There is a wonderful set of lectures by the two magicians.) I used to watch some before going to bed. Actually it takes a long time to understand what they are

There is a wonderful set of lectures by the two magicians.) I used to watch some before going to bed. Actually it takes a long time to understand what they are saying (big ideas behind the words) and why they chose so (why this or that particular example). But the great idea is quite simple: "All you need is Lambda and the List structure as a glue (to create layers of DSLs) plus self-discipline of not violating abstraction barriers". But one has to really understand them. (Well, arrays and hash-tables are also necessary due to some efficient algorithms based on its unique properties).