It's an amazing time we live in. Things are developing so fast, changing at lightning speed, and so much information has become available in the past few decades with the advent of the internet that it's just mind boggling. I love the internet.
My Encyclopedia Britannica set from 1966 is collecting dust and taking up bookshelf space (although filled bookshelves look nice, and people think you're smart when you have lots of books). My parents are holding on to, and still use, three sets of encyclopedias (one from the early 20th century, one from the mid-20th century, and one from the end of the last century). An encyclopedia is what you needed way back when - but no longer.
Knowledge is power, as they say, and the internet has exponentially increased the availability of information in an incredibly short amount of time. Everything and everyone gets reviewed and evaluated. You can read reviews and you can write reviews. The power lies in the two-way street. Bad products, bad restaurants, bad schools, bad doctors, bad professors and teachers can no longer hide, and good ones are rewarded quickly.
Doctors are no longer the sole keepers of medical information. Instead they have become your co-treaters in the healing process as the internet has empowered us with information on symptoms, treatment methods, options and alternatives. Amazing!
Universities post free online lectures and courses, and free education is available in many different forms and formats. Encyclopedias have become obsolete as the latest information on anything is available and updated in real time at the touch of your smart phone, anytime, anywhere. Amazing!
Living in the countryside I used to have limited access to many food items and other products. No longer. You can buy practically anything over the internet and have it shipped practically anywhere - and it comes fast. Amazing!
With increasing visual content on the internet how-to information is now available in the form of videos - how to make an eggplant parm, how to lay tile or install carpet, how to make a birdhouse or apply make-up, how to block annoying callers on your particular phone model, anything and everything. Amazing!
For once let's be amazed and grateful and awed.
