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I would be so slow without google.

I wonder how much search has dramatically changed productivity.

It definitely changed how documentation itself works. I almost never use any built-in docs these days; searching via Google is way likelier to find a hit on what I care about (and more importantly, will often churn up any gotchas in using the API that don't show up in the formal docs).

It has become an extension of my memory.

Their quality going down the drain is often quite literally painful.

Gonna need to adapt. Well, already did with my own notes and garbage dumps like Reddit, but it's not enough.

What upsets me is that used books are now out of sight, I believe because every used book that's out of print can be priced extortionately for the one person in the world who needs it most.

I bought a book in the 1990s that is a classic reference on a certain technical topic, and I could not find equivalent information by Googling, but additionally, a copy of the physical book is priced at hundreds of dollars.

So I'm lucky I did buy it long ago and was able to find it.

Economic theory says this increases collective welfare, but I still feel like it's another dystopian thing from my personal perspective, where technology != progress.

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