Majored in physics, went to software for a year, then went back for a physics PhD. If you’ve got any questions on quantum computing, I’m happy to take a stab at them.
Congratulations doctor. I have been part time studying physics for years now, I have a massive admiration for someone who can actually get a PhD in it. Imho you dont need imposter syndrome to find physics hard, it actually IS hard :)
And yet, so many people spend so much time pretending it’s harder than it is (to make themselves look smarter).
That actually gives me some hope! Like I say in programming at least its mainly jargon plus you have the benefit that programming languages are designed by people, so clearly its going to be intelligible to the human mind. The universe is under no such obligation :)
And I would suppose that APL would be the exception that proves the rule.
I’m surprised more people haven’t heard of the impostor syndrome. When I started at my current (large) company 3 years ago it was fairly extensively covered in the new employee orientation. It was pretty much assumed that most of new guys would feel this way for a good while. Just knowing that pretty much everybody was going through the same thing was very helpful in dealing with it.
It also works for general life too. I’m 59 and I feel like a 17 year old in a decaying body. Sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder who that old fuck is that’s staring back at me.
This. But then I have always accepted I’d never fully grow up.
This started at age 40, don’t lie. For me, anyway. I still honestly talk to younger people as though I was their age and catch myself thinking that way a lot.
Here I am! Very similar tastes and gaming experiences too, except I was on an Amiga for Dungeon Master and a C-64/128 for Ultima V. We should do a Qt3 gathering in Toronto - we did one a long time ago - so long ago that I barely remember it, but it was probably at least 10 years ago. Can probably lasso Troy Goodfellow - not sure who else is around and would be interested.
Can I get a hell yes? Man I miss the Amiga/C-64 days sometimes.
Glad you got through that awful episode and kept to writing!
It really struck a chord, as I had a similar experience with blood loss a few months ago, lost almost 70% of my blood and took 9 transfusions, a couple lengthy hospital stays, and more than 4 months to get my blood back to close to normal (I took some iron to help, but was unable to take it regularly). That experience has me reconsidering returning to writing to take another crack at some projects that interest me more than my regular job (corporate lawyer), which I’m thinking of abandoning after over 25 years. Not the first time I’ve tried to retire from it, however.
Donate blood, people. I’m very grateful for those transfusions and will remain a life long annual donor once I have more to spare again.
This is a great message, Desslock. One of the most moving experiences of my life was when my son had to have open-heart surgery as a nine-month old, and we put out a request for people to go to Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles to donate blood in advance of his surgery, and so many people rose to the occasion. One person in particular, one of my best friends, who was weak about blood and needles and whatnot, stepped up and went down there to CHLA and did it anyway. Just because he’s a good man.
I kept donating regularly–blood and plasma–after my son’s surgery, and would get calls every now and again if there was a patient with a specific need they thought a donation from me might fulfill.
It makes a difference.
-xtien
Y’all kinda making me want to get over my fear and start donating again. I had a really scary experience when selling plasma to make ends meet a few years ago that out of the blue made me develop a really nasty needle phobia (I’d been very cavalier about them before that point, hence why I figured selling plasma was a reasonable way to supplement my income). Been trying to fight that for awhile now. Helps to read the stories of the good it does.
I’m glad everyone in the thread and their kids alike made it through those experiences alright!
I’ve never sold plasma, what happened? I need to donate blood more often though, I’m O negative.
The machine that cycled the plasma-separated blood back to my body stopped doing so for a few minutes, which simultaneously hurt and made me very loopy as they tried to get an alarming seeming amount of my blood back into me while I struggled not to vomit, fall off the table, or start shouting in the room full of similarly desperate people all pumping away merrily. I wound up partly passing out and came to covered in ice packs. The techs seemed utterly unconcerned and unhurried about the whole thing and asked if I was gonna go ahead and finish my donation for the day. I… Did not. Got the fuck out of Dodge and never went back. Luckily my gf got a job a month or two later and things worked out.
Glad you recovered! I too was a benefactor of your talents reading your articles in CGW and also of your generosity here at Qt3.
Well crap that sounds pretty scary.
Get a load of this wimp. He thinks you should take his blood or his vomit, but not both at the same time. Talk about entitlement.
