So you think comments are for whiners with too much time on their hands? Maybe, but some commenters on Reddit (aka redditors) take the game pretty seriously. The site acts as a barometer of what people are interested in on the Internet at this very moment, and sometimes that comes in the form of questions on the Reddit homepage. Questions anyone can answer. That’s just what James Irwin did last August when he commented on the question: “Could I destroy the entire Roman Empire during the reign of Augustus if I traveled back in time with a modern U.S. Marine infantry battalion or MEU [Marine Expeditionary Unit]?”

Wired reports:

Erwin started typing. He posted his answer in a series of comments in the thread. Within an hour, he was an online celebrity. Within three hours, a film producer had reached out to him. Within two weeks, he was offered a deal to write a movie based on his Reddit comments. Within two months, he had taken a leave from his job to become a full-time Hollywood screenwriter.

Take that Charlie Kaufman.