Title:
Three Kinds of Machines We Program

Abstract:

In order to establish bounds on what we should count as computation, I
will describe three kinds of machines that we program.  The first is the
classic numerical calculator which will take us from tables of logarithms
to Turing to Texas Instruments.  The second is the modern computing
system, which includes distributed systems and concurrent programs,
web-based infrastructure, wearable devices, unmanned combat air vehicles,
sensor networks, virtual reality environments, and their forebears, the
programmed controllers such as operating systems and thermostats.  The
third is a class of machine that is related to formal games such as chess
and bridge, namely human society and its institutions.