Many years ago, in Ljubljana, I had my first experience with earthquakes. There were several strong tremors followed by a series of ever-weaker ones. Not far from Ljubljana, on the border between Slovenia and Italy, many houses collapsed and several people died. My first reaction to a strong tremor fascinated me: my hair stood on end. This is an atavistic urge with a clear rationale: when frightened by an enemy, make your body appear as large as possible to frighten the enemy off. The notion of frightening off an earthquake amused me no end.