Hidden Talents: The Programming Whiz Kid
Think you have real SelfControl? Try passing up one of these bad boys.
In Hidden Talents, we introduce you to the secret and sensational lives of your classmates. Charlie Stigler, SEAS ’15, has only been at Columbia for a few short weeks, but he’s probably helped you out on more papers, homeworks, and projects than anyone else here. Charlie Stigler is the developer behind SelfControl.
With a lean, athletic build and refreshingly relaxed attitude, Charlie Stigler doesn’t strike you as the stereotypical programmer. As we talked about SelfControl, he seemed enthusiastic that people use the app, but modestly downplayed its importance in his life and his original involvement. He began working on the app as a quick project for Steve Lambert, whom he describes as an “artist, sort of.” Steve wanted something that would block his email while he worked, so SelfControl was originally slated to be a simple command line script to serve just that purpose. Later, Steve requested the project be open-sourced, which got Charlie thinking. One thing led to another, and eventually he decided to “make [it] a little gift to the community.” “So instead of just making it a little command line tool,” he explains, “I ended up delivering an actual application with a GUI, and I put on a name, ‘SelfControl’ and an icon.”
When Charlie finally found accurate download figures for the program, he was surprised to learn just how many people, including his fellow Columbians, were using SelfControl. But plenty of users means plenty of problems. Charlie explained how people get confused about the app’s Whitelist feature, which blocks all sites except for those on the Whitelist. Luckily, he has a quick fix: “I have a copy-paste thing because I get several of those things a day, and I just copy-paste it in, change the name at the top, like ‘Dear Whatever, here, please go do your assignment. Bye.’” Read more…
Tags: crew, entrepreneurialism, envy of the world, hidden talents, people that make you feel way less impressive, programming, quesadillas, self-control
18 October 2011 @ 11:03 AM · 22 comments
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