The article doesn't mention when he started this goal. How do you know it was in childhood and not, for example, as an undergraduate student?
replyIs it a sustainable career? He only recently got his PhD.
As a kid I dreamed about being a programmer (among many other things), and I am one.
If I bought an old PDP 11/70 to get hands-on experience on using early Unix systems work, would that mean I'm playing a Bell Labs researcher?
Give it a rest.
replyIf that word bothers you, substitute "recreating" or "testing".