Hi David,

Thans for your feedback. I learned a lot.
By the way, the boy who will be two in two months' time played the games on the ipad very well? I can't believe it! I have not only played game on ipad but also have not touched it! I didn't grow up with computers. When I first used cellphone and PC, I was in my late twenties, so it took much time to understand how to use it. Even now, I'm not good at using them. This summer, I'm going to buy smart phone, but I don't feel confident that I understand how to use it.

Here are my stories.

1) I often need to get musical notes. My town doesn't have music shop which is well-stocked, so in the days before the spread of the Internet, it was hard to get them, but now, I look for them on the Internet and can get them easily. How convenient!

2) No I haven't.

Amica

•  Amica
• 2011年5月23日 17:42

Hello David and everyone,

It is still raining outside. It looks like the rainy season already started.

By the way, I was amazed to know that your friend's kid is computer-literate. He might be a child genius.

I read an article about the survey conducted on 2,200 mothers who have 2 to 5 year-old-children .
The survey was carried out in 10 developed countries about children's skills .

According to the results, 44% of 2 to 3 year-old children can play computer games. This figure is 1% higher than 43% of those who can ride bikes.

19% of 2 to 5 year-old-children can play with applications of smart phones. On the other hand, only 9% of children in the same age group can tie their shoelaces. The CEO of AVG( Internet security company) that conducted this survey said that today's children are growing in the environment totally different from that of their parents' age .
Smart phones and computers are taking over TVs and becoming important tools for education or entertainments. So children need to learn how to use the Internet safely at the earliest time.

Anyway, today's kids are better at playing computer games or smart phones than riding bikes or swimming.

Here are my answer to your questions.
1) I can't let a single day pass without the Internet and a computer. I transfer money through the Internet, enjoy shopping on it, make a hotel reservation, book a plane ticket and gather necessary information for everyday life. Maybe I am a computer-holic.
2)No, I haven't.

By for now.
Kyon

•  Kyon
• 2011年5月23日 22:53

Thanks Kyon. Those are very interesting figures. I wonder how many kids learn to use a computer before they even learn to speak.

•  David
• 2011年5月23日 23:11

Hi David and everyone.

I was surprised at your story.
The young child who cannot speak words can play the game with ipad?
Like Amica, I also have not so much as touched ipad.

I will try to answer this week’s questions.

1) I think that technology makes it easy to get much information.
Over the last ten years, if I had had incomprehensible point, I would have used relevant books or asked the teacher.
But, after the spread of Internet, I can find out what I have no way of telling at once.

2) No, I haven’t. the young child is great!

Though the boy can play the game with ipad, I have no confidence to use the ipad.
The reason I think so is that I am awkward.
So, I have a strong hope for the invention of special ipad which I even can use.

Goodnight, David and everyone.

Cocon

•  Cocon
• 2011年5月23日 23:11

Hi David,

The children are amazing. They are quick learners so maybe it’s not a big deal for them to learn how to play games. When I was a child, I wasn’t interested in video games at all. So I don’t know much about those things. My youngest sister liked playing games and she is still good at it. Sorry, I am getting off the track. Oh, it is past midnight, I should go to bed.
I will answer your questions later this week.

Good night and sweet dreams,
amo

•  匿名
• 2011年5月24日 00:22

Hi David and everyone,

Wow! I've never heard of such. He must be a child genius.
Computer technology has advanced these ten years, and this plays a significant role in all aspects of our everyday life.
I don’t think all the babies can handle computers like he is doing, but young children seem to be good at using computers. I’m amazed to know that there are a lot of website related to playing online or studying online targeting young children, or even babies!
It’s a big business chance, isn't it?
On the contrary, it is sometimes difficult for adults to keep up with new technology.　As for iPad, I had a look at it, touched it, but I had no idea how to handle this new gadget.
I read an interesting article last week. 10 winning entries “サラリーマン川柳” of this year were announced last week from Dai-ichi-life.
Here is one of them:
“指舐めて／　ページめくる／アイパッド”
(Lick your fingers / to turn over pages / iPads do too)

