I do see and understand that. And I was talking about your article because that is what you asked us about.
You see your focus as being very broad. I see it as fairly narrow (when thinking of automation as a whole) and it needs to be focused even narrower.
This illustrates my point. You say "in a very broad sense", but the fact is, "controlling stuff through code" is but one tiny portion of automation.
When you are buried in the trenches your entire universe becomes what you can see even though that is but a tiny portion of the real universe. Even if there are a 1000 people in the trenches with you, that is still but a tiny portion of the big picture and that can distort our perceptions. You see the code work of automation as the broad picture, I see it as but one small (but critically important) part of the big picture.
You need to start by defining "stuff". In terms of "controlling stuff", data is stuff. Can you touch and feel data? The autopilot on an aircraft controls stuff too, like moving flaps, adjusting engine speeds, and more - mechanical "stuff" you can touch and feel.
If I think of long-distance, remote, robotic, microscopic surgery, I can think of several technologies (entire industries!) involved in that automation process. There's the actual networking that involves no moving parts at all. Then there's the mechanics of moving all kinds of parts, including the scalpel in precision movements in the operating room, and the mechanics on the surgeon's end too. There's the microscopic optics, power delivery, and all the fail-safe measures that must take place too. Coding is just one part of the process.
No way! I used to work in a software development company that supported secure networking for the US State Department and DoD. We had over 400 developers at our one location. There was another 200 consultants like me who supported all sorts of "IT/IS" systems for federal, state and commercial contracts. Everything we did dealt with networking.
Yet by far, it was all about communication, saving and delivering "information", not "controlling stuff" - unless by "stuff" you mean messages and data. Nothing involved "moving parts". Yes, automation can involve just processes, but a huge part of automation is about moving parts.
Look at Internet providers. They are pretty much all network people. Are you suggesting their primary focus is automation? Look at e-medical records, on-line banking, telecommunications, cable TV. They all are network dependent. Do you think of automation when you think of them?
I think what you need to do is just start listing things YOU want to write about. Forget, for now, what others want. Write about what you want. Narrow your focus to a pinpoint topic, research, write, then expand from there. Write about what you want to learn more about.
Talk to your co-workers. What do they want to know more about?
I agree that automation is here to stay and will only get more ingrained our lives. "Smart homes" controlled through networking will become commonplace. In the near future, traveling in our cars from point A to point B will all be controlled via automation. But all that is still in it infancy and still but a tiny portion of networking today.
