Lifelong learning

The concept of lifelong learning isn't anything new. My grandfather - a wise and quite amazing man - told me "knowledge is no load to carry" and I have always loved learning new things. In the Web 2.0 environment it takes on a new meaning. Technology is changing so rapidly that what we learn one month is almost out of date by the next, The changes we have seen in the last five years alone have been staggering and I am not sure anyone I know could predict what technology will allow us to do five years from now. If we are not going to be left behind we do need to make a commitment to ongoing learning and experimentation. However, I do have concerns about the amount of time it all takes. Registering for a gmail account is a good example. It took me forever to read through all the terms of service, etc. (am I just a very slow reader or does no-one really read these?) and while there is some great content on the Internet there's also a lot of superficial trivia. I am hoping that Test Drive #2 will give me enough exposure to the different 'tools' the Internet provides so I can make informed choices about those that may be most useful to me both professionally and personally.