It most certainly wasn't meant as a jab, more genuine sorrow for the industry's growing maturity. The disconnected, experimental environment where even a modem

It most certainly wasn't meant as a jab, more genuine sorrow for the industry's growing maturity. The disconnected, experimental environment where even a modem was a luxury, that gave rise to the kind of exotic personalities common of the 80s (and 90s - dare I even include myself) has steadily been replaced by a well understood lifestyle common to millions. I wouldn't have thought it controversial to say that as a result, the kind of people you meet in IT becomes generally more bland and predictable with every passing day. That's simply due to there being so many more, all vastly better connected and less inclined wander their own paths, and where every imaginable problem has been encountered and blogged about 100 times before the average person even considers it.