Overwhelmed by convenience

Earlier this year, Megan taught me that you don't have to go to the post office or even a mailbox to mail things: you just put it in your mailbox, stamped, with the flag up, and the postman takes it for you. That's like the mail equivalent of room service.

My research has always been limited by certain, er, time constraints. The advent of full text only exacerbated my night-before habits. But if something isn't available in full text and you request it in advance, I discovered that the library here will *pay* other libraries (in other countries!) to photocopy things for me, and *mail* them to me for free. (Yet they still charge for photocopies here...hmm.) This system is fantastic.

But today, I discovered Google Books, which eclipses all other forms of convenience. Don't want to search for a book? Go to the library? Find the book? Check out the book? Read the book? YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANYMORE. Google Books is the undergrad's dream: sure, only a sample of the book may be available- so much the better! It finds you quotes without you having to in any way process or learn from the book. It's enough to make you want to do research.