Sample Passage

[1] The next time that you're impressed with a computer's capabilities, consider the phenomenal abilities of John Milton, author of the epic poem Paradise Lost.  [2] Living in the seventeenth century, Milton read every book ever published up to his time.  [3] Moreover, he memorized most of what he read. [4] Milton knew the Bible by heart and was able to quote chapter after chapter for hours on end.  [5] Not only could this brilliant poet recite the Bible in his native English, but he could also quote scripture in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and first-century Aramaic.  [6] Milton's mind was an encyclopedia of facts about the world's history, geography, and culture.  [7 + 8]  The next time that you find yourself marveling at all a computer "knows," think of John Milton, the last person whose summer reading list included all the books ever written.