Little today produces more economic value than code
I wholeheartedly agree with this idea: it's why I changed career paths in high school and decided to go into computers (originally I was thinking physics), because it was amazing to me the potential that computers had for changing society: not just because they allowed new things to be done, but also just because software allowed for a new distribution model where "cost-of-goods" was no longer much of an issue. If you make a useful piece of software, it's nearly free to give it to others.
I just wanted to thank you for leaving the world better than you find it.
And thanks for your kind words. Although the world can be dark at times, I'm still convinced that if we keep focused on making things better, those efforts will pay off in the end.