Thread: IC layout design and lucid dreams

My name is Jerome Barry.
I do IC layout design work, and have been doing so since 1983.
I, and every experienced layout designer I have ever spoken with on this subject,
have lucid IC layout design dreams.
We solve problems in our sleep. It's amazing to me that all of us do this, but it's easy for me to understand why we do. Our work involves hours of daily staring at a computer screen solving thousands of small geometric problems in a process of creation which leads, over several weeks or months, to a finished computer chip layout design. When our day is focused on a goal and our work repeatedly fails to reach that goal through some set of wrong choices, we go home tired and frustrated, eventually fall asleep and regularly dream a correct solution. The next day, the problem is solved before the first coffee break. It's so common that I don't even remember the dreams anymore. Stay with me here. The first time it happens, it is so amazing that we remember it forever. Eventually, we forget to remember the dreams, but we keep solving yesterdays intractable problem before todays first coffee break.

I stumbled upon this site today, registered today, read a few sentences, and figured I'd introduce myself, explain why I'm not impressed, and stumble on. I'm not impressed because I've been there and done that for over 20 years. Perhaps by sharing my experiences, I can help you discover a new method of achieving useful dreams.