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I train for cycling a lot, and I know there are a bunch here who head to the gym or push themselves at whatever sport they choose to subject themselves to, and one thing that's critical for achieving goals is grit. The ability to just plow on through whatever mental, physical or environmental obstacle is in your way and just push on regardless.
Mindless masochistic stupidity, it's also been called, but I choose to ignore those particular voices in my head.
It dawned on me, as I plow through page after page after page of HTML and CSS as part of a UI update, just how much grit a developer has to have sometimes. That point where you've put in 2 weeks solid on something and you realise you're not even halfway there. In fact you haven't even hit the rough bits. But you have to continue, and you have to, come Hell or high water, finish. Soon.
I would honestly rather site and watch a week of reality TV than grind my way through this but that's (somewhat thankfully, really) not an option.
What's the worst you've pushed yourself through?
cheers
Chris Maunder
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As an employee? Choice of two:
1) Sitting in a library for a whole week, eight hours a day, watching a VDT to see when it glitched. Dull. Couldn't talk - it was a library. Couldn't read - despite it being a library, I had to watch the screen to see it go wrong. Couldn't do anything about the (on expenses) monumental Tequila hangover I arrived with each day - no eating or drinking in a library. It glitched on Friday afternoon, when they signed up a new member for the first time that week and the laminator spiked the mains ... not a software problem at all then ...
Or
2) Sitting at my desk going through a mountain of porn images downloaded by the General Manager of the company in working hours. His taste and mine did not coincide; I don't believe porn has any place in the office*; I definitely didn't want the office girls to see me looking; and I didn't want to find anything like what I was looking for. Why? Because the company owner asked me to check the lot for children ...  Worst working day of my life.
* Unless you work for a company producing it, then it's to be expected.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Yuck. I'd have backed it up, replaced the HDD and reinstalled.
Then when I got the green card, either the HDD goes to the police or there's the - illegal - blackmail option if you are brave / stupid enough. Probably I'd have given the HDD to the police just to cover my back as well as get him away from "temptation".
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Quote: I'd have backed it up, replaced the HDD and reinstalled.
I panicked. I wanted it gone from my presence. I also cleaned the laptop with disinfectant, just in case.
After I left the company, since I was the last competent developer he had, it started the long slide down. However, before he went totally bust he fled the country with the FBI (child porn reported by another employee) and the IRS (tax evasion reported by company controller) in hot pursuit! I'm not sure which one he was most scared of!
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
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I can't believe the company owner asked you to check instead of doing it himself. That's just hiding your head in the sand. I sincerely hope you didn't find anything.
(and I just read Forogar's post and now I'm just depressed...)
cheers
Chris Maunder
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I didn't - but the uncertainty of not knowing if the next image was going to be something you really, really didn't want to look at was enough. Turned out porn hunting was the least of the GM's problems when we started looking closely at his stuff: false invoices, fictitious contractors, loads of stuff. He went from GM of a £10M turnover company with commensurate salary and perks to night shelf stacker in a local supermarket very quickly (after his wife found out he was also having an affair with one of the office girls and refused to let him in the house while she was there).
And the boss? Very much his style - one of those who seem to really care but are a$$holes on the inside. Company went bust in the recession a few years after I left.
"I have no idea what I did, but I'm taking full credit for it." - ThisOldTony
AntiTwitter: @DalekDave is now a follower!
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Just an (interesting?) observation of how quickly your posting of the hard work plowing through code as an act of perseverance has deteriorated to kiddy-porn (and probably bestiality, but I won't mention that).
Whilst you reflect upon that I'll find some more innocent thread to occupy my good clean cynicism.
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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Internet meet Balboos. Balboos, internet. Enjoy.
cheers
Chris Maunder
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Chris Maunder wrote: What's the worst you've pushed yourself through?
Worse than tedious work was weeks when there was little to do. A close second was being part of projects that I knew would either fail or get cancelled. At least there's a sense of accomplishment after tedious work. In those other situations, none.
modified 10-Mar-20 13:48pm.
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Great post!!
Chris Maunder wrote: The ability to just plow on through whatever mental, physical or environmental obstacle is in your way and just push on regardless.
I agree 100%. Tenacity is the key.
One of my all-time favorite quotes:
Louis Pasteur Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity.
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Chris Maunder wrote: I would honestly rather site and watch a week of reality TV than grind my way through this but that's (somewhat thankfully, really) not an option.
After a week of "grinding through this", you'll probably have learned something useful.
A week of reality TV will just turn your brain to...well, I don't know. But I picture your brain would be dripping out of your ears at that point.
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dandy72 wrote: you'll probably have learned something useful
I've learned how to fine tune the coffee machine, how to adjust my chair perfectly, how to align my pens, phone and papers on the desk at exact right angles, and how to adjust the blinds to perfectly adapt to the changing light outside.
I have a Masters in Procrastination.
cheers
Chris Maunder
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Chris Maunder wrote: I have a Masters in Procrastination.
That's because it is boring HTML.
If you wrote a program (or script) everything would be different.
What you need to do is write an app that parses through the HTML and.... 
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raddevus wrote: What you need to do is write an app that parses through the HTML
Who you call...? Ghostbusters!!! code witch 
M.D.V. 
If something has a solution... Why do we have to worry about?. If it has no solution... For what reason do we have to worry about?
Help me to understand what I'm saying, and I'll explain it better to you
Rating helpful answers is nice, but saying thanks can be even nicer.
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Chris Maunder wrote: I have a Masters in Procrastination.
Phhhht! I have spent that last 22 years working on my PhD in the same subject...
If you can't laugh at yourself - ask me and I will do it for you.
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Working on it? Or getting around to working on it?
cheers
Chris Maunder
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Chris Maunder wrote: I have a Masters in Procrastination.
I've decided I'll learn all about procrastination later.
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Working (to put it politely) with InstallShield.
I'd rather be phishing!
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/ravi
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At one time, the InstallShield development team occupied the #1 slot on my list of dev-teams-to-be-put-against-the-wall-when-the-revolution-comes.
Then my company transitioned from Novell GroupWise for email to Lotus Notes.
Software Zen: delete this;
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Chris Maunder wrote: What's the worst you've pushed yourself through?
Almost three years of working 60+ hour weeks at an early stage company.
It was worth the effort. I learned a lot from some very (IMHO) bright engineers, and it was fascinating to get an inside look at what it takes (aside from software engineering) to take an idea to market. Our little company turned down a few early low-ball offers in the wake of the dot com crash and we continued to plough ahead with our heads down, because we knew we had a good solution to a real business problem. It was one of the best jobs I've had.
/ravi
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25 years to figure out how astronomy, religion, and science were connected three millennia ago, and still have a few weeks left to finish making a video I'm working on. I feel your pain, and then some!
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Building out the basic message classes for an IRCv3 client - 184 bland, POD classes. Not a whiff of intellectual stimulation in sight.
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On a similar vein I once saw a developer break, it was not pretty.
After working for 4 years developing a system for an Oz bank and days prior to going into production the project was pulled, when he asked the reason for the cancellation the head of development replied with "why do you care, you were paid weren't you". The developer then decked his boss and broke down crying.
He was consequently sacked but not charged and we gave the development head hell till entire department was disbanded as non functional.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity -
RAH
I'm old. I know stuff - JSOP
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