Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Dev]

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!"

[IlIlNine]

I agree for the most part...

But the one thing to get within the next couple of years will be a smartphone.

Why it over other gadgets?

1. It combines the functionality of: computer, mp3 player, ebook reader, cell phone, video player, calculator (and basically all of the other gadgets you avoided buying - all in one)

2. It's very portable. Take it with you anywhere.

3. It allows augmented-reality-type interaction with the real world... When's the next bus coming? point the camera of the device at the bus stop and it will tell you. What's the lowest price on something at the store? scan the barcode and find out. Where's your buddy right now? Load up the map application and see right away... possibilities are endless.

4. Entertainment, games, star maps, horoscopes, media consumption (news, stock quotes, etc), reference material, dictionaries, etc.

5. Online commerce - banking, shopping, instant pay (for the taxis, subway, convenience stores)..


.... and more!

So, no, it doesn't really aim to recreate, say, the experience of listening to a record though high quality equipment (gadgets in their own right) - but it does seem to be able to justify its existence enough over other gadgets to be worth buying.

.. the most important reason for me is that the business world is increasingly tied to the smartphone, so it's a reality of day-to-day life that I have to live with (and thus elevating it over the status of a simple 'gadget').

[pintosaur]

a paper book feels better sure, but the selection is way better on an electronic reader (especially in korea), plus some books are cheaper and some readers (like the ipad) can do other nifty things

playing real soccer with real people may be better but try playing real soccer with just 2 people. or real football with 2 people. or baseball. or instead of playing street fighter or counterstrike or starcraft, let's go out and fight real people and play real "find the bomb and kill the terrorists" or declare war on some alien race

writing with real english might be better but abbreviations are quicker, easier, and fit within the word limit. nuff said

i always figured spelling was important to a certain limit. however, if you want, you can submit all your papers/reports/etc. without running a spell checker and just rely on your absolute perfect spelling and typing skills

i guess you can also rely on doing all your math in your head instead of a calculator (or paper and pencil). personally, if i need to do any multiplication with numbers over 3 digits (or even 2), i like a piece of paper or a calculator, but i'm not a math genius so yeah

i don't have anything to say about hitting on women online cause I haven't tried it

handwritten letter, i guess its cooler, but try working in an office without using email. also, why was this posted on an online forum? shouldn't it have been handwritten and posted on some pole somewhere?

i don't have a vinyl record player so yeah, no comment

i like getting exercise too

i would agree with this too, but times are a-changing and you gotta check your email once in awhile.

this might be true, but there are other ways to be more environmentally responsible (eating less beef, walking/biking more, becoming bill gates and starting a bunch of organizations), but to each his own.

try to justify your reasons a bit more than just saying "this is better than that"

[Caffeinated]

Quoting a guy with two first names Daniel Gilbert:

Economies thrive when individuals strive, but because individuals will only strive for their own happiness, it is essential that they mistakenly believe that producing and consuming are routes to personal well-being.

[Dev]

[Dev]

Another thought.

Playing a board game with a friend is a more satisfying experience than playing a video game alone or against someone online.

[pkang0202]

Gadgets improve lives. Hard to imagine the days before cell phones where it was near impossible to get a hold of someone unless they were sitting at home.

The days of deciphering paper maps to try and find where to go.

Going to the same restaurants in your town because you had no idea there was an awesome Greek place on the other side of town.

Remember before text messaging when you had to write something down but had no pen/paper in sight?


Physical books, while easier to read/hold take up space. Why limit yourself to 2-3 books on the road when you can have an entire library at your hands?

I remember before MP3 players I had a discman and had to haul around a big CD book to listen to music. Before that, I had a case for all the cassette tapes.

Before the internet, I had to flip through yellow pages and white page phone directories. A process that would only take mere seconds with the internet.

Remember things like rolodexes, date books, and etc...? How about pulling over your car to ask for directions or to find a payphone?

Before DVR's you had to program a VCR to record shows. Or only being able to watch movies by going to the video store and renting them, only to find the movie you wanted was all rented out.

Remember using a typewriter? How about hand writing papers, letters, etc...?

