Running A Code

May 2010

When grad students need to use lab computers to run programs that take a long time to finish, they often lock the computers to prevent other people from interrupting the process. Sometimes locking is not enough and a note is often attached telling the other students not to touch this computer. One grad student chose to write a handwritten note that read, “Running a code”. But rather than finishing overnight or over the week, the program that this particular grad student was running apparently took over two months to finish as the note remained in place for at least that long. Having been inspired both by the peculiar wording and the persistence of that note, I created my own “Running a code” warning notes, which foretold grievous and serious consequences for touching the computer while in use. Strangely, both of those notes have disappeared from the lab.

This note was created first but it proved ineffective, hence the other one.