Richard Brodie: I was 1K, now I am PE. I really do not see it as climbing any kind of "ladder". The perks you mention as not of significance to you, are really significant to me - different people will have different priorities, but if someone is writing an article for general distribution, s/he should try to represent a broad spectrum of viewpoints, and not some condescending viewpoint about what people should or should not do with their time.