"to those who do not know mathematics it is 
  difficult to get across a real feeling as 
  to the beauty, the deepest beauty, of
  nature." 
               Richard Feynman 
               The Character of Physical Law

"Imagine a large hall like a theater, except that the circles and galleries go 
right round through the space usually occupied by the stage. The walls of 
this chamber are painted to form a map of the globe... A myriad of computers 
are at work upon the weather of the part of the map where each sits, but each 
computer attends only to one equation or part of an equation. The work of each 
region is coordinated by an official of higher rank... From the floor of the 
pit a tall pillar rises to half the height of the hall. It carries a large 
pulpit on its top. In this sits the man in charge of the whole theater; he is 
surrounded by several assistants and messengers. One of his duties is to 
maintain a uniform speed of progress in all parts of the globe. In this respect 
he is like the conductor of an orchestra in which the instruments are slide rules 
and calculating machines. But instead of moving a baton he turns a beam of blue 
light upon those who are behindhand." -- Lewis F. Richardson, "Weather Prediction 
                                                     by Numerical Process" (1922).