Here are my answers to this week’s question:
(1) My life has changed these ten years. I didn't use the computer ten years ago, and now I have my Facebook page.
I had my kitchen and bathroom remodeled this February. I was amazed at how home appliances and facilities have advanced and have become very convenient.
One of the things surprised me is a facility in the bathroom.
When you prepare a bath, there are vocal guidance like “お風呂を沸かします”,”間もなく沸きます” and “お風呂が沸きました.” It sounds stupid to me, but anyway ,as such, there are lots of convenient appliances.
I feel as though I've become lazy, but maybe I’ll get accustomed to this convenient life sooner or later.
(2) No, I haven’t.

Bye for now,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2011年5月24日 15:00

it's me again.
>were announced last week →were announced

>I was amazed at how home appliances and facilities have advanced and have become very convenient.---I'm wondering if which is better or another expression.
1.I was amazed that home appliances and facilities have advanced and have become very convenient.
2. I was amazed at how home appliances and facilities have advanced and have become convenient.

I wrote the sentence No.1 first, and then changed to No.2. As for No.2, I thought you don't need to add "very."

Anne

•  匿名
• 2011年5月24日 15:14

Hi Anne,

How about "I was amazed at how much home appliances have advanced and how convenient they have become."

•  David
• 2011年5月24日 16:20

Hi David,
Thanks for your quick reply!!!
It never came out to mind to divide it into two sentences. It helps a lot. Thanks you.
もやもやがすっきりしました＾＾）

Anne

•  Anne
• 2011年5月24日 17:19

Hello David and everyone
Thank you for your welcome greeting.
Before writing my comment on this subject, I’d like to thank trmr-san.　I found a ギザ10　in my wallet after I read the comment to David’s
previous post about superstitions and now I　have a new hobby to find　and collect so-called rarity coins.
Speaking of technology, it really has caused significant changes in our life style. For example, I have been buying most of my wears and daily commodities on the net for many years, which saves me a lot of time
and brings a lot of fun to me too.
I have no direct experience like David by how much small children can do with computer, but I once saw a TV program that was interesting.
The program was based on contributions with the subject that what things make you to feel the change between the past and the present. One person posted that one day when he passed by a small park, there were a group of kids who were playing together. They sat in a row on a slide, but to his surprise, he saw that each of them had a electronic game player and they were caught up in operating their own devices silently. It seems that it is one style of outdoor group play of today’s children.
Susan

•  匿名
• 2011年5月24日 17:25

Hi Susan,

I went to a restaurant recently, and there was a family of four at the next table. The two children were playing Nintendo games, and from the moment I entered the restaurant to the moment I left, neither of the children spoke a word, either to each other, or to their parents. I guess the parents were happy because the children were quiet, but I wondered how those children are going to develop communication skills in the future.

•  David
• 2011年5月24日 17:48

Hi David and everyone,

This is my third comment(this phrase's already pushy?)on the blog.

Here are my opinions,

1# How has technology affected the daily lives of you and your family over the last ten years.

The IT affected me and my family a lot.
For instance,I'd already had a cell phone about 10 years ago,but my mother or father had not.
At the moment my mother#73 years old) enjoys her cell phone,try to text me with "emoji"energetically.
When it comes to lap top,I was'nt interested at all when the cell phone brought me a joy.
The PC's already a parts of my life though.

2) Have you had any experiences like mine of being surprised by how much small children can do with computers?

I think he's special.I've never met kind of kids,ever.

The stories of Susan and David that they met a strange family reminded me same situation.
I sometimes see that kind of people at some restaurants.
I don't want to be that sort of person as a mother.
Chatting,laughing are important elements for joy of life I believe.

