I feel the same way sometimes too. One thing to consider though is that when the overall complexity of a project increases these little things do add up.
I've had some pretty good results with Scott Young's ebook and blog in general: http://www.scotthyoung.com (ebook is on the side of the page, can't find a direct link to it).
I wonder how many (and which) CS texts are recommended simply because they are considered "classics." As a beginner there is really no way to tell how good a book will be before reading it without relying on the word of others.
"For chess, deliberate practice includes deep analysis of grandmaster games."
If this is true, could studying (reading) good code do the same for programming? One could, for example, begin to write an application and find code to a similar application where they would be able to check why things are implemented a the way they are as they go along. The tricky part here is deciding which code is worth studying.
I will definitely like to do some non-programming things on the side, such as read some books I've been meaning to and perhaps some martial arts as well.
These next few months will be a good time to explore.
Isn't this just because he is more experienced in Vim? I'm not an expert in any case, but is it really true that Vim is that much faster (editing-wise) than Emacs?
I'm guessing that everyone's editor of choice would be the one they're most comfortable in. In other words, the one in which they've invested the most time into learning.
The thing I wonder about the most is what their thought process is like. I believe any intelligent person will come to a point where they will question their faith. I'm genuinely curious as to what makes them side with faith.
I know from my own culture that one's personal image is usually the biggest factor when deciding. Atheists are pretty much outcasts in my culture.