The immediate effect of printing was to increase the circulation of works that were already popular in a handwritten form, while less popular works went out of circulation.
Now that computer technology has made possible the rapid accessing of large amounts of factual information, people are less likely than ever to think deeply or originally.
The myriad connections forged by these technologies have brought tremendous benefits to everyone who uses the web to tap into humanity's collective store of knowledge every day.
Among employees this situation has resulted in a decided shift in desire: instead of working their way up in an organization, many now prefer to work their way out.
There are already a number of products out there which claim that they will let you listen to someone's mobile conversations, forward their SMSs and tell you the numbers they have dialled ...
It must have been a surreal sight: there was Westie, seemingly oblivious to his situation, happily playing with a sea lion out in the middle of the ocean.
"The indoor environment was dirty long before energy conservation came along," says Moschandreas, a pollution scientist at Geomet Technologies in Maryland.