From Scrabble to Verbal Aggression

Call me weird but I find conversations/listening to presentations/watching tv more interesting with immediate access to Google. A passing comment during Word Wars on the Discovery Channel lead me to The International Journal of Verbal Agression. Sometimes the habit is exceedingly annoying to others (for obvious reasons) and sometimes it leads to a bit of comedy (a quick search on Helen Carr during a recent law enforcement presentation revealed that her hgh school reunion committee was also looking for her).

I think it's one of the reasons why the classes in Chesapeake are so enjoyable. Everyone has the Internet "right there" and usually anyone can hijack the class for a few minutes with a semi-related bit of information. The instructor has to have one of those personalities and be able to herd cats (there IS a learning plan to follow). Some students find it frustrating, others find it just outright odd, but a working knowledge of Google or Yahoo syntax does help with some of the verbal references thrown out during conversations (quick quiz: Who said, "Help me Mr. Wizard! I don't want to be a ..." ).