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[Doo ^^]

 <TOPIC 01> A Quarter of Korean Households Are Single

The number of single-person homes now exceeds 4 million to account for 23.3 percent of Korea's population, according to the latest census revealed by Statistics Korea on Tuesday. This is partly due to an increasing number of senior citizens living by themselves as well as a burgeoning population of unmarried men and women.

Single-person homes accounted for a mere 4.8 percent of households in 1980, rising to 9 percent in 1990 and 20 percent in 2005, when the last census took place.

The population stands at 48.22 million, an increase of around 940,000 people or 2 percent from 2005 and the world's 26th largest population. The total of households is 17.33 million, up 1.45 million or 9.1 percent over the same period. Statistics Korea said the reason the number of households grew much faster than the population is because there are more single-person homes and the birthrate remains low. 

Meanwhile, the number of registered citizens stood at 50.5 million as of November, but that includes millions of students and workers registered here but living abroad, whom the census did not count.

At the time of the 2005 census, around 1.17 million Korean citizens lived overseas. The final results of the 2010 census will be announced in May.

1. Where do you live now? Do you live alone or with family? Which one do you prefer?

2. Why do you think the number of the people living alone is getting bigger and bigger?

3. What is the advantages or disadvantages of a single life?

4. What do we need to live a happy single life? 

<TOPIC 02> Things Babies Born in 2011 Will Never Know

Huffington Post recently put up a story called You're Out: 20 Things That Became Obsolete This Decade. It's a great retrospective on the technology leaps we've made since the new century began, and it got me thinking about the difference today's technology will make in the lives of tomorrow's kids.
I've used some of their ideas and added some of my own to make the list below: Do you think kids born in 2011 will recognize any of the following?

Video tape: Starting this year, the news stories we produce here at Money Talks have all been shot, edited, and distributed to TV stations without ever being on any kind of tape. Not only that, the tape-less broadcast camera we use today offers much higher quality than anything that could have been imagined 10 years ago -- and cost less than the lens on the camera we were using previously.

Travel agents: While not dead today, this profession is one of many that's been decimated by the Internet. When it's time for their honeymoon, will those born in 2011 be able to find one?

The separation of work and home: When you're carrying an email-equipped computer in your pocket, it's not just your friends who can find you -- so can your boss. For kids born this year, the wall between office and home will be blurry indeed.

Books, magazines, and newspapers: Like video tape, words written on dead trees are on their way out. Sure, there may be books -- but for those born today, stores that exist solely to sell them will be as numerous as record stores are now.

Movie rental stores: You actually got in your car and drove someplace just to rent a movie?

Watches: Maybe as quaint jewelry, but the correct time is on your smartphone, which is pretty much always in your hand.

Paper maps: At one time these were available free at every gas station. They're practically obsolete today, and the next generation will probably have to visit a museum to find one.

Wired phones: Why would you pay $35 every month to have a phone that plugs into a wall? For those born today, this will be a silly concept.

Long distance: Thanks to the Internet, the days of paying more to talk to somebody in the next city, state, or even country are limited.

Newspaper classifieds: The days are gone when you have to buy a bunch of newsprint just to see what's for sale.

Dial-up Internet: While not everyone is on broadband, it won't be long before dial-up Internet goes the way of the plug-in phone.

Encyclopedias: Imagine a time when you had to buy expensive books that were outdated before the ink was dry. This will be a nonsense term for babies born today.

Forgotten friends: Remember when an old friend would bring up someone you went to high school with, and you'd say, "Oh yeah, I forgot about them!" The next generation will automatically be in touch with everyone they've ever known even slightly via Facebook.

Forgotten anything else: Kids born this year will never know what it was like to stand in a bar and incessantly argue the unknowable. Today the world's collective knowledge is on the computer in your pocket or purse. And since you have it with you at all times, why bother remembering anything?

The evening news: The news is on 24/7. And if you're not home to watch it, that's OK -- it's on the smartphone in your pocket.

CDs: First records, then 8-track, then cassette, then CDs -- replacing your music collection used to be an expensive pastime. Now it's cheap(er) and as close as the nearest Internet connection.

Film cameras: For the purist, perhaps, but for kids born today, the word "film" will mean nothing. In fact, even digital cameras -- both video and still -- are in danger of extinction as our pocket computers take over that function too.

