I could see you not caring for the "hand wavy" or "rant" comments, but my open source line is simply saying it like it is - there's nothing cynical about it. I've spent tons of my own time working on open source software, and while I've gotten a lot out of it and enjoyed it immensely, I don't think that in monetary terms, it adds up to a great deal.

Like many people here, I don't have "big $$$", so that cuts me out of the investing part of the equation.

Let's put it this way: maybe your article makes more sense if specifically directed at people with money to invest. As a hacker, either I have a big green/anti-poverty/etc... idea for people to invest in, or I don't, and as one without such an idea, your article comes across as a bit of a harangue about something I have little control over, having neither the '$$$', nor that kind of idea.

And one final note: there are plenty of practical and noble ideas that could help millions of people that aren't, however, money making ideas. Once again, your article isn't clear (to me at least) on whether that's what people ought to be spending their money on, or if you think that investors can make a buck by investing in this stuff.