Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Constants and variables 135, traffic flow edition
Like other semi-creative work, courseware has creative phases and organizing phases. Like other semi-creative workers, I'd rather do the creative stuff. I try to "justify" more new animations, but sooner or later the "justifications" bump into time constraints. Last week I ran out of "justifications" and had to start the dull work of editing and matching and setting up pointers and proofreading.
Also last week, the idiot Spokane dysgovernment pulled one of its typical stunts. Suddenly moved a pile of heavy equipment into this neighborhood and started CRASHING and HAMMERING and THROWING HUGE PIPES AROUND. As always they didn't give any warning or notice. I checked online and found out that this is a "traffic calming project". The online info doesn't include any maps or diagrams. I know that other "traffic calming projects" led to more speeders and more accidents, so we can expect the same here. It looks like they are narrowing down the intersection with an island of some sort, which will make the corner even more fun for school buses.
The conjunction of my phase change with the seismic distraction allowed me to test a long-held belief about 'flow' and concentration.
It's generally believed that creative work needs uninterrupted concentration, while proofreading and editing can be done 'in the background'. You can let it stand while you answer a phone or go to the store.
This rule is valid for physical creation like painting and pottery and cooking, where chemistry forces your hand. You can't start cooking a stew and then turn it off and leave it around for a few days until traffic-calming stops calming.
The old rule turns out to be backwards for my specific work. I could do the graphics and animation without any problem while the bulldozers and jackhammers were BANGING AND CRASHING. But the editing side requires me to keep two pictures and a dozen text files open and active at the same time, and I need to remember which items are 'source' and which are 'destination'. This takes serious concentration, and I can't just halt without dropping the spinning plates.
The conjunction of my phase change with the seismic distraction allowed me to test a long-held belief about 'flow' and concentration.
It's generally believed that creative work needs uninterrupted concentration, while proofreading and editing can be done 'in the background'. You can let it stand while you answer a phone or go to the store.
This rule is valid for physical creation like painting and pottery and cooking, where chemistry forces your hand. You can't start cooking a stew and then turn it off and leave it around for a few days until traffic-calming stops calming.
The old rule turns out to be backwards for my specific work. I could do the graphics and animation without any problem while the bulldozers and jackhammers were BANGING AND CRASHING. But the editing side requires me to keep two pictures and a dozen text files open and active at the same time, and I need to remember which items are 'source' and which are 'destination'. This takes serious concentration, and I can't just halt without dropping the spinning plates.Labels: Constants and Variables
¶ 9:51 AM
