courtesy of Wired Magazine I know right this is a pretty outrageous claim. But seriously folks, being able to get instant gratification by typing any random topic into an online text box and receiving thousands of hits does not make you smarter. What could, in fact, lead to some sort of intellectual stimulation would be the effort of locating an encyclopedia and browsing for actually relevant answers to your question. Who knows? Maybe another article catches your eye and before you know it you are a master at 19th-century labor unions all the way from the National Labor Union to the Pullman strikes. (I apologize my inner-history nerd alter-ego is emerging). Nonetheless, in response to this query I found a really interesting article by J.J. Abrams which address the current "age of immediacy". I strongly encourage everyone to read this article. (Not only because it includes a hysterical Mario Party reference).

Mystery, obviously, is everywhere. Is there a God? Mystery. What about life after death? Mystery. Excuse me, what material is the ShamWow made of? Mystery. Stonehenge? Big Foot? Loch Ness? Mystery mystery mystery. McDonald's Special Sauce? I don't care how many bottles of Thousand Island Dressing you show me, it's Special Sauce. Mystery. And yet: For all that mystery, why does it feel like the world has been ripped open, all parts exposed?

The Article: {http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/17-05/mf_jjessay?currentPage=all}