To Anne,

Thanks again for giving me a tip for my pc.
I surprised that troubles are happend easily for any of members.
I'm going to copy just in case.

noriko

•  noriko
• 2011年5月24日 22:15

Hi David and everyone,

Wow, today's toddlers become able to use hightech gadgets before they speak well. I'm way behind them when it comes to technology and games.
Here are my responds to David's questions.
①our life certainly became much more convenient over the last ten years. I think the Internet is one of the greatest inventions. We can get any information instantly at home. Before the spread of the Internet, we had to go to the library, ask professionals: it was more time and money consuming. As for my English study, thanks to the Internet I can connect to English sites that are interesting and good for learning English. One of them, of course, is デビッド・バーカーの英語と仲直りブログ. ^^
②No, I haven't. But sometimes one of my children (not small children) solve the problems which even my husband can't when some hightech products have problems.

Technology surely makes our life convenient but we should not forget the joy of interaction with other people, the fun of being outdoors. Today's youngsters tend to hooked on technology and shut themselves from outside world.

Catch you later! Fumie

•  Fumie
• 2011年5月25日 08:13

I just read a very interesting article in the Japan Times. Please have a look if you have time.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20110524hn.html

•  David
• 2011年5月25日 08:14

David
I can image the scene that you described, maybe that is one typical instance　of families today—each member of a family does their own things, has their　own fun, own sadness.
We have to admit that the advanced technology has some negative effects.　We only have a certain amount of time and energy to use, if we spent much time doing one thing, the time we do other things will be accordingly decreased.　I suppose if without playing iPAD, your friend’s son perhaps might be well-developed in speaking or other abilities. As for many things, we actually don’t know what
is good and what is bad for us.
Susan

•  匿名
• 2011年5月25日 12:12

Hi Susan,

I don't think the iPad has affected my friend's son's development. After all, he is not even two yet, and I don't think any children can speak properly at that age, can they? If he is anything like his parents, though, he will probably be trilingual by the time he is five!

•  David
• 2011年5月25日 13:23

Hi David and everyone,

Putting aside if I'm pros or cons for the use of computers by babies or young children, you have been worried about how TV affect babies , but these days you worry about the hazard of computer-use,instead.
I think there's no problem with the baby's development judging from his family situation.

Computers might be beneficial to children, but parents need to know there are some potential harm. I found an interesting article, and if you are interested in it, have a look at it from the website below:
"Babies and computers"( add 'http://' before 'www.')

www.brillbaby.com/early-learning/related-topics/babies-and-computers.php

When you look at the screen for a long times, even adults, there cause some problems.
The article refers to three problems; radiation,eye strain and flash lesson.
As for flash lesson, it says," Some experts worry that very young children exposed to programs with quick adits or too many surprises will be more susceptible to attention problems in later life."

Anyway, I was amazed at the fact that it's about "computers and BABIES" not "CHILDREN."

Hi trmr,
I saw the movie" Black Swan" today. It was great,but was sooo scary!

See you soon,

•  Anne
• 2011年5月25日 15:12

Hi trmr,

>(I've heard that if you whistle at night, a snake will come. I don't know why people believe that, and I don't know why it is supposed to be a bad thing.)
I don't understand why it is present tense in that-clause.
Please tell me.
About your question, I am not sure, and I don’t think I can explain it well in English, so I hope you won’t mind if I explain in Japanese. Davidが原形に直したのは、それが有り得る(又は確率が高い)話だからだと思います。例えば、雨が降るのは有り得る話ですよね？なので、
If it rains tomorrow, I will stay home.
でも、宝くじが当たるのは、なかなかないこと(確率が低い)ですよね？なので、
If I won a lottery, I would travel around the world.
と現実との距離感を過去形にして表します。
Hope that helps.

Good night,

amo

•  amo
• 2011年5月26日 00:32

Hi Amo,

It's just a convention in English that superstitions use the first conditional. I guess it would make more sense to say them in the second conditional using the past form, but that's not the way people say it. I guess the whole point of telling someone a superstition is that you think they might really do it or that it might really come. Whistling is quite an easy thing to do, so it is possible that people might really do it. (Does that answer your question?)

