Fifteen years ago he was also running the Hardware Design Laboratory at the University of Waterloo. (I should know; I was his intern/high-school co-op student for a few months. Now I'm a novelist. Strange world.) He used the HDL as a high-tech play area. It's true that Mark never spent a lot on his research/toys, but going in to work in that kind of environment every day probably helped quite a bit. It's all about the context; when your workplace is fun-friendly, it's a lot easier for your fun to become your life's work.
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Fifteen years ago he was also running the Hardware Design Laboratory at the University of Waterloo. (I should know; I was his intern/high-school co-op student for a few months. Now I'm a novelist. Strange world.) He used the HDL as a high-tech play area. It's true that Mark never spent a lot on his research/toys, but going in to work in that kind of environment every day probably helped quite a bit. It's all about the context; when your workplace is fun-friendly, it's a lot easier for your fun to become your life's work.