This thread is in the right pigeon hole, and it is, indeed, an interesting question.

The internet is a wierd and wonderful place isn't it! The best and the worst thing about this information highway is that it hosts the best and the worst of information! For every gem there seems to be a ton of garbage, and it's not always obvious which is which.

I know what you mean about mini-vacations. I'm having one of that kind right now, reading Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. Re-reading, I should say, as I read them twenty odd years ago, with the exception of two more volumes that have been published since. It was probably the thread about 'psychohistory' that triggered this!