Go to the following link:
http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/10/28/why-waze-is-so-incredibly-popular-in-costa-rica
Read the article and in a 25 lined comment give your personal opinion about how this portrays "ticos" culture.
Due date November 21st
Task 2:
ResponderBorrarhow this portrays "ticos" culture.
It’s important to note the aspects that characterize the idiosyncrasies of a people, as they make them different from other people but at the same time the approach to other cultures and join a global world as these characteristics make them be recognized and appreciated in a world linked by communication technologies (ICTs), although this appears to be a negative aspect in the behavior of people belonging to that particular culture.
That's the case of how we "ticos" give directions that people need to get to a destination, but a foreigner, especially those who come from more structured like those of the first world countries, seems terrible and very bad . For me it is a wonderful feature, as it is an empathic form of communication that people can approach. It is also a way to meet and interact with others, because after asking an address and get a response is a conversation that makes us know the other person, whether it is you want to know why we went to that destination or that came to take us to where we are headed. It is also a way to show that kindness and practice both appreciate the people who visit us from other countries.
Although we "ticos" have attitudes that become positive or negative, depending on the situation in which we find, especially in the use of tools that we can facilitate and provide security in our daily tasks. As for technological applications since often we abuse them, as in the case of Waze, which may serve to give us directions to a destination quickly and smoothly, or help improve the job of transit authorities to be more fluid traffic within cities. But it also helps us to behave irresponsibly, allowing us to evade the authorities when we behave irresponsibly.
Born in Costa Rica is a privilege, but it involves be different in many ways such as our beliefs, our costumes and traditions, and also the way we give an address.
ResponderBorrarIn fact, for Costa Rican people could be a problem if a commercial place changes its address, because it’s a reference when people need to give instructions to visit some place.
During last year I have seen that the local governments have labeled the cities using names or numbers for streets and avenues, making it look more orderly, but I doubt that they are as useful as intended.
People walk in the city looking for places such as churchs, restaurants, cinemas as a references. Drivers do the same.
Our road system is organized, in many ways, by one-way streets and if a driver need to go to a place, he should know if a street has an enabled via. It is not surprising that many roads must be driven through to get a final destination.
So, Waze should understand how we use our streets to map our real conditions in them, and it became an useful app for Costa Rican drivers. This is the secret of this app, because of the unique challenges of navigating Costa Rica.
If you are a novice driver or you have to drive to an unkown destination, Waze could be an useful and confiable app to help you.
But on the other way, the app could be an ally to help irresponsible people to committing authority and to cause accidents.
Usually you can find people intending to skip police because they don´t have their documents in order, or they are driving and have drunk some alcohol. It´s very common to find drivers who needs to enter to restricted zones for some numbering licenses.
About traffic jams, Waze could be an useful app to help police to improve the terrible vehicular situation of the city, giving to traffics officers, some tracks about jams and conflict on the road, but for drivers is an amazing tool to escape congestion using alternatives ways.
Finally, the application is useful and government should be in alliance with the Waze's creators to develop some characteristics to improve controls on the road, and take advantage of what Waze offers about our particular way to drive.
The use of the new technologies has changed the way in the people around the word communicates. The advance in satellite localization and internet have been the principal elements in the development of the apps and software for navigation and traffic. In Costa Rica, these apps have solved the troubles related to ”how ticos give directions”.
ResponderBorrarSome aspects in the reading are related to the “ticos culture”. First, ¿why do we give directions without numbers of streets and avenues? In almost all world the directions systems are based on the numeration in the corners, but we use point or signals (and those signals could change). It’s a negative aspect of our culture.
Second, why do some people work as volunteers in a project? Without money? I think “ticos” can make many things only for personal or collective satisfaction, and the personal satisfactions comes from the benefit of the majority. The solidarity is one of the cultural characteristic from costaricans.
In my opinion other cultural characteristic of us, is the use of new technologies. The high index in cell phone and internet use, the amount of people that work in ITC’s, and the access to computers, tablets, smartphones, and smartwatches are evidence of this.
The reading expose other things about us. The way to make things in the Government. Always said: We don´t have money, it’s expensive, the low cost way... despite it, all of us never say nothing. The big projects sometimes need money, the money from the taxes. The Government prefer the corruption than the inversions.
There are two faces in this topic but if you analyze this article you can see more aspects about the “Tico´s culture”.
In the most of the countries give and obtain an address is easier than Costa Rica because the most of the people know the building and street numbers and all of this have its respectively label.
ResponderBorrarAlthough that all the streets and avenues in Costa Rica have name or number, few people know it, that's the reason that in Costa Rica the most of people give directions like: go straight three blocks (and the blocks are not equals) and turn left in the "antigua botica García" (place that doesn't exists now). Things like that are so difficult to understand and follow for some young Costa Rican people so could you imagine how hard could be for foreigners?
In some cases when I have been in others countries and asking me for my house address some people start laugh when they read my address and I say that is the way to give directions in Costa Rica.
