Hot Old Algorithms Looking for Features Near You!

Publish Date: Jun 9

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I present to you a new tech conference speaker submission from me! This abstract is hopefully getting turned into a session for a conference near you this year!

Algorithmic Archaeology: Excavating Insights from Computer Science History

Many of the most well-known algorithms in computer science history are much more than clever solutions to specific problems. Whether you're optimizing microservices, designing ML pipelines, or debugging distributed systems, these classic algorithms offer more than historical curiosity. They're crystallized wisdom about how to think systematically about complex challenges and help encode mental models you can apply today and in the future.

This talk digs deep to excavate the useful problem-solving principles buried within classic algorithms and reveals how these decades-old insights directly address today's most pressing technical challenges. We'll journey through algorithmic history to cover:

Dijkstra's shortest path algorithm (1956) - Not just for finding routes on maps!
Union-Find (1964) - Procrastinating for profit!
Fast Fourier Transform (1965) - Hidden structure in seemingly chaotic data

Through code demos and visual analogies, attendees will discover how these historical algorithms address timeless problem-solving strategies: transforming hard problems into easier ones, leveraging structure to reduce complexity, and trading immediate simplicity for long-term efficiency. You'll leave with a deeper appreciation for algorithmic history and practical frameworks for recognizing when ancient wisdom applies to contemporary challenges. In the end, this talk will leave you with a toolbox of proven strategies for decomposing, optimizing, and simplifying real-world systems.

Key Takeaways

Recognition patterns for applying classic algorithmic principles to modern problems
Framework for extracting transferable insights from any algorithm
Practical examples connecting historical algorithms to contemporary ML and distributed systems
Strategies for building algorithmic intuition through historical study

What algorithm has shaped your approaches?

Comments 7 total

Matt ElandJun 9, 2025
You're a complete dork and I'm glad we're friends. I hope you get to give this.
- Sarah MattaJun 9, 2025
  🤣
pablo suzukiJun 9, 2025
Dear Sarah
I hope this message finds you well. My name is Pablo Suzuki, and I am currently seeking a potential partner to collaborate with on an exciting project. After learning about your expertise as a software engineer, I believe your skills could be a valuable asset to this venture., I would greatly appreciate the opportunity to discuss this further in a one-hour meeting. This will allow us to get to know each other better and explore the potential for a mutually beneficial collaboration. Rest assured, your time and efforts will be compensated accordingly. I look forward to hearing from you and hope to connect soon via a gmail(p.suzuki.pro@gmail.com)
Best regards, Pablo Suzuki
Matt WilliamsJun 16, 2025
One other algorithm you might mention in passing, since it is similar to the Djikstra -- A-star -- in many cases it runs faster than Djikstra
- Sarah MattaJun 17, 2025
  Awesome! I'll take any and all input as I haven't actually written the session yet! ✨
- Sarah MattaJun 17, 2025
  @aetherical can you also suggest an appropriate archeology pun? 🤔
  - Matt WilliamsJun 21, 2025
    "Time to exhume some classic code—because these old algorithms still dig deep!"
    
    "Brush off the dust, avoid the cursed while loops, and behold: the Sacred Stack of LIFO."
    
    "Some methods are best left buried. But we dug them up anyway."
    
    "I thought I’d found Fibonacci’s tomb. Turned out it was just an infinite loop."
    
    "Be careful. Some ancient algorithms are still… running."

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Sarah Matta @sarahmatta