I have to say it would be pretty awesome if there was a sudden influx in bored SAHMs learning to program / contributing to open source / starting their own company.

FWIW: I did post a link to HN on a homeschooling list where a parent (most likely a mom, since such lists tend to be dominated by women) was asking for resources related to programming. I also posted a link to a particular discussion here on another list (a really tiny list). I have long told my two sons that they aren't likely to be employable (especially my older son) so they need to plan on making their own company. I will likely do more to promote the "start your own business" concept to homeschoolers. I think there are some significant parallels between the two mindsets/lifestyles and I think homeschooling is good preparation for starting a business, much better preparation for that than for becoming a drone at a large company.

Cool. :) If it's not too rude, why unemployable? Does homeschooling just create people who are too independent to be a good fit with a lot of employers, or do employers/college admissions see a homeschool education as less valuable than public/private?

I homeschooled my sons because they are both "twice exceptional": gifted and learning disabled/otherwise handicapped. They didn't fit into the school system and they won't fit in well in most environments. There is an old, out of date website where I talk some about parenting and homeschooling them if your curiosity requires more than a two sentence explanation to satisfy: http://www.kidslikemine.com/ I don't mind talking about it. I just haven't been sleeping well this week and I'm quite tired.

I think the two-sentence explanation was enough for me to get the idea. I knew a guy like that when I was a teenager, very smart, decent guy but problems getting along with people. (I think he made his money doing freelance programming actually, so we've come full circle.) Thanks for the link, though; your kids' blog is great. Gaming plus plothole-picking plus social consciousness is one of my favorite combos.

Thanks. I'm really glad to hear you like the blog. So far, it hasn't seen much traffic/gotten much feedback so it's very nice to hear that. (If you have any ideas on how to promote the blog, drop me a line.)