinking?

The experience made the speaker realize that patterns could be discerned from randomness by viewing things differently, a concept applicable to both engineering and comedy.

What was the speaker's childhood hobby related to numbers?

The speaker had a hobby of memorizing pi to 50 places and looking up numbers in the dictionary.

Why did the speaker decide to quit their day job as an engineer?

The speaker found that they couldn't be creative for programming during the day and then be funny at night due to the same creative energy being used for both pursuits.

What was the stereotype the speaker faced when transitioning from engineering to comedy?

The stereotype was that the speaker went from being a nerdy, loser engineer to a fabulous TV comedian, which the speaker felt was an oversimplification and not reflective of their peers in the engineering field.

What did the speaker criticize about the way people pigeonhole others based on stereotypes?

The speaker criticized that pigeonholing people based on stereotypes limits the view of the vast possibilities of what someone could be, reducing them to an average that doesn't represent the full range of their capabilities.

What example did the speaker give to illustrate the commonality between engineers and comedians?

The speaker explained that both engineers and comedians analyze complex situations, breaking them down into parts to understand how they fit together, with comedians focusing on the inconsistencies, contradictions, and paradoxes that emerge.

How did the speaker use their engineering background in their comedy?

The speaker often started with a science question or concept in their comedy, such as questioning the logic behind certain medical procedures or pseudoscientific claims like crop circles.

What message did the speaker convey about stereotypes and their evolution over time?

The speaker conveyed that stereotypes are temporary and can change, as evidenced by the shift in perception of computer programmers from being seen as boring to being admired figures like Bill Gates.

Outlines

00:00

😀 From Engineer to Comedian: Embracing Creativity

The speaker recounts their transition from a computer engineer to a stand-up comedian in the 1980s. They emphasize that there is no inherent contradiction between these two fields, as both require a creative approach to problem-solving. The speaker shares a childhood memory of visiting the New York World's Fair and being fascinated by a mechanical demonstration of the bell curve, which illustrated the concept of patterns emerging from randomness. This experience inspired the speaker to see the world differently and to appreciate the patterns and combinations that can be found in various pursuits, including engineering and comedy.

05:01

🤔 Challenging Stereotypes: The Intersection of Engineering and Comedy

The speaker discusses the stereotypes associated with engineers and comedians, highlighting the creativity and humor present among their colleagues in the tech industry. They argue against pigeonholing people based on their professions, using the bell curve as a metaphor for the narrow view that stereotypes create. The speaker also addresses a study about American high school girls and math, suggesting that societal perceptions can influence individuals' choices and self-perceptions. They explain how engineers break down complex systems into smaller parts to understand how they work, which is similar to how comedians find humor in life's inconsistencies and contradictions. The speaker uses personal anecdotes and examples, such as the process of amniocentesis and the pseudoscience of crop circles, to illustrate their points and to challenge the audience to think beyond stereotypes.

Keywords

💡Standup Comedian

A standup comedian is a performer who tells jokes and humorous stories, typically on stage, to entertain an audience. In the video, the speaker transitioned from being a computer engineer to a standup comedian, highlighting the creative and analytical skills shared between the two professions. The speaker's journey from engineering to comedy underscores the theme that analytical thinking and humor can coexist and even complement each other.

💡Visionary

A visionary is someone who has the ability to anticipate future trends or developments. The speaker humorously refers to themselves as a 'visionary' who predicted the future of computers, suggesting a self-deprecating view of their past career choice. This term is used to introduce the idea that the speaker's career shift was driven by a desire to pursue a more creatively fulfilling path.

💡Bell Curve

The bell curve, also known as the normal distribution, is a statistical concept representing the distribution of data points around an average value. In the script, the speaker recounts a childhood experience at the New York World's Fair where they were fascinated by a mechanical demonstration of the bell curve. This experience is pivotal as it illustrates the speaker's early fascination with patterns and randomness, which later influenced their approach to both engineering and comedy.

💡Randomness

Randomness refers to the lack of pattern or predictability in events. The speaker describes observing the random movement of balls in the bell curve machine and how, when viewed collectively, they formed a predictable pattern. This concept is central to the video's message about finding order within chaos, which is applicable to both the speaker's engineering work and their comedy, where they find humor in the inconsistencies and contradictions of life.

💡Mainframe

A mainframe is a large, powerful computer system used for critical applications. The speaker mentions working for a mainframe manufacturer, which was a significant part of their career as an engineer. This term is used to provide context for the speaker's technical background and to contrast with their later career in comedy, emphasizing the versatility of their skills.

💡Amniocentesis

Amniocentesis is a medical procedure where a sample of amniotic fluid is taken from the uterus to test for certain conditions in a fetus. The speaker uses this term in a comedic context to question the logic behind the stated duration for cell growth, highlighting the absurdity of certain scientific explanations. This example showcases how the speaker applies their engineering mindset to comedy, finding humor in the details of everyday life.

