The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has discovered a direct link between TV and such learning disorders, and there is concern that television might actually cause them. Very recent research in this field suggests that TV might in fact physically stunt the growth of a developing brain. It is as if a car manufacturer, in describing the new invention a hundred years ago, promised not only that cars would one day reach speeds of 100 miles an hour, but that driving would also be completely injury-free and would help keep our environment pristine. In fact, someone probably did. And, though it never does quite work out that way, the hope springs eternal.
L ike the cockroach and the common cold, techno-utopian hopes persevere.
I know about these false hopes because, like virtually everyone in my generation, I'm infected with them. In college, I got my first Macintosh - exhilaration. As a young reporter, I got my first Powerbook laptop. Now I'm really free, I thought, because I can take my work anywhere. But, of course, I was also hooked.