速度は知恵を育まない
現代社会では速度が主要な美徳となっているが、知恵は経験によって自分自身が「解きほぐされる」ことを必要とする。速度を保つことで反省を避けられるが、重要なことは必要な時間をかけてこそ理解できるものであり、知恵は私たちを追いかけているのに、速すぎてその教えに気づけないのだ。
現代社会では速度が主要な美徳となっているが、知恵は経験によって自分自身が「解きほぐされる」ことを必要とする。速度を保つことで反省を避けられるが、重要なことは必要な時間をかけてこそ理解できるものであり、知恵は私たちを追いかけているのに、速すぎてその教えに気づけないのだ。
The author reflects on lying to a colleague about a workplace mistake a decade ago as an intern. He advises controlling emotional reactions, communicating mistakes matter-of-factly, and accepting that some mistakes are inevitable when taking necessary risks in engineering work.
A friend modified his expensive Tesla Roadster for comfort, filing interior panels and 3D printing parts. The author reflects on how we often preserve expensive tools rather than customizing them for our needs, comparing it to software modifications we make without hesitation.
The author reflects on how skill development often occurs through sudden "phase changes" rather than gradual progress, drawing from their experience with running and programming. They explore whether these mental leaps can be accelerated or if it's more productive to motivate people to persist until the phase change occurs naturally.
A man in a coffee shop offers unsolicited financial advice to a distracted mother, claiming his success came from recognizing opportunities, discipline, and taking risks. Another man later approaches her with different advice and a cup of herbal tea. The barista who witnessed the scene notes that neither man actually helped the woman who lives in a van with her children.
The author describes being addicted to being useful, which drives their enjoyment of software engineering despite industry challenges. They compare themselves to Gogol's character Akaky Akaievich, whose dysfunctional traits matched his terrible job. Many software engineers are motivated by internal compulsions like solving puzzles rather than external rewards.