💡Stereotypes

Stereotypes are widely held but oversimplified images or ideas about particular types of people or things. The speaker discusses how stereotypes can limit our understanding of people's capabilities, using the example of the perception of computer programmers and the gender bias in math skills. These examples from the script serve to challenge the audience's preconceived notions and to emphasize the importance of looking beyond surface-level categorizations.

💡Pigeonhole

To pigeonhole someone is to place them into a restrictive category or stereotype. The speaker uses this term to criticize the tendency to oversimplify people's identities and capabilities, as when they were portrayed as transforming from a 'nerd loser engineer' into a 'fabulous TV comedian.' This term is integral to the speaker's argument against the reductionist view of human potential.

💡Paradoxes

Paradoxes are statements or situations that seem contradictory but may actually be true or contain a hidden truth. The speaker mentions that by analyzing life and the world, one can find inconsistencies, contradictions, and paradoxes, which are the basis for many jokes. This term is used to connect the analytical approach of an engineer with the creative process of a comedian, showing that humor can be found in the complexities of reality.

💡Patterns

Patterns are regularities or sequences that repeat in a consistent manner. The speaker concludes the video by emphasizing the importance of recognizing patterns and combinations in data and life experiences. This concept is central to the video's message, suggesting that understanding patterns can lead to a more fulfilling and insightful perspective, whether in engineering, comedy, or life in general.

💡Probability Machine

A probability machine, in the context of the video, refers to the mechanical bell curve demonstration that the speaker found fascinating. It symbolizes the speaker's early interest in probability and statistics, which later influenced their approach to both engineering and comedy. The term is used to illustrate the idea that understanding the likelihood of various outcomes can reveal underlying truths or humor in seemingly random events.

Highlights

The speaker transitioned from a computer engineer to a standup comedian in the 1980s, seeing no inherent contradiction between the two fields.

A childhood experience at the New York World's Fair with a bell curve demonstration had a profound impact on the speaker's perspective on patterns within randomness.

The speaker's fascination with numbers and jokes began early, including memorizing pi and exploring numerical definitions in dictionaries.

The speaker's career as an engineer involved working with mainframe computers, which they likened to a 'mega probability machine'.

The creative process for both engineering and comedy was found to be fueled by the same 'Creative Juice', highlighting the overlap in creative pursuits.

The speaker's transition to full-time comedy involved舍弃 a stable engineering job for the unpredictable world of standup, emphasizing the risk and passion involved.

Media narratives often simplified the speaker's journey, focusing on the 'nerd to celebrity' trope, which the speaker critiques for its lack of depth.

The speaker challenges stereotypes by pointing out the creativity and personality of their former engineering colleagues, countering the 'boring engineer' stereotype.

The analogy of the bell curve is used to critique societal tendencies to pigeonhole people into narrow categories, missing the breadth of human potential.

A study on American high school girls and math is mentioned to discuss how societal perceptions can influence individual interests and abilities.

The speaker's comedy often starts with a scientific question, demonstrating the intersection of humor and technical analysis.

An example joke about amniocentesis and cell multiplication is shared, illustrating how the speaker finds humor in scientific processes.

The speaker discusses the absurdity of crop circle theories, using humor to critique pseudoscientific beliefs.

The speaker reflects on how societal views on professions like computer programming have evolved, from 'boring' to 'sexy'.

The conclusion emphasizes finding patterns and combinations in life's complexities as a way to simplify and understand the world better.

Transcripts

[Music]

