So, when I saw this a couple of weeks ago, it struck me as a rather weak C&G --- being a relatively by-the-numbers exercise in cynicism compared to the more inventive stuff the strip's creator otherwise produces.
However, today I see this and realize that Dorothy had it right all along.
Further evidence that C. Shalizi's blog, however infrequently updated, is essential reading:
After reading a few of Cosma's essays, any person of merely ordinary erudition must wonder how he finds the time to know as much as he does. As it happens, he has a section of his FAQ devoted to this subject, and the price is steep. On the margin, however, I suspect many people would benefit from becoming slightly more like Cosma.