Some of you here this morning can remember before it was possible to get a quick synopsis of information on any topic imaginable by hitting that all-knowing “Google Search” button. In those ancient of days we had to rely on other measures to get compressed information.

One of the most popular among students, and despised by teachers, was “Cliff Notes.” Anyone remember those? Instead of reading some enormous literary masterpiece, you could buy an oh-so-slender Cliff Notes version. So instead of actually reading such heavy-weight tomes as Moby Dick, Oliver Twist, War and Peace, or Lord of the Flies (naming that classic is making my confession), a quick perusal of a twenty-page Cliff Notes compression gave you the plot, characters, themes and influences. Now you could at least sound like you …