Oh, I know! While I got discouraged trying to learn K (I was a little too hung up on the notion of free software back in the day...), I learned J and had a terrific time interacting with the community. There were some bad apples, but the basket labeled "Smalltalk" is filled with many marvels. I enjoyed Factor while it was actively developed, which led me deep into Forth-land - an unforgettable experience. By the time I arrived on the other side of s-expressions, Smug Lisp Weenies were out and lots of friendly, curious, intelligent folk lived there instead. More recently, I invested some time into learning Raku - a beautifully eclectic, shockingly expressive language whose development is severely understaffed, underfunded, and underappreciated. I had a great time in all those instances - I know there are passionate people approaching programming creatively in all kinds of shapes and forms, and it's indeed heartening.

The problem is, when I go to work, I see exactly none of those people among my coworkers. I feel like breaking down on the spot and declaiming:

> I've seen things you people wouldn't believe... Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain... Time to die.

I don't, mostly out of respect to Rutger Hauer. Anyway, while in absolute terms people like that are probably much more numerous now than 20 years ago, they feel much more distant to me than ever before.