Comments on: Programmer sestina

By: Vincent Tan

Vincent Tan — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:02:29 +0000

Hi Geoff! I can usually whip up a short poem on short notice. A sestina on the other hand… 6 stanzas! And written within certain rules and order.

Thanks for letting me know about sestinas. I learned something new.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:09:00 +0000

Thanks for taking up the challenge. Sestinas can be fun because they require creativity, but within a pre-defined sense of order.

This was great work. I’m glad you had fun with it. Creativity should be fun.

By: Vincent Tan

Vincent Tan — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:19:31 +0000

My fastest “refresh and reset” strategy? Get up and leave my work desk. Walk around. Wash my face.

Sometimes, my brain doesn’t need a long break. It just needs to stop thinking about the problem. I’ll do something mundane, like clearing up my desk, in the meantime…

By: Shonzilla

Shonzilla — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:26:24 +0000

Haha… seeking a pattern beyond sestina – I see it as an interesting way to switch context. I mean, it is generally highly advised to refresh and reset your mind when you’re stuck in a nasty (programming) problem for too long and need to look at it with a “fresh pair of eyes”.

Writing a sestina is a creative way to “refresh and reset” instead of reading a newspaper, walking a dog (that you do not have or has already done its “job”) or, God forbid, surf the net.

Your mileage may vary, so “nasty problem” and “too long” are in the eyes of the beholder.

Cheers!
Shonzilla

p.s. I am not that much into poetry, so I’d rather go with a haiku.

By: Vincent Tan

Vincent Tan — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:17:52 +0000

It’s actually easier than it looks. I got stuck at some of the lines for a while though. And it’s fun to write something like this once in a while.

By: Ben

Ben — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:38:18 +0000

Yikes that does look hard. I don’t even have time to consider doing that right now.