Views #563 | High Intermediate 6

Technology

Jeff and Todd talk about technology.

Script
Vocab
Quiz


Jeff	Todd

Todd: So, Jeff, let's talk about technology. These days we have all types of new technology, computers,

Jeff: Can we just end this right now. I don't like technology, so can we talk about something else.

Todd: What? You don't like technology.

Jeff: No, I don't like technology.

Todd: What do you mean you don't like technology.

Jeff: Technology is, I think it's gone against what it was originally invented for, and that is for convenience to make people's lives more easy and to give them more free time, and I think it's totally gone against what it was originally invented to do.

Todd: Yeah, but technology does make your lived easier, like it saves us time, it communicates,

Jeff: But does it save us time?

Todd: I think so. I mean, before you had to type something up, now you can just type it up on a word processor. It's quicker. Before you had to walk to a phone. Now the phone is in your pocket. You can just pick it up and call anytime, anywhere in the world.

Jeff: Kind of. I kind of agree with that, but sometimes that walk to the phone is sort of pleasant and you had time to think about other things, but now as you're walking to the phone, you're typing something into your PDA while you're listening to your MP3 player, and then you get into your car and you drive to your office and the first thing you do is check your e-mail and then right after that you check your voice mail and then you send an e-mail to someone and then, I think it's just sort of, it's cluttered. It;s cluttered our lives versus clean it up.

Todd: Yeah, but maybe if you did not have that, then you would probably have something else that would just clutter up your life. I'm sure people were busy before they had technology.

Jeff: Mm, I agree. I think they were busy but maybe more wholesome things, or less, I think, I think you, we, our mind's are sort of, our minds are always bombarded with images or news and a lot of this stuff is not needed but because it is there we use it. I don't think we have to see so much news or read so many different things on the internet and see so much on television and the DVD player, get our news on our MP3 players and our hand-held, our little hand-held computers, our PDA's. I think it's just, we fill our time now with things that are not really needed or not maybe as useful or as clean as the old days: reading and writing and peotry, and when was the last time you wrote a letter to one of your friends and a nice hand-written letter, and put it in an envelope and put it in the mailbox.

Todd: About three or four years.

Jeff: Or a postcard even.

Todd: Four years.

Jeff: So, I think it's, technology is good but I think it's sometimes defeats it's own original purpose.

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

go against

I think it's gone against what it was originally invented for.

If you 'go against' something, you are opposed to it or have the opposite intention. So if something was invented to save water and it actually uses more water than was used before, then it goes against the reason it was originally invented. Notice the following:

I'm not trying to go against your idea, but I think there are a few problems with it.
Doesn't that statement go against what you just said?

clutter

It's cluttered our lives

'To clutter' a place is to add unnecessary items that take up space and make normal life more difficult. Notice the following:

All of these ideas have cluttered my brain.
Her clothes cluttered the floor in her room.

wholesome

I think they were busy but maybe more wholesome things.

Something is 'wholesome' if it has a good influence on people. For example, wholesome entertainment would provide a good example and message to its viewers. We also use this word to describe healthy and satisfying food. Notice the following:

The bread was very wholesome and still warm.
My grandmother only watches wholesome movies.

bombard

Our minds are always bombarded with images or news.

To 'bombard' is to attack. This can be in a literal sense, used to describe war. More commonly we use this to describe an attack using questions, information or images. Notice the following:

Her daughter is at an age where she bombards everyone with questions.
Every day you are bombarded with images that make you want to spend money.

defeats it's own purpose

Technology is good but I think sometimes it defeats it's own original purpose.

To 'defeat your own purpose' is to go against what you hope to achieve, usually without realizing it. In the example, technology usually makes our lives easier, but sometimes it makes our lives more difficult when we have technological problems. Notice the following:

By trying to help him, I defeated my own purpose. Now he is dependent on me.
It really defeats the purpose if you exercise and then eat a lot of chocolate as a reward.