
I am not an introvert. I am just busy - mtabini
http://blog.tabini.ca/i-am-not-an-introvert--i-am-just-busy-/
======
peteforde
You know, there's a time and a place for quiet reflection. If the author
needed time to reflect, he should go for a walk — alone, not go to a party.

I'm a shy introvert, but I see this fellow's problem a mile away: he needs to
get better at saying no to people. Sure it's important to be present for
social functions, and there's an art to "making an appearance" that is just
part of playing the game. But if you're consciously aware that you should be
somewhere else... GO.

A room full of tech geeks will get this. Actually, they most likely won't
notice that you're leaving. That particular neurosis is rooted in ego: part of
you wants someone to notice that you're missing, so that you can be not just
doing something important but be a hero about it.

Deep down, we're all frequently irrational in similar ways.

"I don't want to be alone, but I want to be left alone." \- Stephen Fry

~~~
flyinglizard
We don't get to choose when inspiration visits us. Many times, the solution to
an agonizing problem comes when we are far away from it, displacing forceful
thought for casual reflection. I know my best ideas sneaked in just like that.
I also know that if I'm facing an acute problem that jeopardizes my product
(thus my business, thus my wellbeing) I drift to think of it even when I
shouldn't. Such is life.

And no, spending more time solving the bug instead of attending social events
isn't the cure either. You need to physically remove yourself from a problem
if you want a fresh perspective. Go sleep, hang out, eat something, get back.
There are very few problems that I haven't solved in a career full of
challenges and this one will not be any different, I just need to respect the
mechanics of coming up with a solution.

~~~
peteforde
I did not suggest that the author should go back and work.

I did suggest that the author should take a walk to clear his mind, and not
attempt to zen out at a social gathering. I also suggested that the author
shouldn't go to social gatherings that he doesn't want to be at.

Learning to say no without anxiety is a super power.

~~~
flyinglizard
Walks can be great. But I think that the external stimuli present when around
a noisy bunch of people can sometime do wonders to your perspective. If your
work environment is noisy, try going someplace quiet, but if you spend most of
your working days by yourself engulfed only with your thoughts, perhaps some
company would get new ideas to come out.

~~~
chadillac
That's the thing, going and walking around or going to a social event... it's
not clear which one will help you solve your problem. Sometimes sitting
quietly and thinking about an issue helps me, sometimes it leaves me chasing
red herrings. Sometimes closing my eyes and visualizing helps me, sometimes
it's about as useful as chewing bubble gum. Sometimes inspiration will strike
for seemingly no reason... the other day I literally had to get out of the
shower with shampoo in my hair to send myself an e-mail. I've been working on
a hard problem for the past few weeks, at this point I'd say a considerable
portion of the "clever fixes" have come to me in my dreams... I'll literally
just wake up with a new idea about how to approach the problem that weren't
even on my radar when I went to bed.

Also, social events and casual conversation is a great way to be social and
engage in conversation while excising rubber duck debugging. So long as you
make it entertaining for the other party, it's fun... explaining how stuff
works for people who are curious is usually fun for both parties.

It's different strokes for different folks for sure, but don't limit your
stroke options... and try not to get shampoo in your keyboard.

~~~
peteforde
Actually, chewing bubble gum is apparently very good for stimulating your
brain.

[http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/22/chewing.gum.benefits/in...](http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/04/22/chewing.gum.benefits/index.html)

~~~
derefr
I recall two other similar studies:

1\. People who get migraines are probably chewing too much gum (that is,
chewing too much in general.)

2\. There's a sharp increase in dementia when people lose their teeth, and
this is likely because they aren't chewing _enough._

Neither of these were particularly _strong_ studies (the first of the two only
had a sample-size of 30, if I recall) but they do support one-another on a
general hypothesis: chewing plays a large and necessary part in oxygenating
your brain.

------
alex_c
I love the writing, I love the anecdote, and I love the self-awareness it
shows.

Almost just as much, I love the comments here - they're just so incorrigibly
HN. Not everything is a problem that should be taken literally, dissected, and
solved. The story is not the author asking for help with enjoying parties,
relating to others, or troubleshooting bugs. It's a beautiful example of an
internal monologue that shows not only how people approach social situations
differently, but to what extent they _think_ differently. I'm not sure the
author needs any of the pseudo-analysis being offered to him (however well-
meaning it is) - the writing suggests a lot more awareness of his perspective
and that of the people around him than most of the comments rushing in with
the most literal interpretation.

