I heartily endorse blossom’s comment about reading broadly, which not only helps make the reader a more interesting person but can pay off professionally in unexpected ways via cross-pollination. (Reminds me of Steve Jobs’ famous anecdote about how taking a calligraphy class for fun later proved valuable in designing the MacIntosh.)
I remember that article – it was indeed great! After reading it I tried to summarize it for my family and they became bored within about 30 seconds, which reminded me both that I’m a less-than-riveting speaker and that a talented author can make a seemingly mundane topic fascinating to people who wouldn’t normally care about the subject.