Just what we need... a way to make python even slower.

It's always fun to read about people implementing DOOM on various unlikely devices... however this is not one of those stories. This is just porting DOOM to a different language, but still running on a standard computer. And the heavy lifting is being done with python rather than SQL - so it's not even a new language, in terms of DOOM ports.

It does sound like it was an interesting and likely fun project for the coder(s), in any case.

Why only waste time occasionally when technology will help you waste time constantly?

This is not a joke - some of my coworkers set up a Teams channel specifically for talking about dogs, cats, and babies. I have stayed out of it - like you, if I want human interaction I go visit the front office or generally walk around the building (or, on WFH days, go play fetch with the dogs for a few minutes). Plus, I need to get actual work done and having that channel ping constantly would not help.

And, when I REALLY want to kill time, there's always Slashdot...

But how else are you supposed to get your daily dose of pet news and stories about your co-workers' kids?

When did this allegedly happen? I've been using Teams for quite a few years, but I managed to miss the period when it improved.

I have to use Teams on a daily basis, and I share your opinion regarding the software.

Toblerones are messy enough at current temperatures...

All fifteen are now listed as Founders by Tesla. They're also all Chief Engineers at SpaceX.

Quis snoopodiet ipsos snoopodes

Maybe when Thomas Watson said "I think there is a world market for about five computers", back in the 1950s, he was actually being really insightful... but just way ahead of his time.

If that's not the absolute worst idea in the world, it's certainly in the running.

There are some products where it's not as big a deal - apples, for instance. A New Zealand apple can still taste great when it arrives in New York or London. But yeah, the market may insist we need to buy berries year-round, but like you I largely stick to seasonal produce as much as possible. And, if not, greenhouse grown products sourced from our region are typically better than the alternatives (like here in Washington state - we are fortunate to have British Columbia's greenhouse growers close by, selling to our stores).

They do pick them early (not just oranges, pretty much most fruit and vegetables).

Funny story - way back, trains used to use interior gas lights (coal gas I think). Produce sellers were used to picking their products unripe, loading it into trains, and having it arrive at the destination perfectly ripe. Well, when trains switched to electric lights, suddenly all this unripe produce started arriving at the markets! They eventually figured out that ethylene gas, leaking from gas pipes, was serving to accelerate the ripening of the produce.

I read an article (in the Atlantic, I think) a few months ago that talked about the Florida citrus industry. IIRC it sounds like, in addition to the huge problems caused by that disease, the Florida growers have also made a habit of shooting themselves in the foot with stupid short-sighted choices.

I get all my best benchmarks by piping everything to /dev/null!