Either way, great piece of writing that seems to hold a mirror up to the
reader more than anything - it clearly strikes a chord but each reader appears
to be taking away something different.

~~~
zemanel
self-awareness is not usually an attribute introverts lack, fortunately or not
:-)

~~~
sanderjd
Actually I think it's quite common for people to mistake mere _introspection_
with actual _self-awareness_. It is much harder to see your true self than to
see a self you have constructed to see as your self.

~~~
jonahx
Interesting that you're using phrase "see your true self" to mean "see
yourself as others see you."

~~~
sanderjd
I'm not. That is yet a third perspective (which is not to say there are only
three!) in addition to what I'm calling "true" self, and the self that you
choose to see when you look. Obviously, it's hard to define "true self" in
some objective way, but it's not hard for people to be both introspective and
un-self-aware.

------
jxf
This story reminded me of the "Why you shouldn't interrupt developers"
cartoon: [http://i.imgur.com/PtMx9GJ.png](http://i.imgur.com/PtMx9GJ.png)

~~~
girvo
I was in an interview on Monday, and the tech lead and I were having a good
giggle about that exact cartoon! I told him about The Headphones Rule[0], and
he thought it was an awesome idea. Funny coincidence.

[0] [http://theheadphonesrule.com/](http://theheadphonesrule.com/)

~~~
michh
I wish that worked. I'm in an open plan office where I constantly need the
headphone to drown out the noise all the other things happening (people
talking to each other, marketing people making phone calls, people walking
about, etc) so that'd mean I'd be constantly unapproachable. I'd actually like
that, but I'm pretty sure my co-workers and employer wouldn't.

A friend works in an office where headphones are even banned because they
create too much of a barrier to talk to a co-worker. I'd go absolutely crazy
there in less than a week.

~~~
ryandrake
Dealing with interruptions and distractions while remaining focused on the
problem at hand is a valuable skill that takes time and effort to hone.

Any hacker can write code while in a closed office, wearing headphones, shut
off from the world. Great hackers can write code while E-mails come in, people
drop by with questions, Julie over in BizDev is yacking on the phone with some
vendor, and the PM is asking if you've filled out your TPS report this week.

~~~
enraged_camel
There is a great deal of research that says otherwise. You can start reading
here:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interruption_science](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interruption_science)

------
kabdib
My personal theory: For something really hard, you have to put in your time
and think about the issue. It has to consume you. You can't hold decent
conversations. Eventually that janitor in the back of your head wanders up to
your mental whiteboard, looks at the problem, says "Harumph!" and scribbles
down an answer, and you wake up in the middle of the night with the answer _so
obvious_ and a shriek on your lips.

But there aren't any shortcuts, and the janitor is not at your beck and call.

~~~
misframer
> _You have to neglect things if you intend to get what you want done. There
> 's no question about this._

—Richard Hamming
[http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/YouAndYourResearch.html](http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/YouAndYourResearch.html)

~~~
thenerdfiles
Humans aren't things[0].

 _Les choses_ sont contre nous.

—

[0]: [http://synapses.co.za/report-on-
resistentialism/](http://synapses.co.za/report-on-resistentialism/)

~~~
JonnieCache
Is that page meant to be satire? Either way it's completely hilarious. A
recommended read. I began to smell a rat when he started talking about wet
sacks, but when he starts dropping the jam on the floor it becomes pretty
clear. I love the ideas. I shall be sending it to all my most pretentious
friends as soon as possible.

Good to see that the french are still putting the work in.

EDIT: it's from the 60s and written by an englishman. now it all makes sense.
oh well. and I've just realised what "jean-marie ventre" is about. now I feel
a fool.

------
jamra
I would like to see this story rewritten from the point of view of a super
hacker who likes to visit bug lists, track down the programmers assigned where
they work, and psychologically hack those programmers into finding the
solution. He protects his identity wearing only a hoodie.

~~~
jonalmeida
This sounds like the making of a superhero, Triage Man!

------
austinhutch
I'm an introvert and that doesn't prevent me from enjoying parties and being
sociable. It irks me when introvert is used as a pejorative or like it is
something people have to "cope" with.

~~~
LogicHack
If you attend parties or go out for the sake of being social, you're not an
introvert.

