In "Computer Power and Human Reason," Joseph Weizenbaum, a professor at MIT, describes an obsession he terms the "compulsion to program." He portrays individuals afflicted by this condition as brilliant yet disheveled young men, often with sunken, illuminated eyes. These individuals are consumed by grandiose fantasies of power and control while seated at their computers, intensely focused on the task at hand.

Weizenbaum emphasizes the near-addictive behavior of these programmers, who exhibit a tense physical stance, eagerly ready to engage with the keys and buttons. Their fixation on the screen resembles that of a gambler fixated on the outcome of rolling dice, highlighting a deep, almost compulsive engagement with technology and programming.