>> companies that would grind you into crackers if given enough motive

Thanks for that. I can't wait to have an opportunity to use that phrase! :)

        -dZ.

Two can play this game.

http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/beg?q=beg+the+question#beg__15

Check out definition #1.

Now, to avoid any further confusion in the future, make yourself acquainted with the following word: context.

          -dZ.

I would imagine that the iPhone and the iPad would have shown that to Microsoft. Unfortunately, Ballmer is beyond the point of realization. You can't teach an old dog new tricks, especially when the dog is stuck in a rut playing the single trick it learned as a pup.

>> Poverty makes people do the strangest things.

Yeah, like not caring so much about using the Internet, whether it's free or not.

Are we talking developing countries or junkies?

How can you and others comment on how it "worked," when it's a visual effects sequence on a fantasy film? It wasn't intended to prove any theoretical process, and I doubt that the sequence was conceived by physicists; it was intended to look futuristic and cool.

          dZ.

That's the point that is being missed in many of the other comments. It's not necessarily execution, and it is not necessarily programming experience or even knowledge. The key thing is, as you say, domain knowledge of the application of your ideas: understanding why it's good and novel, and how it will be used.

And that is also what is missed by a whole bunch of so-called "entrepreneurs." I've known a few people who, you know, want to live the Web 2.0 dream: come up with a fantastic idea, get some funding to design and implement it, and sell it to Google or Facebook or some other large enterprise--or even better, strike it rich and famous on its own merits!

The problem is that many of the "good" ideas they come up with are just contrived versions of "big-famous-site-but-with-X" or "I heard there's money in this industry so let's provide X for them." They completely ignore the fact that they know nothing about that particular market or industry, so how could they truly understand the needs and requirements of their target audience? They think that, since their specific idea hasn't been implemented yet, it is because nobody has had this truly awesome idea, so they must move fast.

On the other hand, had they been part of that market, like the electrician in your story, and had an itch to scratch; or had they taken the time to study a particular industry or market segment to try to address their needs in an innovative way; it wouldn't matter at all whether they know how to program or implement their idea.

          -dZ.

Spoken like a true geek.

He never suggested that it would be "damaging," just inappropriate. For a business application, I agree.

          -dZ.

Is one of them called Longhorn?

But that's the point, when people talk about improving health prospects by implementing new ways of handling waste, they don't go around saying "poo" or "pee."

It is therefore, not the vernacular.

Was the submission written by a 6 year-old?

Why is it that in a nerdy site like Slashdot, expressly dedicated to smart people, an article is written with childish words like "pee," "turd," and "poo"?

I'm in no way offended by the language, but by the lazy, crude, and idiotic way of using it. There are so many more intelligent ways to express oneself than using school-yard slang.

          -dZ.

"Billions worldwide still don't have access to proper sanitation"

No toilets, but they are actively using Facebook?

The article does not clearly say how they count them. However, it does suggest that it is not a real, accurate quantification of actual live accounts--more like a statistical figure.

In the article, the figure is compared to the United Nations announcing the population on earth, so I guess it involves a lot of extrapolation based on subscription rates and usage loads.

If you read the article, it's a bit comforting that they have absolutely no idea how many real people are actively using the system, nor which one would be the specific "billionth" user.

Well, comforting if I used Facebook, which I don't, so I really don't care.

          -dZ.