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HelloIt seems the day the microwave was invented, our society lost allmeaning for that little virtue we call patience. Don’t believe me? Howmany things have you pulled out of the microwave before it actuallyreached zero? How many times have you seen the microwave show thenumber 3 or even 1 instead of the time? One second? You couldn’t evenwait one second for your food or soup to be done?That behavior right there is how our society now operates. We havebecome accustomed to getting information right now, when we need it.--- I suppose he's talking about the knob on the microwave. But I'm not sure why he's saying first 3 and then 1 and then adds "instead of the time"? It's not completely clear to me. Maybe he's talking about the digital clock. How should I understand the phrase "that behavior right there"? Maybe: "Our society behaves in this way"

Ivanhr · Accepted Answer

They both (the number 1 and 3) relate indirectly to the time (but not specifically expressed in seconds or minutes). #3 and #1 are basically presets (preset time and maybe power) and #1 denotes the shortest amount of time needed to prepare (or heat up) a meal/drink. The basic idea is that we cannot wait even for #1 to finish, let alone set the time to something longer than that.
"that behavior right there" simply means that we, as a society, are impatient with everything we do (including using the microwave to prepare our food)

Terryxpress · Answer

Yes, he is referring to the digital timer. Whatever the number showing, it is the time remaining in seconds (or minutes if the person is really desperate with something cooking for, what? - 20+ minutes!)
But when we see the numbers counting down - 5....4...3..2...1 - we see them as just numbers, a count down till we are supposed to take it out of the oven, not as important seconds required to finish the cooking. So we jump the gun, ignore those final few seconds because we can't wait, and take it out of the oven.
That behavior right there: the behaviour you see, right in front of your very own eyes, when someone can't even wait the final few seconds - (for a microwave oven to do in minutes what a regular gas oven might take half an hour to do ) - shows exactly how our society now operates: no matter how much we have shortened the cooking time with microwave cooking, it's still not quick enough for us!
We no longer have the patience to wait.

Newguest · Answer

Hi

I think I understand.

How many times have you seen the microwave show the
number 3 or even 1 instead of the time? One second?

So by 3 and 1 he's referring to remaining seconds and says that we look at these as numbers not as a passing time, that's why "instead of the time", right?

And by asking "One second"?" he's in a way asking us "You can't wait one second?".

If this is what he says then I understand it.

Thanks

Terryxpress · Answer

Yes - you understand. But just to make it perfectly clear:

How many times have you seen the microwave show the number 3 or even 1
..because that's what digital timers do - show numbers. But we have programmed the oven to cook for a certain period of time, and so, these numbers indicate the time remaining.
But ..."instead of (actual) time", as I said, we regard them as just numbers, counting down till the food is ready. It's the same as if, when playing 'hide-and-seek' and counting back from a hundred, we manage to get down to '12...11...10... ' and then forget about the remainder - too eager to go-seek... that we do!

And by asking "One second"?" he's in a way asking us "You can't wait one second?".
YES.
And by asking "One second?" he's in a way asking us, "You can't wait one measly*** second? Is that how impatient you are, that you can't even wait one measly second?".

***measly: contemptibly few in number : as also in, "He lost being elected school captain my three measly votes."

Newguest · Answer

Thank you for your answers, guys!

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