Eno, Bowie, et al also used it during the sessions for Low and Radiohead used it during the sessions for Kid A/Amnesiac. Its also related tangentially to Burroughs cut-up technique. Sources are the 33 1/3 book series on Low and Wikipedia, though I don't have links handy.
Really interesting to me. I like its paradoxical practicality. I'm sure it could be used for many different kinds of creative endeavors. Perhaps even software.
Do you live within commuting distance to a city that has more opportunities for the type of technologies you want to use? If so, what I've found is that a vast number more companies are open to part-time remote than full-time remote. You might have more luck if you widen your parameters there. If not then there are definitely full-time remote positions out there. They are just harder to find.
Also I would look for positions with a well-funded startup or a small company (opposed to a large company). They are the best bet for getting to use cutting edge technologies while also allowing remote work, in my experience.
Excellent insight. I wish this were articulated in blog form somewhere.
Personal anecdote. I moved to Santiago, Chile for 6 months in 2011 to participate in Startup Chile. The first week I was there I had an idea for a novel come to me like a lightning bolt. It sort of overcame me and I worked out the entire story in a few days time. More than anything I think it had to do with the sudden change of environment that sparked my creativity. (and yes, I later wrote that novel)
The gift of the artist is to express ideas that are in the air of a particular time, but have not yet been articulated. So it is inevitable that a cultural upheaval would have its origins in the art of a culture, even if it is not easy to draw a direct corollary. The art does not effect the change, except maybe in exceptional circumstances, it only expresses what is already in the air.
You don't have to look very hard to find examples. Take The Wire in the United States, which is all about the futility of the War on Drugs and the harm it causes to its citizens. Only now are we are seeing the first steps of decriminalization in states like Colorado, Oregon, and Washington. Did The Wire effect that change? No, probably not. But it did articulate the attitude long before it manifested in policy.
Great post, I used to work in manual labor. There are issues with mental fatigue in software development that affect work/life balance more so than physical fatigue, but in general I agree with you.