~~~
Windwaker
That's not accurate at all. Many introverts, like myself, like socializing and
hanging out with friends, but "recharge" by spending time alone.

I can enjoy myself at a party, whether I'm a wallflower or not, but after
prolonged socializing I need to spend some time alone.

Please do not mistake introversion for social anxiety.

~~~
cortesoft
Yes, I always interpreted introvert vs extrovert as being about where we get
our energy from.... introverts get energy from being alone, while extroverts
get energy from being with people.

------
chaz
> Are they actually talking to me? Unbelievable. I can’t talk, Dan; can’t you
> see? I’m hanging to this idea by a thread as it is

My problem with this story is that it makes it sounds like it's Dan's fault
for walking up to the author at a party/social event. We've all been there --
an all-consuming problem or an unexpected moment of clarity. Or maybe you
realize something that puts you into a sour mood. We can't expect those around
us to be mind readers.

~~~
cgriswald
That's not how I read it. I read that as Dan being the target of his
frustration, not that he literally blamed Dan.

------
rip747
I think the take away is that sometimes you can't see the forest through the
trees, so look at the sunset.

When I'm working on something and I just can't figure it out, I take my dog
for a walk and hold some ridiculous one-way conversation with him. Yeah I know
I must look like a manic talking to an eight pound pomeranian, but the point
is to put your mind completely somewhere else. It's amazing how the solution
just appears when your mind isn't engulfed in the problem.

~~~
Jemaclus
This is called Rubber Duck Debugging (no joke:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging)).
It works _astonishingly_ well.

Edit: I misread the comment. Thought you were explaining the problem to your
dog. I'm wrong. Different thing. :)

Still, your way also works astonishingly well, too.

~~~
Jem
Moment of 'aha' as I suddenly realise that thing I do which I assumed I was
alone on is actually a common/real 'thing' :)

------
scoofy
If you look on your phone, you might have a little app called "notes." I use
that and still have a great time at parties.

~~~
phantomb
Yeah. Party guy isn't busy, he's disorganized.

~~~
groby_b
If you take the story literally, yes. If you assume that the problem is
slightly more complicated and the author simplified for the benefit of having
a readable story, your little notes app does _squat_.

If the solution for a complicated problem comes to you this way, you have
managed to see dozens of moving parts at just the right time, from just the
right angle, in your mind. It is _incredibly_ hard to hold on to that, and
writing it out in notes takes several pages.

When that solution comes to you, you cling on to it for dear life until you
can put it into a form that works - several pages of notes, a test proving
your point, a large diagram. Whatever it is. None of those answers can be
captured with a phone app.

~~~
phantomb
I'm skeptical that an insight can be both simple enough to spontaneously occur
during a social outing AND complicated enough to require multiple pages of
notes just to capture enough to remind you of the idea.

~~~
groby_b
It's rare. It happens.

The point is, words might not be the best way to capture your insight. You
have _something_ in your mind, and it doesn't always translate into few words.
To quote Blaise Pascal: "I have only made this letter longer because I have
not had the time to make it shorter."

------
pdpi
Nope, sorry, you're wrong. You are the exact definition of an introvert.
You're in a social environment, surrounded by other people, and instead of
interacting with others, you're lost in thought about something else entirely.

Just wikipedia it: Introversion is "the state of or tendency toward being
wholly or predominantly concerned with and interested in one's own mental
life". That exactly describes the behaviour you're relating. Now, being an
introvert isn't a problem, but that title tells me that you're no so much
concerned about introversion being a problem, as you are about grandstanding
and making your "busyness" mark you as important somehow.

~~~
Raphael_Amiard
Wow, so much resentment in this comment !

I for one think I did never fit into one or the other category, I'm an
extrovert sometimes, and introvert at some other times.

One thing is certain is, when I'm problem solving, I don't want to talk to
people, because I need to preserve the mental state of my reflexion. And it is
very annoying to have to justify that all the time at work.

So for me, wether the author is really an introvert or not in the grand scheme
of things is not important. What is important is that a _lot_ of people don't
feel like talking when they do this kind of jobs, and for a very good reason.

------
Gigablah
There's a difference between being "busy" and being "self-absorbed".

------
pbhjpbhj
My mother still recounts that at primary school (5-11) all I'd did is day-
dream all day and they could never get me to do any work. That's not strictly
true of course - I was reading "top class" books when still in infants and was
never challenged by the maths we did, taught the teachers about electric
circuits (perhaps they were just humouring me).

One of my favourite things to do is simply sit and stare out the window, or
sit on the stairs but I'm always thinking about something. Always inventing
something in my mind or doing some gedanken or other.

I wish this had been recognised as indicative of internal complex state rather
than laziness and vacuity and then I might have been encouraged towards
developing those thoughts properly.

... but then I'm prone to blame external forces for my failings.