•  David
• 2011年5月26日 08:25

Hi, David and everyone,

Babies and children are amazing, do something very astonishing. They are truly flexible, but in another word, pliable.
The figure of the survey Kyon showed us is interesting. Whether they are good or bad, PC or any other materials of technology have become indispensable for us.

1)My family and I use PC mainly to get whatever information we need to know or just check what we get interested in out. And also it is really helpful to make New Year's card in a hurry every year. But my mum hardly can catch up with technology which keeps changing and updating rapidly, maybe in every one second. In my case, a topic of technology can be a chance for my dad and I to start a conversation.
Good for learning English, too, of course. We couldn't have even met you on this blog if the Internet hasn't invented and developed!
It is a big deal:D

2)No, I haven't, but this sort of thing perhaps will be no surprise for everyone near future, I bet. Mobile phone, iPad or anything looks cool and fascinating devices attract kids' attention naturally.

Hi, Fumie,
No,no, it's good to hear that he's done quite well. You should be proud of your son, give him a huge hug! I suppose your son must be an athletic!

See you soon!
momo

•  momo
• 2011年5月26日 08:47

Hi David and everyone,

I was surprised at story for David and Susan,too!
While kids, who is good at playing electric games, is increasing, really I wonder they don't have communication with their family and everthing much more.
About communication, I had an episode similar to them. I went for lunch with my friend at some Indian restaurant. It's popular. When dishes arrived at our table, my friend received a call from someone. She was going on calling until we left there! I felt to have lunch alone, and she said " I didn't know dishes were dilicious or not."

Now, 1) is ,
I hardly go to book stores and CD shops recently, because I get to buy them on Seven Dream.Com or Seven and Y. It's fast and convinient. You're ordering on sites and getting the nearest Seven Eleven convinience store. You don't need to be hurried to shops after work too late.

2) is,
I'd not have them yet, and I might have them in future.

Hi Tomo,
Who's your favorite actor in your dream? I'd like to know him if it's not a secret!

See you soon!

•  Chiki
• 2011年5月26日 14:05

Hi trmr,
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any ギザ10 even though I checked my coin jar as well...

Hi David and everyone,

Thanks to the advances in technology over the past decade, especially in computer technology, our lives have changed a lot. You can find almost all the information you need about anything on the Internet. You can shop, make reservations, pay bills, work at home, chat with your friends or your family for free even if they live in other countries. Technology has made our lives really convenient, but at the same time, it also has made our lives more complicated and dangerous. Having said that, we can't go back to the past(I can't live without a computer), so I think we need to learn and teach children how to use it.

As for portable game machines like Nintendo DS or PSP, yes, they can be very useful when parents want their children to stay quiet. I let my children play those portable games when they have to wait for a long time like in a waiting room to see the eye, ear, or skin doctor(not when they feel sick, of course). They can play those games on the way in the car, but I won't let them take their games with them into a restaurant. I've also set some other rules for those video games. They can't play any games if they are not finished everything they have to do like homework. "First things first" is one of our family's rules. Well, I don't think I have the right to say that if I look back on my own youth, though...

Speaking of PSP, my second son has wanted it for a long time and keep asking me to buy one for him saying "All my friends have a PSP". You have to be careful when your children say "All my friends have ..." because it's not true!(It usually means "some of my friends.") I told him that he needed to wait until Christmas or his birthday(It's in January.), but he didn't give up and tried to make a deal with me like "If I get really good grades next time...", or "If I get the top grade at swimming school...".("The top grade" means 特級. At this point you have mastered all strokes such as crawl, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly, and to pass the test, you have to swim very fast.) I knew it was very difficult for him because he failed the test many times, and my oldest son couldn't even take the test when he was in the swimming school because he couldn't pass the previous grade, so I agreed with my son's suggestion. I thought it could help him learn to wait, but... he passed the test yesterday! When he got home from the swimming school last evening, I was going to say "Better luck next time", but he said, "Ta-dah!" and showed me the gold medal and the certificate with delight and excitement. I was very surprised and really happy with his achievement, but now I have to keep my words, so I promised to take him to an electric store this weekend. Of course, I'll set some rules for the game before I buy one for him.

