Well then, a good weekend read can be found here:
http://sites.poli.usp.br/pqi/lea/docs/cobem2001.pdf
Of course the main pro's and con's are elsewhere; and at the end of the day, a immersion chiller and a sore arm is fine for most..
@Melana Yes, I would expect Homer to limit his beer drinking to 1/hr on 5hr+ brew day ;)
Thanks for the article, it may help new brewers to get started at the right ambition level.