Probably best viewed in light of his main site[1] (Warning! May result in feelings of inadequacy), where he goes to great length to do exactly what he thinks these people aren't, explain complex ideas and concepts using programs, programming and the resulting visualizations.
Yeah, The first time I saw it was back in late 2011 when Up and Down the Ladder of Abstraction[1] was linked. After viewing the main site, and sharing it with some friends and co-workers, the feeling was almost unanimous.
Browsing through his site, all the demonstrations seem to be smoke and mirrors -- or at least props to portray ideas rather than actual tools to use. Just out of curiosity, has he made anything I can actually use? Or does he have any work that is particularly substantial?
or at least props to portray ideas rather than actual tools to use
Exactly. He is thoroughly invested in using technology and programming to teach ideas, concepts and ways to think.
Just out of curiosity, has he made anything I can actually use? Or does he have any work that is particularly substantial?
His CV[1] link has interesting stuff, but you may not find something immediately useful on his site. Light table was inspired by one of his talks[2] (when I first saw light table I thought it was him following through on the idea).
[1]: http://worrydream.com/