📘 Part 3: Gadgets and technology

This episode's vocabulary

Familiarity (noun) - a good knowledge of something, or the fact that you know it so well.

To trip up (someone) (phrasal verb) - to make a mistake or to cause someone to make a mistake.

Labour (noun) - practical work, especially when it involves hard physical effort.

Unassisted (adj.) - without being helped by anyone or anything.

By and large (idiom) - when everything about a situation is considered together.

Extraction (noun) - the process of removing something, especially by force.

Productivity (noun) - the rate at which a person, company, or country does useful work.

To break down something (phrasal verb) - to divide something into smaller parts.

To manipulate (verb) - to control something or someone to your advantage, often unfairly or dishonestly.

Comparatively (adverb) - as compared to something else.

Intensive (adj.) - involving a lot of effort or activity in a short period of time.

To fling (verb) - to throw something or someone suddenly and with a lot of force.

Labour-intensive (adj.) - industries and methods that are labour-intensive need a lot of workers.

Imbalance (noun) - a situation in which two things that should be equal or that are normally equal are not.

Handy (adj.) - useful or convenient.

Able-bodied (adj.) - people who are healthy and have no illness, injury, or condition that makes it difficult to do the things that other people do.

Questions and Answers

M: What equipment is usually difficult to use?

R: I think things people have the hardest time with are always new things. They could be new on the market or new to the home. But either way, people's lack of familiarity with using them always trips them up when they are first or when they're just getting used to it. So if you don't know how to work a computer, because you're older, and it's the first time you're using one, that's a good example of this.

M: Why do some people dislike technology in their workplace?

R: Well, the thing about technology is that it's essentially a replacement for human labour. And until recently, this was a good thing. But the number of operations that humans can do unassisted is getting lower and lower. So people might worry about being replaced entirely. And the other issue is that people really don't like change by and large, and new tech pretty much demands this.

M: Why do people buy a lot of household appliances?

R: Well, I suppose the main reason is that there are so many different jobs to be done that you can't really get one machine to cover all of them, yet at least.

M: And do you think people have too many household appliances these days?

R: That's a really good question. Well, I mean, it will depend on the perspective that you take. For example, is the number damaging the environment? So if you have like so many, that you're just ruining the local ecology, because of all of the resource extraction involved, then they might have too many. But also, you might need this to make more time for you to do more things. And so you might need these things. Or you might need more of them. And if you need more then you don't have enough, so it depends entirely on your perspective, doesn't it?

M: And do you think that these household appliances make us lazy?

R: Well, no, because all measures of human productivity over the last 100 years since we started using these things have gone up. We're doing more things. So no, it's not, it's made people more able, or more able to do things. And able to do more things.

M: What do people often do with electronic devices?

R: It seems like there's a gadget for everything these days. If we... I suppose if we have to take it, or break it down into two big actions, then they use, they use these things for whatever purpose they have in mind. And they maintain them. So they can be used again. And that's pretty much it.

M: Like in the kitchen, like what do people do?

R: Oh, what, you would use them for creating dishes that you wanted to make or to cook. And in the living room, well, you can play music, you can manipulate your light system the way you want it. Like all of these things. The list is endless.

M: How have modern gadgets impacted the way families interact with each other at home?

R: Well, I think the main difference is in how much less time is required for everyone to be working, together, especially. So there's comparatively more free time, which could be spent together or apart. Whereas before you would, well, you would all have to be together no matter what. It's good because people have more time for fun. But the big downside is that not being forced together, people often spend time apart.

M: In what ways have technological advancements in household appliances made life easier for people?

R: Well, again, they've taken away or reduced the need for a lot of intensive human labour in many areas, like take the washing machine, for example. You no longer need to spend hours cleaning your own socks in a river with rocks or, well, rocks and animal fat. When you could just fling them in a metal box for an hour and they come out nice and clean. And all you did was buy some washing up powder or tabs and touch a button and then you can relax or do something else.

M: Have gadgets improved the balance between work and personal life?

