A retired physicist reading the Encyclopedia Britannica can do just so much toward securing world peace. - Brian Hayes

I am reminded of those prodigies who spent years of their lives calculating digits of the decimal expansion of <math>pi</math> - a task that is now a mere warm-up exercise for computer software. I cannot help wandering which of my labors will appear equally quaint and pathetic to some future reader who ransacks libraries for old volumes like this one.

After a few more centuries, perhaps the poorest billion will even be able to afford the $10.00 buffet.

Fretting about a dearth of randomness seems like worrying that humanity might use up its last reserves of ignorance.