I just completed I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter.

The title of this post says a great deal about the subject matter and the manner in which Hofstadter approaches it.

It is a much more accessible version of GEB and far more personal.

Worth reading.

I love reading The Economist.

This past week, I read an article about electricity in Africa.  The start of the article is as follows:

SEEN from space, Africa at night is unlit—as dark as all-but empty Siberia. With nearly 1 billion people, Africa accounts for over a sixth of the world's population, but generates only 4% of global electricity. Three-quarters of that is used by South Africa, Egypt and the other countries along the north African littoral.

The thing that really drove this home for me as a picture of Africa from space at night:

http://www.economist.com/research/articlesBySubject/displaystory.cfm?subjectid=8780295&story_id=9660077

[I was going to post something about being back to blogging (for real this time and on a full featured blogging engine), but something really drew me to post the below instead.  This is one of the most moving speeches that I have ever read.  I think I first encountered it when reading a military fiction book in my teens.  It made an impression.]

I am tired of fighting.  Our chiefs are killed.  Looking Glass is dead.  Toohulhulsote is dead.  The old men are all dead.  It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead.

It is cold and we have no blankets.  The little children are freezing to death.  My people, some of them, have run away to the hills and have no blankets, no food.  No one knows where they are--perhaps freezing to death. 

I want to have time to look for my children and see how many I can find.  Maybe I shall find them among the dead.
    
Hear me, my chiefs.  I am tired.  My heart is sick and sad.  From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.

Chief Joseph