We pondered this for a while and the conversation meandered elsewhere, no doubt because my companions were embarrassed on my behalf. I had committed one of the basic errors of inexperience with the state of programming: Assuming that you're smart and you can work things out from first principles.
I used to have this problem. Not the "problem" of assuming you're smart. I mean the problem of assuming that if someone moves the conversation away or disagrees with me, it must be because of something I'd done. Psychologists call this "intrapunitive behavior".
Here's what I would posit happened: you said something intelligent that your companions had no way of countering. Thus, you showed them up and rather than fess up to it, they decided to change the subject.
I used to have this problem. Not the "problem" of assuming you're smart. I mean the problem of assuming that if someone moves the conversation away or disagrees with me, it must be because of something I'd done. Psychologists call this "intrapunitive behavior".
Here's what I would posit happened: you said something intelligent that your companions had no way of countering. Thus, you showed them up and rather than fess up to it, they decided to change the subject.