I think he was just getting at how odd/interesting/dissapointing it is that we don't retain more of all the stuff we read (and might even be really interested i

I think he was just getting at how odd/interesting/dissapointing it is that we don't retain more of all the stuff we read (and might even be really interested in). I remember being enthralled while reading 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus...but then trying to tell others about it and realizing how little I knew... "the americas were much more populated/advanced than people think it was" "the world lost more cultures in the 17th century than all other centuries" etc. little factoids but could not really explain much else or why the book was so COOL