May you live in interesting times
Never before has access to information been so easy, and so readily available. And we're starting to accumulate more and more at an incredible rate. What's more is that we are are able to summon information virtually instantaneously. But ironically, too much information can also have the effect of preventing any useful information from getting out. In addition to having a wealth of information readily available, we're also forced to filter out the noise to find the gem in a haystack, if you will.
But if we find ourselves constantly filtering the same kind of information, computers can help us here. After all, they're good at repeating tasks over and over again. And here is where programmers have a significant advantage.
Programmers can improve their rate of learning.
In particular, programmers are able to improve their workflows. They're trained to recognize repetitive patterns, and can make tweaks here and there to help things along. But when you can take baby steps quickly, you start to move fast.
An example that comes to mind is the tool for os x: quicksilver. If you're using os x and you haven't checked it out, you really should. If you're running gnome, gnome do provides similar functionality. These tools let you express the action you're trying to perform more naturally, almost in the form of a sentence. But command line users have enjoyed this richness for a while now. This is an example where the programmers are ahead of the curve, but it's good to see that there are efforts to help out the "less fortunate" :P
Throughout your life advance daily, becoming more skillful than yesterday, more skillful than today. This is never-ending.