Reply to: Solving problems while you are asleep

[RSoles]

I commonly walk away from a problem and can easily solve it when I return.

Ah the old 'Beers and a kebab' solution.
I've frequently hammered my head against a problem 'til the wee hours with no luck.
Gone away, had a good night's sleep, gone back to the problem in the morning; bingo! the fix is blindingly obvious.
It's all down to our susceptability to tramlining, I guess.

As to fixing things when asleep ( or drunk) it happens quite frequently to me.
I think it works by lowering my reservations/allowing me to think further outside the box than I would during office hours.
Two rules:-
1) write good ideas down immediately you wake: after 5 minutes they've gone.
2) having good ideas when drunk is fine, but leave the implementation 'til you've sobered up.

[AtW]

I commonly walk away from a problem and can easily solve it when I return.

In school this is referred to as cheating

[AtW]

Can anyone here actually do that ?

Yes. Next!

[mudskipper]

There was a chap on telly the other day who drew pictures in his sleep. He had no memory at all of doing them, and wasn't in the habit of drawing when he was awake. He reckoned he was more likely to do it after he'd had alcohol, so maybe that's worth a try.

[al_cam]

I have dreamed the solution to lots of problems in my time.

I just wish I could control it. I just randomly solve problems.

I commonly walk away from a problem and can easily solve it when I return.

[mudskipper]

Yes, middle of the night sound asleep and clearly saw the lines of code I needed. Woke up about the same time and jotted them down and back to sleep again, not quite sure why I did that but I knew it would work. Next morning in the office proved it. Only time that's ever happened.

WHS - only happened once, but dreamt a clear solution to a coding problem.

[hyperD]

Can anyone here actually do that ?


or is it just that you are half awake and thinking about it in a sort of semi conscious way?

I had a couple of corkers recently and I have convinced myself that I sorted them out in my sleep. I wonder if its possible

Yes, done that a few times. Woken up and went downstairs to the office to code out the problem at some unearthly hour in the night.

Still, I suspect it's nothing new: Friedrich Kekulé supposedly hypothesised the ring structure of the benzene molecule after day dreaming about a snake eating its own tail.

Quantum/holographic brain. Or maybe it's just the brie before bedtime.

[EternalOptimist]

Yes, middle of the night sound asleep and clearly saw the lines of code I needed. Woke up about the same time and jotted them down and back to sleep again, not quite sure why I did that but I knew it would work. Next morning in the office proved it. Only time that's ever happened.

well, thats a good bit of evidence.



In that case, I just wish I was as clever awake as I am when I'm asleep
If I was as good looking, fit and young, that would be a bonus. Plus I'd be able to fly

[Cliphead]

It was definately a dream though ? and you were definately full-on asleep ?

Yes, middle of the night sound asleep and clearly saw the lines of code I needed. Woke up about the same time and jotted them down and back to sleep again, not quite sure why I did that but I knew it would work. Next morning in the office proved it. Only time that's ever happened.

[Spacecadet]

It was definately a dream though ? and you were definately full-on asleep ?

Obviously, why the f*** do you think it worked?

[EternalOptimist]

Years ago I spent days trying to get some code to work properly but no joy. I actually dreamt the solution, clear lines of code in my dream that worked.

It was definately a dream though ? and you were definately full-on asleep ?

[Cliphead]

Years ago I spent days trying to get some code to work properly but no joy. I actually dreamt the solution, clear lines of code in my dream that worked.

[Spacecadet]

I had a dream a few months ago about spreadsheets embedded in spreadsheets

There was a real benefit to it too... I just can't remember what it was!!

[EternalOptimist]

Desperately thinking about barbed wire will not sort that problem with some.

how is the creative writing coming on ?

[xoggoth]

Desperately thinking about barbed wire will not sort that problem with some.