When I had to look up the definition of a word today, I was reminded of a little clip I saw on the TV many years ago. Apparently it was against technology and for doing things the hard way. It was a race between two kids to look up a word. One kid used a regular book dictionary, the other used the computer. The book kid opened up the dictionary and flipped through the pages to the right letter. The computer kid had to turn on the computer, insert the CD, wait for the program to load, etc. The book kid was done long before the computer one.

I suppose the purpose of this was to get kids less dependent on technology. This was probably mid-90's, so I suppose it was becoming an issue. It was a lovely way of demonstrating how efficient books can be.

However, when I needed to look up a word today, my first instinct was not to grab one of my dozen or so dictionaries. Instead, I typed the word in my already open browser, pressed alt, and clicked on the word. The information was immediately at my fingertips. It seems I have failed the propaganda of my childhood.