I don’t know how much of this paper I can understand but
I find it pretty interesting that, AFAICT, the dominant engineering paradigm of an era is also the dominant “this is what reality is” metaphor: cathedrals and architecture and the spheres; steam and clockwork and mechanical; now - computation and information!
Um, that's an overstatement. He was also "focused" on making refrigerators - he owned a patent on a novel system, but was foiled by the near-simultaneous discovery of better non-toxic refrigerant liquids.
I find it pretty interesting that, AFAICT, the dominant engineering paradigm of an era is also the dominant “this is what reality is” metaphor: cathedrals and architecture and the spheres; steam and clockwork and mechanical; now - computation and information!