It's true; the search for existing knowledge is quicker and less heroic these days. On the other hand, these days when you go straight to Wikipedia, you can then spend hours following links and end up in all sorts of interesting places, finding the answers to questions you didn't even know you had, which is kind of cool.
Yes. If offered the option, I wouldn't choose to swap Wikipedia for the heroic quest aspect.
However, Wikipedia disease and endless link-following tend to be solitary delights whereas trying to remember something undocumented was formerly an inherently social occupation. I do slightly miss the conversations that used to follow as people tried to remember something. These days the only time I experience that is at our local pub quiz, where t'internet use is obviously banned.
I find this quite entertaining but also a bit irritating. Police officers claim to be overworked with too many forms to fill in, but they found time to chat about a children's telly programme.
I can understand the concept of overworked in general, but having occasional slack times (eg when you're cruising around in a patrol car and can't fill in forms, but can answer a question). Also, I think of the complaints of form-filling among police, NHS, etc as being a much more recent thing. Not to say that police at other times haven't been over-worked, of course!
I love the first story, but the way I see it making hard tasks easier frees resources for taking on other tasks which previously weren't even possible.
(Also, I knew what the Gorgs were called, so I get to spoil everyone's fun anyway!)
Whereas today I have wasted perfectly good time belonging legally to my employer by reading about nonce words, when all I really needed to know was the one-sentence description of a cryptographic nonce :)
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However, Wikipedia disease and endless link-following tend to be solitary delights whereas trying to remember something undocumented was formerly an inherently social occupation. I do slightly miss the conversations that used to follow as people tried to remember something. These days the only time I experience that is at our local pub quiz, where t'internet use is obviously banned.
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(Also, I knew what the Gorgs were called, so I get to spoil everyone's fun anyway!)
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Such as wasting even more time on the internet ;)
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