when I was in my 20s I changed careers

from computer engineer to standup

comedian it was the 1980s and I decided

I'm a Visionary I could see the future

this whole computer thing is going

nowhere but you know for a long time

I've had to answer to a lot of folks who

feel that there's some kind of inherent

contradiction between those two Pursuits

and I don't think there is so if you'll

indulge me I'd like to talk a little bit

about why I'm going to start with a

story from when I was 9 years old and my

grandmother took me to the New York

World's Fair they had an exhibit there

was part of the IBM Pavilion that

demonstrated the bell curve the gaussian

distribution mechanically there's I have

a picture of the machine which is a

brilliant thing that was invented by

Charles and Ray eem uh it dropped 30,000

balls from the top through this grid of

pegs and each ball in each row would

bounce randomly left or right and when

they all collected at the bottom every

time they would form a perfect bell

curve and match the line you see painted

on the front there and this just blew my

little

mind I could not be dragged away here we

are at this giant fair and there's rides

and shows and food and my grandmother is

stuck with this creepy obsessed

child who will not be torn away from the

math

machine but I honestly it was a it was a

it was like a life-changing thing for me

it really was and and I I I I would

focus in you know like on one little

ball and watch it just be completely

random and then I'd kind of zoom out and

see that every time there was this

pattern to it and it it made me realize

that you could make sense out of

something by looking at it in a

different way and I think that's

something that that engineers and

comedians both

do okay are you with me so far

okay the numbers and jokes have always

been a part of my life from the time I

was a kid I was memorizing piie to 50

places and Bill Cosby albums you know

it's just and you can infer from the

time commitment that took I didn't have

a massive social life at the time I uh I

I looked up numbers in the dictionary I

just thought numbers were I looked up

just to see what would the dictionary

say and I found the word 50 f i f t y

it's in there the definition was three

words 5 *

10 now you don't know what 50 is what

kind of help is 5 time

10 you look up 49 it'll say C50 subtract

one in any event I did grow up to become

an engineer I went to work for a

Mainframe manufacturer in New Jersey and

which was

fantastic it was M it was like oz to me

I got to play with these giant computers

it was like the ultimate mega

probability machine it was fantastic I

was in fact I have a picture I think

this is from like 1979 or 1980 if we can

get there let's see yes that's it that's

me and my

group you can kind of play where's Waldo

with this and try to figure out who I am

the the clue is there's no female in

that

picture

I uh little Randomness going on with the

hair there too I

think yeah it was

uh I was a I was a very early version of

the crazy programmer I was you know

socially awkward hyper caffeinated

pulling allight coding marathons and

basically kind of Mark Zuckerberg

without the money if you want to think

of it that way and uh I and but I

started Moonlighting as a as a comic I

was going out and let's get rid of that

oh my

God I started going out and and I I was

doing my engineering job by day and

going out at night and trying to tell

jokes and what I discovered it was and

it was surprising to me uh the it was

the same I couldn't do both at once

because it was the same Creative Juice

that was fueling both of these things

I'd squeeze that lemon so hard all day

doing programming I couldn't get out and

and be funny at night so I quit my day

job became a comedian did all the TV

shows next thing you know I'm touring

all over the place and in every town I

would do these interviews and every time

they wanted to write the exact same

story which was you know nerd loser

engineer blossoms into fabulous TV

comedian it's impossible how can that be

it's so crazy it's it's ugly duckling

it's a caterpillar a butterfly it just

couldn't

be and I having no character at all

played right along well I looked around

the office and I realized I was the only

one with a

personality you

know which is you know it's a cheap joke

and and it's just not true the people I

work with were creative and smart and

funny and great you know and and I think

when we pigeon hole people like that it

makes me think of the bell curve again

because you take the the distribution of

possibilities of everything somebody

could be we collapse it down to this one

thing that's the average in the middle

we decide that's our answer and we move

on and more often than not just

mathematically even we're just wrong and

I think it affects the way we we see

ourselves and the way we see other

people there was a story about uh there

was a study it was like I think it was

in 2007 it got a lot of attention about

American High School girls and math and

they said that the girls weren't

pursuing math in United States as much

as in other countries and as much as the

boys because they felt that being good

at math was a masculine in quality it's

that same stereotype and by the way I

would have loved to have known that

because I was in high school I was

amazing at

math I don't recall any girl ever

expressing any idea that she felt it was

a masculine quality I'll just

say but if I could I would go back to

those same reporters and try to give

them the the real answer to the question

why why is an engineer and a comedian

what what do they have in common and the

truth is an engineer if you think of

about it they take a big complicated

thing like a airplane or a bridge or a

computer and they break it down into its

little parts and they break the parts

down into little parts and they figure

out kind of how everything fits together

and meshes and jibes and when you apply

that kind of analysis to life and the

world what falls out is the

inconsistencies and contradictions and

paradoxes and those are the jokes and

much of what I do I'm often starting off

with a science question when my wife was

pregnant we uh we had to have the

amniocentesis and I asked the doctor

well how does this work I have a

background in science they explained to

me he said well we get some cells we

grow them in a dish when we have enough

of them we can tell the baby's going to

be okay I said how long does that take

and he said I swear to God 14 business

[Applause]

days and what kind of a cell takes the

weekend off from

multiplying oh I'm sorry it's Veterans

Day the banks are closed there's no my

Tois on a day like

[Applause]

this and pseudo science stuff is ripe

for this kind of and I love to go after

these the crop circle thing if you look

at that you know the story big pattern

crunched into into a corn field in

England and what people believe is that

it it's it's got to be

aliens they actually if you look at it

they they will say it's the pattern is

so big you can see it from space they're

leaving each other

messages this is what they messages

is this remotely plausible do we have to

think that much further what are the

Chan this is a race of advanced alien

superbeings who have mastered

Intergalactic hyperdimensional space

travel and communicate by

corn they just cannot get the Blackberry

thing

together so you know I let me just say

this those stereotypes that I'm talking

about I think these things are ephemeral

and the proof is look at how it's

changed the time that I quit my job to

go be a comedian at that time being a

computer programmer was the dumbest

boringest you the computer who needs

that why some boring stupid thing you're

going to be a comedian really what's

that how do you do that where you going

to go how do you how does that happen

you going to go on the Johnny Carson

show tell me more today Bill Gates is

the sexiest man

alive and when you say I'm a comedian

people go oh yeah my sister's ex-husband

did that for a little

while so just I'll leave you with this

what I think I learned from the

probability machine is that if you if

you want to simplify

things instead of limiting your

view the best way the fun way is to find

the patterns and the combinations that

naturally occur when you look at all the

possibilities thank you very much

[Applause]

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