You're right. Another reason I like Fermi problems, is that the kind of people who I want work with (read: curious-minded tend-to-be-geeky programmers) tend to

You're right. Another reason I like Fermi problems, is that the kind of people who I want work with (read: curious-minded tend-to-be-geeky programmers) tend to love them, and solve them for fun. I can't count the number of times we sat over lunch, arguing weird questions like how many planes it would take to move a certain river, or how many people it would take to eat a rhinocerous. If someone is put off by these kinds of questions, I would question whether they fit with the kind of culture I think a group of smart people have.