Visit any serious bookstore, and it is hard to perceive anything you can t teach yourself over a weekend. Teach yourself Spanish. Learn how to build computers. Become an astronaut. James Gleick isn t worried about the future of mankind.
Consultants claim that know-how is the real property of the worker.
But - perhaps this is a false impression. Rather, if you are able to do more in less time than the next person, you are in some ways a better person, more fit for the job. The quality of your life will depend on your ability to fit everything into your own schedule, and your schedule must have more than 24 hours. We have become units of months, weeks, hours, days, and in the process we have adapted ourselves to pure multitasking. We talk on the phone while we drink coffee and drive our cars through rush traffic.