2015.01.18 07:00 - Teaching a Rubber Duck

The Guardian for this meeting was Adams Rubble. The comments are by Adams Rubble.

Adams Rubble: Hello QT :)
Qt Core: Hi Adams
Adams Rubble: nice to see you :)
Qt Core: :-)
Adams Rubble: we are having an ice storm here in RL
Adams Rubble: nice to be inside looking out
Adams Rubble: how have you been?
Qt Core: it's sunnny with some ugly almost stormy clouds here
Adams Rubble: I have not seen you in a long, long time
Qt Core: i slowed down on sl (if ever possible) and i'm rarely online at this hour
Adams Rubble: very few are on at this time :)
Adams Rubble: PaB seems to be moving to the next session time
Qt Core: surely a easier time for most EU
Adams Rubble: ahhh
Qt Core: it's at 10pm for me

9 Seconds

Adams Rubble: Have you had any experiences with the 9 seconds recently?
Adams Rubble: I have not used them for a while
Qt Core: me neither, even if in my opinion is better to stop when you feel the need more than at scheduled intervals
Adams Rubble: that is an interesting point
Qt Core: concentration on what one is doing is so hard to achieve in this noisy world, keep it up if you can find it
--BELL--
Adams Rubble: that is a great way to go if you can remember to stop when you need it :)
Adams Rubble: I don;t do so well with that :)
Qt Core: basically when one could not keep it going,,, and when one can't get it started
Qt Core: when it works it is like breathing while swimming, you have to breathe and/for continuing to swim
Adams Rubble: yes :)
Adams Rubble: I need to be near a computer with a bell and in a position to stop to keep it going
Adams Rubble: I guess maybe that is my snorkle :)
Adams Rubble: I find longer meditations better at other times I guess
Qt Core: i don't meditate but believe that one is really concentrate on what he is doing it can be called meditation
Qt Core: +when
Adams Rubble: yes, I find that a kind of meditation too
Adams Rubble: stops one's mind from some of its craziness :)
Qt Core: lately it happen less and less often as sources of distraction increased
Adams Rubble: I guess I look for distractions when there is something I am finding difficult
Adams Rubble: I find it hard to stay focused then
--BELL--

Youtube Affecting Concentration

Qt Core: the trouble is that it become easier not to be concentrated, like with youtube, i'm almost unable to follow an entire movie, too used to brief clips
Adams Rubble: Yes, all the clips clamoring for attention
Adams Rubble: links linking to more links :)
Qt Core: and as they are/have to be shorter they are more intense, or at least more direct
Qt Core: not having to wait for almost three hours for some big reveal
Adams Rubble: from "monkey mind" to "monkey internet" :)
Qt Core: (that maybe you already know having read the book)
Adams Rubble: :)
Adams Rubble: well we are making a good case for the need for nine seconds in our lives :)
Adams Rubble: even if only when we need them :)
Qt Core: :-)
Adams Rubble: Maybe a way to focus on our difficult projects is to make sure they do not involve using a computer connected to the internet :)
Qt Core: that goes quite well with me being a programmer and even doing some remote support...
Qt Core: ;-)
Adams Rubble: :)
Korel Laloix: Heya
Adams Rubble: I have not done programming professionally. Do you do most of your thinking while at the computer?
Qt Core: Hi Korel
Adams Rubble: Hello Korel :)
Qt Core: yes
Korel Laloix: I have a hard time thinking in front of a computer. I sort of have to walk away to organize my thoughts.... so probably would not be very good at that.
Adams Rubble: I can do both but maybe my best thinking is away from the computer
Qt Core: not doing rocket science there are very few cases when a black/whiteboard or sxchanging ideas is really needed
Adams Rubble: maybe that is because of all the distractions
Adams Rubble: (my comment goes before QT's)
Korel Laloix: I am not sure about that... at least for the way I think.
--BELL--
Korel Laloix: organizing a topic on a sheet of paper helps me understand quite a lot. Sort of relational diagrams or Vin diagrams.
Qt Core: that said talking to someone else trying to describe the problem and the solution so someone else, would it even be the monitor itself helps, i usually stop mid phrase with a solution
Adams Rubble: :)
Adams Rubble: Maybe I should try talking to my monitor :)

Rubber Duck Debugging

Qt Core: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubber_duck_debugging
Adams Rubble: :)
Qt Core: even just reading code aloud help as it slow down the reading and one has the time to notice all the effects, not only the intended ones
Adams Rubble: I recently read that we forget 90% of what we are taught but remember 90% of what we teach
Qt Core: the trick then is teaching before forgetting
Adams Rubble: hehe, yes
Korel Laloix: I find that idea helpful.. and I guess that is what I do with my putting an idea on paper... sort of teaching the paper to tell me the information.
Korel Laloix: And I do know, I never really got trigonometry until I had to teach it as a grad student.
Adams Rubble: I must go back to RL. It has been very nice chatting :)
Korel Laloix: Take care.
Qt Core: Bye Adams, bye, ty
Adams Rubble: I hope you have a nice evening QT and a nice day Korel :)
Adams Rubble: bye for now
Qt Core: :-) you too
Korel Laloix: Ok then.. back to RL as well. Need to get a few things done.
Korel Laloix: Take care Qt...
Qt Core: bye Korel, have fun