~~~
cryoshon
>I wish this had been recognised as indicative of internal complex state
rather than laziness and vacuity and then I might have been encouraged towards
developing those thoughts properly.

Agreed. Instead of being encouraged to following our own path and letting our
creativity flourish, we've been beaten down for the sake of fitting in.

------
castlegrove
I totally get this. As one who works in a coworking space I have to fend off
people all day. I love to talk, but not when I'm trying to write code. Some
people don't realize that headphones are the universal sign of "I'm busy".

~~~
rhizome
They realize it, they just think their interests are always more important.

------
sudhirj
What doesn't seem to be coming through here is the power of the subconscious
to pattern match and work on problems independently of our main heads. The way
this guy figured out the solution to his problem was by observing another
person's behaviour in an elevator, which matched a pattern in his mind.

aStimulus is often a good thing. I've actually found watching a lot of
unrelated everyday interactions helps with designing systems.

------
cgriswald
Fantastic read. I'm not a fan of the labels introvert and extrovert as they
apply to people. However, I think as they apply to behaviors they are useful,
and I found the fact that you didn't advocate for yourself to get out of there
(possibly even at the expense of being rude) to be a bit introverted. Same
with the idea that you usually "blow it" during conversation. (Alternatively,
perhaps I am asocial.)

------
intull
This is one of the best articles I've read for situations like those. I fall
into such situations every now and then! And I'm going to pass this on to my
friends as a "nice article". ;)

------
shakeel_mohamed
"Seriously, who wears a hoodie at an office party?" \- As the only intern in a
small office, I did it last year :) (Partially because I was forced to go)

------
sakura_k
~(introvert || extrovert). Or perhaps a better definition is that there is no
common mutex for introverts and extroverts. Or we're all a little introvert
and all a little extrovert.

Introverts are powered by self-reflection and alone time spent understanding
the things they love. Extroverts are powered by spending time with other
people and reflecting on what they love. Most of us are a linear combination
of the two. I'm about a 0.6i + a 0.4e (factors subject to change; some amazing
people's factors add up to 1.0; warranty void where prohibited).

Introversion and extroversion aren't necessarily a dichotomy and aren't
anything to apologize for. We partake of these modes of socialite as life
permits. If you're binary on the scale, great - that helps other people
understand you. If you're analog on the scale, great, you can help others
understand you where you are currently.

------
kirab
Actually it’s obvious that the author is an introvert. It’s just the negative
connotations which make him deny it.

------
AdrianRossouw
I'm in a situation now where I might end up taking my first office job in more
than a decade.

I'm actually kind of worried that the impact of having other people around
will significantly limit my productivity. The few times I have gone to a
remote office to do some work, I really suffered with the open plan situation.

I have to make a conscious effort not to be gruff and terse with my SO when he
breaks my concentration, and I outright love him. I have to remind myself that
other people aren't able to perceive what is going on in the virtual world.

Maybe it will work out fine, but in all honesty having to commute and be
somewhere every day at a certain(ish) time is probably what's going to kill
the experiment for me, not the other people.

------
Kronopath
This is why I used to carry around a pocket notebook with me at all times
(nowadays I use the Notes functionality on my smartphone). Managed to figure
out the solution to a problem I've been struggling with? Got a sudden flash of
creative inspiration I don't want to forget? Need to remember to do some chore
later on this evening? Pull out the notebook and pen, quickly write it down as
best I can, then put the notebook back in my pocket and return my focus to
what's going on around me at the time. That way I can put that idea out of my
mind, returning to it when the situation is right.

------
kirillzubovsky
I just want to say, love the writing style!

------
mvkel
I never understood why being an introvert is looked at as a negative, like the
last thing you want to be is an introvert.

If this piece is this guy's inner monologue, he's an introvert. If he's
incessantly focused on _things_, and people seem to be a distraction from that
thing, that's a pretty big indicator of an introverted personality.

Extroverts can't _help_ but think about connecting with people. They thrive on
it. They're people people.

------
sukuriant
So, this guy went to a social event that he didn't want to go to because his
mind was on work things and had been for a long, long time.

[edit] I'm taking the stance that there was a good reason for his going.
Otherwise the question is just "why did he go?"[/edit]

Why wasn't he in the moment at the party? I suppose there's several reasons.
I'm going to assume he was having a great time, someone that he was talking to
left and then he wandered back into thought rather than going off to talk to
someone else. That's fine, whatever. So, now I wonder where I'm supposed to go
from here with this piece. The thing is this can't be about are getting
flustered at people for interrupting your thought. It doesn't look like it.
Therefore, I'm going to assume it's something like I'm doing right now: stream
of consciousness. If that's the case, then, neat! I've been there! Very cool.
Sorry it got awkward for you there. The other guy is a CEO, he understands
being in thought all the time. "Just one sec, I gotta write this down" and
then scribbling a bunch of notes wouldn't be too offensive to a man in charge
of a whole company. He's done it plenty of times, and those ideas come at any
random moment. I wouldn't be offended by a brief scribble before some proper
salutations. After all, that CEO has now been given your undivided attention
after about 5 seconds of scribbling (presuming you can write something short
down that can be used to jog your memory). People like undivided attention.
Makes them feel important, be they your boss, co-worker, friend, spouse or
child.

Now, what is this story being used for. "I am not an introvert. I am just
busy." No, you're not busy. Or, at least, your busy-ness shouldn't be with
work things right now. You're at a party and should be in party mode with your
friends. It's kinda like a father going home and saying he's going to spend
time with his children, only to completely space out when he's playing catch.
His mind should have been on his children. Your time is with your friends,
there. Not giving them your attention is rude to them. "I am not socially
awkward / going through the motions. I had a sudden thought I need to write
down 'real quick" but that wouldn't be as catchy of a title.

There's those little notebooks that fit in front pockets that people buy and
carry around. Maybe this is what those are for; or, as someone else in this
thread pointed out, that's what the 'notes' app on your phone is for. I'd
honestly not considered that is a reason, or if I have, I just re-realized
that's what they can be for. Anyway,

We can take this to some other situations where it wouldn't be acceptable to
be sucked into this train of thought: a meeting about a different feature at
the job you're working at. They want you present on their tasks, too.

Live in the moment, be that completely absorbed in your current work task, or
hanging out with your friends, laughing about stupid things, or hearing a
friend talk about his story.

