We live in an age of instant knowledge. And there's almost a sense of entitlement to that.
Ping-pong was invented on the dining tables of England in the 19th century, and it was called Wiff-waff! And there, I think, you have the difference between us and the rest of the world. Other nations, the French, looked at a dining table and saw an opportunity to have dinner; we looked at it an saw
I happen to be a huge 'Lord of the Rings' fan. I do an annual marathon of the extended editions.