Input / Output Error

I remember back in the day when I was a Computer Science major (it didn’t last long, Calculus 2 put a quick end to it).  I was pretty good at programming…thinking logically really is all it involves.  If you want the computer to do this, you just have to tell it step by step exactly what to do in a way that it understands. 

All that being said, the dreaded thing that would come up when I programmed was the old, “input / output” error.  Essentially what this means is that the computer recieves something, has to process it, and then spits out something else.  I mean, look at a calculator.  The user says 2 + 2, which the computer in the calculator recieves, and then outputs a 4.

Unless something goes wrong.  Sometimes, the computer expects a number, so that it can spit back out a different number.  And Input / Output error would occur when the computer expects a number, and the user types a letter instead.  Now…for the most part, these issues are dealt with…the computer just asks for the same thing again, until it recieves the correct information so that it can output correctly…but if the programmer didn’t tell the computer what to do with that wrong information, then the program would display the error and quit running.  A good programmer knows what the computer will do when the wrong information is given, and will tell the computer how to handle it.

But input / output errors are a pain in the butt for a novice programmer.

I was thinking about how my counseling sessions have been going.  The things that I’ve been finding out.

I think alot of my life has been an input output error.

People who are important to me will tell me something.  Give me input.  This input would then be processed. And would generally cause some sort of output in response.

Somewhere in the flow of that…usually along the processing part…I get mixed up.  It’s a lot of why this rebirth is happening in me.  That whole processing thing…It gets messed up, and I’ve been programmed to give a different response than what is normal.

My counselor put it this way…

Say my mother were to call me and say, “Hey David, we haven’t seen you in a while.  When will we see you?”

Somewhere along the line, after recieving that input, my mind says, “David…you’re a terrible son for not going to see your mother.”

Now…that processing, that’s not right.  Because I am a great son, and deep down I know that.  But I process wrong…so, instead of saying, “I’ll see you three weeks from tomorrow,” I panic, and start apologizing, and try to drop everything to go see my mother.

This is how my brain works.  It’s this input /output error rearing it’s ugly head. 

Here’s the good part…ya know how I said a good programmer knows how to tell the computer how to deal with the bad input or output???

 God is an awesome programmer.  He’s the best I’d say. 

Give it some time, and my programs will be error free.

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