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Louis VI
Joined: 05 Jul 2010
Location: In my Kingdom
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 Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Using your electronics until they're finished is more environmentally responsible than replacing something that works fine (but your ego is so fragile that you must have the latest model). |
I bought the best pixel camera phone on the market in late 2004, an LG model with 3.8 megapixel, 2 hour video and MP3, at the time amazing capabilities. I paid a lot for it and it has suited me fine so I still use it today even though it is thicker and heavier than today's models. I keep getting comments like: "THAT'S SO OLD!" and "WHY DON'T YOU BUY A NEW ONE?" by people who think a small difference in size and weight ought to justify a new purchase... actually, they don't think that, it's all about status symbols, a superficial game I don't play. |
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pkang0202
Joined: 09 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Senior wrote: |
As for Facebook? You aren't missing anything. I'm close to closing mine, as it is more trouble than it's worth. There are probably less than a dozen people I want to talk to on a regular basis, half of whom are not on facebook, the others I can call or email. If I wanted my mum to see drunken photos of me, I would show them to her myself. I don't need my friends doing it. |
My family is not part of my facebook. Why people have family on their friends list is beyond me. That's like asking your parents to go to your best friend's bachelor party. Who does that? |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 12:07 am Post subject: |
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It's like asking if people will ever get tired of toys........of course not....the problem is not usage of gadgets or technology itself, but how one balances it within ones life.....
All the tech is out there for you to choose from. ....... want vinyl instead of CD or MP3,.......fine....I love records too......but I don't believe there's a magical quality to vinyl as opposed to CD.....that was a myth established in the early days of CD, late 80's, when CD tech was very young and vinyl tech was quite advanced.
I remember CD's sounding quite tinny and artificial when they first came out........they soon got over that....by about the mid-90's it was apparent that you would need to spend about $5000 on a vinyl hi-fi to get the same quality as a $500 CD system. |
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donducky
Joined: 02 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 9:17 am Post subject: Re: Will People Ever Get Tired of Gadgets? |
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| Dev wrote: |
It seems like every month, there's some new gadget that gets introduced onto the market that people just got to have.
This is particularly true of Apple's products like the I Phone and the I Pad. I personally don't see the benefits of joining the herds of sheep flocking towards these products.
I am very cynical about people. I think people are stupid. Why is gold so sought after? Well, it shines. If it were dull gray, I bet no one would care and no one would try to make jewelry out of it. I think I phones are the same thing. They're bright and full of flashing images. Be honest. How much does it add to your quality of life?
I'm wondering when people will get tired of upgrading their TVs, their dvd players, switching audio formats (lp to cd to sacd to mp3 to ???), and changing their cell phone?
The electronics makers thank you. But they don't thank me because I have an ordinary basic cell phone, a cd player, a regular dvd player and a cathode ray tube TV.
Another reason people might stop upgrading is because real life is better than the digital one.
A paper book feels better than an electronic reader.
Playing real soccer with real people is better than playing virtual video soccer.
Writing with real English is better than writing with text message abbreviations.
Learning how to spell is better than spell check.
Learning how to do mental math calculations is smarter than using a calculator.
Hitting on women (or men) in real life is better than doing it online (because what you see is what you get).
Writing a handwritten letter is more meaningful than email.
Listening to vinyl records is warmer than listening to mp3.
Getting exercise is better than spending hours improving your Facebook page.
Living in the real world is better than living in a virtual one.
Using your electronics until they're finished is more environmentally responsible than replacing something that works fine (but your ego is so fragile that you must have the latest model).
A: "Hey man! I Phone version #79 is already on the market."
B: "Damn! #79 already? And I'm still using a 76 model. I had better hurry to the store fast!" |
In a friendly spirit, I'd counterargue that a lot of the good old fashioned things you describe here are, in fact, gadgets, of a sort.
Books, soccer balls, vinyl records--none of these things grow on trees. The pen and paper and ink used to write a "real" letter are themselves artifacts, or contrivances. Primitive man did without them. He had no choice; we do. Our lives are infinitely richer for it.
