I like programming not for the technology aspect but more for how I can use it
- to communicate the intent of the code easily
 - to decompose a problem into sub-problems beautifully
 - to create maintainable software
 - to design complex systems
 
Hence my interests lie in topics of:
- Flow Based Programming
 - TDD
 - Functional Programming( MIT Scheme, Scala)
 - DSLs
 
Some books which have influenced me:
- Refactoring book by Martin Fowler
 - Code Complete
 - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs(SICP)
 - Growing Object Oriented Software via tests
 
People who inspire me:
- Alan Kay