Sabbath

Hello Michi,
Last Shabbat I went down at 6 am to take out the trash and saw a Hasidic with a beard and sideburns and a long black coat sitting on a bench smoking for his own enjoyment. When he noticed me, he smiled and called out to me, "Git Sha'abs!" I asked him if he knew that there was a prohibition on lighting a fire on Shabbat, and he claimed that nowadays it was irrelevant because fire is a much less "creative" action due to technological advances, and that, on the other hand, actions that are truly "creative" should be made stricter. What do you think of his statement? If he is right, do you have any ideas about which "creative" actions that are currently considered productive on Shabbat should become prohibited?
 
thanks,
 
Joseph