Tangential note: if you noticed that this was quite well-written for a blog post, and if you've never heard of Maciej Cegłowskiv[1], then you should absolutely start reading his blog, Idle Words[2]. The essays are simply sublime. Even though he only occasionally writes about tech stuff (it's mostly about his extensive travels), this is hands down my favorite blog and I await every new post eagerly.
My absolute favorite is Białowieża Forest [1] - I died laughing many many times, and I even learned a thing or two along the way. For me, nothing beats enlightening educational entertainment such as this.
[1] http://idlewords.com/about.htm
[2] http://idlewords.com/