The Internet wasn’t always so popular as it is now. In the early years of the Internet, it was really a very exclusive platform for people to use. Even after it moved from research and academics into the public, it was still only for those curious enough to try. My older brother and I had connected to a local bulletin board system (BBS) using a dial-up modem that was annoying for the family because it used our one telephone line (we eventually got a second phone number for the computer). 

Those times were much more experimental and friendly than what I’ve seen in recent years. You knew that the other person you were talking to was a human being, and the owner of the BBS even hosted some get-togethers in the real world for people who used it. There weren’t people trying to attack and insult others because of tiny differences, but most often things were just talked about. Part of that is because the software wasn’t ready for the general public, but I also think it attracted a smaller group of people whom genuinely cared about what the Internet could be used for.

This slowly began to change as software improved. Chat rooms became a common feature with easier interfaces, and people who couldn’t handle the technical requirements earlier now had access. The Internet became more of a tool to connect people, but it also challenged what was comfortable for most people. That’s when I began hearing more about people who would eventually become what we know now as trolls. While this wasn’t new to me since I had already developed an understanding of the Internet, it began to turn me off a little bit to what the Internet was becoming.

During college, even though the university had cable Internet access (a revolution at the time), I was less attracted to it. Computers also became an expensive business, so the friendliness of building computers was complicated by convenience. After graduating, I worked in developing countries, and getting the newest, most expensive computers seemed silly. I continued to have technology as a part of my life, but I found the changes made to the Internet less interesting than how they were in the beginning.

Now, the Internet is tightly woven in the fabric of society, especially because of more recent events. In the past it was more of an optional, leisure time outlet for people, recently the Internet’s role as a tool seems to have been made more important. The idea of technology just for the sake of more technology seems less interesting when people just need it to work. In a way, things have returned a little bit to the way things were in the beginning because the Internet is taking a more fundamental role in society. It isn’t easy, but, to some extent, the life side of it makes the “tech” side of everything less obvious. Tech is being replaced by living.

 

Photo Credit: Burst@pexels.com

 

 

Blog Quiz

1. According to the blog what is a ‘troll’?

a) An ugly mythical creature who lives under a bridge

b) A person who intentionally upsets people on the internet by posting inflammatory messages

c) A small spade used for gardening

 

2. How did the author’s experiences in a third world country change his view of technology?

a) He realized there were more important things in life than having the latest technologies.

b) He decided to donate all his money to charity

c) He became more interested in travel than technology

 

3. According to the author why is technology becoming less obvious?

a) People can’t understand technology

b) People who build computers aren’t friendly

c) Technology is taking a more fundamental role in society

 

 

 

 

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz Answers

 

1. B

2. A

3. C

Maybe you have seen mammoths as pictures in a book or models in museums. It is also possible to see bones and other parts in museums and private collections around the world. Frozen mammoths have been found in parts of Russia, and more are being found every year. These discoveries have been great for researchers and museums, but how does a mammoth get onto our plates? 

 

For many years people have told stories of discovering frozen mammoths in perfect condition. The first recorded discovery was in 1692. Since then more and more frozen mammoths have been found, mostly in the Siberian areas of Russia. Ever since frozen mammoths were uncovered, people have told stories about unfreezing and eating the mammoth meat. It’s an easy to understand idea, but no one is really sure if these stories are true. Finding frozen mammoths with muscle tissue is very rare, and after 5,000 years in the ice it is almost impossible to find something you could actually eat. Many scientists believe these stories are fake, made up by explorers and salesmen to increase their popularity and sales. 

 

In 1951 at the Roosevelt hotel, a 5-star hotel in New York City, a special dinner was hosted. A group of famous and wealthy people called the Explorer’s Club hosted the dinner with a menu of rare and unusual foods. The star dish was a mammoth filet, cut from a 250,000-year-old frozen mammoth discovered in Alaska. The Explorer Club’s dinner became a popular news story and was reported in newspapers world-wide. But, was it mammoth? For many years people believed the story, but there was no way to test and make sure. Many years later, recent members of the Explorer’s Club discovered a small piece of the meat that had been saved from the 1951 dinner. Researchers at Yale tested the DNA of the sample and discovered the meat was actually from a green sea turtle. 

So, is there still any chance to some mammoth barbecue? Maybe.

