I Feel Smarter with Google

Tweet A teacher friend of mine (we are both retired now) was one of the most intelligent people I have ever known. She could remember almost everything and her brain contained an amazing amount of information and trivia.

I used to marvel at her ability to discuss almost any subject that came up in the classroom, the teacher's lounge, or in faculty meetings. From mathematics to social studies to cooking and cleaning, she seemed to know it all. I longed for a brain like hers.

My brain, on the other hand, remembered much less than hers. My advantage was that I always remembered where I had learned something, whether it was an encyclopedia, the Internet, a particular magazine or book, or even a television program. I might not remember the actual piece of information or trivia, but I always remembered where I could look it up.

But now, with the Internet and search engines, I almost feel like I'm on equal footing with those super-intelligent people. I don't even have to remember (although I still do) where to look something up anymore. I just have to search. I am constantly amazed at the amount of information available to me by just typing a few words on my keyboard.

However, even with all the information available to me at my fingertips, I still won't play Trivial Pursuit with her ... unless I have access to Google. Something, however, tells me that that's probably against the rules.