The other day, driving down a quiet street in my neighborhood, I saw a woman walking towards me. She was in the middle of my lane, intently tapping the keyboard of her smartphone. I slowed, thinking she would see me – or at least hear me – but she kept on walking and typing. Finally I stopped and beeped my horn. She moved to the shoulder, her eyes and thumbs still focused on her screen. I was annoyed by her behavior until I realized that it was probably the finest example I had ever seen – after a career spent in newsrooms – of the all-consuming nature of composition.
