Gadget central
Hello? Hello? Can You Hear Me Now?
WE can hear you—and we don’t want to hear you!
Come on, admit it. We know it’s happened to you, too. You were sitting quietly on the bus, reading your newspaper, when she took the seat next to you. Yak, yak, yak! You heard all about her boyfriend’s cooking skills. You heard about her sister’s new chocolate diet. You heard about the neighbor’s dog. Do you care? We don’t care!
Okay, we all love cell phones. They make it easy to stay in touch with friends and family at all times. The convenient features of smartphones are irresistible: hi-tech cameras, HD video, high speed Internet access, cool ring tones, even GPS guidance to help you get where you want to go! We remember when voicemail, flip phones, and QWERTY keyboards for texting were cool! Come on, admit it. You love those touch screens, games, and applications that can help you do just about anything you need to do. Want to find a restaurant near your class tonight? Check your phone. Need a map of the neighborhood? Check your phone. Want to know what movie is showing at the theater on Tuesday? Check your phone. It may be hard to imagine, but even the simplest early phones had keypads with a multi-tap function for texting.
Oh, and if you just want to make a phone call, you can do that, too. Haha!
All of these communication conveniences come with a cost. And we’re not just talking about the monthly bill! But now that we’ve mentioned it, let’s talk about the monthly bill. Most companies offer a bundle of services for a set price each month. You can add features to your plan, but that will usually add to your bill, too. You’ll have to pay for some special apps (applications) or games that you download. And if you want unlimited access to the Internet, you’ll need to have a more expensive plan for that, too.
But the biggest cost of all this convenience is suffering when people don’t observe simple phone etiquette. It’s rude to speak loudly on the phone in a public place. It’s rude when your phone rings or vibrates in a meeting. It’s rude when you interrupt a face-to-face conversation to answer a phone call. Many places ban cell phone use. Some trains have special “quiet cars” where no cell phones are allowed. Good cell phone etiquette means that you are respectful of others around you. No matter how interesting your bowl of cereal is to you, trust us: The guy sitting next to you does not want to hear about it!
ALAN: Good morning, Officer. Was I speeding when you pulled me over? I thought I was being very careful.
POLICE OFFICER: I didn’t pull you over for speeding. I pulled you over because you were talking on a cell phone while driving.
ALAN: For talking on the phone? Is that a problem? My wife just called to remind me about an appointment when I get back from my business trip.
POLICE OFFICER: Sir, using a handheld device while driving is illegal in this state. I can see from your plates that you’re from out of town, so I’ll let you go with just a warning this time. But, sir, next time just check the law before your trip. Maybe you should buy a hands-free device if you do a lot of driving for business.
ALAN: I will do that, Officer. In fact, I was thinking about buying a Bluetooth earpiece when I bought my phone. I will definitely get one as soon as I get home. Thanks.
POLICE OFFICER: By the way, I hope you weren’t texting when I pulled you over. Texting while driving is even more dangerous than talking.
Tip 1: It is illegal in many states to use a cell phone while driving. You should check ahead if you’re traveling. Actually, it’s a good idea to turn off the phone while you’re in the car no matter where you are!
Tip 2: Have you ever been lost while driving? Many phone plans let you order GPS just when you need it.
Pronunciation Pointer
Cell and sell are both pronounced the same way. The fancy word we use to talk about these words is homophones. Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently.
GRAMMAR REMINDER 1: The Past Continuous Tense with the Past Simple Tense
The past continuous tense is often used with the simple past tense to show one longer action that was interrupted by a shorter action.
For example:
He was speeding when the police officer stopped him.
Was speeding is the long action; stopped is the action that interrupts the longer action.
VOCABULARY
answer: take the phone call
application: a game or tool that you can download to your phone; things your phone can do
ban: not allow; forbid
Bluetooth: the special system that lets electronic devices work without wires or hands
bowl of cereal: a typical American breakfast made of dried grains like wheat and oats
bundle of services: a group of things your phone can do
communication: giving and getting information; for example, TV, radio, telephone, computer
definitely: for sure; absolutely
download: take from the Internet so that you can use it on your phone
earpiece: part of a phone that you can wear so you don’t have to use your hands to hold the phone and talk
etiquette: ways to be polite
face-to-face: in person; with the person right there
features: special things something can do
flip phone: phone that folds
function: use
guidance: help
handheld device: a phone or other device that needs hands to operate
illegal: against the law
interrupt: stop something while it’s going on
in touch: connected by talking
irresistible: so great you have to have it!
let someone (or something) go: not hold someone responsible for something; ignore something (to let someone off the hook)
multi-tap: selecting a letter on a phone by tapping the number key that corresponds to that letter
observe: obey; use
plan: the services you select for a certain price per month
plates (also tags): license plates on a car
QWERTY keyboard: letters arranged as on a typical English computer keyboard (look at the top row of letters!)
ring tone: the sound your phone makes to let you know someone is calling
rude: not polite
texting: sending typed messages by cell phone
touch screen: instead of typing, just touch to select an option
voice mail: system of keeping recorded messages when you can’t answer a call
yak: have a very casual conversation (usually about nothing!)
