A thought provoking read is What is Systems Programming, Really? (http://willcrichton.net/notes/systems-programming/).

I've dabbled on the idea of low level vs high level programming languages before. You have to wonder what is the limit for high level vs low level and I think this post approaches it well. The author noted that several contributors to lower level languages when asked this question: "what is a systems programming language in 2014?" that they generally agreed that the language must offer you a...

Another thought provoking post recently is one like Lession to Unlearn (http://paulgraham.com/lesson.html)

I liked learning, and I really enjoyed some of the papers and programs I wrote in college. But did I ever, after turning in a paper in some class, sit down and write another just for fun? Of course not. I had things due in other classes.

Lesson to Unlearn jives with me a lot. Like money, grades are a means to an end, but don't make me emotional or feel like I am jubilant looking at them. I played at a g...