I know precious little about music history and so may be on shaky ground here, but I seem to remember learning that the piano, at the time of its invention, was regarded as some sort of hideous new contraption that would wreck the purity of received musical forms. Today's shocking novelties are tomorrow's ancient and hallowed heirlooms.
P.S. I will happily concede your point about online dating: digitizing sex really is a bridge too far. Even then, though, there are, I believe, many instances of people who have "met" online and subsequently married and had children. The children, if nothing else, are unmistakably real, even if the glimmer in dad's eye was digital. |
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Dev
Joined: 18 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 8:00 am Post subject: |
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I was just thinking the other day how since the introduction of TV, people must read less than in the past.
TV has a hypnotizing effect on people. I'll even get stuck on my sofa watching CNN. For this reason, I don't subscribe to cable.
Sadly, TV had so much potential as a medium of delivering sound and image to people, but instead of being used to educate people, it's used to stop people from thinking too much (with dumb programming). The governments must love it. |
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ThingsComeAround
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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Why do we need to use the phone all the d@mn time? In Europe, I hardly see anyone attached to their cell the way I see Koreans are- its really pathetic. They do lots of talking but 90% of the time it is irrelevant.
Why look at a GPS when you could:
A) look at a map and learn your surroundings
B) wander and find places on your own
GPS isn't free- and it isn't that helpful. Dozens of times someone using that tool would take the most crowded road because GPS told them to 
Do you really need to read 2000 books? I'll bet most of you haven't read one book that is 2000 pages.
What happens if you txt someone and your phone runs out of batteries?
Isn't being in control of your life better than being dependent on a machine?? |
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NYC_Gal
Joined: 08 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 9:23 pm Post subject: Re: Will People Ever Get Tired of Gadgets? |
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| Dev wrote: |
A paper book feels better than an electronic reader. |
But I can get far more books in Korea via my ipad's kindle app, and for much cheaper than their paper counterparts.
| Dev wrote: |
Writing with real English is better than writing with text message abbreviations. |
When typing on a full keyboard, yes. Of course, my cheap little cell has a standard keypad, so it's easier.
| Dev wrote: |
| Learning how to spell is better than spell check. |
Agreed.
| Dev wrote: |
| Learning how to do mental math calculations is smarter than using a calculator. |
Agreed.
| Dev wrote: |
| Hitting on women (or men) in real life is better than doing it online (because what you see is what you get). |
Agreed, though sometimes there are exceptions (I'm not talking chatrooms or dating sites).
| Dev wrote: |
| Writing a handwritten letter is more meaningful than email. |
Meaningful, yes. Convenient? Heck no! I'd much rather be able to correspond with my family and friends instantly than have to wait weeks.
| Dev wrote: |
| Listening to vinyl records is warmer than listening to mp3. |
If by warm, you mean crackly, then sure. I prefer clean, clear music that I can carry around and listen to on public transport. It's also nice to be able to plug it into nearly any sound system with a lighweight wire that takes up nearly no space.
| Dev wrote: |
| Getting exercise is better than spending hours improving your Facebook page. |
Agreed.
| Dev wrote: |
| Living in the real world is better than living in a virtual one. |
Agreed.
| Dev wrote: |
| Using your electronics until they're finished is more environmentally responsible than replacing something that works fine (but your ego is so fragile that you must have the latest model). |
This doesn't always have something to do with ego. We get gifts, or want a feature that we wanted in the first place, but wasn't available. I wasn't planning on getting an ipad, but my dad got me one as a gift. I had a perfectly good ipod touch, so when he gave me the present, I gave my ipod to my mother, who loves it.
| Dev wrote: |
A: "Hey man! I Phone version #79 is already on the market."
