Continuing education in the age of the internet

I am in my 41st year. What my children are growing up to take for granted when it comes to accessing information on the internet amazes me. If there has been a more disruptive technology developed since the combustion engine, I would like to know what it is.

I have always wondered why our society worships certain celebrities (many of whom have only tenuous claims to fame - look no further than Paris Hilton) while many of the world's greatest thinkers toil in relative obscurity. Don't get me wrong ... I consider the fact that our earth's "true celebrities" are largely ignored to be an opportunity of epic proportions. It doesn't matter where your interest lies. The flat world created by the internet has enabled what I consider to be the most invigorating continuing education process in the history of humanity. Physicists, biologists, philosophers, explorers, authors of every conceivable genre, etc. ... you name it. All of the world's leading scientific experts are literally available to you at your fingertips if you have the ability to show familiarity with their work and pose questions worthy of answering.

Please note that I am not talking about emailing Richard Dawkins to debate religion. Best selling authors have more in common these days with Holywood starlets than their academic peers. I am referring to the scientists who are digging up obscure fossils. I am referring to philosophers who are publishing papers on some of the most provocative topics at issue today. I am referring to physicists who are venturing into the nether regions of what we understand to be time and space.

In my experience, over 90% of experts who are contacted by an earnest lay student who poses a reasonable (and succinct) question will respond. They appreciate the time you spend working through their research and consider it a public service to propagate their knowledge. If I could give every one of the a badge of honor, I would. They are the true celebrities.