Would Google Docs Spreadsheet PLEASE match and create the same shortcuts that are used is MS excel? It would be interesting to see if the engineers working on Google Docs Spreadsheet were ever MS Excel power users.
A Flattr intern and I were discussing a Pay by Facebook button and we made a point that in order for Flattr to scale, it would need better integration into popular services. Before putting a Flattr button for comments, just integrate it into Disqus so that anyone with Disqus on their blog can now receive Flattr donations. http://ericelias.posterous.com/facebooks-credits-will-trump-...
It may seem that they are just giving it away to charity. But many of the donations that Bill Gates provides are making new waves in terms of research, development techniques and expanding microfinance.
They are not just pledging money away. These are serious investments that are evaluated in the same way a VC/Angel pick a startup. A colleague of mine tried to apply/pitch to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the event (many people pitched) lasted six hours with two reviews and rigorous questioning. He was not successful, but he said it was a very thorough examination.^1
Bottom line: A portion of these pledges are more than putting money into collection baskets, it is putting it into the baskets of third world women who need an extra sewing machine to make ten more shirts so their kids can go to school and have food.
In addition to the NoSQL camp, it seems that a new method to replace tier 3 programming is CouchDB. Specifically, the CouchApp.org that was posted yesterday on HN. The CouchApp "can be served directly to the browser from CouchDB, without any other software in the stack".