I wrote an article some time ago called Is Busy the New Fine? It came from noticing the change in the answer people gave to that wonderful British small-talk question, "How are you?" For years the standard answer I heard was "fine" (unless the person being asked realised that I wasn't making small-talk, but was actuallyinterested, then there might be a more honest and forthcoming answer). But over the past few years I noticed that the new interaction went something like