I'm going to be a cynic here and say that the author's real thrust seems to be to reconcile his childhood dreams of being a rock star with his current station i

I'm going to be a cynic here and say that the author's real thrust seems to be to reconcile his childhood dreams of being a rock star with his current station in life. The definition of rock star precludes the vast majority from ever attaining it, and most of us have to "give up the dream" at some point. A rock star is a public figure that a sizable portion of the general population respects, envies, appreciates, and to some degree emulates. I agree with many commenters here that the almost no tech-related workers are rock stars. Steve Jobs (and even he is debatable), Bill Gates, and now Mark Zuckerberg are the only legitimate tech rock stars. If you claim anyone else, you're just kidding yourself. Everyone wants to be adored and respected -- it's what makes us care about "meaningless" karma points. It's great to find from time to time that a total stranger appreciates you. That does not mean you're a rock star. You can come to grips with that, delude yourself, or actually become a true rock star. Changing the definition of rock star is not an option.