Surgeon Leonard Shlain wrote a book about the role of literacy in pushing cultures towards the "maler" left half of the brain and away from the more "female" right half of the brain, which processes and communicates through images.
http://www.alphabetvsgoddess.com
It's an interesting contrast to this post, which focuses on abstract concepts like speed, embodied in mostly abstract images. You can get a good feel for the book by watching the following video.
Thanks for the upvote. I think I'm getting more traction with comments than I am with original posts.