I find it useful for learning once you get the fundamentals down. I do it by trying to find all the bugs in the generated code, then see what could be cut out or restructured. It really gives more insight into how things actually work than just regular coding alone.

This isn’t as useful for coding actual programs though, since it would just take more time than necessary.

I think they meant standing in the corner or sitting in a chair for the duration of the timeout

Daydreaming to the point where it’s interfering with your day to day life

I think it’s likely both. People are broke and spend less, and what they do spend is at a company that they feel hasn’t sold them out. I can’t tell which one is having the bigger impact though. The data on the subject should be interesting either way.