Gizmodo put me onto this extremely cool swiss graffiti robot, which is basically a spray can, a computer, two steppper motors and some string. Check out the video of the robot painting a work of art for an exhibition, it’s a sight to behold.
Reading about that project made we want to be a geek again. I have a long past in the IT business, and there’s just something about a project that cool and that useless that makes some part of me want to do it. To work out all the details involved ant then finally see it in action. To slave loooong nights over obscure little problems, that I probably created myself in the first place. To disappear into a process so intense and so goal-oriented and so clear that sleep, food, politics, TV, movies and keeping up a normal social life take the back seat to fixing the next bug. And the next.
Alex, I think in this post you have touched on something close to your answer to what makes you happy at work. there is a lot energy in your words. not that you would go back to IT, but that some of the traits of IT cause happiness to show up in your heart.
i still read your blog site nearly every day and benefit greatly from it.
thanks for being part of the great conversation.
Mike
Damn, you caught me there Mike. There’s definitely a part of the geek lifestyle that I miss, namely the projects that have really clear goals. Focusing on one little thing, and getting that just right.
Most projects are not like that. You may be doing great work, but the level of complexity is higher, so you don’t always know if you’re on the right track. The concept of flow becomes important here, because one of the preconditions for reaching glow is clear goals and immediate feedback, which are rare.
What I’m trying to do instead, is to be happy knowing that while it’s not always clear whether I’m moving towards my goals or not, I AM living my values. This is in my opinion a truer road to happiness, but it is harder.