ARCHIVES ADVERTISING iTOONS INDEX TERMS EMAIL eSTORE SHOW HACK! LINKS PODCASTS KOMIX

cyberbarf

SEOUL SURVIVOR LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

I'm a Seoul Survivor;

Solitary Traveler.

With no apologies to Asia, I returned to South Korea after five years.

I first went to Korea in February, 2018. I decided to travel overseas just prior to their Winter Olympics. I thought that the city would be geared up for foreign tourists. I stayed south of the Han River in fashionable Gangnam, near the COEX center, again, thinking that it would be more foreigner friendly area. I found the locals professional but not very friendly. I would learn later that embedded in their culture is a philosophy to mind your own business, stay in your own lane. Most were focused on solely going to work. The retail workers were usually young so they had some command of the English language which was helpful. My first impression was that the country had a deep history and culture in a quick Westernized economy.

Why did I return in 2023?

I thought my first trip was to find out what I got wrong about Korea. The second trip was to find out what I got right about it.

First, booking an overseas trip using the internet is very simple. And the flights on Korea Air were great just like the first time. I was impressed by the large flight crew being able to converse in Korean, English, Chinese and Thai. If you want to get ahead in any field, learning a second language would be a resume gold star.

Second, when I booked my trip I did not realize that I would land in the middle of the country's Thanksgiving festival. Eighty percent of Koreans travel during this long weekend. Most go back to their parents home to perform ancestral rites, eat large amount of food, play games and for single children - - - the gauntlet of answering questions why they are still single. However, the Friday through Sunday holiday was extended by the government three extra days with another holiday and travel day. That meant that many shops and businesses were closed for more than a week.

Third, the Korean Hallyu Wave is still going strong. I saw many foreigners (especially from India and Middle East) wearing traditional Korean hanbok (dress) while touring palace sites. They would take pictures near palace buildings or the royal guards at the gates.

Fourth, the Korean rail and subway systems were clean and super-efficient. You could go to almost any part of the city in less than 30 minutes.

And because it was in the midst of a national holiday, the subway was not very crowded. It got a little busier with families who returned to the city but did not go back to office work until the next week.

Fifth, Seoul continues to tear down and build new skyscrapers. I visited the tallest building in Korea, Lotte Tower. From crowded observation deck, you can see the deep density of the city nestled in the foothills of mountain ranges. When I went back to the Starfield Mall, the massive library was still in place, but the rest of the underground mall had been bulldozed and all new shops taken the place of the old ones. It was quite startling since it used to be a crowded, upscale place. The Megabox theater section used to have 20 screens and a crowded waiting area. But when I went, it had only 8 screens and limited showings. In contrast, the new Lotte Mall in Jamsil, just three subway stops away, was bustling with people and stores. Its cinema had 21 theaters and at least 6 showings per day in each theater.

Sixth, the country has not recovered from the pandemic shut down. Tourism is still down. The economy is still sluggish. Youth unemployment is still very high. Basic costs have soared from inflation. I found that some retail workers were much older than teenagers. I also found that many convenience stores have shrunk in size and quality (not like in the k-dramas). I also found that on google maps many restaurants, especially pinned Western/American franchise locations, were gone, closed. It was also odd that my credit card only worked at certain locations.

Seventh, Korean movie experience was still good. The theaters were modern and clean but only about 1/3 full for first run shows. The film industry is still 50 percent below pre-pandemic box office numbers. Other entertainment platforms and the cost may be dampening film goers. A first run movie ticket in Seoul is 40 percent higher than the nationwide average.

Eighth, having studied Korean language for a few years, I could pick up some of the words, questions and phrases in conversation (whether watching movies or in the wild). I was approached by two Koreans: one student asked if I was a student on campus, and I replied no, I was visiting. Another man came up to me on the subway and asked where I was from. He then thanked me for coming to visit his country. My first impression of Koreans being professional and not friendly changed toward being polite and a little more friendly to foreigners.

Ninth, as the movie Parasite showed, there still is a wide class gap in Korean society. I stayed at a five star hotel north of the River near Namsan Tower. In the shadow of the high end hotels, was a working class neighborhood of small shops, printers, motorcycle repair mechanics and local restaurants that seemed old, dirty and smelled funky and uninviting to me. Some parts of this area had the building concrete facades falling off exposing rebar wire. You had to pick and chose where to eat locally.

Lastly, it was just good to get away. Traveling to a foreign country is an eye-opening experience if you keep you eyes and mind open to accept a different culture. It gives one pause to reflect and put everything normal in your life into perspective.

cyberbarf

OUR PUBLISHER'S OBSERVATIONS

GOOD

The amount of information on one's cyber fingertips is still amazing. I recently had to look up information on suburban coyotes, since a pair have wandered into my neighborhood as a came upon them in the darkness of a morning jog. The next early morning,1 AM, they were howling in the middle of the street. I learned quickly that the howling was either a) calling other pack members to join or b) more likely, warning others from getting into their territory. The neighborhood is filled with rabbits, wild life and geese (which in the quick, night foul screams a major food source for these coyotes). I also found out that they would probably have a territory of about 4 miles which means that there could settle in my neighborhood for the entire fall season.

