This paper was published in this year’s issue of sigbovik, the best satirical academic journal you (may) have never heard of: https://sigbovik.org/2024/
"Maximizing Code Readability Using Semicolon Indentation"
Though I guess end-of-line semicolons in Javascript is the next open question
> ;;;;;;;;5.2;;JavaScript
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;With JavaScript, the practice of omitting semicolons from the ends of lines is one that may be divisive when implementing these principles. One of the primary controversies within JavaScript circles is whether to use semicolons or not, as JavaScript has optional semicolons.
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;This proposal does not specify whether semicolons should be used at the end of lines, so as to not be controversial in this space. With this in mind, we can see this proposal in practice with a snippet of the elevator.js library[3], with and without end-of-line semicolons.
>I think the papers may be the canonical form of this particular project, but I'm starting on a visual version, which will probably become a video some time this month.
Guess we need to do a follow on study, what a way to use the R&D budget. I don't think I will be short of volunteers.
I look forward to publishing the differing effects of XXXX Gold vs Stone & Wood in order for us to optimise the department budget. However I will be waiting for further research before starting trials of Bundy Rum. I am concerned the development efficiency will be offset by repairing punched screens.
Also footnote 5: "We originally used Microsoft Word for this but it kept putting
the entire document into 8pt Times New Roman whether we wanted it to or not."
That being a BBC production, it would be a bit unusual for them to travel to NYC for filming this. But who knows, maybe they decided it's a good idea after slightly less than two drinks...
You can certainly code faster when you have higher confidence and lower inhibitions. Stop worrying about correctness in edge cases, security, or long-term maintainability!
Maybe, but I've got a feeling there are some cases where it is actually objectively better not just "having a beer & doing some happy path coding" type better
..admittedly I think that window is vanishingly small...but I do think its there
The biochemistry suggests there might be a thing. Alcohol slows down brain activity. This may seem like it would make coding harder but if your brain is racing and thinking of too many things at once then this slowing mean the brain starts to, with a task manager analogy, stop a bunch of extraneous tasks. This means you can focus more. The trade off is that you also have less CPU power for that task. But, many coding activities aren't that hard and so the increased focus more than counteracts the loss of power. The trick is staying in that very narrow band of blood alchohol where this holds. Too much more and the loss of brain power means the coding tasks will not go well at all.
The relationship between alcohol and programming performance is interesting enough that I actually skimmed through the paper and tried to figure out how legit it was.
Sadly there's only one test subject.
So basically this is a report of somebody drinking a couple glasses of alcohol and then went on to practice leetcode questions...
This paper was published in this year’s issue of sigbovik, the best satirical academic journal you (may) have never heard of: https://sigbovik.org/2024/
Oh wow, they finally solved the tabs vs spaces indentation debate in pg 102 of https://www.sigbovik.org/2023/proceedings.pdf
"Maximizing Code Readability Using Semicolon Indentation"
Though I guess end-of-line semicolons in Javascript is the next open question
> ;;;;;;;;5.2;;JavaScript
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;With JavaScript, the practice of omitting semicolons from the ends of lines is one that may be divisive when implementing these principles. One of the primary controversies within JavaScript circles is whether to use semicolons or not, as JavaScript has optional semicolons.
> ;;;;;;;;;;;;This proposal does not specify whether semicolons should be used at the end of lines, so as to not be controversial in this space. With this in mind, we can see this proposal in practice with a snippet of the elevator.js library[3], with and without end-of-line semicolons.
I hope that means a new Tom7 video soon.
Edit for context: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36846820
he had a paper, but possibly no video this year.
>I think the papers may be the canonical form of this particular project, but I'm starting on a visual version, which will probably become a video some time this month.
http://radar.spacebar.org/f/a/weblog/comment/1/1227
Thanks. That cheered me up, and I've only got as far as https://www.sigbovik.org/2023/proceedings.pdf
Guess we need to do a follow on study, what a way to use the R&D budget. I don't think I will be short of volunteers.
I look forward to publishing the differing effects of XXXX Gold vs Stone & Wood in order for us to optimise the department budget. However I will be waiting for further research before starting trials of Bundy Rum. I am concerned the development efficiency will be offset by repairing punched screens.
Of course the finding from this paper of the optimality of slightly less than two drinks has long been known to certain elite segments of society[0].
[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTSCppeFzX4
Note that they're actually citing "Mitchell, Webb et al." in the paper.
Also footnote 5: "We originally used Microsoft Word for this but it kept putting the entire document into 8pt Times New Roman whether we wanted it to or not."
It's nice to have statistically meaningful data to back it up. I recognize that hallway from MIB. Is it some famous NYC location?
That being a BBC production, it would be a bit unusual for them to travel to NYC for filming this. But who knows, maybe they decided it's a good idea after slightly less than two drinks...
I mean they must have. It's in Battery Park NYC. The outside at least. I can't find positive confirmation of the hallway location.
https://www.movie-locations.com/movies/m/Men-In-Black.php
"My God, you're the Inebreati!" - I have to remember that...
I suspect it’s somewhat dependent on the starting mental state. ie might benefit someone who is tense more than someone that is relaxed.
I could totally see the relaxing effect outweighing the impairment for someone tense
You can certainly code faster when you have higher confidence and lower inhibitions. Stop worrying about correctness in edge cases, security, or long-term maintainability!
Maybe, but I've got a feeling there are some cases where it is actually objectively better not just "having a beer & doing some happy path coding" type better
..admittedly I think that window is vanishingly small...but I do think its there
We had a cocktail afternoon at the last company I worked for.
I had some brilliant ideas after drinking, but looking at the code sober next day revealed, I wasn't brilliant.
The biochemistry suggests there might be a thing. Alcohol slows down brain activity. This may seem like it would make coding harder but if your brain is racing and thinking of too many things at once then this slowing mean the brain starts to, with a task manager analogy, stop a bunch of extraneous tasks. This means you can focus more. The trade off is that you also have less CPU power for that task. But, many coding activities aren't that hard and so the increased focus more than counteracts the loss of power. The trick is staying in that very narrow band of blood alchohol where this holds. Too much more and the loss of brain power means the coding tasks will not go well at all.
In the same spirit, as mentioned in the abstract of the paper:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10288566/
The relationship between alcohol and programming performance is interesting enough that I actually skimmed through the paper and tried to figure out how legit it was.
Sadly there's only one test subject.
So basically this is a report of somebody drinking a couple glasses of alcohol and then went on to practice leetcode questions...
The xkcd comic about the Ballmer Peak: https://xkcd.com/323/
A little drink always temporarily removes my sour temper and everything else gets improved.
Incredibly self-serving paper.