Back to school

Yup! It’s time to get ready for school, even if it’s bad news for my teenage son also on my wallet. Just like every year, we start with a lot of new things. No exception this year.

The Hungarian education system is the same as every other ex-communism countries. A well-known Prussian education system that has been slowly changing to western style system. Well, we  are not quite there yet, but as I see my son’s education at least it looks promising – foreign languages for instance, German and English are the most commonly thought, but you can find schools which are also teaching French and Spanish. Today our schools require at least one foreign language otherwise you have no chance to get to a collage. In my days we were forced to learn Russian and guess what? It's also becoming trendy again.

Talking about new and trendy  - IT became essential, a subject of its own at schools.

But what school can teach a 13 years old boy anything they don’t already know? - Because he’s already an extensive computer user - as  I’m thinking about the enormous amount of time he spends on Facebook or Minecraft, etc it's amazing- I find whenever I try to help him out on the computer it turns out I need the help and not him. So the more he uses it the better expert he becomes... I guess. Does the skills he is learning require some basic programming skills? or it’s simply an ongoing self-development?

Is it possible that he has learned computer languages already? Does the computer have its own language in the first place? Some guys think computers do have languages, because if you don’t give the right command it won’t understand you. And you must communicate with it, right? does that meet the foundation of a language? Wikipedia definition of a language would agree!

Of course there are two sides of the coins. If schools want to give some space and time for the increasing IT subjects something has to be reduced, as well. This case Hungarian grammar becomes the loser.

I just wonder how my boy is going to write an official letter. Abbreviations and emoticons :) ?

St. Stephan’s Day

20^th of August is the celebration of the foundation of the Hungarian state. This is our 4^th of July. We also call it St. Stephen’s Day, remembering Stephen I, who was our first King in 1000 and who became a saint in 1083 by Pope Gregory VII. This is our biggest national holidays and traditional 'New Bread blessing’ from the first harvest. As it should be we celebrate with a daylong festivals, water parade on the Danube, breath taking air shows, procession with ‘Holy-Right’ and magnificent firework at night.

Celebration with long distance

Although the big day is coming up soon it’s really a messy feeling to be a Hungarian – ‘Magyar’ these days. Thousands of people are struggling with survival, future seems to be hopeless for youngsters and elder’s dreams slowly turn into shame. Thanks for the immigration wave our population is getting smaller and smaller. In fact the latest news is the constant’s population drop from 10 million people down to around 7 million. Decreasing populations are not just bad for the country or the Hungarian economy it also affects families life as well.

They are being torn apart, and what makes this decision more painful is they have no choices left. No matter if you are a mother of five kids, you leave the country and need to send the money home. Are trying to start a life, but your fiancé just got a job at aboard? Or maybe you have to leave your elder parents behind? Yup! No time for sorrow the money is out there, outside of Hungary.

So where do I belong, really? Here in this foreign country where I live or back home where my heart is? And what can you do on a Day like that? Celebrate from a long distance I guess! Sending a postcard takes a couple of days and using the phone can reach be expensive to talk to relatives. Thank God, technology helps us a lot. You can write an email or instant message on the Facebook instead. Diversity of communications today is extensive. These technologies make keeping in touch easier and also cost less. And if you really miss someone you can talk on Skype for free although it cannot replace a loving touch.

For me it’s no different this year, we are going to watch the fireworks together on a web cam.

 

Apps make your life perfect

 

There are so many apps today I think everything has been done. It looks like I have got an app for everything just a fingertip away. The apps are so easy to use, no wonder there are so popular.

 

Originally the app service was offered for general productivity tools and to get information quickly. Such as a calendar, stock market and weather broadcast apps. that where free and some useful pay for tools also.  I agree it’s great if you own a business focused on creative design of software. But If I’d had a Nail Saloon – for instance – and I wanted to be on the map, now I would need to create an app for that.

Now Microsoft has 160,000 apps, Google has 800,000 apps and Apple has 1,250,000 apps - according to Forbes. However app explosion still does not help get things done for you, these apps only provide only a short term reminders, and a short term time to play with something new. And the question is, How do you ever find a good app. in the app stores now that there are millions of them?   

Do we need them all of them? How did they change our behavior so far? Recently I’ve realized I can’t have a nice chat with my friends without being interrupted – ‘Hang on, while I check my phone!’ And how will it affect my life? I mean, do I become lazy? It is nice to check out what the current time is on the other side of the world. Ok, I need it. But why can’t I do the math in my head?

And what about the future? There is an app that tells me I have 37% chance to get pregnant today. Hmm…. Is there any apps which is tell me if my husband will be around tonight?

 

When my phone becomes my wallet

That’s pretty cool idea! With increased use of smartphones it become evident that people want to pay with their smartphones and get rid of their wallet.

The technology is ready, and it’s called NFC (Near field communications) which is a radio communication between two devices. You need a smartphone an apps, and of course you need a place where you can pay. Just swing your phone by the cash register, and bingo you paid..

Of course, there are problems with all three of them. Smartphones are not as smart yet, only 1/3 of the latest devices sold are NFC enabled. So if you don’t have one of them you have to exchange it. On the cash register side has its problems as well…such as investment of this new technology and security installation. And we – customers – are having some complex dilemma as well. What’s if I loose my smartphone? Would it mean hackers have an access to my bank account? And what about the money itself?

While older generation have struggle with recognizing virtual money on their bank account, youngest have already learnt it. Speed can be advantage on the other hand – ‘Time is money!’  So better not waist it! What about currency? Can I buy this way global or just in local transactions?

So the theory is great but it takes long time to become daily base used. In the US Starbucks allows customers to pay with their smartphones, and in Germany they are ready to launch a new services called ‘Mobil Wallet’. Meanwhile in Hungary -- just a couple miles away from the capital city, Budapest the only way I can pay is with cash.

Hmm..so I guess money will be stay on my wallet for a bit longer.