I thought it was in the 4.X range -- now I look and it's 4.95 -- and TWELVE blocks/hour all the sudden, when for the longest time it's been in the 8 - 9.5 range.
Did some supercomputer come online to mine Bitcoins?
This is hardly surprising. A few days ago $/BTC was 9, then 10 then 12 then 14, 16 and right now it is 18.