Frybabe, I pretty much read Blindsight twice, and it helped. I started it a month ago, got a third of the way in, then got sidetracked. When I went back several weeks later, I knew I would have to start over again. It helped. The first time, I was having a lot of trouble figuring out what was going on, and keeping track of who was who. Rereading, it made much more sense, and I could keep people straight. Then, after I finished it, I reread some parts to clarify things in my mind. Watts has a few notes, which I didn't read until afterward. Most of it is explaining his rationale for the science involved, but there's a section called Sentience/Intelligence which talks about what consciousness is good for, and what it costs, in biologic terms. I think he's wrong, but it fills in what he thinks about the scramblers, and about where earth may be heading.