[spanky1off]

one day we will have a chip in our brains that will give us instant access to everything that has ever been conceived or created and all the accumilated knowledge of humans. and probably use it to access pron on demand too

seriously i waited many years for a phone that would let me do away with most other gadgets..todays smartphones allow you to be free from about 3 or4 other devices. surely thats a good thing? less materials used and greater convenience.

one example where its helped me loads is driving around seoul. it might seem easy when your in a taxi but trust me those guys know where their going. for me ive ended up hopelessly lost several times. now switch on google maps with gps..find where i am and follow the route i need to go. pulling over to recheck when needed. simple!.

im no camera fanatic and dont take many pics but the quality is now good enough i dont need to bother bringing out my compact. no more moments of not having the option on those rare occasions i want to take a pic

also access to music at most times is important to me...but thats just me personally.

i dont think 99% of whats on tv is garbage although this is always gonna be subjective. theres some crackingly entertaining shows/comedy/documentaries/nature programs. just need to know what to look for amid the admittedly high percent of bullcrap out there.

what really annoys me though is people who think a gadget is somehow an extension of their personality. fanbois of apple or android attackign one another. fanbois of ps3 or xbox360. whats wrong with these people. the company doesnt give a shit about them but theyre willing to spend time defending its product or attacking another.

ive also read articles about the social networking sites we use are starting to rewire the brains of the younger generation leading to less social skills and interactivity. but wont these people just use the new social platform to meet and acquire friends with common interests? i think as tech gets better the social networking sites will have real time high quality camera chattign i.e skype so could lead to more interactivy in the long run.

text based chat/discussions like this one you've led are also fine if your searching for particular subjects your interested in.

basically in the end if you think gadgets will enhance your life they why not use that?

[Dev]

Other than the internet, I resist new technologies. I find that I simply don't need to upgrade.

I still use a cd player. I think it's because I have the old fashioned mentality that artists produce albums so I like to listen to an entire cd of something. I cut down on the bulk when I take short trips by carrying a small cd wallet with a dozen cds.

I've stopped carrying a cell phone. While it's true they're convenient to reach people instead of waiting for them to be at home, the reverse is true and I don't want to be reached 24/7. In fact, I hate cell phones. So often there's some idiot on the bus that talks loud and I have to hear about his / her boring life. Life hasn't improved at all. We got rid of the smokers in public places and now have cell phone users spreading noise pollution. I also save a lot of money using pay phones (which amounts to a few dollars a month compared to $50+ a month for a cell phone).

I haven't upgraded to Blu ray yet because I prefer indie and foreign films, most of which are not on Blu ray. Even if they were, I am happy with regular dvd and don't see the added cost to be worth it.

I like the internet though. It makes life more convenient. But I don't think it has improved my life that much. I was still pretty happy in the pre-internet days.

What you have to be careful with on the internet is addictive sites like Facebook that suck up a lot of your time. Of course, Dave's ESL Cafe is not addictive. I can quit at any time.

[crescent]

I felt the same way as the OP when digital cameras first became popular. I'll never switch, i thought. I scoffed at my uncle's super fancy Nikon. Nothing is truer to life than a film camera, i told him.

Haven't used my manual film camera in over 5 years.

Now, I feel extreme pressure to join facebook, even though i sincerely despise the the thought of it. I will join soon, because friends are beginning to get tired of emailling.

Gadgets will keep getting better, making our lives more efficient so we can do more things with even more gadgets.

OP, sounds like you need to build a cabin in Washington state and set some traps before the winter sets in.

[Senior]

[Horangi Munshin]

Business version of FB. Linkedin?

[seonsengnimble]

I hear ya, but I disagree on a few things.

As far as music formats go, except for the 8 track, music devices have been getting much more useful and convenient. Tapes made it so music was much more portable and people could listen to music in their car or various other places. They also made it so people could make their own mix tapes to listen to music they want to hear. CDs were a little less convenient than tapes in some aspects, but the sound quality was much better, you wouldn't have to fast forward and rewind trying to find the exact spot to get to the part you wanted to listen to or deal with tape that got tangled and/or eaten by the player.

Mp3 players made it so that you could store hundreds or thousands of songs on a little device you could carry in your pocket as well as add or remove files nearly instantaneously.

Yes, they aren't a necessity, but after my 17 hour flight from Seoul to New York where the only entertainment on board was a movie about some angsty 13 year old girl who befriends a wild horse followed by golf in Korean, I figured a pmp was necessary for my sanity.

As for other technologies, I'm pretty indifferent. I don't own a television because I see no point in having another huge electronic device in my place to watch mostly crap with 15 minute long commercial breaks when I can watch anything I want on my computer.

A smartphone would be pretty cool to have, but I'm in no rush to get one while I have all of the capabilities of the smart phone on other devices already and they do most of the operations as well or better than the smart phone. Perhaps when I can get one for a decent price, I'll get a basic one, but right now I don't really care to spend hundreds of dollars on a phone where the only real extra use I'll get out of it is as a portable internet device. I already spend way too much time online as it is, I can go a few hours without being connected to the internet.

Anyways, I agree that buying the latest everything is pretty ridiculous, but sometimes it's great to get a cool new gadget.

[swigs]

[blackjack]

I have been traveling europe for the past 4 weeks and have 2 more to go. I have finished 8 books so far and 2,542 to go (give or take a few hundred). Sure I prefer paper but how much would 2600 books weigh?