Whilst I thank the technology that has broken boundaries to connect you and me today, overuse of technology gives me creeps. My dystopian nightmare where robots could be more humane than humans keeps me up all night. It was easier when we had fewer choices in life, now buying a new phone is a daunting task. I too like you rely on very few apps, I enjoy rolling down my car window to ask directions like in the good old days. It's a fine balance with technology every day, some days it tilts on one side more than the other. For instance today, I was out and about without a phone network for 8 hours. It was blissful.
Have a great weekend, hopefully, one closer to nature.
Having fewer choices is important. It was a situation that Marshall Goldsmith has described as "The Agency of No Choice." How interesting that he gets our attention now, on another topic!
He argues that being forced to continuously make choices sucks our mental energy. He says that by stopping fighting to make decisions over not-that-important things, you can save energy to focus on really big things. When I think of it, I remember Starbucks psychology, that we all feel important when someone asks us what kind of coffee we prefer. We're expected to make decisions about numerous things and feel important, even for a few minutes! On the other hand, consuming our valuable mental energy for such tiny tasks means sacrificing bigger things. This was a good viewpoint for me, and I wanted to share it here.
Have a great day, Anju and Preeti, both of you, my loyal pen friends.
Ah! You gave the best example, opening up a topic that I am passionate about - Coffee. Let me deviate from your original technology topic. I was awed by Starbucks as a case study during my International Business course in college. My awe soon faded when faced with the real Starbucks in the US. The plethora of size choices, the cost, and the taste didn't match my imagination through words. I can now understand, as a tradition, people who enjoy French espresso (30 ml), Turk Kahvesi(75 ml), or Indian Filter Coffee (150 ml); might find the size of a 590 ml coffee in a Venti cup to be menacing. One can argue if it is necessary to pump in so much caffeine in the system daily. American food and beverage sizes in general are only fit for American stomachs and pockets :)
If we want to talk about taste, in my opinion, the third-wave coffee options are more refined and I can see it becoming more popular than the second-wave Starbucks. If we have an option, choosing quality over quantity is much better. This might reduce half the options.
Cheers, my friend, May you have one cup of Kahvesi to remember for 40 years :)
How nice that you know the Turkish saying about Turkish coffee and its importance in our culture! Thank you :)
Coffee is also one of my favorite drinks, especially during my work and study hours. I love first its smell and then its matchless taste. Although I am a fan of tea, coffee takes second place. I don't buy any coffee from Starbucks anymore, even though there is one just 100 meters away from my home. I prepare much better and lower-cost ones at home easily.
By the way, I've just started writing a column for Discovery Walks, a travel blog. Language Nomad is the name of my column, which I believe is not surprising.
I put a link to it below; perhaps you will find it useful given the history of coffee, some interesting words about coffee from many languages, and enjoyable stories. If you would read it, I'd appreciate your feedback.
My pleasure, I get immersed in the culture, language, and food when I am enamored by a country. Earlier I used to travel a lot and have first-hand experiences. Currently, life has taken a different turn. Hence, I am resorting to age-old ways of travel through words, books, and watching travel vlogs and shows about places I would love to visit one day. :)
I am amazed by the similarities in our taste too, Chai is also my favorite. Coffee I have reduced this year due to some healthy diet reasons. Just before the pandemic, I was hooked on a specialty coffee place that served their version of Turkish coffee. I was expecting the tiny shot of Kahve but they gave me a milk coffee with a hint of cardamom in it. We usually add cardamom in Chai, so this was a new flavor for me. I enjoyed it. It wasn't as strong as I had expected but tasty nonetheless.
Language Nomad is such a beautiful name for the column, let me check out the link. Thanks a ton for sharing. And yes, all the very best for your column.
I've found a quite different way of travelling, it's by languages. Frankly, this is a surprising aspect of life that I've discovered through writing and experimenting new things.
Whilst I thank the technology that has broken boundaries to connect you and me today, overuse of technology gives me creeps. My dystopian nightmare where robots could be more humane than humans keeps me up all night. It was easier when we had fewer choices in life, now buying a new phone is a daunting task. I too like you rely on very few apps, I enjoy rolling down my car window to ask directions like in the good old days. It's a fine balance with technology every day, some days it tilts on one side more than the other. For instance today, I was out and about without a phone network for 8 hours. It was blissful.
