The Task

I wrote this for my son Nathan some years ago, when he was enjoying making projects on his MSP430. Those who know what this is, along with the Arduino, will enjoy it. For others, look up the MSP430, and you will understand. -john s.

The young man stopped his steed on a slight knoll. Twisting in the saddle he wistfully looked back over the terrain he had traversed, thinking of the battles fought, the lessons learned, the order brought, and the wisdom earned. Sighing he then looked forward into the chaos and danger of what lay ahead: The Werkaria. He had been here many times before, but though many battles had been fought here, many remained. His hand went reflexively to the hilt of his weapon, firmly ensconced in the scabbard at his hip. The handle of the soldering iron felt familiar and reassuring. Nathan knew it was time to dismount the steed that had brought him thus far and proceed alone, as the friendly constant companion could not follow him into the chaos ahead. He closed Laptop5’s lid and, leaving its smooth muzzle behind, strode into the wilds that few dared enter that existed between the cliffs of West Wall and East Wall. Mumbling bits of The Code, which had strengthened him and his friends and which had guided him on his quest, he remembered the things he had learned from Master BlueHash and those who had gone before him. Ahead, in the jumble of the wild waited the thing that must be tamedthe MSP430!

Nathan had fought with this beast on other occasions, and knew that harder battles lay ahead before this particular animal would be subdued. Struggling through the wires of the badlands,the beast which tore at his legs like vines, he thought of his friends and family, which, not understanding the need for his quest, refused to enter here. Here, where components needed to survive were hard to find – and many times had to be harvested with great difficulty – Nathan felt truly alive. He was in his element. Though it seemed insane, he actually looked forward to the battles because of the rewards gained when The Code worked! The MSP430 was not the only beast out here, either. His confidants had warned him about its sister, The Ardwuino Beast, which was just as dangerous.

Suddenly, he found himself at the Board! The beast was waiting for him! Drawing his soldering iron from its scabbard Nathan engaged in The Task. With a wisp of flux smoke and amid the flash of LEDs he was instantly focused only on the Battle, as all else around him faded away. He became unaware of West Wall, East Wall, and the chaos of Werkaria. Only the Board mattered, and only his skill with The Code could save him!

the code

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