Did I really read the 20,000 words of Harris’s piece in half an hour? Er,

perhaps not. It may have been an hour. It testifies to the readability of

the piece, anyway, that I am so unsure. For the record, I think I am a

slower-than-average reader. I have never taken a speed reading course, and

start WAY more books than I finish.

(Though Harris’s prose is not flawless. He either does not know the meaning

of “literally,” or else he does not know the meaning of “light year,” etc.

etc. We all make slips, though, especially when writing for the web, which

is mostly un-edited, so you shouldn’t mind this.)