

Scott Adams: Crazy Eyes - dennisgorelik
http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/crazy_eyes

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cloudbrain
My wife always tells me when I'm "programming with my eyes". She says my eyes
get this look and she can tell that, even though we are having dinner or a
discussion, that in my head I'm looking at code. She's almost always right.

~~~
rbanffy
I joke many programmers switch to an "autistic mode", when they shut off
everything around them and focus completely on the computer in front of them
and the code they are writing. Myself included.

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mseebach
aka. "flow" or "in the zone". Mentioned widely as early as 2000:
<http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000068.html>

~~~
imd
Probably older, as "hack mode" in the Jargon File:
[http://people.kldp.org/~eunjea/jargon/index.php?idx=hack-
mod...](http://people.kldp.org/~eunjea/jargon/index.php?idx=hack-mode.html)

~~~
wdewind
Probably older as the Tao in the Tao etc.

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huhtenberg
> _Then you cropped out everything but the eyes and showed the films to a
> group of volunteer subjects. Could the volunteers distinguish the skeptics
> from the believers just by their eyes?_

Tangentially related -

There was a study done some time ago when they took a black and white
photograph of an old man, sort of looking off camera and smoking a cigarette.
Then, they told to different study groups that the person was (1) a mass
murderer (2) a scientist (3) a farmer (4) a blind person and many things else,
and asked what gave him away. The answer - invariably - was "his eyes".

So while I see what Scott Adams is saying and it makes sense, I still doubt
it'd be possible to tell the skeptics from the believers the way he suggests.

~~~
wbeaty
Probably depends on how far the believers drift from "normal" mental state.

While working for long periods with poly sleep schedule, and getting into that
hypomanic idea-spewing region, I'll scare myself by looking in the mirror: my
eyes are WIDE, with eyelids not touching iris. Is that how I really look to
everyone? Yep. But my eyes feel normal at the time, if a bit cold. If I force
them to look like a normal person's eyes, they feel warm and half-closed as if
I'm sleepy. That's it! In high creativity "flow" mode, I'm really _really_
awake and I'm paying attention to my entire visual field. Perhaps it's akin to
looking frightened. In order to see possible approaching dangers, you pull
your eyelids back so they don't block peripheral vision as much. You don't
necessarily roll your eyes, but when your eyelids are so wide open, any
glancing to the side exposes the whites of your eyes. Very noticeable to
onlookers. (So then when I go out in public, I have to make sure to squint and
pretend to look sleepy!)

Sheer speculation: ancient tribes might survive better if their members
evolved to display certain unconscious instinctual facial expressions. The
look of feverish sickness says "stay away, infection danger." But the wide-
eyed crazed/fearful expression also gives the community warning to back off
and avoid unexpected behavior. When I've put myself into an extreme creative
state, I'll notice that my eyes feel cold w/wide open lids exposing more
surface. I think to myself "Yep, automatic craziness-warning system been
triggered."

Imagine what might happen if heavily-armed and mentally unstable tribe members
DIDN'T display any signs that they'd consumed alkaloid plants or mushrooms or
alcohol ...or had just gone without sleep for two weeks!

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yoak
I always thought they were just rolling their eyes at me, but now I know
they're deeply engaged in imagining that they're somewhere else.

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mike_esspe
If pupils really will widen when you look at someone you love, then that's a
cool idea for mobile app "Love detector".

~~~
maw
"Hold still, baby, hold still. This won't take more than two seconds."

(Version for people on iOS with an iPhone 3G: "Holy still, baby, hold still.
This won't take more than forty five seconds.")

~~~
RodgerTheGreat
"You're in a desert, walking along the sand, when all of a sudden you look
down and see a tortoise crawling toward you. You reach over and flip the
tortoise on its back. The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the
hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't. Not
without your help. But you're not helping. Why is that?"

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dkasper
Can someone link to some pictures or videos as an example of what this looks
like?

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nailer
I can tell you one form.

I'd never met Maoris (native New Zealanders) until a few years ago. When I
first did, I was quite freaked out because I'd be having friendly
conversations about common topics with people who were smiling, yet their eyes
made them look like they want to kill me.

Look in the mirror and say something in whatever tone you like.

Then repeat, exactly, but:

* tilt you head back

* open your eyes a little further.

Suddenly you're insane, even though you're saying something quite normal.

My understanding is that Maoris, being a tribal culture, have a certain
threatening, warrior body language. They're not actually threatening you,
they're just being a normal guy in Maori society, and part of being a man is
looking tough. I validated this a few years later when my next door neighbor
in Australia ended up becoming a close friend, and used the behavior to my own
advantage to avoid being attacked without saying anything to escalate the
situation when I lived in the UK.

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sp4rki
Oh boy when I get those I'm generally also completely zoned out of my mind.
It's like everything else shuts down.

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J3L2404
I've had a friend describe my 'crazy eyes' as 'watching an eagle soar', which
really caught me off guard because I had no idea that I looked any different.
Since then I have made a conscious effort to give my full attention to people.
It's not easy though - ideas erupt.

~~~
salemh
When I zone out, basically day dreaming I tend to get "1000 yard stare" eyes,
where I freak people out :)

Meth / Coke heads tend to get glassy eyes..not many studies on those effects
and the appearance of eyes.

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AndrewMoffat
I hate looking at people when I have crazy eyes...I get incredibly self
conscious, because I'm sure that they think I look completely nuts. Squinting
and claiming I'm really tired helps.

