Of course, back in the days of film, very few people would even attempt to take pictures in such poor lighting, unless equipped with high-end lenses and fast film.
Norvig even threads the fantastic exemplar of capturing dancers throughout his piece, which acts as a fabulous counterpoint to all the technical detail.
I think you may have missed my point. Norvig's post, in and of itself is mostly fine--though I'd say the tips on composition in there, which you must have missed were poor--but within the context of the present day, with boatloads of engineers who take up photography to become camera junkies, it's problematic.
By the way, if it wasn't clear I'm an engineer as well.
The internet is full of amateurs who fetishize their gear, as well as many very talented people, and there's no shortage of material for you to get worked up over, if that's your thing. If you're truly concerned that this is endemic in the tech crowd, and that concern comes from a place of compassion as opposed to judgment, you can always write your own tutorial on photographic composition -- think of how many people you'd be helping! On the other hand, if it makes you feel better to put others down for what you perceive as their artistic shortcomings, and offer nothing in the form of advice, one might get the impression you're trying to compensate for your own insecurity at the expense of others, hence the tepid response here. As an artist you stand to lose nothing on account of the creative decisions of others.