"Google" It!

If I had a nickel for every silly argument Jeremy and I had that ended in the resolve to "Google it," I can assure you I'd be writing this blog for a living as I'd no longer need my day job.  Lately, I've caught myself wondering what did we do before Google?  

In the olden days, if we needed information about something, we had to look it up in the encyclopedia.  Well, I'm sad to say that, just a few weeks ago, Encyclopedia Britannica announced they will no longer print hard copies.  Everything is now digital.  I'm not ashamed to admit that the English/grammar nerd inside of me was a little disappointed to hear the news.

As much as I hated scouring the pages of those massive reference books for information to fill countless school reports, I relied on them all throughout my elementary education.  While one could easily suffer a hernia from carting them around in a backpack, they were filled with all kinds of facts from "A" to "Z"--literally.  I'm really kinda sad to see them go.  I realize that, in an ever changing society that's constantly making technological advances, the time would eventually come for the extinction of these dinosaurs.

It's a shame my nephew (who's nearly 12 years old) will never hear his parents utter the words, "Look it up in the encyclopedia."  He only knows the instant gratification that Google and other online search engines provide.  The other day, I asked him if he even knew what a card catalog was, and he replied, "You mean that big cabinet with all the little drawers?"  Ugh--I'm older than I thought!    

While I do appreciate the convenience of settling a fight about song lyrics or the inventor of bubblegum on the spot with the use of my iPhone, there's something to be said about the mystery of who's actually right.  Well, thanks to Google, that mystery is solved (and I can gloat about being right!)...because there are some things you just can't find in an encyclopedia anyway.

RIP 

Encyclopedia Britannica

1768 - 2012