I hate it when stuff doesn’t work.
I am ‘unhappy’ when it does work.
Let me explain:
Solving certain types of problems, for me, is a hobby, rather like avoiding them is for other people.
Although I like theoretical conundrums, brain-twisters, and other contortions of pure logic, my first preference is for real-world problems of a technical, technological, and logistical nature. The more mysterious the issue, the more intriguing it is for me – and the more addictive.
I actually did not realize this until a friend noticed that I was never as happy with ‘stuff’ working as I was with the same stuff when it was not working. I would then, of course, be at pains to fix it – even though I often complain loudly and bitterly, I was, apparently and paradoxically, much more content.
I consider ‘impossible’ demands from, uh, ‘technologically naive’ Upper Management types an outright challenge and a slap in my face – almost daring me to achieve it. In addition, I delight in figuring out how to make ‘it’ happen, even when ‘it’ seems, at first, to be unattainable.
Frankly, mysterious, unexplained systemic failures make me go all giddy.
Every now and then, this obsession with the difficult yields contraptions, such as my most recently completed project, The Beowulf Plateau Prototype. (See link at the end of this article.)
During a rather long career of purposely seeking out and tackling such mysteries head-on, I have compiled an informal list of sorts, which I call “Curt’s 30 Postulates of Problem-Solving”. These are truisms that I have found occur repeatedly while tackling some of the most onerous and confounding issues, from the deceptively simple to the sublimely complex.
Call them postulates, theories, maxims, or hypotheses, but do not call them ‘rules’, or foolproof. They are not presented as such, nor are they the last word in problem-solving or universal panacea. In addition, it’s quite possible the ideas presented in the list are not 100% original. It is also quite probable that they will not and do not apply to every situation, or field of endeavor, so no guarantees are implied or promised. Whether or not they work for anybody else but me is for the reader to decide – keep the ones that work, and discard the rest.
Without further ado, I present my 30 observations of the problem-solving process. I hope that some few of them will prove to be useful.
Curt's 30 Postulates of Problem-Solving
1. After all the research, things usually turn out to be a lot simpler than they first appeared.
2. Sometimes, the actual solution is one of the very first things you find, but you do not realize it until you find it again - a few more times.
3. Re-inventing the wheel (just so you can truly understand how it works), is sometimes the only way you will find the solution.
4. The problem that you are researching or trying to solve is often just the tip of a very large iceberg, which was always there - even though nobody ever even knew that there was a problem in the first place.
5. If it’s a new problem, more than likely it was something caused by the solution of another issue somewhere back down the line.
6. Related to the previous statement: Being able to recall or record every single thing you did leading up to the problem will often solve the issue, or at least reveal why it keeps occurring.
7. Sometimes, the so-called 'jury-rigged', temporary and inelegant solution is the only one you are going to find.
8. Staying up too late, or working too closely on a problem too long - is one sure way to miss the obvious and apparent solution.
9. The solution will often, immediately and spontaneously reveal itself to your mind once you step away from the problem and 'call it a night.'
10. Brilliant flashes of insight can only happen (sometimes) in the midst of a crisis.
11. Not stopping to keep notes is the surest way to forget everything you have accomplished or learned up to date.
12. Being too proud to admit that you are stuck and then not seeking help because of that pride - is the surest way to stay stuck.
13. The less informed a person is, the harder it is to convince them that they do not know what the hell they're talking about. (This one almost always refers to bosses who are not knowledgeable in the field of the very departments they head up!)
14. The solution that worked 'last night' often will not work the next morning.
15. Sometimes, the 'theoretical, proven method' is neither proven, nor soundly theoretical. It is just the one that everyone talks about and passes on without trying it themselves.
16. Sometimes, that 'little nagging issue that you keep promising to fix later' turns out to be a MAJOR issue!
17. 'Big bosses' often don't know anything, but they often make unrealistic demands based on that very lack of knowledge, and then are still too clueless to appreciate when you've done the impossible and pulled off a miracle.
18. Forget about trying to 'break it down' to them: You will either draw blank stares, or spend the rest of your tenure trying to explain it to them again in simpler and simpler terms.
19. Oftentimes, the solution will occur to you after you look at two or three totally unrelated things out in the real world.
20. It is quite possible to walk away from a problem in utter defeat and come back years later for a 'final battle' where the solution is summarily found.
21. Sometimes, your math is perfect, but the steps you do your equations in are all wrong, or, at least, not optimized for the solution you are after. (This one refers more to low-level programming.)
22. If you don't keep a notebook of your variables and constants, or deal with them all day every day at work and at home, you are bound to forget some of their values. Same thing goes for nested arrays!
23. Some of the most knowledgeable people give the worst, most misleading advice. This will trip you up for months if you let it!
24. Sometimes, the best way to boost your project or solve your problem is to bring in a new person with a new perspective. They will often see the solution immediately,simply because they have not been saturated by the problem, which often blinds one to the obvious solution.
25. More elegant solutions are oftentimes only accessible or made more apparent by the winnowing down of big, fat, ugly solutions!
26. That problem that you've been avoiding because of its size and complexity is often not that intimidating, once you sit down and really face it.
27. Is 'it' even plugged in or on? You would be surprised how often this final, desperate and obvious solution, discovered hours later, is all that was required in the first place.
28. If you are afraid to go beyond 'thinking outside the box' straight into the hellish realm of the 'unorthodox and unheard of', you will never solve some problems, and you will certainly never amaze and dumbfound your peers!
29. If you do not believe in your solution/theory 100%, you will never be able to defend it against those self-same peers.
30. A solution to the most heinous and baffling problem, one that stumped the best minds for years, will seem so apparent and so easy to understand by almost anyone, even laypersons and children, after its been finally discovered.
For the curious, a shameless plug for the Beowulf Plateau Prototype:
http://contest.techbriefs.com/2013/entries/electronics/4254
also
25. More elegant solutions are oftentimes only accessible or made more apparent by the winnowing down of big, fat, ugly solutions!
26. That problem that you've been avoiding because of its size and complexity is often not that intimidating, once you sit down and really face it.
27. Is 'it' even plugged in or on? You would be surprised how often this final, desperate and obvious solution, discovered hours later, is all that was required in the first place.
28. If you are afraid to go beyond 'thinking outside the box' straight into the hellish realm of the 'unorthodox and unheard of', you will never solve some problems, and you will certainly never amaze and dumbfound your peers!
29. If you do not believe in your solution/theory 100%, you will never be able to defend it against those self-same peers.
30. A solution to the most heinous and baffling problem, one that stumped the best minds for years, will seem so apparent and so easy to understand by almost anyone, even laypersons and children, after its been finally discovered.
For the curious, a shameless plug for the Beowulf Plateau Prototype:
http://contest.techbriefs.com/2013/entries/electronics/4254
also
