10 ms·

> To the 18 year old David who sat in that lonely computer lab: you fucking did it, dude. You lived that dream. To 37 year old David: Go do it again. I really

> To the 18 year old David who sat in that lonely computer lab: you fucking did it, dude. You lived that dream. To 37 year old David: Go do it again. I really enjoyed that part. I forget sometimes that my career - what I woke up to do this morning, the reason I'm in this office right now - this was my dream. I should remember that more often. This dream started almost 20 years ago (I'm about the same age as David) and it's easy to forget... I thought this would be impossible once. Well, the odds looked pretty bad at first. I barely scraped by in school, would never enter post secondary school, and at the time was terrible with math and logic. I didn't care about programming specifically though, I cared about what I could create with it. In retrospect, I'm glad I had the attitude and optimism that I did. More on topic, I know of David through his website which, early on on my front end days, was an incredibly helpful resource. I vividly remember figuring out Mootools problems with the help of his articles. Ha, like this: https://davidwalsh.name/namespace-mootools https://davidwalsh.name/namespace-mootools So out of date now, but man, some of his stuff saved my ass when I was thrown into a Mootools-heavy project in 2011-2012 with very little experience with JS. Great memories.

dannyw 6y ago
This really hits close to. home as well. 15 year old me learning programming dreamed of where I am now.
- saalweachter 6y ago
  15-year-old me wanted to control an army of robot minions from a moon base. I mean, I'm not sad with how my life turned out, it's pretty great, but I don't even have one robot minion since the Roomba died.
  - scrollaway 6y ago
    It's not too late.
  - jayshua 6y ago
    Checkout https://screeps.com/ https://screeps.com/. You could control your very own army of minions.
  - crpatino 6y ago
    As we age, we find bigger and better dreams to pursue. What is it so special about the minions? Do they have to be robots? What is it with the Moon? Answer those questions and you will figure out what is your new dream... or reframe the older one
    - bluGill 6y ago
      I want minions in the old fashioned slave does my bidding context - cook meals, clean the house, work the fields, and whatever else I happen to dream up. All of that taking whatever abuse I happen to dish out in my frustration about whatever. I share the modern ethical concerns about owning other humans, so that leaves robots.
      - saalweachter 6y ago
        In addition to the juvenile power fantasies of being in control and having lots of power, I also wanted to create the crazy things seen in science fiction, for a mix of the purer "I want this thing to exist in the world" and the baser "I'd be so famous if I created this". Of course, it's a lot easier and cheaper to learn pure programming than to learn programming and how to build robots, which is how I got where I am today. Granted, it's also gotten a lot easier (now that things like Pi's and Arduino and the associated off-the-shelf robotics sensors, etc exist) and more affordable (as I am a paid programmer and not a penniless yute) to build robots, but doing the really cool stuff is still in the realm of "dozens to thousands of people working collaboratively for years" rather than "one person staying up late and coding while listening to music".
        crpatino 6y ago
        To answer bluGill and saalweachter both. If you have power fantasies, may I interest you in the practice of martial arts instead? I know I am biased in favor of that, but I will try anyways. If you want to learn and make others do your bidding, the first step is to learn how to do your own bidding: "cannot command until can do" and all that. It is very satisfying to be able to decide to do something and then just do it. Most people cannot do that. Most people do not realize they devote precious little of their time to do what they want to do, because they keep just running in the hamster wheel until they grow old and die.
  - TheGrassyKnoll 6y ago
    My 'minion' dream is to get one of those 32 core Threadrippers and actually be able to wrangle all those cores to do my bidding. (my Rust education is moving at glacial speed...)
jgilias 6y ago
I for one dreamed of becoming an astronaut and spending some time on the Moon. I still do.
tuxninja 6y ago
Valid. I dreamed of where I am today. Living it doesn't feel like it was your dream, but remember how bad you wanted it when you were a teanager and appreciate where you are now and how far you have come. Great to reflect.
- ficklepickle 6y ago
  Gratitude, baby. Our society seems very focused on "more", but it is very good for one's mental health to remember how great what we have now is. There are studies that show daily practices of gratitude change the brain. If you can, write down three things you are grateful for every night before bed. No matter how bad your day was, it will put you in a better head space. Now, of course, I don't routinely follow my own advice. But when I did, it had noticeable benefits that have persisted to this day.
  - steve_adams_86 6y ago
    You know, I actually started this practice recently (more or less - trying to keep track of what has made me happy and what I'm grateful for at night. I miss nights, but I keep at it), and as I wrote that comment I had a thought. I'm not sure I would have reflected so positively or even realized that I'd accomplished a dream of mine if I hadn't been 'practising gratitude' so to speak. It seems to me like it's an important thing to do and believe in. There's so much to be glad about that I've often missed. Granted there's plenty to be unhappy about, but that's too easy and not rewarding at all. Anyone can plainly see what's bad. But to find the good, it's sort of a treasure hunt before bed. What was awesome today? As it turns out, plenty. Maybe even more was bad, but the good parts were still good, and that's enough most days.
    - nitemice 6y ago
      I've sort of been doing something similar for a few years now where, each day I will document the highlight of my days. It's been a really interesting experience and it's useful from not just a gratitude/appreciation perspective but also it's turned into an invaluable tool for keeping track of how time passes. You know, when you can look back over the days and see even just one thing that you did each day, they each become a little more memorable. It can also be handy sometimes when you have a mystery receipt, and you're trying to work out what you spent $12 on 3 weeks ago, on a random weeknight. "Oh yeah, that's the day I went out for ice-cream after work because I'd had a bad day", or whatever. I wrote a post about it a while back, if you're interested in hearing more: https://nitemice.com/2018/05/12/daily-highlights/ https://nitemice.com/2018/05/12/daily-highlights/
jedimastert 6y ago
I'm currently 27. When I was in second grade, I told my parents I wanted to do the exact job I'm doing right now when I grew up. I still have that realization every once and a while.
- pram 6y ago
  Same! When I saw the really fat UNIX janitor in Jurassic Park, I knew that was my life's calling.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
grishka 6y ago
I worked 5 years at a company I dreamed about. Then 2 at another one. It was an amazing experience, I learned a lot in the process and met many great people. Problem is, there are no companies or projects left for me to dream about any more. :'(
- names_are_hard 6y ago
  I know the feeling. I've come to believe that it's a terrible thing to actually meet your goals. Kinda like heroes, I guess.
  - steve_adams_86 6y ago
    I've heard people say that rather than focus on goals, focus on systems. Like, one time I set a goal to dead lift 400lbs. I actually did it a couple years later. The stupid thing is I stopped lifting maybe 3 months after that. Lifting 400lbs really meant nothing. Focusing on that goal was pointless. Focusing on the system of getting stronger and healthier would have been far more sensible, because there is no end to it, and there's endless progress to be made. Well, within one's own means - you could lift, swim, climb, whatever. Just enjoy it and push yourself, and you'll probably find more ways to get better at it than you could manage in your lifetime. I've been realizing recently, maybe late in life - I don't know if this is obvious to other people much earlier - that discreet goals don't make much sense in such changeable, open-ended lives. Why aim to save $10,000 when you could aim to maintain the practice of saving 10% of your income - forever? Every month or quarter or year you can look and say hell yes, I hit that goal! Maybe you want to increase it one year. $10k will run out in no time, but a good habit doesn't. Also, maybe saving sums of money isn't really what we need to focus on... Kind of like lifting some arbitrary weight. Maybe what we really want is health and strength, or financial security and independence to allow us to buy the things we want or need. Maybe rather than travelling to a specific location, we want to live in such a way that we can have the opportunity and means to explore and see interesting places. The discreet goals could be a sub-goal of the system perhaps, but probably shouldn't be the focus. I've always had these silly discreet goals and terrible habits to support them. I think, moving forward into my later 30s and beyond, I'll try more to focus on systems over discreet, limited results.

