Looking at hardware might be a good way to see how the "alternate universe" plays out. Hardware isn't free and can't be infinitely copied. So if you want to b

Looking at hardware might be a good way to see how the "alternate universe" plays out. Hardware isn't free and can't be infinitely copied. So if you want to be a self-taught EE there's a certain minimum financial barrier to entry (like you have to buy FPGAs and breadboards and soldering irons and so on). There are far fewer hardware hackers around probably as a result.