I don’t understand what you’re considering as uppity as it was probably the only highbrow analogy in the entire piece, the rest being pretty accessible and readable. Also you’re evaluating a line from the ... New Yorker which you consider useless, may as well stick to Popular Science if you want just the facts and a little less literary exposition.

This is the same tired critique that people on HN bandy about every time a New Yorker article is posted: “just get to the point!” would be a lot less fun to read.