September 29, 2025 • 5 mins
When your coffee run never ends.
In this latest tale from the strange-but-true world of Odd News we look at the dark side of coffee. If you've ever taken your laptop to a coffee shop to get some work done, you know the drill – by a cup, work a bit, then be on your way. But what happens when someone decides they like the vibe by the espresso machine a bit too much? We'll tell you about a peculiar new phenomenon in South Korea that has a major coffee chain scrambling to implement new rules. Find out what it takes to be a "cagongjok," and why a simple trip for a latte might turn into an all-day affair.
And to celebrate the 20th anniversary of comedy4cast, we're unlocking the vault for another classic clip. Take a trip back to August 2005 and listen in on a conversation with a noted futurist. His job? To predict the next big thing in technology. What's his brilliant, earth-shattering prediction? Did it come true? Listen now to find out the groundbreaking answers.
So, pour yourself a large one (or don't, and listen to the show instead), and check out this latest episode of comedy4cast, "It's Coffee Break Time."
>> You can also support comedy4cast by becoming a patron on Patreon>> Or you can get Clinton a Dunkin' card or a cup of coffee via Ko-Fi>> Follow comedy4cast on BlueSky, Instagram, Facebook, MeWe, and Mastodon >> Give us a call via the Super Secret Phone Line (213) 290-4451>> Also check out Clinton's other podcast, The Topic is Trek>> Certain sounds effects heard on comedy4cast are courtesy of freeSFX and FreeSound.org
Click here for a transcript of this episode.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:01):
The comedy4cast Network. Let's dog-ear that for now.
Oh, hi! Clinton here. Welcome to the Dog Days of... Pumpkin Spice Season?
Yes, August got away from me because... life! So this is my unofficial extension of Dog Days.
(00:21):
For more information on that, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.
I always use Dog Days to give you 31 episodes full of some interesting,
yet totally useless, odd news.
And this year, to celebrate the platinum anniversary of comedy4cast,
or PAC for short, I'll end each Dog Days episode with part of a classic comedy4cast episode.
(00:44):
So, let's get started with Odd News PAC!
People know that for a change of scenery, I'll often take my Microsoft Surface
and go to Dunkin' to do some writing.
Maybe it's where I wrote this script. We'll never know for sure, Bagel.
My setup is pretty minimal. Just the tablet computer, the keyboard,
(01:04):
and the mouse, and this large coffee.
But in South Korea, people seem to have taken things a bit farther.
In fact, Starbucks locations there have had to implement some new rules,
and not about you sucking it up and just accepting the fact that they got your name wrong.
The Starbucks chain has posted notices at all of its South Korea branches that
customers will no longer be allowed to set up their computers inside the store.
(01:29):
Now, we're not talking about small laptop computers or tablets.
Those are still allowed. This policy is directed at a group of customers known
as kangonjok, a term that combines the Korean words for cafe, study, and tribe.
These cafe squatters are customers who spend several hours studying or doing
office work while sitting in the coffee shop.
(01:50):
That is, after they've plugged in one or two multi-outlet power strips,
a desktop computer, a 32-inch monitor, and a printer.
No camera or ring light for streaming? Well, not that I know of,
but some people do bring partitions.
And sometimes they leave their stuff unattended for long stretches.
I don't know, maybe they're taking a meeting in a Starbucks down the block.
(02:14):
Wow, about the only thing this place needs to be a real office is a cafeteria.
Personally, I think it's okay to spend a bit of time in a coffee shop while doing some work.
But when you start using their email system and saying things like,
you go on home, I'll lock up when I'm done.
It might be time to buy a coffee maker and spend some more time working at the kitchen table.
(02:36):
And now, let's celebrate 20 years of comedy4cast with this classic clip.
Here's a clip from the August 9th, 2005 episode where I spoke with noted futurist, Dr.
Malcolm Edelstein about upcoming technology breakthroughs.
Tell us, Dr. Edelstein, what technological breakthroughs do you see happening in the next year?
(02:59):
The next big thing, the next big breakthrough will be wireless pants.
Excuse me? You heard me, wireless pants.
Forget the iPods and your cell
phone and all that stuff. With wireless pants, it's all built right in.
And what exactly is the advantage of wireless pants?
(03:20):
How many times have you left your house, got to the office and thought,
oh, I left my cell phone at home in the charger.
A few times. And how many times have you got to work and said,
oh, I forgot my pants. Not so many.
Well, that's true. You have to think these things through.
That's why I can visualize these things. I think them through.
(03:41):
You have your music. Stereo. Very nice. Left channel out of the left pocket.
Right channel out of the right pocket. Surround sound.
Well, there's a booming bass from somewhere, but I'm not willing to say where
that comes from. Will you be able to download with the pants?
Next question. Now, what about the phone?
(04:03):
The phone? Yes. Do you talk into your pants?
What? Do you talk into your pants? Are you insane?
