Subj : Re: Constant interruptions and left brain - right brain thing To : comp.programming From : Anon Date : Thu Sep 29 2005 12:04 am Replies inline. "Phlip" wrote in message news:<1ko_e.426$056.72@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com>... > Anon wrote: > > > I've read several times lately on the web and in books about how coding > > requires left brain and when interrupted it knocks you into right brain > > mode. > > It is very sad that people who would never indulge in cartomancy or > astromancy (astrology) consider the pseudoscience of "bicameral mind" > theories to be more than a metaphor. > > The problem with interruptions to Flow is that programming requires > filling > your short-term memory up with a structure shaped like your progrom's > object > model, executing in memory. People who can't do this ("where do all those > pointers point to again?") can't program. Yeah I don't really know much about how the human brain does and which part does what etc but I agree entirely with that last paragraph. I just sometimes have trouble explaning it and the left/right brain thing is something I've seen several times lately. > The solution I have found works best is Instant Messaging, and chat. > Sometimes I would rather IM someone 2 workbenches over from me than yell > to them. I don't mind instant messaging that much - I can always minimize someone to the system tray (using a utility called powermenu) if they keep distracting and I don't want to lose their messages. I prefer email though as sometimes IMs get lost and forgotten about when restarting the computer etc (since the IM client installed on our machines at work does not support logging etc). E-mail therefore provides a more permanent record and can be flagged with reminders and organized into appropriate folders etc. .