New communications technologies generally bring with them expectations which are rarely fulfilled. In about 1948 my dad, always a fan of technology, decided we should have a television set. My mother warned that we kids would stop reading and become lazy idiots if we watched that thing and threatened to leave if he brought one into the house. Naturally, we sided with Dad, and with a 4 to1 vote in his favor, the set was given a prime spot in the living room. And while there were some shows I remember fondly, “I Remember Mama” and “Your Show of Shows”,...