I think that the parent is actually referring to design time.

I find as I grow older that I program in short bursts. I spend quite a bit of time thinking about what I want to do. I scribble a couple of diagrams on paper to make sure that the image I have in my head is complete and once I'm sure of what I want to do and why, only then, I start typing.

Usually, those first scribbles end up being my test cases.

As for the original article, if I had to use as much gear as he does just to get by, I would really rethink my life.