TOEFL Response #2 : A World Without Wires

         What would be the most annoying thing in the world? Well, there might be a variety of possible answers, but I am sure that one of them is electric wires of electronic devices. That’s why the word ‘wireless’ is considered very innovative and often used in advertisements. For instance, when we see wireless headphones or wireless televisions, we feel so new and fresh. However, I can definitely say that in the next 77 years, seeing devices with wires in normal days will become a rare experience for most people. 



        Generally, there are 2 uses of wires. First, wires are used when connecting two devices for informational exchanges. Wires of this use are decreasing day by day. For example, applying Wi-Fi technology to smartphones and laptops is letting people get rid of wires for LAN. Also, a few clever industries are putting this into their products such as printers. In the next few decades, Wi-Fi technology that can be applied to other kinds of devices will be developed, and will let all sorts of gadgets be connected to computers or smartphones. Users will be able to easily manipulate other devices around only if they can get access to them. For example, people will not need wires when using hard drives or USBs. Computers will be connected to big screens without wires, when giving presentations. 

Wi-Fi will enable connections without wires.

Moreover, air conditioners, washing machines and even lights can be connected by Wi-Fi to computers and work as a remote controller. The only problem with this is their higher costs. Wi-Fi available electronic devices will be more expensive than normal ones with wires as they would contain special signal receivers inside them. Therefore, if a new strategy to lower the cost of producing the receiver is found, this technology will soon be commercialized and put into common use.



    Second, people use wires when charging electronic devices by plugging them in the electric outlets. While many industries are interested in solving the first problem above, they usually consider wires for charging are inevitable. However, there is a brand-new technology that is being developed and published. Applying electromagnetic induction, gadgets that need no wires but a special device that induces electricity are being commercialized.

      Problem with this technology is that users need to put the gadgets on the device or else it will not be charged. Another technology that doesn’t even need this device is also being researched, but this is facing its hardship now since charging efficiency is much lower and its biological safety hasn’t been granted. However these small problems will definitely be fixed and will soon be available in markets. If this technology is combined with increased battery capacity, use of wires for charging will drop drastically.

 

           There are several possible benefits from drop of wire usage. Firstly, cost of initial resources will decrease, as massive amount of copper (and other metal resources in it) and rubber will be saved. Plus, air pollutants and CO2 produced when burning those will disappear as well. Lastly, people will get less annoyed as they do not need to make efforts or spend time in arranging screwed wires to be neat and clean.

      I’d like to conclude my essay with "equation of invention".

 

[People’s Want and Need + Technology ->

New Devices invented + Wires]

      Wires are often very useful and come in handy, but they are nothing more than a by-product of electronic devices that occurred in lack of technology. It’s time to eliminate unnecessary products that often disrupt the experiment from the equation as we have enough reactants to do so. The 21^st century is here, and world with wires will soon withdraw.

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TOEFL Response #1 : Gosurei(고수레), Funny but Glittering

     Gosurei is a Korean traditional custom practiced by almost all people in korea actively even until several decades ago. Old men and women sometimes practice this, but is almost forgotten by the young generations these days. This custom is practiced by scooping up some of their meals and throwing it into the air before they start eating, saying ‘Gosurei.’ From my point of view, Gosurei is a valuable custom of Korea that must spread to the world since through practicing it, we can enhance humbleness, sympathy towards the poor, and feeling of unity.

     Through practicing Gosurei, people tried to thank the gods of the nature and the earth for giving them something to eat and letting them harvest. This was combined with many folk beliefs (saying there will be punishments from the nature if you don't practice Gosurei) and was done without exceptions. This made them feel that it is not themselves who grew the products but the gods, making them to be humble and kind. The farmers will not boast for good production but will give credits to the nature itself. Thus, Gosurei can control people's mind to be good and smooth as well.

     Let us take a look at the story which this custom was derived from. Gosurei started with a story of an old lady with her last name ‘Go.’ She survived until her last moments by getting help from farmers and workers. After she died of hunger, the farmers tried to comfort the poor spirit of the lady by giving up some of their meals for her. From this story, we can see that people who did this activity had pity and kind minds towards poor people and tried to help them through any means. By doing Gosurei these days, we are reminded of people who had no choice but to starve to death, and think about showing pity and fulfilling responsibility to share profit and help them.

     There is another story which Gosurei might have been started from. There was a burial of a lady with the last name ‘Go’. A farmer found it, and managed it nicely without purpose. Then, suddenly his farm's production increased massively. Other farmers who heard his news visited her burial, and each of them had their production improved. Farmers who lived so far away from the burial could not actually visit there, but only could throw some of their meal for the lady. This story tells us that the people, who were mostly farmers, wished for a good harvest very much. They would have sympathized with each other about the feeling and the desire towards a good harvest. This would have increased farmers' feeling of unity by practicing an unordinary custom together. This might have created a strong bond in farmers' society, and eased them to talk to each other and help each others' work.

     'Gosurei' may look hilarious and extraordinary to foreigners, and may seem that there is no specific or deep meaning. However, even nowadays, its value is shining. It can still benefit our lives by improving kind mind, pity and responsibility to the poor, and feeling of membership.

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