2024-07-06

• Updates on history (from The Story of Civilization VI: The Reformation). I’ve made it to the printing press. Was interesting to get more color on Gutenberg. I had read that his first press was quasi-stolen from him by his financier (who gave a loan to Gutenberg to build the thing, then demanded repayment before Gutenberg could print anything to bring in revenue, and the courts gave the finance guy the press). Interestingly, the finance guy took away the printing press before Gutenberg made his now-famous bibles. So, to make the bibles, Gutenberg had to make a second press himself and finance the whole thing again. Impressive dedication. I guess founders always find a way, even in the 1400s. But also, evidently the printing press was an immediate commercial success, as there was a reasonably large middle-class with income to spend and larger portions of the population had learned to read by that time. Very cool time in history. Printing press was, of course, a very very big deal (much like the Internet/Web of today.)
  
• Today is my last day before beginning work activities. Technically, today is Saturday, but I fly west tomorrow morning for an on-site next week, so I count tomorrow’s travel as “work activity.” Mixed feelings. This time off was an incredible time for me. I feel like I still have more I wanted to do with this time. I don’t know when it’ll happen again. Once the inertia of having a job and receiving a paycheck sets in, it’s very hard to shake it. Of course, I am also excited to get back into the thick of things with software on a professional team. So much to learn. And hopefully meaningful relationships come from it.
  
• Having such a great time watching soccer and programming this afternoon. Kotlin, you are a beautiful language. Soccer, you are a beautiful game.
  
• Made more progress in through the Middle Ages. Arrived at John Huss. Wow, wild guy. Too bad what they did to him.

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