I'll give it a shot. Feel free to ignore what doesn't make sense, I'm up late tonight.
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I've noticed that it seems like most of the hacker/maker culture consists of folks who had a background in software programming and make the shift into hardware. It seems much more rare for someone to start with an analog foundation and go into microcontrollers.
Q. Would you guys agree, or am I just seeing things?
Q. Does this carry over to professional design engineering, or, is this why it's sometimes frustrating to hear, "We'll fix it in software!"?
I ask as someone with a broad background in all sorts of hardware troubleshooting (cars, computers, etc.) but no programming experience since my Commodore 64. I'm doing my homework now to sort out what language (or more likely what flavor of C) to build a strong foundation with. I feel like I'll have an advantage in mixed signal projects if I can ever get my brain around programming!
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One of the common cousins of hobby electronics, at least in the US, is ham radio. I think it'd be neat to see a whole new generation really get into radio as a hobby again, but I think it could be a hard sell with internet messaging and so much more within ready reach.
Q. Do you guys think the tide of enthusiasm for electronics will someday wash back into long distance radio?
Edit: Adding little bits as I think of them.