There are more high level players on ICC because that's where the high level players are. Chess.com also has a decent interface, but they particularly excel in chess news, event coverage and community support.
No, I don't currently own one. I bought a MakerBot Cupcake in 2010. I had fun assembling it, and was happy that my first print (a Darth Vader head) was flawless...it would be the only one. All subsequent prints suffered from lifting rafts, or air printing, or just stopping for who knows why. I fought daily with the machine for a good month before recognizing that I wanted prints, not to be a tinkerer of 3d printers. So I handed it over to my local makerspace, and started using Shapeways. The results were very satisfying, even though it was expensive.
Each of the last two generations of MakerBot Replicators were released with promises that they just work. While much has improved, threads on their mailing list show that some of the same frustrations that I experienced 4 years ago have persisted...specifically the air printing. I'm not going to buy another one yet.
This story hilariously epitomizes the gulf that lies between the tech scene and the rest of the population. For you a low paying job is a hobby to keep you in check, I'm sure only so long that it doesn't impede your "real job". For most, these jobs are an important source of income. Doesn't it strike you as slightly obnoxious to take such a job away from someone who needs it? I can see this story ending up in Mike Judge's "Silicon Valley". Here's a better "hack": hire smart people away from low paying jobs for your startup, pay them more, and go for a bike ride in the morning.