The Easy Way
In the good old days before computers, people read printed books and newspapers to get information. Students spent hours and hours in the library, looking for information in dusty old books for class assignments. Essays were handwritten; if students made a mistake, they would toss the paper and start writing all over again. Now? Information is instant! Students can find anything on the Internet in minutes and then compose a document on their laptops, all while sitting on the sofa. If they make a mistake, they can just delete or cut, copy, and paste to move bits of text around. Maybe the most important computer skill is knowing how to back up your files in case your computer crashes, or you drop your device in the lake. Documents and files can be sent to “the cloud” for storage. We’re not really sure what “the cloud” is, but we know it makes it easy to find stuff from any device! Ha, we remember when all we got from clouds was rain! We still like to keep another backup file, just to be doubly-sure that our hard work won’t be lost forever in cyberspace.
We also remember the library in the good old days. It was a place where everyone was quiet. Hum along to an iPod tune? Never! Send an e-mail while working? What’s e-mail? Watch a movie on the HDTV while you work? Impossible! Download MP3s to your hard drive or device? No! But now students can watch YouTube videos about their research topic as they write a paper. And as they are writing, they can IM friends in another window on their computer screen. A simple click of the mouse, hit SAVE, and students can take a quick chat break. Wait. Did you think we were talking about chatting with someone in the same room? No! We’re talking about online chat rooms. You don’t even need to hook up a webcam; just open an app and it’s party time instead of homework time!
Do we sound like dinosaurs? Actually, we love technology. With social networking apps, and cable and satellite signals, electronic devices and HDTVs can broadcast important local information instantly. In areas where severe weather is a problem, TV is an excellent source of warnings. Your local radio or TV station can give information about where to get help or what to do to keep your family and home safe. Hurricane updates can help you prepare your house. If a tornado is coming, you can get to a safe area. If there’s a snowstorm, people often turn to radio or TV to hear about school closings. School is closing? Yay! Quick—text your buddy the good news!
Technology is our friend! Instant communication is convenient, fun, and easy. But for those of us who still like to hold a piece of paper with the words of friends, there is always snail mail.
ALAN: Uh-oh.
LIA: That sounds like trouble. What happened?
ALAN: I was answering an e-mail, and I hit Reply All.
LIA: So, what’s the problem?
ALAN: Well, the problem is that my e-mail reply said, “I don’t want to go to this meeting! I want to go to lunch!”
LIA: Aaackkk! Were you thinking that the e-mail would just go to your friend?
ALAN: Yes! I wasn’t reading the other names on the list, so I didn’t see that the boss was also on the list!
LIA: Well, you really need to be careful about sending e-mail. Once you hit Send, it’s gone. You can’t get it back.
ALAN: I know. And even if the e-mail comes from a friend, I have to remember that there are other people on the list, too. The boss sent me a reply: “Is it your lunchtime, Alan?”
LIA: Well, I don’t think you’ll get fired over an e-mail that says you want to go to lunch, but maybe you should explain to your boss that you were only kidding. It was just a little joke about going to lunch instead of going to the meeting. Was he wondering why you were so hungry?
ALAN: No. He wasn’t wondering why I was hungry. I think he was wondering why he hired me in the first place!
Tip 3Before you reply to an e-mail, be sure to check if you are hitting Reply or Reply All. Reply All means your note will be seen by every person on the list. This could be embarrassing if you write something you don’t want your boss to see and his or her name is on the list!
Pronunciation Pointer
They look exactly the same! They are spelled exactly the same way. But the present tense and the past tense of the verb read are pronounced very differently.
The present tense is pronounced reed.
The past tense is pronounced red.
Fun Fact!
It’s the latest thing: cell-phone sniffing dogs! Yes, many American prisons are using specially trained dogs that can smell and find any part of a cell phone that a prisoner may have hidden.
GRAMMAR REMINDER 2: The Past Continuous Tense — Affifirmative Statements, Negatives
The past continuous tense is used to talk about a long continuing action in the past.
