faixon

I think this misses the author's point. The examples he gave were all related to programming as an act of learning rather than an act of completion. He made no comment wrt programming as a contributor within a larger system (like open source code, community games, etc.). Instead, he argues that it's ok to like programming because it satisfies an intrinsic motivation, not that it satisfies an extrinsic goal more effectively.

"The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes is a particularly engaging read. Rhodes manages to record history as a character-driven story without sacrificing detailed elements of physical chemistry and - at times - philosophy. His treatment of Szilard and Bohr is outstanding.

I also recently finished "A Cage Went in Search of a Bird", which is an anthology of Kafka-esque short stories. I'd recommend it if only for reading "God's Doorbell" (which imagines swarm-behavior RSI building the Tower of Babel).