Gadgets, Gadgets, Gadgets

We’ve just returned from a fun weekend with family and friends near Santa Cruz, California. The occasion (event) was our oldest daughter’s wedding in a beautiful setting (location) at a vineyard (where grapes are grown for wine) atop (on top of) a mountain overlooking Santa Cruz and the Pacific Ocean. Our younger daughter said the house at the vineyard reminded her of the house in The Great Gatsby, a well-known book written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 about the people who lived on Long Island’s North Shore and in New York City. (Long Island is an island that includes parts of New York City.)

The bride was beautiful. The mother of the bride (my wife) was beautiful. The setting was beautiful. Even the bear looked good: he was the ring bearer (the one who carried the bride and groom’s rings) and he was carried by our four-year-old grandson. The simple wedding ceremony was perfect. The weather was perfect. And the food was the best I’ve ever had at a wedding! All in all (when you consider everything), it was a great weekend.

One of the things that amused (made me smile) me during the weekend was that electronic gadgets (small, useful machines or tools) popped up (appeared) everywhere! Everywhere I looked I saw iPhones, Blackberries, Androids, iPads, and laptops – not all at the wedding, but in the days before and after. I used my iPhone for my notes when I toasted the bride and groom at the dinner after the wedding. A toast is a call to a group of people – “I’d like to propose (suggest) a toast to the bride and groom” – to raise their glasses and drink together in honor of someone, usually on a special occasion. I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that someone had posted pictures of the bride and groom on Facebook before they exited (left) the area where the wedding was performed!

Stephen Abram recently wrote about a Pew Research report that found (discovered) that 90% of Americans own at least one computerized gadget. I know that my wife and I had seven gadgets in our car as we traveled – two laptops (MacBooks, of course!), three iPods, a Blackberry, and an iPhone!

The Pew study reveals (shows) that electronic gadgets have become popular across all generations (groups of people who are the same age). It also found that:

  • Cell phones are the most popular device (a machine or tool that does a special job). About 85% of all adults own cell phones, and 90% of Americans – including 62% of those 75 and older – live in a home where there is at least one cell phone.
  • Desktop computers are most popular with adults who are 35-65 (read: 35 to 65) years old. Millennials (the 18-34-year-old generation) are more likely than other generations to have laptops: 70% of them own laptops; only 57% own desktop computers.
  • Almost half of all adults own iPods or mp3 players. Again, more Millennials own them than anyone else.
  • Game consoles are popular with adults between the ages of 18 and 46: almost two-thirds of them own a console.
  • E-book readers and tablets have not been adopted (begun to be used) by a large percentage of the population yet. About 5% of adults own an e-book reader, and 4% own an iPad or other tablet.
  • The number of adults that do not own any electronic gadgets is very small, only about 9%. As you might expect, many of these people – about 43% – are more than 75 years old.

It was a memorable (worth remembering) weekend! And it was fascinating to watch people of all ages using their gadgets to keep up with (to write, etc., regularly so you don’t forget someone) friends, stay in touch with (to talk or write to) family, and share the excitement of the weekend with people around the world!

~ Warren Ediger – creator of Successful English, where you can find clear explanations and practical suggestions for better English.

Photo courtesy of the Wikipedia Commons.

 

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20 Responses to Gadgets, Gadgets, Gadgets

  1. emiliano says:

    My best wishes to the bride and her husband, a long life full of health, happiness and LOVE.
    Congratulations to you Warren and your Wife.

    As a father who was the good father (in Spain we say Padrino/Madrina in a wedding too) in the wedding of his old daughter Eva
    who was walking holding my arm till the altar where her next husband was awaiting to married her I may
    know something about your feelings.

    My daughter wedding was in Sevilla and it was a beautiful nice ceremony too.

    All my best wishes for your entire family and have in mind Warren the possibility of being
    grand-father soon.

    emiliano

  2. Betty says:

    Many congratulations to you and your wife, Warren. I would like to wish your daughter and her husband a very happy, healthy and long life together.

    My friend’s children are getting married gradually, and I have been receiving emails with lots and lots of beautiful pictures of the bride and groom in beautiful settings. All these sharing of beautiful moments would not be possible without all the gadgets like iphone and the like.