R: Well, that's a very interesting question. Because I often wonder if they have. I mean, we have more free time away from labour-intensive activities, similar to that, which I already mentioned. But we've invited our work into our personal spaces with home offices and smartphones. Whereas before you would leave the physical workspace with no invasion of your private sphere. And what's that? What that's resulted in is this weird imbalance in many people's lives. Of course, that's easily sold. You just agree on boundaries and turn off the notifications which is also something gadgets can be used for.

M: Are smart home devices useful?

R: Well, I can see how they might be useful. What they do essentially is allow you to control your home without lifting a finger which is quite cool and could be handy if you have some sort of disability. But is it really necessary for the average person to do this? I mean, you could literally do most of these things in about 20 seconds if you're able-bodied.

Discussion

M: Yeah, so questions could be about like technology, the equipment you use at home. Kind of like people usually use at home. So household appliances, okay? Or we call them electrical appliances. So devices, and appliances we usually use at home. So like household, my home, like household appliances. Home appliances. And we talk about refrigerators, ovens, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, okay? Like air conditioning, blenders, toasters, and coffee makers, which Rory didn't mention.

R: Because I don't have them.

M: So like things like this, you know. And also specific things in the kitchen. Food processes, juicers, blenders, kettles, coffeemakers.

R: Maria is talking about things I have no idea about.

M: Yeah, like rice cookers, for example.

R: What?

M: Yeah, there's a special, like, gadget to cook your rice for you.

R: That's crazy.

M: Also kind of like stand mixers. When you put stuff and like it mixes it up. You see? So kind of like these things, you can talk about them and what they do. I've just mentioned the most common things. But also you can go ahead and, I don't know, hand blender.

R: That's... No. Just buy a grill and cook steak all the time like me. It's fine.

M: Oh, yeah. Like a grill is nice. So yeah, we call them electrical appliances, household appliances. So they are called appliances. Alright? Because kind of like gadgets and technology, these are more general words. Okay? But in the kitchen, we use different household appliances.

R: Unless you're me, in which case you don't use any of them.

M: If the technology is new on the market. So on the market. Like a new gadget on the market, it's usually difficult to use. And people find the equipment, like the new equipment difficult because of people's lack of familiarity. So they are not familiar with this equipment and equipment. This equipment is new. Yeah? So lack of familiarity, people are not familiar with certain types of equipment. And Rory, if you say like people work a computer, so they use a computer, they work a computer.

R: Or they operate a computer.

M: Operate a computer. And when people get used to this equipment, it's much easier. So kind of get used to using a computer, get used to operating a computer.

R: Get used to having a smartphone, which is something I'm still doing.

M: Technology is a replacement for human labour. Labour? Like work that people do. So human labor? Work done by people. And a replacement for something. So technology is a replacement for people. Okay? I'll be back.

R: Maria is obsessed with the world ending like in Terminator.

M: Nah, nah, not obsessed. And people might become worried. So people might worry about being replaced by robots entirely. Entirely? Like altogether. And take a look at the structure. People might worry about being replaced by technology, or people might worry about having been replaced. Oh, my God. Okay, just say people might worry about being replaced by robots. There we go. And people don't like change. So here, no article, people just don't like change by and large. What does it mean, by and large?

R: In general.

M: In general. People don't like change in general. People don't like change by and large. About household appliances, I've just told you what you can talk about, what kind of appliances we mean. And people use them and buy them because there are many different jobs. And Rory, can we give an example of specific actions? What, for example, does a blender do? If you have a blender.

R: I don't have a blender. It blends things.

M: You? Yeah. But other people do, like many people have blenders.

R: Well, good, ask them. I have no idea. I mean, I would imagine you use a blender to blend things together like a mixer.

M: Yeah.

R: I love how you say that as if it's something I should have known.

M: Coffee machines and coffee grinders, dear listener. So what do you do with coffee? You have coffee beans, and you grind them, okay? You grind coffee beans, and then you make coffee. Okay? So there you go. An example, coffee machines help you to grind coffee beans, and to make coffee.

