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In 1485, Johannes Trithemius*, abbot of Sponheim in what is now western Germany, wrote a passionate treatise explaining why the newly invented printing press was a dangerous mistake. For Trithemius, the act of writing brought monks closer to God, and the printing press was a dangerous error. Besides the proximity to God, Trithemius was concerned about the source of his Benedictine monastery's income.

The young couple were walking slowly up the steeply-inclined road from the centre of town. He was frowning at his smartphone. She was pointing at it. I had just come up from the canal towpath onto the road, heading for my nearest park. We were in Bath, UK, a city through which the river Avon winds on its way to Bristol. I asked the couple if they were lost...