I have been teaching myself programming and web development for a little less than 2 years now using only online resources. I have been learning and tinkering with many languages and frameworks including asp.net, rails, php, and flask. Each language/framework taught me something new and showed me the fundementals in a novel way which helped me reinforce them. But recently, I was becoming frustrated because after all this study, I still had little to show for my effort as far as shipping things. So I decided I would focus on making some simple apps that consume apis.
I have found node and the express framework specifically to be the only tools so far that don't overwhelm me and allows me just hack things together without having to google too much. JavaScripts pleasantly simple syntax, and expresses minimalism let me focus on the important parts of web development like how things fit together on a high level. Eventually, I will go back to learning Ruby and Rails, but for now I am happy to actually be working on things instead of just studying.
So, from my perspective, I like server-side js more than PHP and I think it will continue to grow and improve.
I agree that America is doing many things wrong, and has many challenges facing it now and likely well into the future. However, I would also like to remind you that America is as a nation, 237 years old. It is a country that was founded by rebels and is often in some sort of crisis and or revolution at any given time. Despite(because of?) this, great things and great people consistently grow from here, and I have no doubt that will continue well into the future.
I am surprised when I hear people talk of our current issues as if they will be what does us in. Think of the big picture here, do you really think America is going to get "overtaken" in the 21st century when in many ways we are leading it? And I do agree we are behind in some ways as well, but we don't have to be number 1 at everything to be successful, or at the least survive and progress as a nation.
That was part of my point that Instagram would be less likely to work out outside of SV. This article helps us on the outside looking in understand how many things you have to have going for you other than just talent and a good idea to achieve the level of success Instagram has.
As someone in the US and in California, but !in the bay area and !in rapport with the likes of Marc Andreessen, Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg, I too wonder if Instagram-like success would be possible for a startup that is not in that position. And if it isn't possible, perhaps the rest of us should think twice about aspiring to that specific type of success.
Anything that helps us live in present moment is helpful. Even future planning must start from a place grounded in a awareness of where things are at now. If Eckhart helps you do that, great. I enjoy occasionally watching him on youtube. My personally favorite is Alan Watts though.