What is inherently wrong with looking up the capital of Djibouti or any other piece of information? It seems unrealistic to think we should not have access to accurate information rather than the imperfect store of knowledge we keep within our heads. Are attention spans shorter now than they were in the days of 56k? And for that matter, I do not recall people having longer attention spans before cell phones or personal computers so this whole idea seems a bit over-inflated. I know my assertion is an anecdotal one, but perhaps it can provide a counterpoint upon which further discussion can continue. I do share your concern about the short attention spans of the majority of the (American) population, at least my perception of it, but has this not always been the case? Was there a time in history when the vast majority had longer attention spans and spent their days writing novels, poems, and conducting experiments for the betterment of the common good? This has historically been a luxury granted to a few while the rest of any given population would have been slaving away in their respective jobs while gossiping and spending their free time carousing and listening to popular folk music, the equivalent of the pop music of today. Perhaps access to information and having such access available quickly could make people more aware of what is going on around them? Time is only going one way (at least from what we can discern at this point) and to lament the downfall and degradation of humanity is nothing new.