On the Biggles matter, I think that Simon self-analyzes the situation very well. I sometimes suspect that with Simon it's a boy's toy thing that is just an alternative blokey version of stamp-collecting or bird-spotting or train-spotting. My own OCD-ish channel for this is poker-playing to a degree that is probably way beyond any "normal" person could manage while also holding down a full-time job. In both Simon's case and mine, the hobby has a rather more utilitarian nature than train-spotting. That doesn't mean that it gives us any greater satisfaction than train-spotting, but I think that it does give us both a feeling that "hell, if I'm going to be psychologically warped, I may as well do it in a way that has a positive side-effect",

Compare this, however, with the type (whom I am sure you recognize) who seems to remember a personal detail about every individual he meets at a party. He/she is always smiling, never spends more than four minutes in a conversation with a single individual, and is constantly "working the room". This person is A FAKE. Not only that, he/she is an obvious fake. So why do people fall for it? Perhaps, as you say, people know that it's insincere, but they feel that the world is a better place for it.

PJ