good old legos (generic) vs bad new legos (kit-based)

Hi,

Recently I read an article or saw a television show describing the
contrast between "old legos" and "new legos". The point of the article
was that in the good old days lego kits were full of generic, highly
interchangeable bricks that could be used to make anything you could
imagine. But nowadays the newer lego kits are full of bricks of more
limited intercompatibility, bricks which are mainly designed to let you
construct the single, elaborate, predefined centerpiece pictured on the
box (such a spaceship, or a car).

The article argued this change was a bad thing, since it required less
imagination from people using legos. I have two questions for the lego
mavens here.

Simple Question: Where on Earth did I read this article (or TV piece)?
I can't remember where I ran into the idea, but it took root in my
mind. I'd like to revisit it. It may have been on the BBC, but I'm
really not sure.

Deeper Question: Is this true? Is this the common wisdom, or a common
complaint, among lego afficianados? Have lego kits changed from the
good old days, so that now a given kit can produce a smaller number of
interesting results? If this is for real, what kits old and new stand
out as representative examples of this trend?

I'm much obliged for all your opinions and pointers.

Alexis