MLM people at the top earn more than people at the bottom.

I make more than the people who report to me. The president of the company makes more than I. Does that make it a pyramid? Not defending MLM, but you will always see people in higher positions making more money.

I also believe one of the differences between Ponzi and Pyramid is how informed the participants are of their role in the organization:

Ponzi: Participants are investors. They are promised "above market" returns and are then shown other peoples money as proof of returns. They are then convinced it would be unwise to invest their money in less-optimal vehicles. Few investors remove funds, and those who do are paid in monies from the next batch of suckers^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hinvestors.

Pyramid: Participants are collaborators. You know you have to "recruit" other investors in order to make money on you investment, usually in the form of some commission or recruiting bonus. No real work is involved and no products are produced.

Realize these are gross generalizations and con-artists are very good at blurring the lines between categories and dreaming up new twists to the tried-and-true.

Oh and nobody creates money, except in exceptional circumstances (the central bank can, but an ordinary bank can't..

Actually, they can and do. Haven't you ever wondered why the Fed borrows money when it has the capability of just creating more by fiat?
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2550156453790090544&ei=KaDkSYTpG4uk-wG92IiZCQ&q=money+as+debt&emb=1
The name of the video is Money as Debt. I'll warn you, the video is a bit long (~45 minutes) but worth the information it contains. There are smaller, segmented video if you'd prefer to break it into smaller chunks.

The second meaning is "market research", and frankly, that's insane.

Actually, this statement, coupled with the GP post, is EXACTLY what Linux needs. I have heard time and again how "Linux will never get ahead if it's always playing catchup to Microsoft." Fine. It sounds like fprintf (the user) is just what we need; someone who can identify the marketplace and provide developers with the direction to go.

I believe the "scratching an itch" philosophy is great in that it provides a useful outlet for a person's creative ferver. But you only need so many IM clients or email programs. At some point, it becomes noise. By having a marketing-type identify a real issue in the marketplace, something under-served or missing altogether, we will no longer be competing with each other (15 IM clients), but providing a real alternative. THAT is when Microsoft will have to play catchup with Linux. fprintf is not (necessarily) a developer. As in any marketing effort, getting input from subject matter experts is paramount to designing an application which is usable and accurate. I, as a custom application developer, do not know the in's and out's of every business system I work in. I have to enlist the help of SME's.

I think the same would hold true for this type of project. Get those who have the most to gain involved in making the product a success.

...Theoretically, inflation really doesn't cause any harm to an economy. But it does tax those who sit on wealth and refuse to earn more or invest what they have...

Are you KIDDING?!? Inflation hurts people who rely on fixed incomes: retirees, pensioners, the disabled, those drawing from an annuity. It's a form of silent taxation. A person who works during an inflationary period will (generally) get some form of COLA raise. Fixed-income people get no such protection. Inflation makes them poorer, and many have no recourse than to go to Wal-Mart to make up the difference.

I'm no economist, but what I've been reading about inflation and Keynesian economics leads me to believe it's not the answer.

"Experience is the best teacher."

Experience is a HORRIBLE teacher. It gives the test before the lesson.

"If it isn't Mr. Dance Fever."

"Yeah, and you're a goddamn hero when it's five-to-one!"

Footloose