Anyway, here are my answers to the questions.

1) As I said, I can't live without a computer. I use it every day to study English, check the weather, get information, shop at online shops, put music and audio learning materials on my iPod, and chat with my friends on Skype. My husband checks the news and traffic information every day, and my sons use the Internet when they need some information for their homework and watch videos on You Tube. My daughter likes to do a dress-up doll game on Yahoo Kids. My children can use the computer freely, but it's in the living room, so I can see what they are doing with it.

2) I've never seen a baby use a computer(David's friend's baby is amazing!), but I'm always surprised how quick children learn how to use a computer, a game machine, or a cell phone. I used to play video games with my son like tennis, car races, or Tetris. I was better at those games than him at the beginning, but he soon became much better than me. Oh, there is one DS game I can still beat him. It's a shooting game, and you shoot aliens by spelling English words as you hear them. It feels so nice to beat him in just one game! lol

My sister's husband has an iPad, and I have played some games on it. It's very intuitive, so I think it's easier to use an iPad than a computer.

Hi Chiki,
My favorite actor changes depending on what my favorite movie is now, but I was hoping to see Matthew Macfadyen in my dream at that night because "Pride and Prejudice" is my favorite book and movie at the moment. I put the whole movie(just its sound) and the audio file Matthew Macfadyen is reading aloud some passages from the book on my iPod, and I listen to them every day. I just like the character he played in the movie, so I might not be his fan, but I completely fell in love with his sweet and low voice! 笑 If you are interested, search for "Matthew Macfadyen reads" on You Tube. You'll find very nice videos;-)

Speak to you soon,

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2011年5月26日 17:14

If I am not mistaken, it's Amo's birthday today. Happy birthday!

•  David
• 2011年5月27日 00:33

Hi amo, happy birthday! Hope you won't work till late today.

Hi David and everyone,

I really enjoyed reading everyone's comments. Thanks a lot.

About two years ago, my cousin suggested me to get Skype, so I registered for it. I bought a headset and was given a Skype phone from the cousin as well. However, I never used it at the time and hadn't even tried it till today. I was suppoed to talk with a Japanese friend in Hiroshima tonight. I set up a headset in a hurry, which led to a problem. This error message kept on appearing on the screen: "Is the microphone muted?" Funnily, I was struggling with the problem for about 30 minutes with the earphone on one ear, and the other getting advice from my friend on my cellphone. I was starting to feel exhausted. I'll try it again tomorrow. Good night!

•  tsuneko
• 2011年5月27日 02:35

♪♪Happy Birthday,amo♪♪

Hope you have time to take lunch today!

Anne

•  Anne
• 2011年5月27日 05:42

Hi amo,

♬　Happy birthday! ♬
TGIT. Hope you have a lovely evening!

Hi David,

As for the Japan Times article, I remember we talked about these problems before. (the entry of October 25th in 2010, "Things you should not say to foreigners" ), for people who missed that.
The Japan Times article reminds me that some comments might hurt their feelings even though I'm not intend to do so.
Maybe you could send your letter to the Japan Times.

Hi Momo,

Thank you for your kind words! ^^

Hi Tomo,

Your son passed top grade at the swimming school.
He is a wizkid! You were outsmarted by him.
息子さんが一枚上手ですね。子供はゲームのためならすごい力を発揮するかも。よし私もその手でいこう！（笑）

Fumie

•  Fumie
• 2011年5月27日 06:10

Hi Tsuneko,

I hope you had a good night rest and solve the problem!

Fumie

•  Fumie
• 2011年5月27日 06:46

Happy Birthday amo♪
I hope you have a nice day!

