If you want a constructive take on the problem this rant is aimed at (I'm rant happy too, so don't take that description pejoratively), read "No silver bullet"

If you want a constructive take on the problem this rant is aimed at (I'm rant happy too, so don't take that description pejoratively), read "No silver bullet" by Fred Brooks, written in 1986. The problem hasn't really changed over time. I think the past four decades have proven his point. This is the article that highlighted the idea of accidental complexity and essential complexity. Then he points out that the hard problem is making incremental improvements to how we handle essential complexity and that there is no silver bullet. Nothing will ever give you an order of magnitude improvement. So the corollary here is that if you want an order of magnitude improvement, you will need multiple incremental improvements. You need to make seven 10% improvements to double your efficiency and you need 24 to obtain 10x. An excellent student solves problems correctly 95% of the time, or makes a mistake 1 time in 20. So that excellent student who becomes an engineer may make a mistake 1 time in 20. Not everyone will be so accurate, many of the fads which have promise may be dead ends as well: it might not be possible to increment on them.