One day last week, as I was juggling my mental list of Things That Absolutely Have To Be Done Today, I started jotting down some notes on a paper pad I keep nearby. These notes involved going through a network management application distributed across 8 Sun servers. Halfway through making my notes, I realized that I had done something like this:

foreach proxy server {
    foreach TL1 process {
        update configuration files
        stop the process
        run it manually
        debug it
        when it's good, start the process again
    }
}

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Note: TL1 (Transaction Language 1) is a text format used by telco equipment. See http://www.tl1.com for more information.

Has anyone else experienced this? The point when you're so wrapped up in work that you start thinking more like a computer than a human being? Where you find it normal to write this kind of pseudo-code to manage your work and your life?

And do any of you start thinking that this isn't necessarily a bad thing?

I'm interested in anything else that coders and techies might use as a warning that they need a break, a vacation, to "get a life." The Programmer's Frustration node a few weeks ago discussed what people do when they need a break, but I'm interested in how you know you need that break in the first place.

Chumley

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: I need a vacation
by footpad (Abbot) on May 20, 2001 at 07:33 UTC

    I'm interested in anything else that coders and techies might use as a warning that they need a break, a vacation, to "get a life."

    I know I need a life, a vacation, or an extended break when I can't:

    • Remember the last time my wife and I went out to dinner
    • Recall where we ate during the last dinner out.
    • Remember the last movie I saw.
    • Name three movies coming out soon that I'm looking forward to
    • Remember when we had a babysitter so my wife and I could just have some time together.
    • Recall when I last bought new clothes.
    • Tell you the color of my house, car, or desk.
    • Have earned more time off in the last six months than I've taken.
    • Tell you the prices of the best processors currently available, as well as the next level down.
    • Remember the day of the week.
    • Remember what month it is.
    • Forget to send a birthday card.
    • Remember the last (non-tech) book I read or realize I haven't read at night for several weeks (at least).
    • Remember the last time I made my little girl giggle.

    There are many others signs, but I'll leave those to your imagination. ;-P

    --f

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Re: I need a vacation
by asiufy (Monk) on May 20, 2001 at 07:14 UTC
    Well, I would say that "thinking like a computer", as you mentioned, is not necessarily a bad thing, and is actually quite far from being a sign that you need a break...

    I was even taught that this kind of "meta language" should be the first step a programmer should do before starting any big task/project... But hey, we know that's almost never possible anyway...

    I have recently been inflicted with a nasty headache, coupled with stinging pain in my eyes, whenever I spend too much time in front of either a computer CRT or an LCD. And unfortunately, I don't even have to be programming, so even if I just kick back and browse, it'll come...

    So, to sum it up: don't wait until you discover your "break point". Just go ahead and take a break/vacation/leave whenever you can, don't wait for it to become an absolute necessity.
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Re: I need a vacation
by Albannach (Monsignor) on May 20, 2001 at 07:59 UTC
    Actually I don't think you were thinking like a computer, just like a programmer that wished so much that he had a computer to do his job that he started writing code for it. If computers could take a bunch of irrational requests from multiple annoying humans and break them into a logical sequence of operations then they wouldn't need those humans at all... ;-0

    --
    I'd like to be able to assign to an luser

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Re: I need a vacation
by mincus (Chaplain) on May 20, 2001 at 11:30 UTC
    hehe... funny that you should bring this up.

    I was just taking the dishes out of the dishwasher today, and as I was putting the plates and bowls away, my friend started laughing at me. When I asked him why, he pointed out that I was putting the bowls in as a stack, and the plates in as a queue. We started to wonder if it was normal for people to notice things like that and if everyone does things like that and doesnt notice or only people with a computer/programming background orient thier lifes around programming like things... dunno. just kinda funny I guess ;) 


    .mincus
    telnet://bbs.mincus.com

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Re: I need a vacation
by Mission (Hermit) on May 20, 2001 at 16:39 UTC
    chumley, I have a similar problem, I don't know when I need a break. I'm still using vacation days from last year. I'm a work-a-holic, and I love my job. I think your short answer is to read footpad's list. You have to be able to have fun in life too, so I'm thankful that he reminded me/us of that.

    As far as thinking like computers, I wanted to share something that our DBA described to me once. He works with SQL all day long. He can't do anything without thinking of it as a SQL statement. I started to laugh when he first described it.

     "Even when I grocery shop I do it: SELECT can of fruit FROM isle WHERE brand = delmonte and type = peaches and price < $2.50. I just can't seem to stop, but I really don't mind, and I really KNOW my SQL!"

    I just thought I'd share that so you wouldn't think you were alone. I'm guilty of similar things, but not SQL. ;)

    - Mission
    "Heck I don't know how to do it either, but do you think that's going to stop me?!!"
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Re: I need a vacation
by Brovnik (Hermit) on May 20, 2001 at 17:45 UTC
    I have always used various bits of notation to simplify note taking, including
    • ∀= for all
    • ∃ = there exists
    • ! = NOT
    • Σ = Sum of
    and then brackets as well. Mostly I use these notations for taking notes during meetings.

    I am a list fanatic. I write lists of everything in order to remember them. Unfortunately, when I have written down the list, I then forget the items on it, so I am really in trouble when I lose the list.

    For less structured note taking, I always use Mindmaps. Paper versions are great for taking notes and there is a program which is also great and can output HTML.
    --
    Brovnik.

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