Vulgarization of the Nerds

In contrast to Cringely's depiction of Sillicon Valley in Triumph of the Nerds, Daniel Lyons claims that emerging companies in the valley have lost the vision of their precursors. If the bright and brilliant of the rising generation focus on making quick cash—through the likes of FarmVille—society as a whole will suffer the lost potential of stagnant technology. But we can't hold them to blame for a lack of higher ambition. The real problem is their customers, who lack desire to do anything more meaningful than play mindless flash games. People need to stop spending money on these virtual sinkholes so that Silicon Valley can return its attention to the meaningful problems that are waiting to be solved.