“The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them,” said Twain. More and more Americans who can read are choosing not to. The ‘aliterates’ have less and less time, are too impatient, champion the superficial, live in a more multicultural society that is shifting from words to logos and symbols, and “base their future decisions on what they used to know,” according to one critic. Washington Post So, yes, don’t settle for reading the weblogger’s synopsis, click on the link and go to the source, indeed. But, as an inveterate reader who’s become increasingly impatient with much of what I read, it appears that the essay leaves out any consideration of the declining quality of writing as well as reading. I often find, and I hope I’m not merely sounding arrogant or deluded here, that there’s only one good idea in a written piece and, once you’ve grasped it, you’ve got it.