One of the most satisfying forms of mental stimulation for me is programming. Yes, I know, it's technically "work," since computers are what keep the lights on around here. However, there's a big difference between coding for money and coding for recreation.

Modern computers don't really lend themselves to recreational programming. I certainly enjoy working with Linux and UNIX, and C provides a lot of programming power in a compact and expressive language. However, this is akin to working with an 18-wheeler: very useful with enormous capacity, but not quite what one would joyride in. Ergo, I decided that if I were to satisfy my cravings for recreational coding I would have to reach into the past and resurrect a dormant skill: 6502 assembly language programming.

Back in the late 1970s and extending into the beginning of the 1990s, I developed a lot of 6502 code. Even today, the 6502's descendants—mainly the 65C02S and 65C816S—are widely used, both in commercial applications and by hobbyists, especially those who like to scratch-build computers (check out www.6502.org). The 6502 MPU is quite limited when compared to modern processors, but has a simplicity that is both pleasing and frustrating. It is the latter that seems to get my juices going, so to speak. The more difficult it is to code a particular algorithm, the more I seem to enjoy it. Perverse, to be sure, but it is what it is.

Another source of mental challenge is my large-scale model locomotive (powerful enough to haul up to 20 passengers). I modeled the Electro-Motive F7A, a unit from the late 1940s that was in widespread use on North American railroads. The external appearance of my model faithfully captures the look of the original, but the machinery within is all my design. Figuring out how to cram a V-twin engine, hydrodynamic propulsion system, electrical controls, air compressor, etc., into the space available in a 1/8 scale model proved to be quite the challenge, both in the concrete and abstract sense. Working out the design proved to be as enjoyable as building the unit and then running it.

...maybe tackling Spanish would wake up a few lazy neurons...

At the rate illegal aliens are pouring in from Mexico, learning Spanish may become a necessity. <Grin> ¿Que pasa, amigo mió?

Wed May 21 19:27:28 2008: Subject:   JonR


I recommend http://www.sharpbrains.com , in case you haven't already visited that site. It is reputable, does not exist to make a sales pitch like so many (sometimes pretty good) brain-workout sites, and seems to have good references (such as being a Scientific American partner).


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