OK, lads and lasses (unmarried women, originally, but madams are welcome to join in) — here's the second quiz question, and another splendid example of modern usage. You can shrug your shoulders if you don't know the answer, or you can shrug off an illness or a problem by trying to ignore it — but what in the world is shruggism?

2. Is ''shruggism''

a) an involuntary spasm of the neck muscles b) a reluctance to learn about modern technology c) a medicinal drink?

Those who take technology for granted are guilty of shruggism, while those who fear its effects suffer from technoplegia.

But what, for example, will be the effect on the political attitudes of a young generation growing up with international boundaries collapsed by cyberspace? If on-line services eventually become as standard as the telephone, will speech patterns change? Above all, we should be wary of falling into a sort of opposite of Luddism in our relationship with new technology: shruggism, in which we take it all for granted.