Ian’s brain had weak connections between the neurons that shaped thought. He never felt empathy or sympathy for anyone, no matter how badly that person suffered. He tortured the family cat when he was a little boy just to test his own indifference to pain. This didn’t bother him at all. It didn’t help that his parents drank too much. Sometimes, his mother would go to the bars alone at
Written in 2001, this essay may seem dated in some respects. The author believes that its plea for thoughtful consideration of the place of computers in education and in human life remains valid. I – To the Winter Palace “Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to unimproved ends. – Henry David Thoreau, Walden “The emergence of
