Even laborious non-CS stuff can be improved by basic knowledge from his listed topics. For example, functional programming may have a slightly academic vibe, but it's also great for boring things--you still get all the benefits like simplicity, safety and conciseness, which makes your boring program easier to write and more maintainable.
Another great topic is language development. This one probably sounds even more academic than functional programming! But this is not the case. In virtually every space, even the boring ones, you can make your code simpler and more maintainable by factoring it into a DSL. And this is exactly the skill you gain by looking at language design in general.
More generally, boring stuff is actually a great place to experiment with new techniques. Having a core problem that isn't terribly difficult can actually be an advantage: the problem itself does not distract you from trying new techniques. For example, if all you're doing is writing a bunch of GUI forms, you could consider trying FRP; it can make your code shorter and more maintainable and you almost definitely won't run into any of the current problems with FRP because all you're doing are simple forms.
Of course, if you're working on something boring and yet still interested enough in improving that you're willing to read a bunch of essays and books, you should really consider getting a more interesting job. And right now is the best time for it--the job market is crazy, so you have a decent chance of landing work that is both more interesting and better-paid.
And if you're content as is and not yearning for self-improvement--which is completely reasonable: not everybody can or should prioritize programming very highly--then you're probably not going to follow this blog's advice even with different books.
Another great topic is language development. This one probably sounds even more academic than functional programming! But this is not the case. In virtually every space, even the boring ones, you can make your code simpler and more maintainable by factoring it into a DSL. And this is exactly the skill you gain by looking at language design in general.
More generally, boring stuff is actually a great place to experiment with new techniques. Having a core problem that isn't terribly difficult can actually be an advantage: the problem itself does not distract you from trying new techniques. For example, if all you're doing is writing a bunch of GUI forms, you could consider trying FRP; it can make your code shorter and more maintainable and you almost definitely won't run into any of the current problems with FRP because all you're doing are simple forms.
Of course, if you're working on something boring and yet still interested enough in improving that you're willing to read a bunch of essays and books, you should really consider getting a more interesting job. And right now is the best time for it--the job market is crazy, so you have a decent chance of landing work that is both more interesting and better-paid.
And if you're content as is and not yearning for self-improvement--which is completely reasonable: not everybody can or should prioritize programming very highly--then you're probably not going to follow this blog's advice even with different books.