KakaoStory now has a desktop version via the web called, not surprisingly, KakaoStory Web (카카오스토리 웹).
You can find it at http://story.kakao.com
You can find it at http://story.kakao.com
Friday, May 30, 2014
But if you want English-language information, which usually concentrates on new feature releases and promotions, their Facebook page is your best source of information. So, since they don't really have an active English-langauge blog, you can just subscribe to their Facebook page feed in your RSS reader, at this link:
http://www.facebook.com/feeds/page.php?format=rss20&id=194588567231357
This is a good source of information, for example, about the new Mac version of KakaoTalk for the desktop.
Saturday, May 24, 2014
To set your browser to use Naver as its default search engine (i.e. it will bring you to a Naver search results page when you type search terms in the URL link bar aka "omnibox"), simply add a custom search engine in your browser's settings using this string:
http://search.naver.com/search.naver?where=nexearch&sm=osp_hty&ie={inputEncoding}&query=%s
For example, I've recently converted some of my friends over to using Chrome instead of IE, but they want as "Korean" an experience as possible. Thus, in Chrome:
Menu -> Settings -> Search -> Manage Search Engines -> Other search engines
In the box for "Add new search Engine" just enter "NAVER" and in the box for "URL with %s instead of query" just enter the URL link from above. Then click to set it to "Default" and you're done.
In Firefox there are various ways, but I prefer:
Enter about:config in the URL bar -> find the entry for Keyword.url -> replace the string with the the URL above.
I personally also prefer setting the Chrome homepage to Naver's mobile site. That way you get the benefit of a Naver homepage with Korean news and predictive search while you type, but minus so much gaudy Flash clutter.
http://search.naver.com/search.naver?where=nexearch&sm=osp_hty&ie={inputEncoding}&query=%s
For example, I've recently converted some of my friends over to using Chrome instead of IE, but they want as "Korean" an experience as possible. Thus, in Chrome:
Menu -> Settings -> Search -> Manage Search Engines -> Other search engines
In the box for "Add new search Engine" just enter "NAVER" and in the box for "URL with %s instead of query" just enter the URL link from above. Then click to set it to "Default" and you're done.
In Firefox there are various ways, but I prefer:
Enter about:config in the URL bar -> find the entry for Keyword.url -> replace the string with the the URL above.
I personally also prefer setting the Chrome homepage to Naver's mobile site. That way you get the benefit of a Naver homepage with Korean news and predictive search while you type, but minus so much gaudy Flash clutter.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
I'm usually not a fan of K-drama, but for this I made an exception.
"21st Century Family" (Korean title: 21세기 가족) is basically a Korean version of ABC's "Modern Family" and pretty funny. It features that wild old guy with the nice (fake) hair from those health insurance ads as the Jay (wealthy, conservative, cranky grandpa figure) and enough real humor to keep you interested. Of course there's the hot stay-at-home mom (aka Claire) with the childish husband (aka Phil) and the 1-son-2-daughters mix (dumb boy, hot slut daughter, smart daughter), and of course the grandpa married a much younger hotter woman (aka Gloria), but instead of the gay son there's an ugly slut daughter, though Iwould definitely do her don't get why she's ugly and her brother who basically is a manchild that still lives at home and despite his heart of gold fails at every job interview. I like American Modern Family, and I like this one too. The plot is different of course but still pretty funny. I like it because it's so unlike normal Korean melodrama.You'll forget that what you're watching is Korean. Or, it will make you think that Koreans aren't so different from "us" after all. Aww.
You can watch this show with burned-in subtitles on various streaming websites, but why be a chump? Just download the whole season at this link that someone *ahem* graciously put up.
"21st Century Family" (Korean title: 21세기 가족) is basically a Korean version of ABC's "Modern Family" and pretty funny. It features that wild old guy with the nice (fake) hair from those health insurance ads as the Jay (wealthy, conservative, cranky grandpa figure) and enough real humor to keep you interested. Of course there's the hot stay-at-home mom (aka Claire) with the childish husband (aka Phil) and the 1-son-2-daughters mix (dumb boy, hot slut daughter, smart daughter), and of course the grandpa married a much younger hotter woman (aka Gloria), but instead of the gay son there's an ugly slut daughter, though I
You can watch this show with burned-in subtitles on various streaming websites, but why be a chump? Just download the whole season at this link that someone *ahem* graciously put up.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
The ferry that recently sunk in Korea was named Sewol, or 세월 in Korean. I had not thought much about this until a Korean friend pointed out how creepy a name it is, given the circumstances.
세월 literally means "time" but with a connotation of its movement; i.e. the passing of time. I've tried to come up with a good translation. Let's look at some examples from Naver and Google:
From Naver:
세월 (歲月)- Time
Google translates 세월 as Years, Time, The Years, Ages
My friend and I decided that one of the best ways to translate the sentiment of nostalgia or reflective longing of 세월 would be something like "As time goes by".
You can see why this would be a suitable name for a slow-paced, relaxing, easy, reflective, sentimental journey to Jeju. I imagine the old people, celebrating their 60th birthdays, sitting on the deck at sunrise and sunset, reflecting on their long, happy lives.
It also becomes a horribly apt and disgusting name, when you consider the children trapped, floating in their cabins, awaiting rescue as the crucial moments of the "golden hour" slip by.