R: Unless you're me and you use instant coffee.

M: So Rory, really? Like you don't have anything in your house?

R: I don't cook. The closest I come to cooking is grilling things.

M: Wait. So you have a fridge and you have an oven. Microwave? No. Washing machine?

R: I have a washing machine. I have a fridge and I have a freezer. Which one of my friends fixed for me recently.

M: Okay, that's it?

R: That's it. Well, is it?

M: Wow.

R: I have a grill. I have a George Foreman grill, which solves all of my problems. And people make fun of me for this. But they waste so much time with cooking, whereas I get much more done in terms of work. I'm very productive.

M: And where do you take your food from? From restaurants?

R: There's a shop just next to my house.

M: So it's kind of like you buy ready-made food?

R: For my lunch, yeah. In the morning, I just have a protein shake. And in the evening, I have a steak, which I cook on the grill. Easy.

M: Wow. And people have household appliances to make more time to do other things. Okay? So they save time. So you can have more time to be able to do other things. Electronic devices. Okay?

R: I love this question, don't you?

M: Like, like, yeah, what do people do with devices? Yeah, what exactly, what do they do?

R: What do you do with it?

M: Such a stupid question, dear listener. Really stupid. And Rory goes with a question like, what, what don't they do with them? Yeah? So they use electronic devices. And also you can say electrical devices or electronic devices?

R: I would say electronic devices. There's no reason you couldn't say electrical, though, because they do run on electricity.

M: Electronic devices. Yeah, like television, refrigerators, laptops, fans. So these devices. Heaters, dear listener. Vacuum cleaners. Rory, do you have a vacuum cleaner?

R: I do. Well, it's like a mini vacuum cleaner.

M: Hair dryers. Heaters. Irons. So you iron your shirt.

R: Oh, I don't have an iron. I never iron my clothes.

M: Oh, wow. Yeah. Also gaming consoles, dear listener. It's also like an electronic device. Fans. Air conditioning.

R: Yeah. But that's not an appliance, surely.

M: Yeah, yeah, yeah. But here the question could be about electronic devices. So you see, dear listener, the difference? Okay? Yeah? Like a coffee machine is a household appliance. But you're, I don't know, heater or air conditioning or hair dryer is an electronic device. But a refrigerator is an electronic device or could be a kitchen appliance as well. Oven, the same, yeah? Dear listener, are you okay? Are you with us? Yeah? Okay, good.

R: People are busy reading about different kinds of appliances.

M: So, you can say that there is a gadget for everything. There is a device for everything, even cooking your rice for you, to make bread.

R: What? Like, no.

M: Okay, so our actions can be broken down into two big categories. We use them, like to make bread or to cook rice, for example, in a rice maker. And we maintain them, so we take care of them. I don't understand, Rory, what do you, what do you mean?

R: Well, that's what... You asked what people do with their gadgets and they use them for whatever the purpose is, and then they keep them, they maintain in a condition ready to use again.

M: Oh, okay. So kind of like, I have my... What do I have?

R: You have your phone. You use it to send a message and then when it breaks or when it gets old, you take it to a repair shop.

M: Oh, okay. Or just I buy a new one. Right.

R: Oh, so much for sustainability.

M: Modern gadgets, okay? Families interact with each other, they talk to each other and communicate with each other. And much less time is required. Because we have smartphones, we have gadgets, the internet. The big downside. So the big disadvantage. So the big downside is that...

R: So the big disadvantage is that because people are not made to be together, they're not forced to be together, they spend time away from each other.

M: Yeah, people spend a lot of time apart, like not together. And people are not forced to be together. So they're not made to be together. Technological advancements. So technological progress, all these like innovations we have in household appliances. So here, we think about like, coffee machines, rice makers.

R: Oh, this is your field, Maria, you have all of these gadgets in your home, I don't.

M: And household appliances reduced the need for a lot of intensive human labour. Again, human labour? Work done by people. Like intensive human labour, like a lot of work. Rory gives an example of a washing machine.

