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"Since the only computer language Richard was really familiar with was Basic, he made up a parallel version of Basic in which he wrote the program and then simulated it by hand to estimate how fast it would run on the Connection Machine."

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I would've hoped someone of Feynman's level would've easily picked up a better language.

Someone like Feynman is capable of inventing a new language for parallel computing and correctly simulating its execution by hand.

That's a much more impressive skill than just learning another language.

I don't think so. He didn't invent a new language, but extended an existing one. And I simulate what a program does in my head all the time when debugging (including multithreaded stuff, but I agree that's hard).

Feynman may have found the arbitrary nature of syntax for a new language a tedious learning exercise.

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