In 2008 researchers at Penn State (USA) were able to study and map the DNA of the wooly mammoth. Since then many scientists, including some from Kyoto University, have tried to use this DNA to create and grow mammoth-elephant hybrids. So far there has not been any success. However, more research, improved DNA engineering techniques, and other improvements in technology are making it more likely we will see a living version in the future.  

 

It will take many years to reach success, but eventually we may see living mammoths in the wild or in a zoo. And who knows, maybe even in the kitchen. 

Photo Credit: @Petr Novák, Wikipedia

“What is a typical dish from your country?”

 

Food is a great topic when meeting people of other nationalities. The question above is good for breaking the ice and can lead to interesting discussions. Japanese people have many answers to choose from when hearing this question; sushi, tonkatsu, okonomiyaki, tempura, udon… These are undeniably good examples of Japanese cuisine.

 

What is interesting is the deceiving nature of the question. This is because the person asking might think it means the same as asking “What food is typically eaten in your country?” Indeed, for Japanese people, the dishes mentioned above could answer either question, so the distinction between the two questions could seem unimportant; however, the point of answering is a little problematic for me.

 

I am often asked the first question “What is a typical dish from your country?” when Japanese people are getting to know me, and they likely expect an interesting answer that can teach them something new. However, it is tricky because my quick and simple answer cannot carry over as a reply to the second question (like it does for Japanese). Why is that?

 

The reason is because I am from Canada. What is typical food in Canada? Well, a quick and simple answer is pasta, pizza, hamburgers, steak, dumplings, curry… and sushi! However, surely those are unexpected responses for a Japanese person to hear—especially those who have not been abroad. I am not Italian, German, American, Chinese, Indian, or Japanese. I am Canadian.

 

The point of difference between “from your country” and “in your country” is what I wish to address, and this can also nudge into the spotlight the feature of the so-called Canadian mosaic.

 

There is a story I like to tell whenever I get asked about Canadian food. When I was young, after school I often went to a friend’s place. Depending on the day or friend, I might stay for dinner, and over a span of years this amounted to a wonderful introduction to international cuisine because everyone I knew was either an immigrant or a child of immigrants. One day I might eat homemade Indian food. On other days it might be homemade Italian, Chinese, British, and—especially in my hometown of Edmonton—Ukrainian food. Then when it was my friend’s turn to visit my house, my mother would cook Cuban food.

 

I am not joking when I say that the food I ate as a young Canadian varied among such delicious dishes as homemade spaghetti, Chinese-style dumplings, Ukrainian-style dumplings, curry with naan, roast beef with Yorkshire pudding (from Britain), and fried plantain (a Caribbean dish).

 

True Canadian food? Look that up on {Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_cuisine]} and I cannot say that I experienced—as far as typical food is concerned—what is listed as examples: poutine, salmon jerky, Montreal-style bagels, ginger beef, and butter tarts. I look forward to trying all those when I return, though. I hear they are more available now than when I was young.

 

 

Photo Credit: Social Soup@pexels.com

 

Blog Quiz

 

1. What does the author’s first question usually mean?

A.    What is the most popular food in your country?

B.    What food is commonly eaten in your country?

C.    What food represents your country’s cuisine?

 

2. Why did the author eat many different cuisines when he was young?

 

A.    Because there were many restaurants with foreign cuisine in Edmonton.

B.    Because he didn’t like typical Canadian food.

C.    Because his friend’s families were immigrants.

3. Which of these dishes would the author like to try on his next visit home?

 

A.    fried plantain

B.    salmon jerky

C.    Yorkshire pudding

 

 

 

 

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz Answers

 

1. C

2. C

3. B

Writer and poet Gentle Ehrlich said, “Walking is also an ambulation of mind.” In other words, when you’re walking, not only your body but also your brain is moving. For many writers, walking is one way to take a break from writing and come up with new ideas for stories. How can employees and students apply this idea?

 

In her TED Talk, Nilofer Merchant, a business innovator, suggests that a walking meeting is one solution to sitting though boring meetings at work. In a walking meeting, employees walk and talk instead of sitting at a table. At first, people thought the main benefit of walking meetings would be that employees would sit less and exercise more. However, the walking meeting had another surprising benefit: employees increased their creativity and developed innovative ideas. In fact, according to researchers, walking has a significant impact on creative thinking. This could work for students too. After studying for a long time, going outside or taking a walk may be just what you need to look at a topic in a new way.