dannyw 6y ago

This really hits close to. home as well. 15 year old me learning programming dreamed of where I am now.

saalweachter 6y ago
15-year-old me wanted to control an army of robot minions from a moon base. I mean, I'm not sad with how my life turned out, it's pretty great, but I don't even have one robot minion since the Roomba died.
- scrollaway 6y ago
  It's not too late.
- jayshua 6y ago
  Checkout https://screeps.com/ https://screeps.com/. You could control your very own army of minions.
- crpatino 6y ago
  As we age, we find bigger and better dreams to pursue. What is it so special about the minions? Do they have to be robots? What is it with the Moon? Answer those questions and you will figure out what is your new dream... or reframe the older one
  - bluGill 6y ago
    I want minions in the old fashioned slave does my bidding context - cook meals, clean the house, work the fields, and whatever else I happen to dream up. All of that taking whatever abuse I happen to dish out in my frustration about whatever. I share the modern ethical concerns about owning other humans, so that leaves robots.
    - saalweachter 6y ago
      In addition to the juvenile power fantasies of being in control and having lots of power, I also wanted to create the crazy things seen in science fiction, for a mix of the purer "I want this thing to exist in the world" and the baser "I'd be so famous if I created this". Of course, it's a lot easier and cheaper to learn pure programming than to learn programming and how to build robots, which is how I got where I am today. Granted, it's also gotten a lot easier (now that things like Pi's and Arduino and the associated off-the-shelf robotics sensors, etc exist) and more affordable (as I am a paid programmer and not a penniless yute) to build robots, but doing the really cool stuff is still in the realm of "dozens to thousands of people working collaboratively for years" rather than "one person staying up late and coding while listening to music".
      - crpatino 6y ago
        To answer bluGill and saalweachter both. If you have power fantasies, may I interest you in the practice of martial arts instead? I know I am biased in favor of that, but I will try anyways. If you want to learn and make others do your bidding, the first step is to learn how to do your own bidding: "cannot command until can do" and all that. It is very satisfying to be able to decide to do something and then just do it. Most people cannot do that. Most people do not realize they devote precious little of their time to do what they want to do, because they keep just running in the hamster wheel until they grow old and die.
- TheGrassyKnoll 6y ago
  My 'minion' dream is to get one of those 32 core Threadrippers and actually be able to wrangle all those cores to do my bidding. (my Rust education is moving at glacial speed...)