BAD

Quality journalism and commentary is getting harder and harder to find. It was stated that more and more people believe it is a news source if it looks like a news source instead of actually going to a known, reliable news site. If Truth used to be the gold standard, it is now considered by some as landfill. The idea that social media platforms like Twitter or Meta are going to be gatekeepers of news is a sickening foreshadowing of the demise of idea of democracy being a public forum of ideas.

MAYBE

I have been watching more YouTube videos than reading news articles. It has been a long time since I sat down and read a book. Some of that is work schedule, but some of it is habitual convenience since network and cable television has gotten so bad.

cyberbarf

AI WORDSMITH CYBERCULTURE

In South Korea, a surge in online church services utilizing artificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape of religious practice. Christianity, the dominant religion in the country, has seen tens of thousands turning to AI driven chatbots and audio bibles for their spiritual needs. 50,00 people have signed up for a AI app that provides religious information, bible study and prayers. This trend is particularly popular among young Protestants, according to a report by the Financial Times.

Other reports indicate that some priests and ministers are using AI to help prepare their sermons or religious classes. They consider it a tool and not necessarily a replacement for their profession. But there are other people who use the tools of social media and technology for illicit purposes.

NBC News reported a Roman Catholic diocese in California is warning its flock to beware of wolves in priestly clothes. The Diocese of Stockton sent out a warning to other churches to be on the lookout for people purporting to be Spanish speaking Catholic bishops and priests who then charge exorbitant fees for celebrating the sacraments, teaching classes, and issuing certificates. The impostors are misappropriating the identities of genuine priests in Mexico and conducting unauthorized sacred celebrations such as baptism, confirmation, and First Communion Diocesan spokesperson Erin Haight told NBC News the bogus clerics “are charging these poor people thousands and thousands of dollars for things like health blessings, for communions and confirmations. They're even charging people to use the seats they provide at these ceremonies. The Catholic Church would never do that.” Haight said that the diocese reported the scams to the police but they were told that only the people who were victimized by these impostors can file complaints and initiate investigations.

A fake priest could use AI to generate fake sermons, sacraments or baptism certificates to fool the unwary, but what about regular people trying to stake a claim in their new profession, such as authors.

Poet Margaget Atwood recently wrote a column about AI writing poetry and stories. She was not impressed. She stated: Take heart! Not all is gloom! So far, generative AI chatbots don't seem able to reflect on what they're saying, though that in itself wouldn't differentiate them from some actual human beings. Also, they're bad at verbal texture, and they have a poor grasp of metaphor and sometimes even of punctuation. Well, they're learning from us, so why wouldn't that be true? The examples of poetry from chat bot was not very good; punctuation horrible and meaning lost. She ended telling new authors not to give up or give in. Your vocation is safe from the pod people. At least for now.

Remember, the best chatbot program is just scraping existing materials as a guide to guess an appropriate response to text prompts. If you were a student and guessed the answer on every test question, how would you fair? Exactly.

For the written word, it replaces images to tell stories with feeling. An author's words attempts to connect a reader's imagination to past experiences in a contextual dance of thoughts and emotions. A computer program does not have the real world life experiences that spark creative observations, metaphors, symbolism or language nuisances. Until we go extinct, the human brain is still the most powerful computer on planet Earth.

iToons

cyberbarf

FOUND BUT NOT LOST ON THE INTERNET

A South Korean influencer/adult film actress, Ah-In, went to the streets of Hongdae only covered in a cardboard box. She would ask passer-bys to reach in and touch her naked chest. When she was stopped by the police, she explained that this was a protest against men being able to take off their shirts to be topless in public but woman cannot not. South Korea is a very conservative social country. It is doubtful that this will change its patriarchal society.

Source: kbizoom

A random pop-up on facebook from lawofattractionlive. Surprisingly, it only got 89,000 likes.

Source: facebook

A new Family Guy episode is centered around making fun of Harry and Meghan, the runaway British royals. Several British publications showcased this episode that satires the couple for doing . . . who knows what. Recall, South Park also did a Royal Harry episode mocking the couple wanting their privacy while screaming at the top of the lungs to any media outlet with a camera. Like any Class D celebrity, if you leave them alone maybe they will just go away.

Source: Daily Mail (UK)

Apparently, on-line personality tests have not gone away. In this painting by Vladamir Kush, it can tell something about your personality. When we saw it, we thought it was a promo for the new Rolling Stones record, the first original song album in 18 years. Mick Jagger said the reason the band has not cut a new studio album in so long was “laziness.”

FREELANCE CARTOONS, ILLUSTRATIONS

FOR

NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINE, ON-LINE

DO YOU CONTENT?

CHECK OUT

PINDERMEDIA.COM

cyberbarf

THE WHETHER REPORT

cyberbarf

STATUS

Question: Whether Chat-bot use in professional fields like law is a malpractice landmine?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

Question: Whether college football's NIL payments and transfer portals for athletes turned the sport into professional competition for the NFL?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

Question: Whether body-cam video footage of terrorists killing people harms those organizations?

* Educated Guess

* Possible

* Probable

* Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

* Doubtful

* Vapor Dream

OUR STORE IS GOING

THROUGH A RENOVATION

AND UPGRADE.

IT MAY BE DOWN.

SORRY FOR INCONVENIENCE.

LADIES' JAMS

MULTIPLE STYLES-COLORS

$31.99

PINDERMEDIA.COM STORE!

PRICES TO SUBJECT TO CHANGE

PLEASE REVIEW E-STORE SITE FOR CURRENT SALES