 

Another way for students to move more is to combine walking with doing other activities. Merchant says, “I used to think about it as, you could take care of your health, or you could take care of your obligations, and one always came at the cost of the other.” In other words, in the past, she thought that it was difficult to complete all her tasks and exercise too. However, it is possible to combine walking with errands. For example, depending on where you live, it might be possible to walk to the supermarket or station. Also, it might be possible for students to combine walking and studying. While walking in a familiar place, you could listen to music, podcasts, or listening exercises in English. In this way, you can study but spend less time sitting.

 

Sometimes walking outside isn’t an option because of the weather or other reasons. In this case, just a change of scenery may be helpful, so how about taking a virtual walk in a far away place or trying another type of indoor exercise? The main point is that if you need a break or a new idea, the solution might just be to move your body!

 

https://www.ted.com/talks/nilofer_merchant_got_a_meeting_take_a_walk?language=en

 

 

Photo Credit: Yogendra Singh@pexels.com

 

Blog Quiz

 

1. What is a walking meeting?

A.   When people have a meeting in a conference room

B.    When people have a meeting while taking a walk

C.    When people have a virtual meeting

 

2. What are the two main benefits of walking meetings mentioned in the article?

A.   Getting more exercise and making new friends

B.   Discovering new places and getting new ideas

C.   Decreasing sitting time and increasing creativity

 

3. Can you give an example of a task mentioned in the article that can be combined with walking?

A.   Doing the laundry

B.   Writing a research paper

C.   Going grocery shopping

 

 

 

 

 

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz Answers

 

1. B

2. C

3. C

Are you the type of student who does homework methodically or at the last minute? For example, if you have two weeks to write a 500-word essay in English, would you complete it over several days or within the final 12 hours? Based on my experience as a teacher, I estimate that at least 30 percent of my students fall into the group that begins essays only the day before they are due. If you are always racing to meet deadlines, then there is a strong possibility that you are a procrastinator. If you are not familiar with the word, Google defines it as “a person who habitually puts off doing things.” Does that sound like you?

 

Procrastinators are not necessarily lazy people; in fact, many procrastinators end up working extremely hard before a project is due. However, all procrastinators are poor at managing their time. Without a deadline set by someone else, procrastinators cannot get anything done. If you are a frequent procrastinator, I recommend making it a priority goal not to be one by the time you graduate.

 

There is a saying, “If you cannot manage your time, someone else will.” Put another way, it means that procrastinators will struggle to be leaders, inventors, artists, and entrepreneurs. While it is true that not everyone will be a leader, inventor, artist or entrepreneur, wouldn’t you like the option?

 

For people who struggle with managing their time, I recommend watching a funny and insightful presentation on Ted.com that is titled “Inside the mind of a procrastinator” (https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator?language=en) by Tim Urban.

 

In this 14-minute video, Mr. Urban shares his personal struggle with procrastination using the example of his process for writing a thesis while in university. I don’t want to say much about the video, because I don’t want to spoil it; however, I will say that it uses simple, humorous images and analogies to shed light on why people procrastinate. It also provides insight and advice for overcoming this tendency.

 

Among the tools that Mr. Urban shares for dealing with procrastination are life calendars. Unlike typical calendars, that show just twelve months, these calendars span 90 years— the length of a long life. By using these calendars, it is easier to set deadlines and get things done. These calendars can be found on Tim Urban’s blog (waitbutwhy.com).

 

So procrastinators, don’t put it off. Check out those websites today!

 

 

Photo Credit: Pixabay@pexels.com

 

 

Blog Quiz

 

1. A person who puts off doing something is a/an ________ ?

A.   Debater

B.    Informant

C.    Manager

D.  Procrastinator

 

2. Which of these words is different?

A.  Cutoff

B.   Deadline

C.    Pass out

D.  Time limit

 

3. What animal does Mr. Urban say is in his brain? (You will need to watch the video to answer this question.)

A.    Cat

B.    Hamster

C.    Guinea pig

D.  Monkey

 

Scroll down ↓ for the answers to the quiz.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quiz Answers

 

1. D

2. C

3. D