4 ms·

I sense a great justification for an alcohol budget. Edit: Totally willing to continue burning karma on this comment if the HN community continues to decide vo

I sense a great justification for an alcohol budget. Edit: Totally willing to continue burning karma on this comment if the HN community continues to decide vote it down. I've tried reviewing my own code in a different state of intoxication than when I wrote it and I'm not joking that it can help. I'm still trying to pull resources together for a study on the benefit of different mindframes for peer review. We haven't tried alcohol yet, but frankly it wouldn't be a half bad idea if we could get anyone not to laugh too loudly at the proposal.

cperciva 16y ago
Cute idea, but I don't drink (for medical reasons). I suppose I could try reviewing code in both caffeinated and decaffeinated states, but being decaffeinated gives me enough of a headache that I don't think I'd be much use that way.
steveklabnik 16y ago
There's some sort of analogy in here about how alcohol 'loosens you up' could be related to getting in the proper state of mind to 'code fearlessly,' but I can't seem to find it.
- Kliment 16y ago
  It was referenced in http://xkcd.com/323/ http://xkcd.com/323/ but I can't find a proper reference either.
ryanwaggoner 16y ago
Not only code review, but also useful for UI design. Drink 12 beers and then try to use the app you just designed :)
danohuiginn 16y ago
Herodotus: "they are wont to deliberate when drinking hard about the most important of their affairs, and whatsoever conclusion has pleased them in their deliberation, this on the next day, when they are sober, the master of the house in which they happen to be when they deliberate lays before them for discussion: and if it pleases them when they are sober also, they adopt it, but if it does not please them, they let it go: and that on which they have had the first deliberation when they are sober, they consider again when they are drinking." http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2707/pg2707.txt http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2707/pg2707.txt I also agree with you in general, that checking things in different mental states is a good practice. With alcohol, I suspect the benefit is outweighed by the difficulty of spotting bugs when drunk -- but who knows?
- djcapelis 16y ago
  Well, I am actually a bit more curious about the difference between coding drunk and checking sober vs. coding sober, checking sober... But I suppose checking drunk would be amusing too.

cperciva 16y ago

Cute idea, but I don't drink (for medical reasons). I suppose I could try reviewing code in both caffeinated and decaffeinated states, but being decaffeinated gives me enough of a headache that I don't think I'd be much use that way.

steveklabnik 16y ago

There's some sort of analogy in here about how alcohol 'loosens you up' could be related to getting in the proper state of mind to 'code fearlessly,' but I can't seem to find it.

Kliment 16y ago
It was referenced in http://xkcd.com/323/ http://xkcd.com/323/ but I can't find a proper reference either.

ryanwaggoner 16y ago

Not only code review, but also useful for UI design. Drink 12 beers and then try to use the app you just designed :)

danohuiginn 16y ago

Herodotus: "they are wont to deliberate when drinking hard about the most important of their affairs, and whatsoever conclusion has pleased them in their deliberation, this on the next day, when they are sober, the master of the house in which they happen to be when they deliberate lays before them for discussion: and if it pleases them when they are sober also, they adopt it, but if it does not please them, they let it go: and that on which they have had the first deliberation when they are sober, they consider again when they are drinking." http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2707/pg2707.txt http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2707/pg2707.txt I also agree with you in general, that checking things in different mental states is a good practice. With alcohol, I suspect the benefit is outweighed by the difficulty of spotting bugs when drunk -- but who knows?

djcapelis 16y ago
Well, I am actually a bit more curious about the difference between coding drunk and checking sober vs. coding sober, checking sober... But I suppose checking drunk would be amusing too.