~~~
trentmb
Writing your moment of clarity down doesn't give one the smug feeling that
acting out a scene in Good Will Hunting or A Beautiful Mind does.

------
griffinheart
There was never a time that a "F*ck this, i'm going for a drink/dinner" moment
didn't help me solve a problem.

What i feel is that after grinding on a problem for a while we get tunnel
vision, the only way out of that, for me, is to turn off and go do something
else.

------
notlisted
Replace 'CEO' by 'my wife' and you have my life. It's difficult to explain
apparently, but me sitting quietly in my underwear in the office chair staring
at the wall on a Sunday morning doesn't mean I'm not busy. Those pancakes can
wait.

------
markbnj
You seem too anxious. I don't know about you, but once an idea occurs to me
about what might be causing a problem, there's zero chance of forgetting it.
You should have just enjoyed the party. After all, the ROI on the relaxation
had just gone up significantly.

------
randac
Jot some notes on the back of a napkin and the issue becomes less of one. The
real problem, as others have said, is agreeing to things that you would rather
not go through with... Now, that I can sympathize with. Not least because I
struggle with it too.

------
PhasmaFelis
I honestly can't decide if being like this would make me more happy (because
totally dedicated to something that fascinates me) or less (because can't
enjoy personal time for itself).

~~~
Windwaker
I'm like this: It pretty much drives me insane.

------
drivingmenuts
Well-written article. I can relate (I often zone out at social gatherings that
I don't exactly know if I could skip out on, which is most of them).

Amazing how much bike-shedding is going on here.

Or perhaps not.

------
inquist
I have a similar bug. But I was able to code a workaround so the original leak
has still not been found. Good news is it's not causing any problems :)

Sometimes it just needs to work.

------
iamthepieman
I enjoyed reading this. I don't normally like stream of consciousness writing
but this was catchy.

------
robbiea
Love the writing style of this post. He may be in an introvert but he's a damn
good writer!

~~~
morganherlocker
> He may be in an introvert but he's a damn good writer!

