Page Not Loading

When Reading Life Conflicts With Computing Life

Photo by on

There exists a peculiar tension between the world of books and the realm of computers.

I inhabit both spaces. I’m a lifelong reader and writer. I also write code for fun and (pitifully meager) profit.

I’ve found these two domains rarely complement each other.

Instead, they compete in a zero-sum game for that most precious resource: mental bandwidth.

The Great Attention Heist

Picture this: It’s a quiet morning. The coffee is fresh. The house is still. The day stretches before you like an empty canvas.

You have two brushes in hand — one is a beloved and well-worn paperback book; the other is a glowing laptop.

Choose wisely on this day, for you cannot paint with both.

I once believed I could live harmoniously in both worlds.

“I’m a multitasker!” I declared with the confident delusion of youth.

I imagined myself typing elegant code with one hand while turning pages with the other. Absorbing Dostoevsky’s chaotic insights whilst debugging recursive functions.

What hubris.