i think this guy is being way too cynical, and this is coming from someone who doesn't think our civilization would survive an oil crash, so i know cynicism pretty well. people aren't so one dimensional that they could be defined by their occupation and nothing else. the author implies that the mayor should just stick to his job, and as should every other non programmer. this is a terrible mindset. there's nothing wrong with programming as a hobby, and with it comes exercise for your critical thinking and problem solving faculties, which is not a bad thing, i'd say. i don't see how this initiative is in any way a bad thing. as for learning plumbing, hey, if you have free time, it's not such a bad idea either. plumbers are expensive! i upvoted because **downvote != disagree**