Yellow and White Pages: Why in the world would you need a 10-pound book just to find someone?

Catalogs: There's no need to send me a book in the mail when I can see everything you have for sale anywhere, anytime. If you want to remind me to look at it, send me an email.

Fax machines: Can you say "scan," ".pdf" and "email?"

One picture to a frame: Such a waste of wall/counter/desk space to have a separate frame around each picture. Eight gigabytes of pictures and/or video in a digital frame encompassing every person you've ever met and everything you've ever done -- now, that's efficient. Especially compared to what we used to do: put our friends and relatives together in a room and force them to watch what we called a "slide show" or "home movies."

Wires: Wires connecting phones to walls? Wires connecting computers, TVs, stereos, and other electronics to each other? Wires connecting computers to the Internet? To kids born in 2011, that will make as much sense as an electric car trailing an extension cord.

Hand-written letters: For that matter, hand-written anything. When was the last time you wrote cursive? In fact, do you even know what the word "cursive" means? Kids born in 2011 won't -- but they'll put you to shame on a tiny keyboard.

Talking to one person at a time: Remember when it was rude to be with one person while talking to another on the phone? Kids born today will just assume that you're supposed to use texting to maintain contact with five or six other people while pretending to pay attention to the person you happen to be physically next to.

Retirement plans: Yes, Johnny, there was a time when all you had to do was work at the same place for 20 years and they'd send you a check every month for as long as you lived. In fact, some companies would even pay your medical bills, too!

Mail: What's left when you take the mail you receive today, then subtract the bills you could be paying online, the checks you could be having direct-deposited, and the junk mail you could be receiving as junk email? Answer: A bloated bureaucracy that loses billions of taxpayer dollars annually.

Commercials on TV: They're terrifically expensive, easily avoided with DVRs, and inefficiently target mass audiences. Unless somebody comes up with a way to force you to watch them -- as with video on the Internet -- who's going to pay for them?

Commercial music radio: Smartphones with music-streaming programs like Pandora are a better solution that doesn't include ads screaming between every song.

Hiding: Not long ago, if you didn't answer your home phone, that was that -- nobody knew if you were alive or dead, much less where you might be. Now your phone is not only in your pocket, it can potentially tell everyone -- including advertisers -- exactly where you are.

1. Do you agree with the list above? Do you think babies born this year will never know about these things?

2. Is there something you want to own forever among these things?

3. What will be more vanished from us? Let's share your idea.

4. What things have already been disappeared or rare around you since you were born?

5. Do you have any memorable moments related with this list?  

[Sooyeung(수영)]

벌써, 수욜인가요? 깜짝 놀랐습니다.ㅎㅎ 두님 수고 많았습니다.^^ 열심히 공부할게요~*^^*

[일구비]

정말 빠르군...!!! 브라보 !!!

[Timothy(연호)]

오우!!광속 업로드 토픽!!두~수고 많았어~ㅎ

[Teddy~*(두희)]

잇힝~ 이번주는 중요한 약속(?) 관계로 뒷풀이 시간에나 출석도장을 찍으러 가야겠어요 ㅎㅎ

[Stylish(진화)]

우리 멋진 두~타픽 완전 조코~~~ ^ㅇ^~~~~~신나게달려봅시다용 ^ㅇ^~~

[사라]

잼있겠네요~ 이번주 참석 할게요^^

[소야(소현)]

두야...수고많았당!!! 나도 올만에 모임에 참석하도록할게~~~요

[ana(효정)]

재밌겠다 ^^ 정참할께요 ~~~~

[Ewan (이재헌)]

저도 늦지않고 가겠습니다~ 열공해서 가야겠네여;;;

[Stylish(진화)]

멋진후배님~ 얼릉왕~~ ^ㅇ^~

[kate NY]

Jun & Kate 갑니다~^^

[Stylish(진화)]

영광입니다^ㅇ^~~~

[lauren]

갈까말까 많이고민했는데 ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ처음이지만 잘부탁드려요 :)

[Stylish(진화)]

그래요~ 처음이 영원이 되길 저희들이 책임질께요~ 함께해용^ㅇ^~~

[Vincent]

i'm comming^^

[Turtle(재원)]

아~ 어제 벙개로 인해 피곤하네~ 그래도 고고^^

[missingyou]

처음이라 좀부럽지만..참석할께요^^