Sunday, February 12, 2006

well intentioned unhelpfulness

an observation i've made recently is that some people don't really understand a natural born problem solver... it's weird because to a certain extent all men are thought to be problem solvers, but still the misunderstanding persists...

for example, i sometimes come across the phrase "we have to do this"... i call it the edict from on high... it's usually said in frustration in response to detailed accounts of the many problems developers have faced or will face trying to implement some feature... it generally doesn't come with any clear indication of how "this" is to be done, how to overcome the obstacles in our way, or even any compelling evidence that it can be done in a reasonable way...

this leads naturally to the oft repeated "anything is possible"... anything is possible is a philosophical opinion, and it's one that is contradicted by the real world... computer scientists familiar with the halting problem know for a fact that some things are not possible... anything is possible is the mantra of motivational speakers, not workers trying to get a job done...

i consider myself a natural born problem solver so when i got to someone for help on a problem i'm finding difficult to solve i'm not looking for motivation, i'm looking for innovation... i'm looking for ideas because i have run out, i've exhausted the possibilities that i can see and i need a fresh perspective... and it's frustrating getting these kinds of answers because it indicates that the people i'm asking don't understand me or the problems i'm encountering...

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