盤點那些不如不"改進"的東西

當科技進步並且融入人們生活，想要跳出來就很難了。我發現人們壓力越來越大，越來越疲勞，與從前相比更加精疲力盡。微博、校內、博客和電子郵件帶來的干擾使得人們很少有時間可以歇下來思考。

There's no stopping advancement. Tools are becoming more sophisticated and everything seems to be getting faster, more efficient, more compact or hands-free.

人類一直在追求進步。工具變得越來越精密，一切都變得更高速、高效、簡潔，大大解放了人們的雙手。

But there are some things that were just fine the way they were, in fact some things were better before we made it “better”.

但是，對於有些東西，我們會希望他們保持原樣就好。事實上，許多東西在“改進”前反而比“改進”後更好。

1. Coke. Coca-cola in a glass bottle. This not only looks cooler than a plastic bottle or can but there’s something about ice cold coke from a glass bottle that makes it taste better too.

可樂。玻璃瓶裝的可口可樂不但比塑料瓶裝或聽裝可樂酷多了，而且冰鎮的玻璃瓶裝可樂味道好好得多。
2. Organizers. I'm still fond of the trusty pen and paper. For me, tasks are better remembered when I physically write them down. There is a sense of accomplishment by being able to cross completed tasks off a list. I just don't get the same feeling ticking a box on a screen.

編輯軟件。我仍然喜歡可靠的紙和筆。對我來說，只有親筆寫下的東西纔會印象深刻。從任務列表上劃去已經完成的任務會有一種滿足感，而在屏幕裏的方框中打鉤可沒有這種滿足感。

3. Phones. While cell phones are convenient they can be very intrusive. I don't like the idea of anyone person being accessible 24 hours a day 7 days a week. If you've ever had a cell phone/blackberry/iPhone for work then you know they come with the attached expectation that you will be available. All the time. I like the idea of a land line with a good old fashioned answering machine. If you're not around to answer the phone you're likely doing something of value to you and it's nice not to be distracted from that.

電話。手機一方面十分便捷，而另一方面則很煩人。我並不贊同這種“可以在一年任何時間都能聯繫”的概念。如果我們工作時曾用過手機/黑莓/iphone的話就會知道，這些東西就是誕生的前提就是假設你一直都是有空的。 至始至終我都欣賞那種有答錄機的有線電話。如果正好在做其他正事而不能接電話，那麼這項功能可以讓你不被打擾。4. Food. Walk down any aisle at the grocery store and you'll see them. Convenience foods. They come in all serving sizes, a variety of flavors and are there for your convenience. I'm all for making meal prep as quick as possible but what I don't like is how these foods taste very different from the food they are intended to replace. If you were to make many of these convenience foods yourself, from scratch, you would see that they don't really taste anything alike.

食物。人們走在任何一家雜貨店中都會看到食物。方便食品。它們大小各異，口味衆多，並且都是爲了人們的便利而生。我非常贊成儘可能快的準備好食物，但我不喜歡的是，這些方便食品做出來的飯菜並沒有它們本該有的好味道。如果你自己要用這些方便食品做飯菜，你會發現這些食品從一開始就什麼味道都不像。

5. Technology. As technology advances and everyone becomes plugged in it's becoming harder and harder to unplug. I find people are more stressed, tired and generally burned out than before. With all the noise out there through twitter, facebook, blogging, and email there is very little time to switch off and even think.

科技。當科技進步並且融入人們生活，想要跳出來就很難了。我發現人們壓力越來越大，越來越疲勞，與從前相比更加精疲力盡。微博、校內、博客和電子郵件帶來的干擾使得人們很少有時間可以歇下來思考。

6. Cameras. Before digital cameras we were actually more careful of the pictures we took. We didn't want to waste film so we generally took time to set up a shot, compose the picture properly and really see the subject. In the digital age we are more free to take pictures at our whim. Snapping shots left, right and center not really paying attention to what we've just captured. These pictures are then dumped onto the computer, rarely looked at. The poor pictures are rarely culled and the good ones are lost amongst the masses.

相機。在數碼相機出來之前，我們照相謹慎多了。因爲不想浪費膠捲，我們會盡量仔細地對焦要照的內容，細緻的構圖，並且會仔細看要拍攝的對象。在數碼時代，我們能隨心所欲的拍自己想拍的。“咔嚓”拍一下左邊右邊和中央就罷，並不會仔細看所拍之物。這些照片被拷貝到電腦裏，之後再很少看了。垃圾照片很少被刪除，而好照片也被埋沒了。

7. Television. The choice of TV programs is incredible these days. The sales pitch is usually centered around a massive number of channels with stations from different time zones so if you miss a show, don't worry it'll be on again an hour later. With all this choice it's no wonder we get sucked in hour after hour. Before all this choice we used to play outside, get more done and actually connect with our family. Since we've turned off the TV we've noticed big changes in ourselves and our interactions with our family members.

電視機。如今可供選擇的節目多如牛毛。爲了營銷推廣，節目通常會在大量來自不同時區的的不同頻道播映，所以如果你錯過了某個節目，別擔心，一個小時後，又有重播了。正是由於此，難怪我們常常一個小時又一個小時的耗過去了。在此之前，我們通常都會去戶外運動，做更多事，並且與家人真心的溝通。關掉電視，我們會發現自己與家庭成員間少了多少的交流，我們之間的關係發生了多麼大的改變。

Granted there's no escaping change, progression or advancement. Some of these improvements are actually beneficial and don't get me wrong I love my digital camera and access to information (via the Internet) whenever I need it. There are just aspects to the way things used to be that are still really appealing to me.

鑑於改變、進步和發展是不可避免的，其中一些進步的確給我們帶來了更大的便利，而且不要誤解哦，我可喜歡我的數碼相機以及任何需要的時候都能通過互聯網查看信息的便利呢。只不過，有些東西的一些過去有的功能，仍然很吸引我罷了。

What do you think was better before it got “better”? Or do you feel we are truly getting better all the time?

你覺得那些東西，“改進”前比“改進”後要好的？或者，你是否覺得我們的不斷改進真的越來越對我們有利嗎？