This Week: Computer Languages, Fragile Futures, and Summer on the Horizon

Does computer code belongs among the official world languages? How much of today’s digital life will survive the centuries? And, what to do with summer downtime?!

⎻

🎵 Listen to the latest podcast episode

Available on Libsyn, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube

⎻

This Week’s Videos

1. 💻 The Official Computer Language of the UN?! – Should programming languages be recognized on the global stage? Watch here
2. 🗃️ What’s Going to Survive?! – A reflection on preservation and what digital culture may (or may not) leave behind. Watch here
3. ☀️ Summer Plans?! – The semester's nearly done. What would you do with seven open weeks and no guaranteed job in September? Watch here
4. 🎮 Gaming on Break? – A question of productivity, stress relief, and whether games deserve more credit. View the post

⎻

💻 The Official Computer Language of the UN?!

With more digital communication done through programming languages like Python or C++, could it be time for the UN to consider a "computer language" in its official language lineup?

Currently, the UN recognizes six human languages: Chinese, Arabic, English, French, Russian, and Spanish. Some are character-based, others are rooted in European phonetics. But none represent the languages that power modern digital infrastructure.

Most programming languages are built with English syntax and vocabulary. That gives English a bit of an outsized influence online—and raises an interesting question: Are computer languages becoming global communication tools in their own right?

Should the UN acknowledge this shift and include a programming language as official? Or should official languages remain strictly human?

If so, which language would deserve the honor? Python? Ruby? Something new?

📹 Watch here

⎻

🗃️ What’s Going to Survive?!

In our rush to go faster, cheaper, and more efficient, are we losing something deeper?

I often think of ancient papyri—how fragile they were and just how few survived. Much of what we know about the past only exists because monks painstakingly copied texts from Ancient Greece and Rome by hand. Without them, entire civilizations might be silent to us today.

Now, we’re digitizing everything. MP3s. eBooks. PDFs. And it’s amazing—until you realize that digital files need hardware to be read. What happens when that hardware fails? Or becomes obsolete? Think we need renewables for climate change, what about to run the internet?

In 1,000 years—2,000 years—what of our digital legacy will survive? Will anyone be able to access what we’re creating now?

So, how are YOU taking care of your digital life? Are you thinking about long-term preservation, or just living in the now?

Or did this ever cross your mind?

📹 Watch here

⎻

☀️ Summer Plans?!

It’s getting hot—and only going to get hotter.

Classes are officially over and there are just a couple more weeks of grading left. Next week is for student presentations, then grades are due the week after that.

And then? Two months off.

Sounds not so bad.

Well… maybe. I might not have a job come September. And I know a lot of university instructors can relate to that feeling—finishing one term without knowing if another contract is coming.

So here’s the question:

If you had six or seven weeks off—and no guarantee of a job afterward—what would you do?

Would you stay home and finally read those books collecting dust on your shelf?

Would you travel, even in the heat of summer?

Would you start looking for a new job—or take on a temporary one?

Not everyone gets the luxury of an academic schedule with months off between contracts. But if you did, how would you use that time?

To be honest, summer’s a bit too hot for travel. I’d rather go exploring in spring or autumn—y’know, when I’m supposed to be working.

📹 Watch here

⎻

🎮 On Gaming and Productivity

Students are told not to play video games. But isn’t that what delivery drivers do on break?

Sometimes the best reset comes from tapping a screen with friends. Even if one of them yells a little too loud.

When was the last time you played a game?

⎻

☕ Supporting the Channel

If you find these updates helpful, consider supporting the work at:

Buy Me a Coffee

📬 Subscribe to the newsletter: https://sendfox.com/stevenslanguagevlog

⎻

🔗 Follow Steven’s Language Vlog on:

YouTube | TikTok | Twitter | Threads

⎻

For questions or feedback, just reply to this email. :)

Best,

Steve