Amica

•  Amica
• 2011年5月27日 08:08

☆Happy Birthday, amo!!☆
Wishing you all the best on your special day!

Hi tsuneko,
スカイプの「ツール」→「設定」→「オーディオ設定」でマイクの設定はしましたか？　この設定画面を開くと、下の方に「無料音声テストサービスに発信」というのがあるので、試しにかけてみてください（相手はコンピューターですが）。　指示に従って自分の声を録音するのですが、これが成功すればスカイプの設定はちゃんとできていることになります。　あとは、もしかしたらスカイプをアップデートした方がいいかもしれませんね。　最近のは自動でアップデートされるみたいなのですが、スカイプにもいろいろなバージョンがあって、中には動作が不安定で評判がイマイチなバージョンもあるみたいです。　私もあまりよく分かっていないのでこれくらいしか知りませんが。。　Hope you can solve the problem as soon as possible!

Hi Fumie,
ハハハ、本当に息子の方が一枚上手でした。　前回ダメだった時もまだまだタイムが及ばない感じだったので、これは当分かかると思ってたんですが、計算が甘かった…(笑)

Have a nice day, everyone!

Tomo

•  Tomo
• 2011年5月27日 08:46

Hi trmr,amo, David and everyone,
"Tense" is tricky and difficult,isn't it?
amo,thanks for sharing your idea.
David, it's a matter of convention. I see.
私はtrmrの文章を読んだ時、時制の一致によるものかと考えました。ただし、それによらない例外がありますよね。それがわかりにくいものが多いかと。
Davidの4月4日Amakurariから：
＞She said that it's sometimes difficult for her to understand the English.
She also said that she worries about writing comments because she is not sure whether English is correct.

これを読んだ時、'it was','she worried' と時制の一致にならってしたら、意味が違うのか、worried にすることは可能か、と考えました。この状況は"it is still true now"だから現在形？と疑問に思いました。私だったら、it was/ worried　としている、と思ったので、少し本題とは外れますがここに書きました。

David, I also read the article. It was interesting with lots of humor and a bit of irony.
The point is " It's the opening gambit." Once you get to know each other, nobody care about where you are from.
I 100% agree with the following sentences:
" Adults,more so than children, need to understand that their remarks, however well-meaning, can have a lasting negative effect on children."
It is true not only about this problem but everything.

Hi noriko,
Glad to be of your help.

Hi Tomo,
Your son is amazing! And congratulations! I just started learning swimming again recently,haha.....

Hi tsuneko,
記憶が定かではありませんが、Tomoが言われたところを開いて、マイク、スピーカーの種類の選択が違うと、つながっても音は聞こえてこないと思います。そこをチェックしてみてください。私の場合、それで、解決できたと思います。 早くつながるといいですね。

See you soon,

Anne

•  Anne
• 2011年5月27日 09:35

sorry,it's me again:
訂正：
'nobody care' should be 'nobody cares.'

•  Anne
• 2011年5月27日 09:42

>Fumie, thank you. I had a very good sleep.

>Tomo and Anne, thank you for your kind tips. That is good enough for me to understand. I'll surely check the points that you taught me, tonight. Bye for now.

•  tsuneko
• 2011年5月27日 10:50

Hi Anne,
Thanks!:) He's been in a very good mood since Wednesday. 笑

By the way, about the sentences you picked up from "Amakudari" entry, my understandings are the same as yours. I think David used the present tense because the fact is still true, or maybe it's a kind of spoken style?

I read the articles you and David mentioned, too. They are interesting and made me think. Thanks for sharing!

Tomo

【corrections】

it also has made our lives more complicated...　→　 it has also made our lives...

keep asking me to buy one... →　keeps asking me...

I knew it was very difficult for him because he failed the test many times　→　 I knew it was very difficult for him because he had failed the test many times

•  Tomo
• 2011年5月27日 10:52