I fell into the trap, again. I blame myself, I should have seen this coming. One decent outcome of the last month is my renewed understanding of my own mental health.
The charity is going ahead. I mean what’s the risk? We could help 1 person and it’d be worthwhile. Had a giggle with an ex-coworker yesterday that this role pushed me to start putting genuine thought into developing a helpline for people who’ve also found themselves a victim of the trap. That was a pretty clear indicator that this shit wasn’t for me.
It’ll be built on a call-centre platform with direct online and over-the-phone access. M brought up a good point about repeat calls and our ability to facilitate multiple conversations between the same two individuals. I’ll have to bolt on some code, both helper and helpee will have access to a unique token to push them onto the same line if available.
I was thinking a few days back about the punishments handed out to criminals convicted of online code-related crimes, usually below 25 years old. Courts can hand you a notice which restricts you from access to the internet or any online connected device. I think it’d make a great screenplay.
A 20-year-old kid caught for writing malicious code, blocked from having access to areas of life you and I take for granted.
A scene with him sat outside the courtroom post-verdict playing snake on his Nokia brick. No Netflix, no order to the table at the Pub. No online interviews for jobs. No Amazon deliveries. The modern life we take in stride would be pulled apart brick by brick pushing him to his inevitable downfall. Haven’t figured out what that would be but put it this way, if I had my laptop and servers taken away from me I’d probably pop a bullet through my skull.
I don’t know, there could be a silver lining to this whole thing, maybe he finds fulfilment in the divide between himself and his online life. Maybe he falls in love?
I had the best night’s sleep I’ve ever had last night, one of those where you wake up well rested and want to get out of bed.
Song of the week: