I often think about JavaScript generators, a feature of the language that fits a specific need related to encapsulating logic to be processed and consumed at a later time, set by the consumer of said generator.
I’d consider it a lesser-known and more difficult to understand feature of the language. Could fit under an “advanced” label.
I think about generators in relation to their implementation, what makes them work and it makes me think about how computers work in general. You can, of course, understand that specific feature, or any other feature for that matter, while blackboxing whatever’s lying below, whatever makes the system work.
I have a similar experience while thinking about stocks. As a tiny shareholder in some companies, directly or through a proxy ( ETPs ), I interact with the market, which could as well be the one of the biggest black boxes we are exposed to. While there’s no need for it, I still feel drawn to understanding it better.
This feeling of being drawn to the “basics”, to get a better grasp on how the things that “make the world work” work, I see reflected in the writing approach of some of the bloggers I like to read e.g. Simon Willison or Julia Evans. The way in which they always break down topics that are widely known about, yet not as widely understood is delightful and feeds exactly that constant “need to go back to the basics” I feel.
Sometimes it feels like one step forward and two backwards, but hopefully each further step covers a slightly larger distance.