The starting point does not seem to be applying to grad school, at least in this case. The starting point seems to be building a bicycle. The interesting thing about bicycle projects is scale. They are detailed engineering projects but manageable by a single person from design through prototyping through delivery. Basically the average person can build a bicycle on their own through persistence.
The hard part is accepting a bicycle in the present when the dream is a boat and peddling for a few decades to make the boat happen.
In an important sense, the computer geekery is the least interesting part. It could have been a musician with a harpsichord. Sure the technology is interesting in its own right. But the bicycle makes it a story about autonomy and autonomy is the theme of the tail.
The hard part is accepting a bicycle in the present when the dream is a boat and peddling for a few decades to make the boat happen.
In an important sense, the computer geekery is the least interesting part. It could have been a musician with a harpsichord. Sure the technology is interesting in its own right. But the bicycle makes it a story about autonomy and autonomy is the theme of the tail.