Your comment on the next generation reminds me of this: http://coding2learn.org/blog/2013/07/29/kids-cant-use-comput.../ It's a bit of a worrying trend. Both those links were fascinating reads, thank you for sharing! I love seeing these little ghetto solutions which spring up using existing tools. Writing emerged in much the same way--as volumes of transactions conducted in early agricultural settlements began to increase, merchants would use various marks to keep track; offloading their memory to an external "device." I do think the accelerating pace of change is a problem, and it worries me that the education system has not yet adapted. Ken Robinson did a great talk on the subject: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_crea...
Kid's can't use computers Hubski Thread: http://hubski.com/pub?id=94931