<story><title>How my genius roommate changed my perspective</title><url>https://www.farhadg.com/my-genius-roommate/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>doctoboggan</author><text>There is something very fulfilling (at least to me) about working this way. Not solving the problem in the best way, but solving it in the way you can _right now_. When I was younger this was how I solved most problems, but in my professional life I can&amp;#x27;t really do that (and for mostly good reasons).&lt;p&gt;I follow someone on YouTube who moved to a small island in Panama, built his house, many boats, and lots of other items by hand using what he has. He is definitely crazy but he personifies this get it done attitude. A few years ago I travelled to Africa to volunteer at a hospital and was tasked with fixing an oxygen machine. I had to channel this YouTuber because there definitely was not the right tools and I definitely needed to get it done. I honestly surprised myself in how I was able to fix it and it was quite fulfilling.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>cossatot</author><text>When I worked as a bike mechanic in my late teens, we referred to this approach as &amp;#x27;shade tree mechanic work&amp;#x27;.  I loved it, because of the creativity involved. However, I grew to have a great respect for the work of other mechanics, who were more interested in taking more pains, ordering the right tool or part if it wasn&amp;#x27;t around, and typically having a somewhat better outcome.&lt;p&gt;I think there is room for both. Definitely during the prototype phase of a project, or on projects where there are very hard time constraints (epoxy is drying, etc.), or when you&amp;#x27;re out in the woods or whatever, working fast and creatively can be most beneficial.  However as you transition into the finished product, it&amp;#x27;s often better to do use fresh and appropriate materials, do more QA&amp;#x2F;QC, write a robust test suite, and put a bit of polish on it (especially if it&amp;#x27;s for public consumption).</text></comment>
<story><title>How my genius roommate changed my perspective</title><url>https://www.farhadg.com/my-genius-roommate/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>doctoboggan</author><text>There is something very fulfilling (at least to me) about working this way. Not solving the problem in the best way, but solving it in the way you can _right now_. When I was younger this was how I solved most problems, but in my professional life I can&amp;#x27;t really do that (and for mostly good reasons).&lt;p&gt;I follow someone on YouTube who moved to a small island in Panama, built his house, many boats, and lots of other items by hand using what he has. He is definitely crazy but he personifies this get it done attitude. A few years ago I travelled to Africa to volunteer at a hospital and was tasked with fixing an oxygen machine. I had to channel this YouTuber because there definitely was not the right tools and I definitely needed to get it done. I honestly surprised myself in how I was able to fix it and it was quite fulfilling.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>serg_chernata</author><text>Jamie&amp;#x27;s channel is one of my all time favorites. I love watching him work exactly because of his general attitude toward problem solving and how different it is from mine.</text></comment>