Is Chinesepod addictive?
dogeatsrat
February 13, 2008, 12:26 PM posted in General DiscussionI am noticing among the Conversations a great appreciation for Chinesepod
- Ken's thread asking us to identify not the good and bad of Cpod but the unique qualities has hit the jackpot of compliments
- Lunetta is anxious about having skipped a week of Chinese learning and quickly gets helpful responses as to how to cope - presumably from others who have gone through that particular trauma.
- Frank is visiting Shanghai to visit the Cpod theme park and is spending most of his time on Cpod and uploading photos, I wonder if he is really "there" at all
So what is this thing, Cpod, that seems to dominate people's lives. Is it altogether healthy or is it time to go to rehab? In Japan they have started to set up boot camps for kids addicted to the internet. Is it time for a grown-up version for Cpod?
wei1xiao4
February 14, 2008, 07:19 AMI often think that if I was reading less of the conversation board and was actually studying Chinese more I would be improving faster. That is why I like it when people post in character. Less guilt involved because I'm actually studying while posting. Now if I can only get to where I can post in hanzi without it taking forever to write one freakin' sentence, that would be the optimal use of my time. So I guess I must be addicted because I'm feeling guilty but doing it anyway just for pleasure.
henning
February 13, 2008, 12:52 PMcome on, dogeatsrat, admit that you opened this discussion only to collect some valuable MAU-points.
dogeatsrat
February 13, 2008, 01:07 PMHenning, that's not to say that your comments are pointless! ;-)
dogeatsrat
February 13, 2008, 01:35 PMHenning, I believe one of Frank's assignments while in Shanghai is to photograph the MAU-points code - but that's one he won't be putting up on Flickr - the crafty devil!
urbandweller
February 13, 2008, 01:53 PMi feel like this is leading to another round of..."YOU KNOW YOU'RE ADDICTED TO CHINESE WHEN"
dogeatsrat
February 13, 2008, 02:09 PM...when you struggle to come up with good ideas for the relevancy of learning chinese over learning Clingon but still can't get enough of it.
dogeatsrat
February 13, 2008, 02:52 PMIt is too easy to tab over to Chinesepod and get a quick fix and it is a cerebral massage that fools you into thinking that you have spent your time wisely and sometimes you have. All things in moderation and law of diminishing returns I guess - otherwise it becomes just a productive waste of time!
calkins
February 13, 2008, 04:07 PMWhen the website was down last night for 216 minutes and 37 seconds, I started having withdrawal symptoms...started having seizures, dementia, saw numerous unknown hanzi floating over me.... I had to score a fix bad, and fast...so I searched the back alleys of the internet for the cheapest substitute for ChinesePod I could find....chineselearnonline.com. It was a water-downed generic brand. So after much exhaustion, I fell asleep...zzzzzzzz....woke up to find my prescription, "the fix" was once again available over the counter. Happy day!
alychic
February 13, 2008, 04:24 PMcalkins, found the same sight last night as well...although not as the greatest substitute :( I found my self checking every 8 minutes or so when cpod would come back up..I just started this about a week ago and I'm totally in the "suck zone" y'all sucked me in! (my attempt at a southern accent)
dogeatsrat
February 13, 2008, 12:48 PMGood stuff Henning - I was thinking the label "Most Active Users" should be replaced with "Chronic Users". Is is funny how this title has been cherished and then the gradual realisation that it has with it a negative connotation. Funny how Bazza was trying to get off the list while others rushed in to save him! One of the tribe leaders cannot be allowed to take a low-profile.
sebire
February 13, 2008, 08:56 PMIt is actually addictive. Particularly when most of your friends have moved away, and you have no social life. Chinesepod is an ideal replacement (and cheaper than the pub!) Listening to a podcast in the morning is the only good thing about going to work. The only problem is that I have to substitute 10 mins of much needed sleep on the train in order to concentrate...
dogeatsrat
February 13, 2008, 11:20 PMSebire your post has made me feel a little sorry for your predicament - but using Cpod as a crutch only compounds the problem. You still need to get out there and make social interactions with real people and not fall back on the easier virtual replacement that web 2.0 enables. I can only imagine you are as great a personality in the real world as you come across in this medium. ;-)
sebire
February 13, 2008, 11:33 PMHahaha, this is what happens when you graduate and end up living with your parents in a soulless new town - most of my friends that graduated the year before have managed to escape to better places (e.g. Central London/Australia/Cologne). Anyway, this is only a temporary measure, as I will be escaping as of next week, so I shall have no choice except to wean myself of CPod, unless I find reliable internet cafés!
dogeatsrat
February 13, 2008, 11:52 PMSo you are off on a big adventure - best of luck. Don't lose touch with Cpod entirely - it would be less addictive without you!
mark
February 14, 2008, 03:04 AMSure (that wonderful English word that can mean almost anything)
jennyzhu
February 14, 2008, 03:32 AMIf there were such a thing as a healthy addiction, it would be Chinesepod.
trevelyan
February 14, 2008, 07:00 AMYeah, we're sorry about the downtime yesterday. Not much we could do since it was a problem with the main hosting facility. We were checking pretty religiously too.
bazza
February 14, 2008, 07:03 AMJenny, there is and it is. ;)
dogeatsrat
February 13, 2008, 04:59 PMwow calkins you got it bad - we need to get you on a 12 step program brother. As in, think of 12 other things you ought to be doing instead. Take a cold shower perhaps and don't write any characters on the tiles like some of the crazies here do! Alychic stay on the west side, don't let the plug-ins mess with your browser - there is still hope for you! You have been warned. Good luck! :-)
henning
February 13, 2008, 12:36 PMDon't worry. We have everything under control. I just managed to get through almost 2 hours without CPod. Not even looking for an excuse to get out of that meeting to check for new content & comments. Although, already, there is a new MM that I missed....and I got a slight headache.