> Retrocomputing FPGA work is a fun diversion from normal software, enough that my brain was convinced they weren't related (had a bit of a mental block for sof

> Retrocomputing FPGA work is a fun diversion from normal software, enough that my brain was convinced they weren't related (had a bit of a mental block for software). That's awesome! I feel this, I've had a software development mental block for a number of years now. I just don't find modern software all that interesting anymore. Lost in mountains of model mapping, layers of terrible abstraction, that never ending package update grind (shudders), bad APIs, closed won't fix works as designed bugs (sigh), truly insane complexity and so many many things that are simply outside of my control. It's my interest in related, but different areas that has kept me engaged recently: micro electronics, 3d printing, and home automation. They exercise enough of my decades of programming experience to get that fix, but the projects are small and focused on solving very concrete problems instead of moving a decimal point on some spreadsheet somewhere completely disconnected from me. It's great when you make something for a friend and you can see the joy in their eyes as they realize how much this thing you made helps them. Sounds like FPGAs are doing that for you and that makes me happy!