Ask HN: Worst working conditions you have written code in?

Re:Ask HN: Worst working conditions you have written code in? by markessien on Sunday April 12, 2009 @09:22AM (#558404)

When I started programming I used to work taking care of paralysed people. This was a night job, and you had to stay awake for the entire night and listen in case any noise came from the bedroom, in which case I had to go check to see that the person had not moved to a position that could be dangerous for him.

Since there was nothing else to do apart from listen, I wrote code the entire night. The problem was that writing code can get very mentally taxing after a few hours in the night, and combined with the thought that spacing out can result in a persons death, it was a very demanding task, particularly in the period from 4am to 6am.

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Re:Ask HN: Worst working conditions you have written code in? by tigerthink on Sunday April 12, 2009 @11:53AM (#558532)

You could have bought one of those noise-amplifying toys, stuck its microphone inside the bedroom, attached headphones to it and turned the volume up.

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Re:Ask HN: Worst working conditions you have written code in? by sr3d on Sunday April 12, 2009 @01:05PM (#558625)

Or write a program that analyze the noise level from the recording device to detect any motion and alert you. Hooked up with Growl and IM and now you have a dead-alert system. However, since it's a life-or-death situation and you couldn't focus 100% your commitment into it, I'm glad that you move on to a different job now. Working on your startup or side projects and you may end up killing someone isn't the kind of thought you need for the rest of your life.

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