- The author works on computational chemistry for predicting protein spectra, often requiring the use of university high-performance computing clusters, which involves a cumbersome login process with VPN and 2FA that takes about 30 seconds each time, leading to decreased motivation and potential abandonment of work.
- The concept of 'clunkiness' is defined as having many intermediate steps to complete a simple task, and this friction is especially detrimental for independent researchers who work after hours and need instant, hassle-free access to computational resources.
- The author suggests that doing computational chemistry locally is becoming more feasible, as tools like Claude Code make installation easier, and local machines can efficiently handle small tasks (e.g., SCF optimization for 19 atoms) that are actually faster than cluster runs, as demonstrated by a Mac completing a task in 82 seconds versus a cluster median of 190 seconds.