I think the smiley at the end indicates that it is a joke. After all it was created as a fictional plot device for a comedy.
Edit: Even the above got downvoted and I get reminded again that HN is full of stuck up, overly sensitive and unhumorous engineers. With the exception of this being a great place to find interesting things to read the community aspect is uninviting and unforgiving.
Comments about being downvoted are also almost always downvoted. The comment guidelines actually warn you that it's a bad idea.