I’m sitting in the dark of the junk room at home, sipping a celebratory cup of coffee and listening to a largely forgettable “jazz café” playlist after climbing something of a mountain today. A mountain only I know exists.
You know the scene in “Contact”, where they receive the encoded message via the “Very Large Array” in New Mexico, and set about decoding it - and resort to basic mathematics, and a “primer” to gain any sort of foot-hold in what they might do next?
That’s a pretty good analogy for what I’ve been up to today.
I’m going to try and explain this without mentioning programming, because as we all know that might make you fall asleep instantaneously - which might be quite dangerous, unless you’re trying to get to sleep - in which case send me a message and I’ll tell you exactly what I’ve been up to. Trust me - it will help anybody sleep. Apart from me, obviously - because I’m the idiot that fired his work computer up again this evening because he solved something in his head while eating dinner. Yes - I am that crazy.
Here goes with the analogy:
I started the day standing on one side of a yawning chasm, peering out at the other side in the distance, wondering how I might get there. Next to me I didn’t so much as have rope, or tools, or fastenings, or anything else for that matter. I did have the materials to make rope though, and the machinery with which to conjure tools, machinery, and anything else - only I didn’t know how any of that machinery worked - so before I could make rope I had to learn how - and before I could make steel, I had to learn how, and before I could make… you get the idea.
I had to start from the most basic principles - figuring out how to make the materials with which to make a bridge, and then set about trying out the basic structures that a bridge might use.
As of this evening, I’ve essentially invented rope, nuts, bolts, angle-iron, footings, steel, and more - and can see exactly how I might employ them to reach the other side of the yawning chasm. It’s just a case of doing it, and doing it well.
Of course in my world you never just “build a bridge” - I’ll also have to figure out how to wrap it all up in a box, such that when the box is opened it unfurls itself, paints itself, and anchors itself to each side of the yawning chasm. I’ll also have to make sure than the same box works for other yawning chasms - sight unseen.
Welcome to my world.
I have S R Hadden’s “primer”, and am about to set about building Eleanor Arroway’s “machine”.
The problem now? My brain won’t switch off.
I need to find an internet rabbit hole to fall down that will distract me from the task ahead.
One of the common traits that afflict software and web developers is a ridiculous amount of focus. Getting them to focus in the first place might be a little like herding cats, but once you put something in front of them (me) that interests them (again, me), all bets are off.