Have a great weekend, hopefully, one closer to nature.
Cheers :)
Having fewer choices is important. It was a situation that Marshall Goldsmith has described as "The Agency of No Choice." How interesting that he gets our attention now, on another topic!
He argues that being forced to continuously make choices sucks our mental energy. He says that by stopping fighting to make decisions over not-that-important things, you can save energy to focus on really big things. When I think of it, I remember Starbucks psychology, that we all feel important when someone asks us what kind of coffee we prefer. We're expected to make decisions about numerous things and feel important, even for a few minutes! On the other hand, consuming our valuable mental energy for such tiny tasks means sacrificing bigger things. This was a good viewpoint for me, and I wanted to share it here.
Have a great day, Anju and Preeti, both of you, my loyal pen friends.
Cheers :)
Ah! You gave the best example, opening up a topic that I am passionate about - Coffee. Let me deviate from your original technology topic. I was awed by Starbucks as a case study during my International Business course in college. My awe soon faded when faced with the real Starbucks in the US. The plethora of size choices, the cost, and the taste didn't match my imagination through words. I can now understand, as a tradition, people who enjoy French espresso (30 ml), Turk Kahvesi(75 ml), or Indian Filter Coffee (150 ml); might find the size of a 590 ml coffee in a Venti cup to be menacing. One can argue if it is necessary to pump in so much caffeine in the system daily. American food and beverage sizes in general are only fit for American stomachs and pockets :)
If we want to talk about taste, in my opinion, the third-wave coffee options are more refined and I can see it becoming more popular than the second-wave Starbucks. If we have an option, choosing quality over quantity is much better. This might reduce half the options.
Cheers, my friend, May you have one cup of Kahvesi to remember for 40 years :)
How nice that you know the Turkish saying about Turkish coffee and its importance in our culture! Thank you :)
Coffee is also one of my favorite drinks, especially during my work and study hours. I love first its smell and then its matchless taste. Although I am a fan of tea, coffee takes second place. I don't buy any coffee from Starbucks anymore, even though there is one just 100 meters away from my home. I prepare much better and lower-cost ones at home easily.
By the way, I've just started writing a column for Discovery Walks, a travel blog. Language Nomad is the name of my column, which I believe is not surprising.
I put a link to it below; perhaps you will find it useful given the history of coffee, some interesting words about coffee from many languages, and enjoyable stories. If you would read it, I'd appreciate your feedback.
https://www.discoverwalks.com/blog/columnist/gulsun-uluer/coffees-outstanding-journey-through-world-cultures/
Take care, and cheers :)
Loved reading your column on coffee and have followed up to get your future stories too. The Swedish King's story was fresh information for me.
Did you know in China, they read tea leaves left behind in the cup, forecasting the future (Tasseography).
Cheers :)
Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. I'm so happy you enjoyed the article.
Also, I had no idea about Chinese fortunetelling before today, but I learned something new :)
My pleasure, I get immersed in the culture, language, and food when I am enamored by a country. Earlier I used to travel a lot and have first-hand experiences. Currently, life has taken a different turn. Hence, I am resorting to age-old ways of travel through words, books, and watching travel vlogs and shows about places I would love to visit one day. :)
I am amazed by the similarities in our taste too, Chai is also my favorite. Coffee I have reduced this year due to some healthy diet reasons. Just before the pandemic, I was hooked on a specialty coffee place that served their version of Turkish coffee. I was expecting the tiny shot of Kahve but they gave me a milk coffee with a hint of cardamom in it. We usually add cardamom in Chai, so this was a new flavor for me. I enjoyed it. It wasn't as strong as I had expected but tasty nonetheless.
Language Nomad is such a beautiful name for the column, let me check out the link. Thanks a ton for sharing. And yes, all the very best for your column.
Warmest Regards, Cheers :)
I've found a quite different way of travelling, it's by languages. Frankly, this is a surprising aspect of life that I've discovered through writing and experimenting new things.
Thank you for your best wishes and cheers :)