Form it by using the past tense of the verb to be and the -ing form of the verb. To form the negative,
simply add not or -n’t after the verb to be.
Take a look at these examples from the readings and dialogues in this unit:
Positive:
You were sitting quietly on the bus.
I thought I was being very careful.
Negative:
I hope you weren’t texting. (were not)
I wasn’t reading the other names on the list. (was not)
He wasn’t wondering why I was hungry. (was not)
GRAMMAR REMINDER 3: The Past Continuous Tense — Questions
To form a question using the past continuous tense, just put the form of the verb to be first, then the subject, and finally the -ing form of the verb.
Take a look at these examples from the readings and dialogues in this unit:
Was I speeding?
Were you thinking that the e-mail would just go to your friend?
Was he wondering why you were so hungry?
Remember to add a question word at the beginning as you need it, e.g.,
“What were you thinking?”
MORE FUN WITH IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS: Technology
bells and whistles: extra features to make something even more special
→ Jane bought a new cell phone with all the bells and whistles. She can play games, access the Internet, and even make phone calls!
cutting edge: very new technology
→ My computer is cutting edge. It can recognize my voice from the next room!
computer geek: someone who knows about computers and spends lots of time with them
→ My nephew is a real computer geek. He spends hours every day just finding new things to do with his computer.
dead zone: an area where your cell phone won’t work
→ I need to find a new company for my cell phone. My house is in a dead zone for the one I have.
waste of minutes: not worth talking to; not worth using your cell-phone plan minutes
→ He never has anything interesting to say. It’s yak, yak, yak about nothing. Talking to him is a waste of minutes.
VOCABULARY
acronym: a word formed by the first letters of a phrase
broadcast: air (send) information over TV or radio signals
cable: a way to receive TV service through fiber-optic wires
compose: write
dinosaur: ancient creatures that lived on earth millions of years ago; used to describe people who don’t use new technology
dusty: with a light covering of dirt
essay: a piece of writing about a single topic
good old days: how things were when you were younger
handwritten: written with a pen or pencil on paper!
HDTV: short for High Definition TeleVision; yields a very clear TV picture on the screen
hook up: connect
hum: sing a song without the words
instant: right away! this second! no waiting!
research: careful study about a topic
satellite: a way to receive TV service from satellites in space
severe: very harsh
signal: a message carried by light waves that lets electronic devices communicate (Don’t ask us —it’s science-y!)
snail mail: the postal service
sniffing: smelling
snowstorm (also blizzard): lots of snow
source: a place to get information
toss: throw in the trash
tune: a musical song or melody
warning: advance notice about something
YouTube: a website with videos about everything
COMPUTER WORDS
back up: save your files in another place in case the computer stops working
click: the word we use to mean press the key (computer mouse button)
copy: the computer choice that lets you copy something you want to move
crash: when the computer stops working and you can’t open your files
cut: the computer choice that lets you remove something from a document
cyberspace: where computers all communicate (It’s a mystery to us :).)
delete: erase something you’ve written
desktop: a large computer that sits on a desk and does not move easily
document: something written on the computer
e-mail: electronic mail; notes you send from your computer
hard drive: the important part of the computer with all the parts that make it work
hit: a casual word meaning click
IM: Instant Message (If you write to a person who is online, they can answer instantly.)
laptop: a small computer that you can carry and use on your lap
mouse: a small device to make the computer do what you want (not a rodent!)
MP3: a file that lets you put music on your computer or iPod
online: connected to the Internet
paste: the computer choice that lets you move something you copied
Reply: what you click to answer e-mail; sends only to the person who sent the message
Reply All: what you click to answer e-mail if you want everyone on the list to get your message
save: the computer choice that keeps whatever you’re working on in a file
screen: the part of the computer that you look at; on a desktop it’s called the monitor
webcam: the camera that you connect to your computer
window: what you see on your screen when you open the computer
TEXT TALK!
It may seem like a whole new language, but using acronyms while texting or chatting can really save time. And because they’re used as shortcuts, people often don’t bother with capital letters. Just make sure you keep these to text talk. A boss does not want to see these in reports!
ASAP: as soon as possible
b/c: because
bf: boyfriend
gf: girlfriend
bff: best friends forever
btw: by the way
FAQ: frequently asked questions
FYI: for your information
GL: good luck
gtg or gg: gotta go
j/k: just kidding
K: okay
L8R: later (see you later)
LOL: laughing out loud
ROFL: rolling on the floor laughing
thx: thanks
ttyl: talk to you later
txt: text
ty: thank you
ur: your
VM: voice mail
xoxo: hugs and kisses
