Our capacity for surprise has diminished. As director Larry Clark said, "You can't get lost anymore." There are no aimless road trip stories in a world of pocket GPS devices, no wandering into an unknown town. Our always-on world creates an economy of distraction, risking numbness, banality, and boredom. 

David Foster Wallace said the key to modern life is to be unborable. "If you are immune to boredom, there is literally nothing you cannot accomplish." We need surprise, quiet before a joke, a blank piece of paper.

We risk more output than input and more noise than signals. I mean, who needs action when you've got words?