jgilias 6y ago

I for one dreamed of becoming an astronaut and spending some time on the Moon. I still do.

tuxninja 6y ago

Valid. I dreamed of where I am today. Living it doesn't feel like it was your dream, but remember how bad you wanted it when you were a teanager and appreciate where you are now and how far you have come. Great to reflect.

ficklepickle 6y ago
Gratitude, baby. Our society seems very focused on "more", but it is very good for one's mental health to remember how great what we have now is. There are studies that show daily practices of gratitude change the brain. If you can, write down three things you are grateful for every night before bed. No matter how bad your day was, it will put you in a better head space. Now, of course, I don't routinely follow my own advice. But when I did, it had noticeable benefits that have persisted to this day.
- steve_adams_86 6y ago
  You know, I actually started this practice recently (more or less - trying to keep track of what has made me happy and what I'm grateful for at night. I miss nights, but I keep at it), and as I wrote that comment I had a thought. I'm not sure I would have reflected so positively or even realized that I'd accomplished a dream of mine if I hadn't been 'practising gratitude' so to speak. It seems to me like it's an important thing to do and believe in. There's so much to be glad about that I've often missed. Granted there's plenty to be unhappy about, but that's too easy and not rewarding at all. Anyone can plainly see what's bad. But to find the good, it's sort of a treasure hunt before bed. What was awesome today? As it turns out, plenty. Maybe even more was bad, but the good parts were still good, and that's enough most days.
  - nitemice 6y ago
    I've sort of been doing something similar for a few years now where, each day I will document the highlight of my days. It's been a really interesting experience and it's useful from not just a gratitude/appreciation perspective but also it's turned into an invaluable tool for keeping track of how time passes. You know, when you can look back over the days and see even just one thing that you did each day, they each become a little more memorable. It can also be handy sometimes when you have a mystery receipt, and you're trying to work out what you spent $12 on 3 weeks ago, on a random weeknight. "Oh yeah, that's the day I went out for ice-cream after work because I'd had a bad day", or whatever. I wrote a post about it a while back, if you're interested in hearing more: https://nitemice.com/2018/05/12/daily-highlights/ https://nitemice.com/2018/05/12/daily-highlights/

jedimastert 6y ago

I'm currently 27. When I was in second grade, I told my parents I wanted to do the exact job I'm doing right now when I grew up. I still have that realization every once and a while.

pram 6y ago
Same! When I saw the really fat UNIX janitor in Jurassic Park, I knew that was my life's calling.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

grishka 6y ago

I worked 5 years at a company I dreamed about. Then 2 at another one. It was an amazing experience, I learned a lot in the process and met many great people. Problem is, there are no companies or projects left for me to dream about any more. :'(

names_are_hard 6y ago
I know the feeling. I've come to believe that it's a terrible thing to actually meet your goals. Kinda like heroes, I guess.
- steve_adams_86 6y ago
  I've heard people say that rather than focus on goals, focus on systems. Like, one time I set a goal to dead lift 400lbs. I actually did it a couple years later. The stupid thing is I stopped lifting maybe 3 months after that. Lifting 400lbs really meant nothing. Focusing on that goal was pointless. Focusing on the system of getting stronger and healthier would have been far more sensible, because there is no end to it, and there's endless progress to be made. Well, within one's own means - you could lift, swim, climb, whatever. Just enjoy it and push yourself, and you'll probably find more ways to get better at it than you could manage in your lifetime. I've been realizing recently, maybe late in life - I don't know if this is obvious to other people much earlier - that discreet goals don't make much sense in such changeable, open-ended lives. Why aim to save $10,000 when you could aim to maintain the practice of saving 10% of your income - forever? Every month or quarter or year you can look and say hell yes, I hit that goal! Maybe you want to increase it one year. $10k will run out in no time, but a good habit doesn't. Also, maybe saving sums of money isn't really what we need to focus on... Kind of like lifting some arbitrary weight. Maybe what we really want is health and strength, or financial security and independence to allow us to buy the things we want or need. Maybe rather than travelling to a specific location, we want to live in such a way that we can have the opportunity and means to explore and see interesting places. The discreet goals could be a sub-goal of the system perhaps, but probably shouldn't be the focus. I've always had these silly discreet goals and terrible habits to support them. I think, moving forward into my later 30s and beyond, I'll try more to focus on systems over discreet, limited results.