It's a whole new world for us.

tribune Chávez & monarch of Spain indict each other of default ►media coverage◄

There were times when I wanted to remember something. An actor or actress' name. The name of a certain movie or artist or author or band. It would drive me crazy for hours. I could remember something about each, but in the files of my mind I couldn't find the answer.
It would almost send me over the edge, waiting for a chance to get the answer.
Now, when I roll the question around in my mind, it doesn't bother me. I can forget it after assuring myself that I can find the answer on the Internet. I don't care about the answer anymore, just that there is a way to get it if I really want it.
On the other hand, I used to walk into a courthouse in the morning with a pad and a pen, spend the day talking to prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges, and sitting in hearings and trials, then go back to the newsroom, write three or four stories, and go home feeling good. I knew that when my newspapers hit people's front lawns in the morning, that would usually be the first they heard about most of the stories.
These days, you take your laptop into the courtroom and try to type faster than the reporter next to you to get it on the wire first. The Internet has taken out the emotional portion of reporting, the key part that gives reader an opportunity to connect on a deeper level with the people they are reading about.
Yes, of course, the Interent is amazing. It's a time warp, though, to many people my age. It's like some old science fiction come true.