R: Take the washing machine.

M: Yeah, for example. And then kind of like, you no longer need to spend hours cleaning your own socks in a river. Because like, yeah, people used to clean clothes in rivers with rocks and animals fat.

R: I think they did. I'm sure this is how soap was made originally, but I'm not too clear on that. But the fact is, you don't have to do that anymore.

M: Today, we just buy a washing machine and we use washing up powder. Or tabs. Tabs? These are like little things that you put in your washing machine instead of washing up liquid or powder. You touch a button, you press a button, and then your clothes are washed for you. Easy peasy. So today we have more free time away from labour, away from work, away from intensive activities. Because everything can be done with technology, with gadgets, with household appliances. Yeah? For example, you clean your home with a vacuum cleaner. We did not used to have this.

R: I know. What a terrible time to be alive.

M: And Rory talked about imbalance. So there is no balance. We have an imbalance. Imbalance. So there is an imbalance in our lives. Because work is in our personal life.

R: Yes. Although, arguably, it's always been that way. But still.

M: And you can say like there are no boundaries. There are no borders. So you... People come home and they keep working. So like no boundaries between a person's private life and their work.

R: We're not like that, though. We have very good boundaries, right?

M: Absolutely. Yeah. Smart homes, dear listeners, and smart home devices allow you to control your home without lifting a finger. So pretty much like everything is done with technology. I don't know, I've never, I think, I've never been to a smart home. Have you, Rory? I don't know much about smart homes.

R: Well, I have a smart home device. I have Alexa. But so far, I've just been using her to play music, to be honest.

M: Kind of in smart homes, you have a home automation system. So the system monitors, like controls, lighting, climate, entertainment systems and appliances, dear listener. So, for example, your fridge can send you a message.

R: What message would your fridge send? Help me, I'm cold.

M: Like after 8 pm, the fridge door won't open because the fridge itself closes it for you not to eat food after 8 pm. So it's possible in a smart home. So it could be quite handy. Handy? Like practical, and useful. If a person has some sort of disability. Okay? So like an interesting idea. So for disabled people who live in smart homes, it's convenient for them. Because everything is kind of controlled, I don't know, via your smartphone or something else.

R: Or with your voice.

M: With your voice. Yeah.

R: So that's quite useful. But I mean, for most people, I mean, for me, for example, I really don't need Alexa to play music for me. I could just find the music myself on my phone. I don't see why I need to ask her for this. However, it is very cool. Thank you, Alexa! Thank you, Amazon!

M: If you are able-bodied. So we talked about disability. Some people have disabilities. But healthy people, they are able-bodied. Yeah? So kind of they, they function normally, right?

R: Yeah. Well, they don't have a disability, whether that's normal or not is entirely up to you.

M: Right, dear listener, so your task would be to read about smart homes, okay? Smart home devices and what amazing things can happen in smart homes. I think it's a very interesting area to learn more about and to sound like an educated native speaker, not like Rory, who doesn't even have any appliances in his kitchen.

R: And yet, I have a very simple and easy life. So... I also wanted to talk about using different structures for emphasis. So you will see the things people have the hardest time with are... And then always the new things. The thing about technology is that... And then I talk about the reason. And we also have the main reason why is that... Or the big downside is that... And then we explain. And what it's resulted in is... And then explaining. And what they do, comma, essentially, comma, is. So what they do, pause, essentially is. And those were things for emphasizing things, but there was something else that I did to emphasize things as well, I combined them together with something. Where is it? Yes. I said the big downside is that not being forced together, people often spend time apart. So not being forced together is... Maria, what is it?

M: Sorry, what?

R: It's a participle clause.

M: Huh, yes. Participle clause. Band nine.

R: Using these advanced structures are ways of emphasizing things, it's a good way of drawing attention to the subject you are going to focus on. And it's a sign of a higher grasps of English. So they might be things that you want to experiment with when you are practicing using these questions too. That is my gift.

M: Thank you very much for listening! And we'll get back to you in our next episode! Bye!

R: Bye!

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