What kind of person are you: one who has techno joy, or one who has techno fear? Do you know how to cope with a computer which doesn’t see the printer? Do you know how technology will lead to Armageddon? Eddie Izzard will give you all the answers!

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Glossary

• derive – (of a word) have (a specified word, usually of another language) as a root or origin
• wipe – remove or eliminate (something) completely
• come off – become detached or be detachable from something
• swish – impressively smart and fashionable
• taxidermy – the art of preparing, stuffing, and mounting the skins of animals with lifelike effect
• giggle – laugh lightly and repeatedly in a silly way, from amusement, nervousness, or embarrassmen

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Think about it

Answer the questions below. Pause at times indicated in brackets.

1. Briefly characterize the people who have techno fear. (1:09)
2. What do the people who have techno joy do with the instructions? (1:52)
3. Do you have techno fear or techno joy? How does it show?
4. What does Eddie Izzard say about depiction of computer users in films? (3:24)
5. Have you ever had similar problems with your computer equipment? How did you solve them? (6:24)
6. What does Eddie Izzard say about the end of the world?

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Think about it

Put the words in bold back into the sentences below.

swish    –    giggling    –    wiped    –    derived    –    comes

• I must know how this works. I’ve used machines before. Come on! Come on! Come on! This bit ________ off, I think.
• There are two groups – people with techno-fear, who are there going: “I’ve ________ the file? I’ve ________ all the files? I’ve ________ the Internet?”
• Everyone on films is so ________ on computers. B-der, b-der, b-der, dee, dee, dee. So expert on their computers. Breaking into the Pentagon computer. Double-click on ‘Yes’.
• That’s where it all ends. The book of Revelations has got Armageddon. That’s Australian for “Armageddon outta here, it’s the end of the world!”. That’s where it ________ from.
• And the whole world goes. Which will be interesting. But if it does go, I think I’ll carry on ________, cos I quite like it.

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What’s the difference between saying:

• If the world goes…
• If the world does go…

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Explore it more

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