Everything bad is….
: I was wandering down M Street in Georgetown after doing MSNBC and having dinner last night and so I went into the Barnes & Noble there and while looking at magazines, I heard some author upstairs talking; thought nothing of it until I heard the words “social software.” How many people use the words “social software” in a sentence? The odds are good that I knew whoever it was, I figured. And sure enough: It was Steven Johnson beginning his book tour for Everything Bad is Good for You. I caught the last hunk of his performance and he was engaging and provocative and a few of the folks in the audienc — book readers, obviously — bristled a bit at the notion that TV and games can be good for us and make us smarter, as Steven argues. He did a good job defending his thesis and pop culture with it.
And by the way, I’m coming to wonder whether books are any better for us than TV or movies or the internet or any other form of media. It’s not for medium that makes it intelligent but the thought inside. But that will be the subject of another post….