However the government has made efforts to label some streets and avenues in San José and Cartago downtown but the people don't pay attention of that and other bad people had stolen the labels.
On the other hand, it's so interesting how really waze works I was thinking that there was a specifically company who managed the application. We have to be grateful with Carvajal and Hidalgo to make us the driving a little bit easy.
A lot of people usually use waze everyday to go to the job, school or just travel to avoid the traffic jam. However we have to be careful with the directions of waze because in some times the address is the smallest but a little bit dangerous.
The application is very useful and has many benefits for society, but as is usual there are people who abuse of the use like when the drunk people want to avoid the police or infringe the law.
CCalderón
Costa Rica has many traditions, and give an address could be consider as one of them. Costa Ricans had no problem in ask for an address, because in one way or another we find the way to get to our destination, but for foreign is a total nightmare.
ResponderBorrarWith the come of the help of technology, today is easier to find a place and get to it, like in the article, we can use our smartphones to find a place on a map and find the way to it by selecting just a few options on an app. But that kind of programs had some issues, they depend of another people information, which in some cases is not correct.
I experience a funny situation with Waze about a year ago, it was my birthday and my family want to go out for a lunch, so we think in some restaurants and decide for one in particular, so we search it on Waze , it supposedly found the address and it started to guide us to there. In a specific moment Waze said, “You have arrive to your destination”. We saw around and we did not saw nothing but vacant lots, so we search again on Waze and it found another route to get to the restaurant and finally we get there, but it was very funny to saw us on nowhere following the Waze instructions.
About the law violations referred on the article many people use Waze or another applications or GPS devices to evade police controls. I have witness how many people use their smartphones to know where the highway police is to avoid their presence, because their cars do not complaint with RITEVE or has some issue that is not according with the law.
Further, the bad use some people do of the GPS applications they are great to take a trip to any place you have not visit ever, all you need is search the name on the app and soon you are on the way to there with the direction and instructions of Waze. In that way, probably we will change the way we give an address in a future.
I´m a mess when I need to go to some place... My sense of location is less than poor.. jejeje Well that is the reason why I love Waze!!
ResponderBorrarAnd the other hand, Ticos we have a strange mode to give directions "250 meter from the white house"... Do you know who many house are white in the same street?
The disaster at giving directions is a consequence of another problem that has affected Costa Rica, which is the bad urban planning that have taken our cities over time.
Why the streets of the provincial capitals are so narrow? Why the bridges are two-lane while the roads to them are three lanes?
The streets of Costa Rica were intended for a small country and limited development. A opposite example is the city of Brasilia in Brazil. This city was designed with a futuristic vision of what they want to be in the future. For this reason the planning and construction details make it becomes a renowned metropolis.
But back to the subject of Waze, achieved this app to save time and headaches for many users circulating in the "road jungle" of Costa Rica.
The particular case of waze is an example of many of the technological developments that have facilitated some aspects of everyday life. Other examples are the apps dedicated to follow the workouts or that are useful to share recipes or to perform Pilates exercise routines.
The particular case of Waze is an example of many of the technological developments that have facilitated some aspects of everyday life. Other examples are the apps dedicated to follow the workouts or that are useful to share recipes or to perform Pilates exercise routines.
All these apps have facilitate life, but as the article mentions, the misuse of them may be a risk to his continuation from a legal standpoint.
Thus, the use Waze to indicate where they are located and traffic officers to avoid traffic tickets is a habit that impairs the vial culture of Costa Rica. Not that this culture is admirable, but becomes more deplorable to avoid doing things the right way ...
The Ticos are well, we like to collaborate and help. We like simple and free stuff. In my case for example, I use free software to give my math classes. Let's talk graphin calculator. The first version was American North, but the Americans gave us a free demo to promote it, and us we created a more powerful version. Now we walk the world teaching the Costa Rican version of that program and it is best that is free. We have dedicated many hours to improve the program and develop their use, but the satisfaction is great. All credit to my friend Juan Felix, I'm just his disciple and apprentice. Last week I went to Cuba to give a demonstration of how to use free software in math classes UCR and ITCR. Perhaps our work is not as important or as useful as the work done with Waze, because it is aimed at a specific group of people who are professors of mathematics, but liked them. What I mean is that what is happening with Waze is also happening in other sectors of the population. By the way, Americans also liked the Costa Rican version because they saw that is more powerful than theirs. Costa Ricans believe is right to pay for the things we use, but if we can make ourselves better. The difference is that we are not as capitalistic as Americans. We believe it is best gift to charge. Not so interested in making money, we prefer to give free. With free travel is enough. Then we cross the experiences. The point is that Costa Ricans have a different way of personality and mentality that does not have the rest of the peoples of America. We export software, coffee and peace. Costa Rica is a small country and is a practicing Catholic people and much love of neighbor. I think that's why we are different. Once I read on the internet a tico difference because you hit it and asks for forgiveness, when I read that first it seemed incredible, but I did the experiment in San Jose, I walked down the main street beating people walking and Costa Rican asked my forgiveness, but foreigners were angry. Test passed.
ResponderBorrar