čtvrtek 30. října 2014

Three Questions

1.     Do you like Russians? Do you feel any aversion to Russian people as a whole because of Soviet occupation 25 years ago?
2.     Do you feel that Czechs live a healthy lifestyle? Do Czechs exercise enough or eat a balanced diet despite the rather unbalanced typical Czech cuisine?

3.     What do you think about the high American student population in Prague?

B.) How will you improve the Czech Republic?


Berete kreditní karty? Ne!

After living in the Czech Republic for two months, you tend to appreciated the little things that your native country offered that other countries, in this case the Czech Republic, don’t offer. I love the charming cobblestones and the efficient public transportation system in Prague, but the lack of technological incorporation into everyday things can be rather frustrating. In the U.S. you can pay with a debit card or a credit card virtually anywhere. It’s easy, efficient and doesn’t require you to carry around tons of cash or coins in your pocket. In the Czech Republic, debit/credit cards are barely used.

      If I could improve the quality of life in the Czech Republic, I would make payment options credit/debit card friendly. Czechs wouldn’t have to pay with coins every time they want to buy a metro or tram ticket. Czechs wouldn’t have to take out an unnecessary amount of cash to buy dinner at a café or drinks at a club. Requiring every café, restaurant, bar, pub, club and store to have credit/debit as a payment option would make the Czech Republic more efficient and tourist friendly. Offering credit and debit card payment options will help the Czech Republic progress into the technologically prevalent times that are upon us!

A.) My Media in 2025

The Bittersweet Symphony of Our Media Hungry World

When I woke up this morning and went about my usual morning routine, I left for work feeling unlike myself. I realized how much media and technology has consumed the unscheduled moments in my life. We have arrived in an era where we feel like we need to obtain information, any kind of information, when our minds aren’t being occupied by work, socializing or sleeping.  I woke up and immediately checked social media, hoping that it would offer me something new, but it didn’t. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, three media mediums that changed the way we communicate 10 years ago. Thirty years ago it was Email, a revolutionary way to keep in touch with someone without picking up a landline to call him or her or sending snail mail. Now everything is digitized, posted on a public forum and distributed to us. The world is at our fingertips and it feels bittersweet.
I rode to work and read the news on my tablet this morning. Notice that I said “news” not “newspaper”. What is a newspaper anymore? You can’t call something that gives you the news on an electronic imitation of a newspaper, a newspaper. It is not even made out of paper. We must accept that the print age of Marshall McLuhan’s media epochs has been overcome by the electronic age.  Ten years ago, in the midst of the tablet fad, I stuck my nose up at the tablet, thinking that reading the physical newspaper or book was far superior. Little did I know that that wouldn’t be possible, that it would become extinct.

Despite my pessimistic views on the population’s constant need for social media and technology in order to scratch an unconscious itch, the evolving media has accomplished more than we could have ever imagined. The rhetoric is indispensable commodity in communication. We can obtain information at the click of a button, information that we wouldn’t reach us until hours after it’s occurrence forty years ago. Brands like The New York Times (yes, the NY Times), CNN and NBC have progressed with the changing demands and have made communication more efficient than ever.

midterm


2025- The Year of Information at the Speed ​​of Light

9 o'clock. Eat breakfast. Follow up on social networks. Feed dog. Leave for work. 9:30: Arrive at work. Fast- paced and Efficient, this is 2025. There is no time to waste Because you will miss something. Today, everything constitutes as news. You know what is happening in your co-worker's life, all the dirty details about celebrity drama, the most recent viral videos, and the current events around the world in a matter of seconds. How do we consume all this information with Quickly? It is all in the Daily Diet application, Which places all the information Would you find interesting through a series of algorithms and sends it directly to the chip in your brain, Which Samsung invented three years ago. Printed Paper Has Become an obsolete medium, and it Has Officially joined the stone tablets in museums.

Evidently, news and social networks have changed drastically since 2014. The top media brands like The New York Times , CNN, and PBS have banded together to Create the Largest media brand of all times, OMNIA Times. Additionally, independent bloggers have hit Taken December The Invention of the chip. There is less of demand for blog posts and opinionated journals Amongst the General Public Because our days are filled with other Priorities, sitting down with it and read anything with rarities.

