3 ms·

Hmmmmm, this is actually kind of interesting - perhaps that "continuous grind through criminally unoptimized UI" type of work is what actually constructs the "t

Hmmmmm, this is actually kind of interesting - perhaps that "continuous grind through criminally unoptimized UI" type of work is what actually constructs the "this is how you use a computer" mindset that these people have - because it's all they know. Developers are always about optimization and automation and tweaking and refinement, and their tools reflect this constant pursuit of efficiency that constantly transcends and questions how a job is expressed (UI, mental modeling) and completed. No other industry - ironically including technical management roles (maybe even especially so?) - seems to have this sort of focus. I even hesitantly wonder if the biggest similarity I've ever seen is with accessibility type setups with screen readers and whatnot. (Ha, that says a lot about the fundamental impedance mismatch of developer tooling!)

Matumio 5y ago
Or maybe if you have to painstakingly copy those finance numbers and hour reports, you will be thinking about them more. You look busy enough to qualify as working, giving you time to actually think. All the time tracking tools I've ever used (at software companies!) had a bad UI. Sometimes we even have to track the same hours into two different tools. Can't we automate time-tracking away? My explanation is that this is the result of cultural evolution. Companies that make people think twice about their time and spendings are more successful. People will copy whatever successful companies are doing.
- exikyut 5y ago
  > You look busy enough to qualify as working, giving you time to actually think. This is so messed up - and yet so interesting as a direct result of that. I've only ever considered the idea of "looking busy" in the sense of whether or not someone is trying to optimize for shirking actual mental engagement. I never thought of how doing that can actually make room to think. But that's so logically obvious once you mush the two ideas together! I say this is messed up because I can totally see this being both necessary and helpful in certain situations. Wow.

Matumio 5y ago

Or maybe if you have to painstakingly copy those finance numbers and hour reports, you will be thinking about them more. You look busy enough to qualify as working, giving you time to actually think. All the time tracking tools I've ever used (at software companies!) had a bad UI. Sometimes we even have to track the same hours into two different tools. Can't we automate time-tracking away? My explanation is that this is the result of cultural evolution. Companies that make people think twice about their time and spendings are more successful. People will copy whatever successful companies are doing.

exikyut 5y ago
> You look busy enough to qualify as working, giving you time to actually think. This is so messed up - and yet so interesting as a direct result of that. I've only ever considered the idea of "looking busy" in the sense of whether or not someone is trying to optimize for shirking actual mental engagement. I never thought of how doing that can actually make room to think. But that's so logically obvious once you mush the two ideas together! I say this is messed up because I can totally see this being both necessary and helpful in certain situations. Wow.