Sometimes tech problems aren’t just confusing; they actively defy explanation, becoming more surreal as they are examined, inverting the normal relationship between technical knowledge and comfort.
Years back @blaster151 and I were debugging a problem with our company’s custom ORM, and after hours of untangling discovered that… it never should’ve worked.
Like, the solution was clear and we were able to fix it, but we couldn’t explain how our core product had ever worked.
We called the Cheese Car problem.
Imagine you’re on a cross-country road trip with a friend and the engine’s been running a little funky. Somewhere in the midwest the car sputters and dies and rolls to a stop, and you sigh and get out and pop the hood.
And there is no engine, just a 25lb wheel of sharp cheddar.
On the one hand, well, you found the problem and the solution is straightforward.