Neurotic or Just Normal?
06/30/2007 @ 8:00 am
Two in five young Japanese women talk to their personal computer, according to a survey by iShare and Sega Toys reported in Mainichi Daily News. Highlights of the study included:
- 40.5 percent said they talk to their computer.
- 59.2 percent said they talked to themselves too.
- Stress was a frequent trigger for both.
- Many felt “lonely” or “disgusted with themselves.”
- 10.2 percent of women gave their computer a nickname like Mac-kun, Princess, or Pudding.
- 42.9 percent decorated their computers and work areas, usually with stuffed toys.
- 63.8 percent said they did so because the toys made them feel better.
410 women in their 20s or 30s were surveyed to coincide with the launch of Sega Toys’ Kokechii, a doll resembling traditional Japanese kokeshi dolls, except that it talks to itself without being prompted. [Source: Talk to Me]
Photo: From J-Box (hope I wasn’t supposed to ask first or we are SO sued…) where many other cute kokeshi dolls are available–perfect to decorate your PC.
Poor Mari….she’s my favorite. If I ever become a j-pop singer and part of the...
Windows causes me to speak to (swear at) my computers regularly.
June 30th, 2007 at 8:23 amMy 333MHz iMac was called ‘Limey’ because, well, it was green. Yes. I would set the text speaker to the most pretentious Britty voice there was.
After six years of absolute dependability, I got my hands on a B&W 450 G3 that had been upgraded and could actually play video at a decent rate. I called that ‘the computer’. Now I have one of them spiffy Intel Core 2 Duo iMacs and I call that ‘the computer’.
I don’t know where I lost my sense of wonder… .
I also do not have stuffed anything anywhere. Except, oddly, I’m not immune to putting geegaws, biblots and objets trouvés in my plant pots and I sometimes may be found chatting with my naughty potted plants I have in my apartment hallway.
Strangely, I am now totally fascinated with a 1990 Mitsubishi Minica Toppo but, alas, I have not $8k for it.
I guess I become enamoured by big things; cars, planes, buildings, etc. The one time I fell absolutely in love was when I was at an aviation show and a B-24 Liberator bomber, a Halifax and a Lancaster flew overhead. The hum of the engines and the vibrating earth; man, that was somethin’.
But what do you expect – I am neither young nor Japanese… .
June 30th, 2007 at 9:51 amOveroften: It is not necessary to disconcert yourself so! The correct Zen attitude would be:
Yesterday Windows worked
June 30th, 2007 at 10:31 amToday it does not
Windows is like that.
Dr.Paul,whether you knew it or not,you have raised a very-good-point.
Haiku.
As a mature,senior site,as Japundit is..surely there must be a small area reserved for the Poet’s amongst us.I’m sure that Marie or vittel or somebody? would be willing to contribute to get the whole thing going – after all Haiku is an integral part of day-to-day Japan.
Sometime’s,I want to say something but it occur’s to me,that instead of prose it would be much better as verse.
Do you grok me?
remora.
June 30th, 2007 at 2:28 pmI grok! That is one word I know well–but not so sure about rules for haiku. Does it have to be 5-7-5 or only in Japanese and rules looser or different for English? Or do we need rules?
As always, remora, you are right and we should have lots more! Someone should have thought of this before! And does seem “an integral part of day-to-day Japan” because so mnemonic:
kono dote-ni(5) noboru-bekarazu(7) keishichou(5) [Do Not Climb This Levee - The Police Department]
Sadly, the one before is not mine but taken from a collection called Zen Computing. Think I’ve tried to write them but can’t. Maybe try again.
July 1st, 2007 at 2:29 amMinica Toppo
Sweet little drive for $8 k
But not for this babe.
Pathetic (in all senses) but true
July 1st, 2007 at 4:08 amMr. Nicholls, Are you interested in Zen ? Did you read something from Daisetsu Suzuki (Zen Buddhist and Philosopher) or others ? For me, Zen philosophy resembles ancient Greek Epicureanism. (I don’t know whether it’s right). My favorite Zen verse is
Yesterday I cultivated
Today I cultivate
after I awaked.
In generalizing about differences between East and West, Daisetsu Suzuki pointed out that in the West observation attempts to be objective and is built on logicality and intellectual process, while in the East the focus is on the thing itself, on the observer becoming the thing itself without barriers.
I think Haiku is the way of day-to-day living and enjoying it in that sense. By the way, kono dote-ni(5) noboru-bekarazu(7) keishichou(5) [Do Not Climb This Levee - The Police Department] is a Senryu(Haiku Parody) rather than a Haiku.
Here is Haiku in English in North America
July 1st, 2007 at 9:36 amI belong to the “you-never-know-until-you-try-brigade” or “nothing-comes-from-nothing-tribe”..I just dive in and have a go – regardless of the outcome, most times I fall flat on my face, sometimes I surprise myself…I’ll give Haiku a spin, Blimey!!it’s not a Shakespearean Love Sonnet exercise is it?
Can’t be that hard…..Now lets see..wets pencil tip…
rem.
July 1st, 2007 at 9:57 amalso thanks Betty for teeing-
July 1st, 2007 at 10:09 amI meant to say “thanks Betty” for tee-ing off on the Japundit Haiku Masters Tournament.
rem.
July 1st, 2007 at 10:11 amTofuUnion: Yes of course interested in Zen but not so hot at it. Meditate and am definitely vegetarian and aspire to budo and follow the precepts BUT do not study very hard if at all. A total disgrace. But I understand the haiku. When I cook or do laundry I do not do it for a nice meal or clean clothes–just to do it. Same thing with the garden–I like to watch them grow (it is my school) and take care of them but seldom ever eat anything–other people do. My business is growing tomatoes not eating tomatoes right? BUt sure we can use more haiku!
July 1st, 2007 at 12:23 pmYou know–call to all hands! I am definitely a vegetarian and have been for some years. I KNOW I will not fly straight down to hell if eat a Big Mac–just should do better in future. This is a big weekend in Canada–Canada Day on Monday. Fireworks happening already. Tomorrow visitor comes and a big day for BBQ. I have chicken and pork chop in freezer for visitors. Should I indulge or not? My good friend Deborah says of course–I am not so sure?
July 1st, 2007 at 12:29 pm[...] it’s obvious that most Japanese talk to themselves a lot, some cultural differences with annoyances are evident. Right off the bat, strong perfume is [...]
November 16th, 2007 at 4:00 am* 40.5 percent said they talk to their computer.
“Oh, you stupid computer, why’d you have to go and crash!!”
* 59.2 percent said they talked to themselves too.
“Aw, man! What am I going to do now? C’mon, think!”
* Stress was a frequent trigger for both.
“Ahh!! I lost all my work! Ahh!!”
* Many felt “lonely” or “disgusted with themselves.”
“I hate this computer! I hate my job! What am I doing here?!”
* 10.2 percent of women gave their computer a nickname like Mac-kun, Princess, or Pudding.
“Okay, ‘Princess’, let’s see if you want to actually work this time without giving me the Blue Screen of Death. Okay, ‘Pudding’?”
* 42.9 percent decorated their computers and work areas, usually with stuffed toys.
“I’ll put this Hello Kitty plushie near the CPU to menace it into working correctly.”
* 63.8 percent said they did so because the toys made them feel better.
“And it’ll help me forget about all the deadlines I’m going to miss.”
November 17th, 2007 at 2:00 pm