I'm sorry to write something so morbid about this. During this discussion of 세월, I realized the depth of my own uneasy feelings about this event. Perhaps that is why something so trivial as the name of the boat, and its tenuous connection to the event, blew up in my mind. It seems a horrible microcosm of what happened. I don't like to add much opinion to this blog, but all those kids, scared, not knowing what to do, looking to the adults for help. It's too much. I apologize for any discomfort this post causes.
세월 literally means "time" but with a connotation of its movement; i.e. the passing of time. I've tried to come up with a good translation. Let's look at some examples from Naver and Google:
From Naver:
세월 (歲月)- Time
- 세월이 가는지 오는지도 모르다 (무사태평하다) be unaware of the passing of time
- 세월 참 빠르다 Time flies
- 세월 가는 줄 모르고 바쁘게 살았다 I've been so busy I didn't even notice the years go by.
- 그녀의 병이 회복되는 데 오랜 세월이 걸렸다 It took her ages to get over her illness
- 세월이 약이다 Time heals all wounds / Time will take care of this.
Google translates 세월 as Years, Time, The Years, Ages
My friend and I decided that one of the best ways to translate the sentiment of nostalgia or reflective longing of 세월 would be something like "As time goes by".
You can see why this would be a suitable name for a slow-paced, relaxing, easy, reflective, sentimental journey to Jeju. I imagine the old people, celebrating their 60th birthdays, sitting on the deck at sunrise and sunset, reflecting on their long, happy lives.
It also becomes a horribly apt and disgusting name, when you consider the children trapped, floating in their cabins, awaiting rescue as the crucial moments of the "golden hour" slip by.
-------------------------------------------------
Author's commentary:
I'm sorry to write something so morbid about this. During this discussion of 세월, I realized the depth of my own uneasy feelings about this event. Perhaps that is why something so trivial as the name of the boat, and its tenuous connection to the event, blew up in my mind. It seems a horrible microcosm of what happened. I don't like to add much opinion to this blog, but all those kids, scared, not knowing what to do, looking to the adults for help. It's too much. I apologize for any discomfort this post causes.
You may have noticed this image appearing as Koreans' KakaoTalk or Facebook profile pictures recently:
This is a "Yellow Ribbon Campaign" (노란리본 or 노란리본 달기). The text says 하나의 작은 움직임이 큰 기적을 which means something like:
Source: 카톡 노란리본…‘노란리본 달기’ 확산 “하나의 작은 움직임이 큰 기적을”
Another one that seems to be popular is this:
This one features the same text as above, but adds at the bottom 다시 돌아오기만을 기다리며 기원합니다 which is something like "Hoping for your return" or "We're waiting for you to come back" "Wishing for you to come back again."
This is a "Yellow Ribbon Campaign" (노란리본 or 노란리본 달기). The text says 하나의 작은 움직임이 큰 기적을 which means something like:
- One's smallest movements can make a huge wonder, or
- The smallest steps can have a huge impact, or
- If we all do a little, we can do a lot, or
- The littlest things can make the biggest difference, etc.
Source: 카톡 노란리본…‘노란리본 달기’ 확산 “하나의 작은 움직임이 큰 기적을”
UPDATE
Another one that seems to be popular is this:
This one features the same text as above, but adds at the bottom 다시 돌아오기만을 기다리며 기원합니다 which is something like "Hoping for your return" or "We're waiting for you to come back" "Wishing for you to come back again."
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Naver has released a Translation program that appears very similar to Google Translate. It operates, much as Naver Dictionary, as a mobile-friendly website at this link:
http://m.translate.naver.com
Here's what it looks like on my phone:
You can see that it translates in the "card" style Google now uses. It can pronounce the words, has a "conversational" feature where the translation is displayed full-screen (again, much like Google Translate). It also lists several sample usage sentences displayed in both Korean and English.
Once you've translated something, you can then "Share" the translation through a variety of apps, though this sharing feature utilizes short-links (via me2.do) as a share medium:
It also features a row of emoticons, though I don't understand what they're for. They are apprently for feedback: Press them, and you are asked to submit your comments and feedback, so I guess the emoticons are to indicate your overall satisfaction with the translation?
Anyway, I'm very pleased to see Naver continuing to come out with English-language interfaces for their services. Naver has a wide variety of great features and services; wider, I'd say, than Google ever since Google's streamlining efforts. Google's main advantage, like Facebook's over CyWorld, was multilingual (thus international) support. Here's hoping that Naver continues to provide services in English (Naver Maps, perhaps?)
http://m.translate.naver.com
Here's what it looks like on my phone:
Here it is in operation:
You can see that it translates in the "card" style Google now uses. It can pronounce the words, has a "conversational" feature where the translation is displayed full-screen (again, much like Google Translate). It also lists several sample usage sentences displayed in both Korean and English.
Once you've translated something, you can then "Share" the translation through a variety of apps, though this sharing feature utilizes short-links (via me2.do) as a share medium:
It also features a row of emoticons, though I don't understand what they're for. They are apprently for feedback: Press them, and you are asked to submit your comments and feedback, so I guess the emoticons are to indicate your overall satisfaction with the translation?
Anyway, I'm very pleased to see Naver continuing to come out with English-language interfaces for their services. Naver has a wide variety of great features and services; wider, I'd say, than Google ever since Google's streamlining efforts. Google's main advantage, like Facebook's over CyWorld, was multilingual (thus international) support. Here's hoping that Naver continues to provide services in English (Naver Maps, perhaps?)
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