    A memorable wedding is very expensive, but every bride deserves it. Different countries and regions in the world have very different customs and traditions for their weddings. For example, who foot the bill (pay for) of the wedding, what kind of clothes to wear, how the wedding ceremony was conducted, etc etc.

    I have pleasure in reading the wikipedia’s page about ‘South Asian wedding’. I have never been to one myself personally, but I always hear people talking about it.

    Anyway, I am very happy for you, Warren, and all the fathers in the world. It must be a very proud day for the fathers when their children finally grow up and get married. It comes after many many years of hard work from the father.

  3. dini70 says:

    the setting for the wedding as you described it was from a nice dream that everybody has about own wedding 🙂

    one thing about gadget research surprised me very much and that is about the percentage of mp3 players on adult peoples … here in romania i think that percentage is much lower as i think it is only 5 or 10 % or less :)) and one more thing that 5 or 10 % who owns an mp3 player , as i guess , listen music on their mp3 players and not podcasts or something like that . after me that percent who listen something else on their mp3 player it is around 1 or 2 percent … most of my adult friends never heard about podcasts …

  4. Tania says:

    Hi!
    Heartily, a wedding song for the bride and bridegroom:
    “I love you, the love of my life
    I need you, our love is right
    I’ve found the one that my soul loves
    No other heart gives so much
    God gave you to me
    You’re the one I love
    You are the love of my life.”

    They’ve found the answer to their dreams.

    Tania

  5. Valerie says:

    I’d like to congratulate all your family, especially newlyweds with that wonderful event. I myself have got married two weeks ago on June 10th. So these days are my honey moon.;) And I know that the wedding is always very important day for every family member. So I wish happiness and love for your daughter and your new son!

  6. Betty says:

    Many Congratulation to our ESLPOD.com new bride – Valerie.

    It is very nice to hear good news like this.

    May I wish you and your husband a very healthy and good life together, happily ever after.

    With all the best wishes

    Betty

  7. sara says:

    Dear Warren please accept my many congratulations. I wish the best for them; hope always live in love and peace. Me too believe that these gadgets bundled with internet have changed the way of our life, they have connect us to parts that we were unfamiliar with before and took distance to some existing connections!!!

  8. Tania says:

    Hi! Happy honey moon, dear Valerie.

  9. emiliano says:

    Valerie, my best wishes for you dear friend.
    I know we have been talking here some times and it has been always great.

    But now you have made an very important change in your life.
    It is one of the most important step a person could give, just
    get married.

    I hope it would be for good as long as for ever.
    Cuca and me have been married for more than forty years and we have
    been and we are still really happy married people.
    Yes, it is possible, so I do wish you and your husband a happy life
    together going through this long travel what is life with humor and
    optimist look.
    ….
    Sorry, I think you are a girl of course, (now a lady) but if it is not so please
    forgive me.
    Names are so different every place……ja, ja, I don´t want to
    be wrong.
    Be happy Valerie, as much as possible always.

    emiliano

  10. Tania says:

    Hi! Yes, it is fascinating to watch people of all ages using their gadgets.
    In his post dated July 29, 2010, Jeff suggests us the summer reading.
    I have just read the summary of the “Hamlet’s Blackberry: A Practical Philosophy For Building A Good Life In The Digital Area” by William Powers.
    “Have our relationships suffered because so much of our communication is via email, text messages and social networking sites rather than sitting down for a cup of coffee to talk?”
    “We live in a world where everyone is connected to everyone else all the time. We live in this ultra-connected way.”

  11. Tania says:

    Hi! Dear Warren, thank you for your “Something to read during June 2011”. As I told you I had some troubles this month so… To read more and more (in English) I need a special mood when I feel I’m flying
    in another world.
    Still, I have read something.
    You revealed me the world of rare books and how difficult is to catch a book thief in “The man who loves books too much”.
    And an incredible story of survival at sea in “Here Be Monsters”.

    Best wishes,

    Tania

  12. Valerie says:

    Thank you, dear friends, for so many wonderful wishes. I really appreciate them. I didn’t expect to read so many incredible words. So thank you, Emiliano,Tania, Betty.

