"I began to see the construction of software in the context of the whole sweep of human tool use." -- Conway #readingToday  

I started out posing this computer-science problem: "Can I find a simpler conceptual model for computer applications that will be accessible to more people?" As a model evolved and I experimented with the construction tool I was building for this model, the problem started looking different. I began to see the construction of software in the context of the whole sweep of human tool use. This is a very, very long progression that began over a million years ago with chipping flakes away from a stone to make a handaxe. Manual tool use is a big part of what makes us human, and we spend the first few years of our lives working very hard to acquire the skills that allow each of us to join this long procession of human tool users.