What are people going to think if you're talking into your pants?
Well, I just... Of course not. Talk into your pants. You talk into the socks.
That about wraps it up for today's Odd News Pack.
(04:24):
But first, a shout-out to the comedy4cast Patreon patrons,
including our producer-level patrons Paul Barrie from the A Window to the Magic
podcast and Kirby Bartlett-Sloan from the 20-megabyte Doctor Who podcast.
You too can support comedy4cast
and get episodes before everyone else for as little as $2 a month.
(04:45):
Just search for comedy4cast, all one word with the number four, on Patreon.com.
Script, voices, and original music by me, Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.
Talk to you again next time. But for now, that's it. We're done,
(05:05):
done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.
Music.
The comedy4cast Network. Let's dog-ear that for now.
Oh, hi! Clinton here. Welcome to the Dog Days of... Pumpkin Spice Season?
Yes, August got away from me because... life! So this is my unofficial extension of Dog Days.
(00:21):
For more information on that, go to dogdaysofpodcasting.com.
I always use Dog Days to give you 31 episodes full of some interesting,
yet totally useless, odd news.
And this year, to celebrate the platinum anniversary of comedy4cast,
or PAC for short, I'll end each Dog Days episode with part of a classic comedy4cast episode.
(00:44):
So, let's get started with Odd News PAC!
People know that for a change of scenery, I'll often take my Microsoft Surface
and go to Dunkin' to do some writing.
Maybe it's where I wrote this script. We'll never know for sure, Bagel.
My setup is pretty minimal. Just the tablet computer, the keyboard,
(01:04):
and the mouse, and this large coffee.
But in South Korea, people seem to have taken things a bit farther.
In fact, Starbucks locations there have had to implement some new rules,
and not about you sucking it up and just accepting the fact that they got your name wrong.
The Starbucks chain has posted notices at all of its South Korea branches that
customers will no longer be allowed to set up their computers inside the store.
(01:29):
Now, we're not talking about small laptop computers or tablets.
Those are still allowed. This policy is directed at a group of customers known
as kangonjok, a term that combines the Korean words for cafe, study, and tribe.
These cafe squatters are customers who spend several hours studying or doing
office work while sitting in the coffee shop.
(01:50):
That is, after they've plugged in one or two multi-outlet power strips,
a desktop computer, a 32-inch monitor, and a printer.
No camera or ring light for streaming? Well, not that I know of,
but some people do bring partitions.
And sometimes they leave their stuff unattended for long stretches.
I don't know, maybe they're taking a meeting in a Starbucks down the block.
(02:14):
Wow, about the only thing this place needs to be a real office is a cafeteria.
Personally, I think it's okay to spend a bit of time in a coffee shop while doing some work.
But when you start using their email system and saying things like,
you go on home, I'll lock up when I'm done.
It might be time to buy a coffee maker and spend some more time working at the kitchen table.
(02:36):
And now, let's celebrate 20 years of comedy4cast with this classic clip.
Here's a clip from the August 9th, 2005 episode where I spoke with noted futurist, Dr.
Malcolm Edelstein about upcoming technology breakthroughs.
Tell us, Dr. Edelstein, what technological breakthroughs do you see happening in the next year?
(02:59):
The next big thing, the next big breakthrough will be wireless pants.
Excuse me? You heard me, wireless pants.
Forget the iPods and your cell
phone and all that stuff. With wireless pants, it's all built right in.
And what exactly is the advantage of wireless pants?
(03:20):
How many times have you left your house, got to the office and thought,
oh, I left my cell phone at home in the charger.
A few times. And how many times have you got to work and said,
oh, I forgot my pants. Not so many.
Well, that's true. You have to think these things through.
That's why I can visualize these things. I think them through.
(03:41):
You have your music. Stereo. Very nice. Left channel out of the left pocket.
Right channel out of the right pocket. Surround sound.
Well, there's a booming bass from somewhere, but I'm not willing to say where
that comes from. Will you be able to download with the pants?
Next question. Now, what about the phone?
(04:03):
The phone? Yes. Do you talk into your pants?
What? Do you talk into your pants? Are you insane?
What are people going to think if you're talking into your pants?
Well, I just... Of course not. Talk into your pants. You talk into the socks.
That about wraps it up for today's Odd News Pack.
(04:24):
But first, a shout-out to the comedy4cast Patreon patrons,
including our producer-level patrons Paul Barrie from the A Window to the Magic
podcast and Kirby Bartlett-Sloan from the 20-megabyte Doctor Who podcast.
You too can support comedy4cast
and get episodes before everyone else for as little as $2 a month.
(04:45):
Just search for comedy4cast, all one word with the number four, on Patreon.com.
Script, voices, and original music by me, Clinton Alvord. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.
Talk to you again next time. But for now, that's it. We're done,
(05:05):
done, done, done, done. Bye-bye.
Music.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com