Dateline: Incheon International Aiport
…
Free wifi has become increasingly rare as the technology has matured. It is definitely true that Korea is the land of nearly complete wifi coverage – it’s available on subways, buses, in parks and everywhere. But… the issue is that more and more, you have to be signed up for one of the big telecom’s data plans to avail yourself of it. I’m not. Because I still don’t have a smart phone – I have a dumb phone – dumbest phone imaginable. It doesn’t even have a dictionary.
OK. But here at the airport, I find a lingering bastion of free wifi. So. Hello from the airport.
My journey begins. I’m always amazed at the ease with which one can navigate Korean security and immigration. I know it will be much less pleasant on the LA end. See you soon.
Day: July 27, 2012
Caveat: 웃음 잃지 말고
Dateline: Ilsan
…
스트레스를 많이 느끼고 있던 때문에 내 과외 강사는 나에게 위안을 주고 했어요.
“휴가를 즐기세요!”라고 했어요. “웃음 잃지 말고…”
Caveat: Themes-to-come
Dateline: Ilsan.
…
This isn't really a blog post. This is more of a draft of some thoughts swirling in my mind about some actual blog posts that I keep thinking about writing, on the topic of the hagwon biz – my current career-for-what-it's-worth.
Alienation, factory work, unbridled capitalism in the field of education.
Parents-as-consumers, children-as-products.
The importance of counseling (상담).
Reliable curriculum vs innovative curriculum. The purpose of technology: it's marketing, not pedagogy.
Defining a market – are there customers not-worth-keeping? Do all customers have the same value?
Connection to my previous career (software): recent encounters with concepts of "slow web" or "neovictorian computing".
As I said, this is not an essay. I want to write an essay, but can't seem to get around to it. But during this very hectic day, I kept thinking about it. Watching the office dynamics play out as everyone deals with a lot of stress around the now month-old merger of two very different hagwon.
[Daily log: walking, 3 km]