B: "Damn! #79 already? And I'm still using a 76 model. I had better hurry to the store fast!" |
Why not regress even further? Let's all start using handmade paper and quills. Records? Why not learn to play an instrument? Soccer? Why not slay your foes and kick around their severed heads? Hitting on the opposite sex? Nah! Have your parents arrange a marriage! |
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ThingsComeAround
Joined: 07 Nov 2008
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| Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 8:14 am Post subject: Re: Will People Ever Get Tired of Gadgets? |
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| NYC_Gal wrote: |
Why not learn to play an instrument? |
+10 |
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blackjack
Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang
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| Posted: Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:57 pm Post subject: |
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| ThingsComeAround wrote: |
Why do we need to use the phone all the d@mn time? In Europe, I hardly see anyone attached to their cell the way I see Koreans are- its really pathetic. They do lots of talking but 90% of the time it is irrelevant.
Why look at a GPS when you could:
A) look at a map and learn your surroundings and if you don't have a map?
B) wander and find places on your own some cities in Europe are mazes with poor signage, I would have loved Gps
GPS isn't free- and it isn't that helpful. Dozens of times someone using that tool would take the most crowded road because GPS told them to GPS is free other than the device. 100s of other times someone has ended up in the middle of nowhere
Do you really need to read 2000 books? I'll bet most of you haven't read one book that is 2000 pages. I go through around 2-3 books a week, my ebook reader is a god send. My last trip to europe I read 11 books, bugger carrying all of them
What happens if you txt someone and your phone runs out of batteries? you don't get the message? not sure where you are going with this one?
Isn't being in control of your life better than being dependent on a machine?? |
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NYC_Gal
Joined: 08 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Sun Aug 15, 2010 6:20 pm Post subject: Re: Will People Ever Get Tired of Gadgets? |
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| ThingsComeAround wrote: |
| NYC_Gal wrote: |
Why not learn to play an instrument? |
+10 |
Or hire a minstrel! |
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itsjustverbs
Joined: 05 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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| no |
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itsjustverbs
Joined: 05 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:03 pm Post subject: |
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| no |
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lukas
Joined: 22 Aug 2009
Location: Bucheon
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| Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 4:20 pm Post subject: |
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| will children ever get tired of toys? |
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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:11 am Post subject: Re: Will People Ever Get Tired of Gadgets? |
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| Dev wrote: |
| Be honest. How much does it add to your quality of life? |
I bought a used iPod Touch for $100 several months ago. I consider it one of the best purchase decisions of my life and an incredible tool that has enabled me to become much more productive, save money, and add convenience to my life.
Let me illustrate with some examples of how I use my iPod Touch:
It has Skype enabled, with a $3 per month unlimited North American calling plan, so I am able to make unlimited calls to landlines anywhere in North America from any wifi hotspot. This has been useful for me when traveling, as I have to attend teleconferences on the weekends for an apprenticeship I'm doing with an American history education company. I tune into the calls and discuss the ideas for three hours from any place where there's free wifi.
My iPod Touch is mainly a study tool. I use it to either listen to history lectures for my apprenticeship, or I turn on native Korean audio and keep it going all day. The exposure to real Korean, repetitively, for hours each day has really helped me. Koreans marvel at my accent despite the fact that there are huge gaps in my knowledge, which I attribute to how much I listen to the language. The iPod allows me to take little periods here and there during the day to study Korean, periods that add up to at least 30 extra minutes each day. What could you learn with 30 minutes each day? Not only do I practice listening, but the screen shows a transcript of the audio blogs that I'm listening to, in Hangeul, with an English translation. I don't need to carry a thing with me when I go travelling for the weekend because everything is on this machine.
Having the calendar, timer, notepad and contact list serve all the functions of a PDA. You wouldn't believe how much mental energy is wasted on trying to remember things. I could write it all down on a paper notepad and then transfer it to something else when I got home, but using the iPod and the calendar is just easier.
Being lost and having a map (Google maps) has been useful, dictionary applications are useful, flashcard / spaced repetition programs help me fit in periods of vocabulary study. I even have Travel Korea tourism guides for most of the cities in Korea, with ideas on what to do when I visit those cities, their phone numbers, maps, etc. With the iBooks application I've gone through plenty of free, public domain books, including some history textbooks printed at the beginning of the 20th century. |
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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:15 am Post subject: |
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| ThingsComeAround wrote: |
| Isn't being in control of your life better than being dependent on a machine?? |
Stop using your fridge. And lights. |
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