"The value of information does not survive the moment in which it was new. It lives only at that moment; it has to surrender to it completely and explain itself to it without losing any time. A story is different. It does not expend itself. It preserves and concentrates its strength and is capable of releasing it even after a long time."

and,

"Boredom is the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience. A rustling in the leaves drives him away. His nesting places--the activities that are intimately associated with boredom--are already extinct in the cities and declining in the country as well."

And we are hardly ever bored any more. We keep ourselves so busy there is no place for memory to grow into anything more than information, and this prevents us from encountering the things that can really change us.

I linked a while back to a series of articles at The Hope Chest about vampire automobiles. Now there's an excellent article in Friday's New York Times by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan about the origin and development of the vampire myth, and why it seems to be gaining in power these days.

They emphasize that while the substance of the myth is probably very old, the modern species came into existence around the time when technology was making it possible to travel and communicate over great distances, drawing people into a ever tightening web in which information (and we have to include viruses in this category, which may explain the connection between vampires and disease in Nosferatu, for example) could spread with great rapidity. That web is only growing tighter:

The wireless technology we carry in our pockets today was the stuff of the science fiction in our youth. Our technological arrogance mirrors more and more the Wellsian dystopia of dissatisfaction, while allowing us to feel safe and connected at all times. We can call, see or hear almost anything and anyone no matter where we are. For most people then, the only remote place remains within. “Know thyself” we do not.

Or truly know each other, I would add.

"The effect of new technology has been to draw even senior managers into minutiae. People paid to think and lead now spend much of their time typing and responding to or sending an endless stream of unnecessary messages, simply because communications technology invades every second and every corner of their lives. This bureaucratization of both the leadership and the creative process makes thought seem irresponsible and clear action seem unprofessional. It provides a sensation of activity while creating a broader sense of powerlessness. This is what used to be called being nibbled to death by ducks." -- John Ralston Saul (by way of Peter Hurd's website)