Everyone has had that moment, talking with friends about this, that and everything in between.

“Your know Richard Gere and the actress who played the prostitute …” one said speaking (for some reason) about the movie “Pretty Woman.” “What was her name?”

Everyone went blank. Sandra, umm, Sandra Bullock. No, not her. It starts with a B — or a C?

It’s right on the tip of the tongue.

The tip of the tongue holds more information than any other part of your body. One cannot sneeze out an answer leaving the end of the nose out of the question. But that tip of the tongue is amazing.

Time passes, but each person’s brain is furiously working. Everyone had seen the movie and knew the name of the actress. Arrrggh. How frustrating.

A stumble hits as the answer nears the tip of the tongue. “Roger, Rocky, Robert… Roberts… Julia Roberts!”

The frustration is overwhelmed by the sense of accomplishment at finding the answer to a completely mundane and ridiculous question, but it sure feels good.

With the world now at our fingertips, those moments are fleeting. A few clicks on the iPhone and the answer arrives instantly.

Are modern gadgets making us smarter or dumber?

Technically, it should make us smarter because the world is right there for the taking. But do we learn that way? Or do we simply find the answer, then move on?

Agonizing over something so stupid as the name of an actress at least forces the brain waves to function and fluctuate. When the brain is forced to work, only then do we really learn.

Can anyone read a map anymore? Why should they? All it takes is a few blips of the Global Positioning Satellite to tell you where to go.

A man in New York followed his GPS directions, then wondered why his car straddled train tracks with a diesel locomotive barreling toward him.

Having never driven onto railroad tracks — not a crossing, the actual tracks — is it possible to not realize the car thumped over the rails? GPS vetoed the brain.

In the future, a gadget might be produced that will answer questions by reading thoughts. Time, though, will prove that no gadget is as powerful as a functioning brain — and the tip of the tongue.