Our world is Rapidly changing. Although most people are adapting the thesis of drastic changes, it makes me Reminisce about the past times of reading a physical paper, getting us from Various news outlets, and casually surfing through the site. The demand for speed Has Altered our Priorities, and we have forgotten the Importance of taking our time.


Second
Let's Spice It Up!

Bippity, Bobbity, Boo. If I Could we work magic and bring upon a gift to the Citizens of the Czech Republic, I would grant Them a gift of cuisine from around the world. Although the Czech Republic does have many different, ethnic restaurants, much of the food at theses places Lacks Quality and Tastes ordinary at best. Maybe I have been spoiled by living in the ethnically diverse city of Los Angeles, Which offers the best quality dishes from around the world, but I feel That Truly the Czech Republic needs a little spicing up in the food department and Possibly a little fusion in the mix. With a lot more flavor, and a variety of top-notch cuisines, and a variety of choices, the Czech Republic Will Be a Better Place.

3rd
-   Does confrontation make you feel uncomfortable?
- What do you think about English food?
- Can you eat spicy food?



3 questions


What are your feelings about America’s drinking age as 21. 
highly agree agree neutral disagree highly disagree

Of the following romance languages, which country’s language do you think is the most romantic sounding?
French Italian Romanian Portuguese 


On a scale of 1-10, 1 being unacceptable to 10 being very fashionable, what would you rank the fashion of Czech Republic

Fashion Police

Fashion Police
August 31st marks the official day of the burning of the tights and a recall for all crocs and ugly flats.

Call it a new trace of communism, if you wish. However, terrible fashion has made people-watching possibly one of the most entertaining hobbies in the Czech Republic. It has been noted that for the past couple of years, growing rage has skyrocketed by locals concerning the terribly-dressed Czech population. One university student claimed that “being a poorly dressed country cheapens the our reputation.” Clashing colored outfits, weak flats, and jean skirts with tan tights underneath? It’s time for a fashion intervention


To relieve of this issue, government officials have finally made this year the start of the “Clothing Purge.” On this day, laws will ban citizens from wearing jean skirts, tan tights, and flats under 200 CZK. Government officials claim that this is a prerequisite for a better, more fashionable country.

Digital Pioneers

“Sparky, what is the weather like today?” 
“Ms. Kim, it is 17 degrees, 2% humidity, and 24% chance of rain by 15:30. Is there anything else I can help you with this morning?” 
No that is all. End.

Date back just to before the 2nd millennium, and finding the answer to this simple question meant tuning into our local weather station or taking out or laptops to google the weather. As of 2025, we surely have come far in our technological developments. 

It’s all about speed, speed, speed. A simple request to our in-home intelligence personal assistant and knowledge navigator, Sparky, we can now get information through a single voice request. Need the local news? Sparky’s got it. Want to know the status of the stock market? Sparky’s your pal. Maybe you want to find out the best sushi restaurant in your neighborhood? Yes, sparky even has access to all your apps like “Yelp” and “Travel Advisor” to filter through the highest and most ranked restaurants in your area. 

We’re also all about being eco friendly. It’s taken quite some time to realize that printed newspapers and magazines are actually useless when everything can be archived onto a digital platform. With a subscription to access, news is not only filtered through the web, but it Sparky can also help with finding out specific information that you request. If you primary interests are for international affairs, Sparky can retrieve articles from different resources such as CNN, PBS, and New York Times. Since now all major news companies are owned by Google, we pay one single subscription to access our news. This way, readers are more informed while getting feedback from many different sources and writers. Same scripts have circulated through many TV news stations, and this has been done this for quite some time… we thank our lucky stars this concept has entered the journalism industry as well. 

Let’s not forget about our social media… In fact, let’s never forget about our social media. Any common man can say that the big three—Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram—has truly changed the way we socialize, advertise, and capitalize. Almost all companies have moved their promotion and advertising onto these digital platforms. Through the help of hashtags and tagging, we have moved our entire world into the digital world more than ever before. This means, Coca-cola can raffle off a 500k trip to Bora Bora in the same way a 45 year old soccer mom can promote her ceramic cups. Of course, you can multiply your audience by paying a lump some of money to advertise more on these sites. However, the world as we know it has moved from reality into a world of 0’s and 1’s. Now that’s a crazy thought to think about.


Yes, everyone. We are the new pioneers—the explorers of the digital world. We are 2025.