I know we're more used to hearing BIAB pioneer, Patrick Hollingdale (Pat on this forum), being interviewed in podcasts but I just stumbled across the following interview. Inspiring stuff!...

[center]Exclusive Interview
On Working with Microsoft[/center]

The following interview with Patrick Hollingdale was recorded at his home where he has been working for five weeks now in his new full-time job with Microsoft (Jack Dorff — 23/10/15)

Jack: This is a great set-up you have here Patrick. Two computers, four screens, disk cloners. It looks fantastic!
Patrick: Thanks Jack. It is important to have these resources as this work is extremely intensive.

Jack: Can you tell me how it came about that you started working full-time, from home, for Microsoft?
Patrick: I’m not sure I’d describe it as full-time. It’s really more accurately described as every waking moment. If you told me six weeks ago that I’d be in this position, I would have laughed but then, after returning home after ten days away, I found my hard disk had crashed and I thought to myself, “I might as well install this Windows 10 thing.” I’ve been working on it ever since.

Jack: It’s amazing the unexpected turns we can take in life. I’ve seen your set-up here but what other resources do you rely on?
Patrick: Well, obviously Microsoft can’t afford to pay 100 million people (and rising) to work full-time on Windows 10 so the main thing you’ll need is some sort of passive income so as you can live. You won’t need much as you won’t be going out, wasting money on things like dinners and movies. In fact, if you are really dedicated, you probably won’t be going outside at all. Oh, that’s another resource you'll need, Vitamin D tablets.

Jack: What about human resources?
Patrick: In my work, you’ll occasionally get the internet and a browser working simultaneously. It’s at these times you really want to make the most of the infinite human resources available on the web. It’s important to know not only what resources are out there but how to use them efficiently. For example, let’s say I’m having the common problem where the Windows Store and the default apps become unusable. The first thing to do is go to the answers.microsoft forum and search for the problem. You’ll find about thirty solutions there written by paid Microsoft Developers. In my early days, I would have actually tried all those solutions. Now, from experience, I can save a heap of time as I know that any solution offered by a paid Microsoft Developer will, if it does make sense, still only work in about 1% of cases. With any Windows 10 problem, it is always much easier to just spend a day and a half doing a clean install of your machine.


Jack: So are you saying the operating system doesn’t work?
Patrick: Of course it works Jack, just not for very long. I did have it going once for 14 hours straight before developing an unforgiveable amount of major problems. That 14 hours of looking at the beautiful background screen and learning the new menu system was pure bliss.

Jack: I’m a little confused here sorry Patrick. Isn’t it pointless, without purpose, doing such work?
Patrick: See that’s the sort of old school thinking you can’t bring with you to Windows 10. Windows 10 is doing so much to help us move away from the old paradigm of, “To be happy, one must have meaning and purpose in one’s life.” The new, much spiritually higher, paradigm is to focus on the journey, not the destination. Windows 10 is the perfect medium for this because there is no destination.

Jack: Wow! I can see what you are getting at. That’s incredible! What does your typical work day involve?
Patrick: It’s fascinating work Jack. You have this amazing combination of what I call, “the new meditation,” and intense activity. For example, on a re-install day, I’ll wake up and immediately check my modem wires are not red hot from downloading the several terabytes of internet needed for the next install I’ll be attempting. (Make sure you are not on a metered connection. Remember, Windows 10 is truly limitless.) Then I enter into the new meditation which involves sitting at my desk, staring at the screen for about 14 hours, while occasionally pressing the Enter key. On these days I reflect on Kafka’s famous quote…“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” Every install day, you have that inner excitement that today might just be the day where you will experience the ultimate.

Jack: That’s a beautiful quote from Kafka, Patrick. What about on the other days?
Patrick: Well obviously one can’t spend one’s whole life staring at a screen in passive meditation. The non-install days involve periods of intense activity. Assuming on the last install that you did manage to attain the perfect storm of the internet connection and your browser working, you’ll then need to urgently scour the web for new information or install methods. You do this for as long as you can until something major in the OS breaks and then, if you can still access the web, you research the new problem. And it will be a new problem. Not once have I had the same major problem twice.

Jack: I’m amazed. How did you get to this point Patrick?
Patrick: I have to admit it wasn’t easy at first even though I had been seriously hardened up by many previous Windows major releases. In fact, I probably spent the first three weeks going through the five stages of mourning (for any operating system that worked) - denial, anger, bargaining, depression and finally, acceptance. I can still remember the night it all became clear. I’d fallen into a pattern of heavy ,daily drinking and, funnily enough, it was through that alcoholic haze that I first saw the new paradigm. Life is not about things working, it’s about treating it as a game to see the beauty straight in front of us. And, just how beautiful is that Windows 10 screen? Some people donate their body to science when they die whereas I am donating my body to Microsoft while I live.

Jack: Inspiring words to finish on. Thanks so much for taking time away from your work to talk to me today Patrick.[EDIT: 26th Oct - A few errors corrected and .pdf added by Pat. See his post below.]

Fantastic interview "Jack"! LOL.

Glad to see you stop in PP, get yourself right and get back here asap.....we miss you.


---Todd

Sorry Todd - Pat can't respond right now he is in his 14 hour "new meditation" mode.
Let's hope there is some time during the "non-install" days!!

That's great Pat that you have found something too keep you busy rather than spending all of those fruitless hours tweaking The Biabacus for the ungrateful brewing world. Say hi to Pistol Patch for me, if you ever get to the beach again.

Pat's back working on Win 10 Lylo but I'm here. Thanks for thinking of me guys. I'm actually doing something a bit like the other Pat. I'm sorting out quite a few years of computer files. In fact, the other Pat asked me to do his as well . Thousands of BIABacus/Calculator files and that is after we got rid of the duplicates!!!

Hopefully Pat will give up on Win 10 at the same time as I return from my sabbatical and we'll see what you have all been up to and maybe make things a little bit easier and more interesting here for everyone from new brewers right through to original members.


PP

Thanks for reminding me PP. I have about 20 old versions of the Biabacus that I could delete to make more room. My Windows ME is keeping up nicely though. It sure beats my old Atari!