NB: I also have a recommended reading page, which is mostly work-related; and an available-software page, too...
| Competitive advantage through better systems |
That's my slogan in my current job as a system administrator.
Many people seem to think of system administration as rather grimy electronic-janitor work that you wish would just go away (well, the people who do it, at least). Companies (and others) don't put enough money into it and -- surprise! surprise! -- mediocrity rules.
Instead, I argue that system administration is part of the infrastructure you invest in and, if done really well, from which you derive tangible ``advantage'' versus your ``peers'', whether other companies, universities, etc.
| Functional (and other) programming |
If you don't know what ``functional programming'' is, a good place to start is the FAQ. The particular language I've dealt with is Haskell.
When Haskell wasn't enough, I invented Haskerl.
| Computer architecture |
I did ``computer architecture'' with Fred Brooks, who invented the concept along with his colleagues on the IBM System/360 project.
Their definitive statement on the topic is in the book, Computer Architecture: Concepts and Evolution, by Gerrit A. Blaauw and Frederick P. Brooks, Jr., Addison-Wesley, 1997.