Programming High?

[pk]

Weed is NOT a good drug choice for those seeking inspiration or increase productivity. At all.

This thread is interesting. I brought up the same subject on a forum full of video game artists and there were tons of trippers, but hardly any stoners.

[bartbes]

Memory is extremely important to programmers, far more important than a sense of communion with the universe.

Well that exp.. what was I saying?

[nevon]

Memory is extremely important to programmers, far more important than a sense of communion with the universe.

Well that exp.. what was I saying?

I dunno. Man... How good would some brownies be right now? Soo good.

[Robin]

Memory is extremely important to programmers, far more important than a sense of communion with the universe.

Well that exp.. what was I saying?

I dunno. Man... How good would some brownies be right now? Soo good.

Heheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh. You guys are funny.

[coffee]

Weed is NOT a good drug choice for those seeking inspiration or increase productivity. At all.

This thread is interesting. I brought up the same subject on a forum full of video game artists and there were tons of trippers, but hardly any stoners.

Yeah PK, but remember, they are the wrong audience. Video game artists (and some other creative classes) have distinctive ways of mentally work and process information. Actually that guys can benefit a bit more from some substances. For processes of creative lateral thinking for example.

[molul]

As much as I enjoy drugs, I can't but agree on what most people is saying. You just can't program better when you're high, neither play better an instrument, but you THINK you're doing everything better. Trust me, I've been there. I've recorded myself jamming with my guitar for hours, thinking I was playing the best of my life. Then I listened to it sober and noticed I was playing like a beginner. I truly enjoyed playing, but not listening to what I played.

The same applies for programming: you're enjoying every single think you do, much more than if you were sober. You kind of reward yourself for every tiny thing you do. When sober, you'd program much better, but you wouldn't enjoy it.

My code was a mess when programming high, that's why I don't do it anymore (it's a waste of time, and I don't have the same time I had back in my high-school days). But I still use drugs for creative process, when I need my mind to fly away to random places.

I loved being high all the time I could, but at some point you appreciate being focused (that is, sober) for certain things that need you fully concentrated.



EDIT:

Weed is NOT a good drug choice for those seeking inspiration or increase productivity. At all.

For increasing productivity, I agree, it doesn't work. But for seeking inspiration, it works like a charm for me.

[vrld]

Apparently a low dosage of LSD can help understanding complicated systems: Use of LSD-25 for Computer Programming (Warning: it's a PDF). Here's the gist of it:

In 1975 the author was working on a complex programming project. At some point the whole structure became to complicated to grasp in it's entirety - a serious problem when being the chief architect. The author then decided to take a small dose of LSD (too small to send him on a trip) to help him see the whole picture. While on the drug he analysed the design for inconsistencies and wrote them down. After the effects of the LSD were gone he was again unable to comprehend the system, but implemented the noted changes anyway. It turned out to be a success.

So I guess drugs can have a positive impact, but as said before: less is more.

[coffee]

Apparently a low dosage of LSD can help understanding complicated systems: Use of LSD-25 for Computer Programming (Warning: it's a PDF). Here's the gist of it:

In 1975 the author was working on a complex programming project. At some point the whole structure became to complicated to grasp in it's entirety - a serious problem when being the chief architect. The author then decided to take a small dose of LSD (too small to send him on a trip) to help him see the whole picture. While on the drug he analysed the design for inconsistencies and wrote them down. After the effects of the LSD were gone he was again unable to comprehend the system, but implemented the noted changes anyway. It turned out to be a success.

So I guess drugs can have a positive impact, but as said before: less is more.

Lol, that guy seems totally be a new-age hippie spending all his time tripping! Hard to believe that someone trusted him for a "complex programming project". The website of so called "Trance Research Foundation" is tripping in some alternative japanese reality (http://www.tranceresearch.org/)!

Dennis R. Wier is the Executive Director of the Trance Research Foundation. He has spent more than 35 years practicing and teaching meditation, experiencing and studying hypnosis, addictions, magic and altered states of consciousness.

He has studied with Yogi Prem Varni of India, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Kalu Rinpoche, and others. He was the Secretary of the Ashtanga Yoga Ashram of Rishikesh from 1970-1980. He taught transcendental meditation for 13 years. He is the Founder of the Trance Institute in Switzerland and the Trance Research Foundation of California.

He is the author of the book, Trance: from magic to technology, published by Trans Media, Inc. in 1995. The book has been translated into German and was published in Germany. This book was used in seminars at the Goethe University in Frankfurt as well as at the University of Florida in Miami. Dennis has also written another book entitled The Way of Trance, published in 2007.

Dennis has given more than 25 radio and TV interviews on trance in over eight countries and published over a dozen articles on trance. He has given talks in Switzerland, England, Nederland, India and Germany.

He is always researching various meditation techniques, learning and applying the trance model to a variety of trance techniques, personal consultations (trance analysis) and continuing to write and promote his perspective on trance.

[Trevor]

I had a friend who I used to play chess with frequently - he is also an extreme pothead (is that word still cool?). If he played sober there was a chance I would lose. However, he insisted that getting high (marijuana) improved his game. I'm not sure why he thought that since he lost every game he played high. Eventually I was able to convince him of this and he cut back smoking while we played, but not before or after.

I occasionally program with a few beers, but never drunk.

[rude]

Never done any coding while high. However, many years ago, a friend and myself thought it was a great idea to make a game while drunk. The result was Adolf Quest II, which had Adolf Hitler (in sieg-heil-pose) riding on a flying dolphin, shooting Stars of David on awkwardly animated and continuously powering-up strongmen from the Megadrive version of Altered Beast.

I wonder if that game is still lying around somewhere ...