I was in a wonderful old sandwich shop today. It’s probably been around for more than a 100 years, and although I seldom buy anything there—it’s a bit out of my way—I always like going in. The wood is old and dark and the shelves and cutting boards are antique. It’s not affected. It’s just that the owners have never changed anything. I was standing near the cashier when something happened that I’d never seen before. To complete the transaction the cashier had to push a button on the customer’s cell phone. I don’t know cell phones, so I have no idea what was going on. For some reason the customer—a young guy—was quite pleased with this and said, “I feel like I’m in the future,” which made me cringe. I can’t stand enthusiasm for technological gadgets. Then the two started enthusing over the new iPad 3, which Apple had announced just a few hours earlier. Their enthusiasm was mutual and it was real. For once, I wanted just to get my sandwich and get out of there.
