Author Description

CodeBlocks is a launchpad for anyone -- young or old, with or without prior computer knowledge -- who wants to understand computers the way computer scientists do. Designed to make complex concepts accessible, the book uses everyday knowledge to explain fundamental ideas. What is a Computer? is the first book in the CodeBlocks series, serving as an ideal starting point for anyone interested in computer science. Every page is designed for intuitive, engaging learning, accelerating the reader’s understanding of key concepts. This nearly 200-page book is filled with comic-style illustrations, many carefully crafted to emphasize key concepts as they are introduced. These visuals clarify complex ideas, making learning easier and more engaging. Additional illustrations reinforce understanding and add moments of entertainment, ensuring the book remains a fun and enjoyable read. CodeBlocks’s approach to teaching computer science is unique. Instead of diving into technical details first, we start with the Big Picture -- the essential components that make a computer work and how they interact. This first book avoids discussions of binary numbers (1s and 0s). Instead, it begins by building a conceptual model of a computer from scratch -- one that can be easily visualized in the reader’s mind. It provides a perspective usually revealed only after years of study, and often obscured by technical details, but we believe that seeing the Big Picture upfront fosters motivation and deeper comprehension. The Computer model is built progressively, page by page, with each section naturally flowing into the next. The intent is for each page to provide exactly what is needed for understanding, making the book a leisurely and enjoyable read. The pieces of the Computer model come together in a discussion about operations per second (OPS) -- the number of actions a processor can perform each second. We aim to give readers an intuitive grasp of computing’s scale, from the i