<p> Being the second oldest high-level language still in widespread use (after Fortran), Lisp is often considered solely as an academic language well-suited for artificial intelligence. It is sometimes accused of having a (very (strange syntax)), only using lists as data types, being difficult to learn, using lots of memory, being inefficient and slow, as well as being dead, an ex-language. This talk, focusing on Common Lisp, aims to show that it is actually an elegant, unique, expressive, fast, extensible language for symbolic computation that is not difficult to learn and may even change the way you think about programming. Lisp is primarily a functional paradigm language, but supports object-oriented, imperative, and other programming models natively. Rapid prototyping, iterative development, multiprocessor development, and creation of domain-specific languages are all facilitated by Lisp. There will be a discussion of the origins and history of Lisp, followed by a demonstration of the language, features that migrated to and from other languages, and concluding with a look to what may be in store for the future. </p>
<p> <strong> Adam Tannir </strong> is an autodidact with a corporate day job. With more than passing interests in various sciences, computation, art and education, he likes to share his insights and realizations with whomever he can, combining concepts so the world makes more sense. He is currently learning about the Android platform, microcontrollers and electronics, and how to improve his cooking skills. Plutarch reminds us: “The mind is a fire to be kindled, not a vessel to be filled.” </p>