the.com/indirection
the problem you can't solve, solved by pointing at someone who can.
means solving a problem by adding a layer of reference between you and the thing, instead of touching the thing directly.
from from the old programmer's koan attributed to david wheeler: any problem in computer science can be solved by adding another level of indirection. wheeler was one of the pioneers of the subroutine, itself an early act of indirection, so he had standing to say it.
the corollaryexcept too many levels of indirection
pointersa variable whose entire job is pointing elsewhere
dnsturns memorable names into forgettable numbers, indirectly
cachingis indirection with a memory and an expiry date
for instance
dns lookup — translates google.com into an ip address every single load
function pointers in c — let code call code it has never met
middle managers — exist so executives never speak to interns directly
legal proxies — sign documents on your behalf so you never show up