Roger himself loved to tell that story -- though he never included the belching; it was merely you saying "I'm going to stay here and fart in your office until you answer my question." He told it with such frequency and affection that it was clear you had won his total admiration in that moment -- and his telling was such an important part of our oral tradition that for many (myself included), Roger's telling of this story was how we knew of you long after your departure from Sun.
Just because you have me reminiscing about Roger, I'll add (another) one of my own to the pile: before joining Sun in 1996, I had gone to East Africa, where I had purchased a carving of a crocodile -- and have had it sitting on my desk ever since. Roger loved to pick up the crocodile by the tale (it's about 18" long) and thrust the snout into my chest when making an emphatic point -- or demanding that I approve his RTI. I still think of Roger whenever I pick it up, though I have never been able to brandish it as eloquently.
This could just as easily be about the perils of knowing how to look up symptoms on the web.
If you're reading Hacker News you're probably used to reading fast, integrating new knowledge into a mental model and applying it all to solve the problem at hand. You often have to be an "instant expert" in everything. So the temptation is to be an instant expert in your own (self-diagnosed) condition.
Here's my advice after spending way too much time with doctors over the last year (since my wife was diagnosed with cancer).
1. Knowledge: A doctor will have far more general medical knowledge and experience than you. Your GP or specialist should be the bedrock of any diagnosis or treatment. However, it is absolutely possible to read the literature and get a more current or targeted understanding of some of the nuances of your particular disease. Don't be afraid to discuss them with your doctor, even seek second and third opinions, but don't just rely on your own judgement instead of theirs.
2. Motivation: Doctors are conservative: they need to avoid liability and maintain good relationships with their peers. As a patient you will have a different risk/benefit calculation. In some cases you will need to push your doctor to perform that specialised test instead of just offering reassurance, or to try that experimental treatment instead of the "reasonable futility" of standard care.
3. Symptoms: You know best your own symptoms, but you may not have the objectivity or experience to understand them and compare them to other people. You should document them as much as possible, maybe even graph them or make charts, to make this information accessible to your doctor. I've found that a simple timeline containing symptoms, measurements and interventions can be incredibly useful in tracking a condition.
I certainly don't think of music along these lines. Or even theater. I like developed arts of all kinds, and these require learning on the part of the beholder, not just bones tossed at puppies.
Just because you have me reminiscing about Roger, I'll add (another) one of my own to the pile: before joining Sun in 1996, I had gone to East Africa, where I had purchased a carving of a crocodile -- and have had it sitting on my desk ever since. Roger loved to pick up the crocodile by the tale (it's about 18" long) and thrust the snout into my chest when making an emphatic point -- or demanding that I approve his RTI. I still think of Roger whenever I pick it up, though I have never been able to brandish it as eloquently.
RIP raf!