Along with what I would imagine is a sizable chunk of the best writers.
Writing is rarely a social activity.

~~~
GarvielLoken
Actually most good writers ( as in book authors ) are FE-doms (Feeling
Extroverted) which makes them extraverted and not introverted. They are good
at it because they are naturally good at consciously think and reflect about
how they affect other people and how other people affect them, which is good
for making believable characters.

It still amazes me that people on this board stick to their (hero)
introvert/extravert dichotomy instead of actually researching the subject
which you would expect engineers and techies to have an inkling to do. Search
words, MBTI, Keyser, Jung, Big Five.

~~~
thallada
A lot of my engineering friends seem to write off the MBTI as some psychology
pseudoscience like astrology. I think there's some truth to it, but it's
certainly not a cut and dry science.

~~~
GarvielLoken
Of course it is not a science, we don't have the technology yet to probable
verify it. But Dario Nardi has made some interesting studies with eeg that
maps the functions to areas in the brain.

It is a theory that many people are finding works and confirms their real life
experience, short story if it quacks like a duck and if it looks like a duck.
But you are ofcause allowed to continue thinking the earth it flat until you
are shown prober proof for something else.

------
zwieback
Nice story, please ignore all the whiner comments.

What I want to know is: did your inspiration help fix the bug?

------
hessenwolf
Very entertaining. Virginia Woolf stream of consciousness in a socially
anxious situation.

------
1602
No, woman, no cry. Just be in a present moment and everything is gonna be
alright.

------
chris_mahan
This is why I always carry a small notebook in my back pocket. And pens.

------
dsschnau
That was a wonderful little story. I really enjoyed it.

------
frade33
the title is now my twitter tag line, thanks for that. People often accuse me
of being introvert, while I am shy of telling them the truth ;)

------
dave_chenell
This is perfect

------
mello151
I thought it was just me...

------
tdsamardzhiev
No, you are an introvert.

------
thenerdfiles
I know a developer who once walked over to a business analyst to ask about an
interesting ID in our database. She chatted with him for a bit, drew her
question, then they bantered some.

At the end of it, he recalled the interesting ID that she originally queried
about, as they conversed, told her, then as she passed on to her next
endeavor, her closing comment was, "Now let me try to remember that number all
the way back to my desk."

Now granted, this is just an ID — not a bug, an "idea" or something embedded
in some complicated (dis)array of logic — but she engaged the person whom she
asked, and through human interaction and grace, the two pulled out an answer
together. Then she took it in strides that _memory is up to her_.

I remember when I used to be more like her — and less like this antihuman,
perpetually brooding, code-distressed, oh-can-you-leave-me-to-my-precious-mind
sob-story archetype that you rage-hackers (again perpetually) perpetuate.

Why do we romanticize this? It's becoming obnoxious — _the glorification of
obnoxiousness_. Your mind is _your_ garden, and no one owes you peace of mind.
And if people wish to browse _your_ garden, you should be absolutely fucking
thrilled.

Why are you propping up and romanticizing this "do no enter" sign at the
entrance of your gardens?

You know — there's a Java dev here that often times will start off an
interruption with, "How can I provide you with outstanding customer service
today?"

How about this? Forget your "engineer" metaphor. Forget your "prodigious self-
torment". If you want to fold to the Machines — that's YOUR M.O. Stop sharing
with piss about it. Stop _whining_. Our job has one distinct role, and that's
to protect EACH OTHER from this massively complicated world of machines. Do
your goddamn fellow human a favor, and pay more attention to HUMANS than you
do machines.

Maybe your life will be filled with more spontaneity, warmth, and gifts —
because all a fucking computer is going to give you is rules. One key
subcomponent of our job as developers, programmers, etc. is Customer Service
and that's because _humans first_.

Why else is "human-readable" a thing?

~~~
jmccree
I know and have met the author of this blog as they used to own a business
that organized developer conferences, published books, and a monthly magazine.
If I had to hazard a guess, after many years of cat herding developers (many
of whom do fit the profile you describe), Marco is enjoying a respite from
humans and enjoying getting back to the relative simplicity of coding.

~~~
dwaltrip
The simplicity of coding is a beautiful thing indeed. A human being alone with
their canvas, painting intricate portraits of abstract complexity.

------
puppetmaster3
Opposite is also true: I have nothing to do, let me call a meeting a blowhard.

