The Enemy In The Mirror

Content Tyler Glaiel TylerGlaiel V imagine being the developer who has to wake up to this bug report PSA: Pokemon SwordShield causes Roku devices on the same network to crash and enter a boot loop 11:19 AM 111719 Twitter Web App 1,675 Retweets 4,928 Likes 17

Content How to fix any computer The Oatmeal Windows Step I. Reboot Apple Step I. Take it to an Apple store. v Did that fix it, No? Proceed to step a Did that fix it; No? Proceed to step a Step a. Format hard drive Reinstall Windows Lose all your files. Quietly weep. Step a. Buy a new Mac. Overdraw your account. Quietly weep. Linux Step I. Learn to code in C. Recompile the kernel. Build your own microprocessor out of spare silicon you had lying around. Recompile the kernel again. Switch distros Recompile the kernel again but this time using a CPU powered by refracted light from Saturn. Grow a giont beard. Blame Sun Microsusters. Turn your bedroom into a server closet and spend ten years falling asleep to the sound of whirring fans. Switch distros again. Abandon all hugene. Write a regular expression that would make other precrammers cry blood. Learn to code in Java Recompile the kernel again Cut thic time while wearing your lucky socks) Did that fix its Nor Proceed to step an Step a. Revert back to using Windows or a Mac. Quietlu weep.

This is what happens when a Python dev tries to write Rust without actually learning Rust! The code is a horrifying Frankenstein's monster of Python syntax smuggled into Rust—like that .expect("Failed to read line") that would immediately error out since it's attached to a read operation that already completed. And don't get me started on using match with a dot operator right after! The error handling with Ok(num) => num looks legit until you see that bizarre Err(_) => continue syntax that would make the Rust compiler have an existential crisis. It's basically Python wearing a Rust trenchcoat trying to sneak into the memory-safe club.

The sacred trinity of IT troubleshooting, visualized with scientific precision. Roughly 70% of problems magically resolve with the ancient ritual of "turning it off and on again." Another 15% require the advanced technique of typing error messages into Google and nodding thoughtfully at Stack Overflow posts. The remaining 15%? Just walk into the room and watch users suddenly exclaim "Oh wait, it's working now!" Nothing fixes technology faster than the quantum observer effect of someone who looks like they know what they're doing.

Finally, a candidate with the courage to list the skill we all depend on but pretend not to use. While the rest of us write "proficient in algorithm optimization" on our resumes, this legend just wrote "googling." The honesty is refreshing. I've been in this industry for 15 years and still spend half my day asking search engines to fix my broken code. At least this guy won't waste time pretending he memorized the entire documentation.

Surviving data structures feels like a victory until you realize it's just the warm-up act. The real bosses are waiting: algorithms that hit like a truck, compilers that'll make you question your career choices, and operating systems lurking in the shadows like the final boss you're not remotely prepared for. Every CS student thinks they've conquered the mountain after their first linked list, only to discover they're still in the tutorial level. The industry veterans just watch with coffee in hand, knowing exactly how this story ends.