In this investigation of the possibility of craft in the digital realm, the author discusses the emergence of computation as a medium, rather than just a set of tools, suggesting a growing correspondence between digital work and traditional craft.

He covers the nature of hand-eye coordination; the working context of the image culture; aspects of tool usage and medium appreciation; uses and limitations of symbolic methods, issues in human-computer interaction; geometric constructions and abstract methods in design; the necessity of improvization; and the personal worth of work. For those new to computing, McCullough offers an inside view of what the technology is like, what the important technical issues are, and how creative computing fits within a larger intellectual history. Specialists in human-computer interactions should find an interesting case study of the anthropological and psychological issues that matter to designers. Artificial intelligence researchers should be reminded that much activity fails to fit articulable formalisms. Aesthetic theorists should find a curiously developed case of neostructuralism, and cultural critics should be asked to imagine a praxis in which technology no longer represents an authoritarian opposition. Finally, the unheralded legions of digital craftspersons should find an acknowledgement of their artistry and humanity.