As obsessive tech people are wont to do, I often get deep into the technical waters trying to solve some obscure problem. In this state, I am a pretty miserable person to try and associate with. Questions don't register until minutes after being asked and responses are started but never finished. My wife hates it. If there is one point of martial strife in our otherwise blissful marriage, it would be that I submerge myself and don't surface for hours. Observation tells me that I am most definitely not alone in this behavior. Whether it be Scheme, Skyrim, or Spotify, we humans generally suck at balancing our real world interactions with our digital distractions. I often brush off the opinions of those who warn of our ever more connected-yet-disconnected behavior as only applying to teens on Facebook. But when I come up for air, I see just how unrooted from the physical realm I can be. The Singularity hasn't quite happened yet, and until that time, those of us who spend time staring at a screen all day need to swim for the surface occasionally and avoid getting completely lost.
I feel that the motives for which we are deep in waters is important to evaluate when we are accessing time spent in certain areas. Obviously over emphasizing one area over all the rest for a long period of time is bad, but some bursts of dedication towards something important and yet semi-neglected is needed.
ReplyDeleteI agree we can be easily distracted. I find that after programming all day whether it be for 3 CS classes or work I go home and breath and don't want to program at all.
ReplyDeleteThis perspective is worth remembering as programmers.
ReplyDeleteDeep, dark waters can also be as wonderful as the choppy surface waves.
ReplyDeleteThis can just as easily happen outside of computers. As long as this type of pattern doesn't happen all the time, there is nothing wrong with becoming absorbed in a book, on a physical task, or whatever.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Pete, we could become immersed in any activity, it is important that we prioritize our life.
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