The one part of the OP's (self described) rant I do sympathize with and can't fathom is the size of the gears some folks advocate for a fixie/ss. Not long ago I saw a guy talking about how his fixie with a 100 (or so) inch gear worked great for riding around San Francisco. Really?!?!? I personally saw Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault ride a short prolog TT from Fisherman's Wharf to Coit Tower back in the Coors Classic days. They both used a significantly smaller gear (though after riding it before the race I can tell you that Hinault's in particular was super-human!).

You're gonna ride 100-inches there recreationally or as a commute? Better stock up on the EPO, 'roids AND HGH! Holy cow!