    Emiliano, you are absolutely right, I’m a girl 🙂

  13. Thank you for all the congratulatory messages! My wife and I have really appreciated them. And a special congratulations, and best wishes for a happy life with your new husband, to Valerie!

    Tania, I’m delighted that you’re enjoying Something to Read. Check later this week for a special Something to Read: The best articles of the last 60 years. There are some exciting articles in the list.

    Warren

  14. Dinhnam from Vietnam says:

    Hi there! Thank you for your amazing podcasts that help us a lot with our English. Since I didn’t find anywhere to ask you guys some questions, I have to post it here. Please tell me if there is another way for me to ask some questions. My question today is, what is the difference between “to be familiar with” and “to be used to”? Should I say: “his wife is alway serious. He is used to that case” or “his wife is alway serious. He is familiar with that case”? Thank you in advance!

  15. Nele says:

    Congratulations to all brides and grooms in this blog.
    It sounds like a wonderful event that weekend near by Santa Cruz.

    I think in our family, in my surrounding are a little less gadgets.
    In connection with business there are also a lot of gadgets but in the private sector a little less than in this study.

    In some events of school, shorter or longer school trips, gadgets are sometimes forbidden.
    Also in our holiday we like it, that we have usually no TV and often no internet. It is good for a few days. We come together and have time for communication, playing, loughing. I like this change for a few days.
    But I like also the great possibilities of the internet and the different gadgets. But in a balanced manner.

    Nele

  16. Øyvor says:

    Hi!

    My congratulations to you and your family=) Weddings are always nice events!
    The coming october my husband and I will celebrate our 30 years together!
    Might be nice..so thanks for sharing this happy moment!
    Also..thanks for all the useful expressions!

    Best regards

  17. Ziba says:

    Hi!
    Congratulations Warren, I wish the bride and groom every happiness.

    As you said, when we look around we can see electronic gadgets which ease most our affairs especially communications. People try to contact/ get in touch each other with email, sending messages by using that kinds of gadgets.

    And the internet is very useful to contact and you can use it at home, at work, in shops, in coffee net, and nowadays in your mobile in a wedding.

    Here in my country 90% of people have mobile and the internet. (mabe a little more or less)

    By the way, congratulations Valerie I wish u best wishes too.

    Ziba (Iran)

  18. Betty says:

    The way we live our life has changed dramatically by all the communication gadgets that we can buy.

    I felt so happy when I bought my first mobile phone. It allowed me to get out of the house without worrying about missing a phone call. I also knew that if my car broke down in any where in the country, I could ring for help from my car instead of having to knock at someone’s house door and ask for borrowing their home phone to seek for help.

    The GPS (global positioning system, a satellite-based navigation system), another useful gadget for me, very quickly became a must-have accessory for lots of drivers in the whole world.

    Why are people willing to spend so much money on buying all these gadgets? The reasons are very obvious if you have experienced all the true satisfactions that the gadgets bring you. It is a bit like Coca Cola. You are hooked from the start, and you cannot live without it after a while.

    People’s concept about what to keep in the house has also changed dramatically. I love books so much that they occupied a lot of space in my house. This had changed since I decided that everything was on the computer, just a search away.

    I have been throwing away hundreds (thousands, actually) of magazines and periodic and books which I have kept for decades. Why? Everything is in the computer!

    I am still very behind with new technologies – no iphone, no ipad, no mobile internet; yet I cannot live without a computer with internet connection. People who have the privilege of using all the latest models of ‘Mac’ products must be devastated if one day they are not allowed to use them any more.

    Some people complain about how all these gadgets destroy families’ relationship. I think they are responsible for some destruction of family life; but if used wisely, they actually help families stay in touch and to be more close to each other.

  19. Valerie says:

    Thank you, dear Warren and Ziba =)

  20. J. Henrique says:

    Best wishes to the bride and her groom, and for all your family Warren. I wish hapiness and a long life to enjoy it.
    I’d like to thank you for your good articles here and on Successful English, my English have improved a lot since I’m following your tips.
    I’ve discovered the pleasure and the power of the reading to improve my skills. So, thanks once more.

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