Still diggin!

Where did Still diggin! come from? #

I use this phrase to end posts about stuff I’m working on that’s now ready to use. A new feature, fix or workaround. #

Here’s the idea. As a developer, I started off a long time ago by digging a hole. Then I dug another, filling the first hole with the dirt from the second. Then a third and fourth and so on. The holes get a little better over time, deeper, new features, etc. But they’re still holes. #

At the end, when I’ve dug my last hole, what will be left is a hole and a bunch of piles of dirt. Over time, the piles erode and maybe someone else fills in the last hole and another group of humans do it all again. #

So when I say I’m still diggin that means I’m still alive, digging holes and filling them in. 😄#

BTW, there’s another theory about where Still Diggin! came from. Back in my youth, when the NYC power utility Con Ed dug up a street they posted a sign saying “Dig we must for a greater New York!” That stuck with me. And if you think about it, it’s just another instance of the use in the first explanation. #