Personally, I have no significant problems that can be solved with technology.<p>However if you look around, there are far better places to go looking to solve problems then HN.  The recession is plush with opportunity.  Not just opportunity to help someone with some insignificant problem, but to truly help someone live better.  Personally, I am doing pretty well but when i go back to the place where I grew up everywhere I look I see unemployment especially in young people in their 20's.  I've spent a great deal of thought towards analyzing why this is.  I've come to many conclusions, but in the end I think its an education system that prepared a large body of students for work in industry that was  lifted up and handed to computers.  So now there is at least one town (and I would imagine there are more) where there are young people eager to find a job.  I feel like the internet is a great solution, the local economy may be devastated but the global economy probably still has something for them.  Sites like etsy are one step towards this direction.  I think if you can find something more specialized, with the principle of self employment. you have something special.