Try to find out what this means: Los >>ni-ni>>, David Moralejo
Ok, another killer thread, but this time a real killer
Looks difficult even to me. 
I will not correct until next Saturday, that is you have more than a week. I might give some hints, really tricky this one
El tiempo nos cura casi de todo, pero dudo si también del marrón que supone pertenecer a esas tribus que ciertos sociólogos inventan cada poco para dar fuste a la eterna distopía de un mundo aún peor. Así, quienes rondamos la treintena somos (o fuimos, no sé) abanderados de la «generación x», que, según la wikipedia, también se conoce como «generación de la apatía». Un drama. Pisándonos los talones de las zapatillas pronto llegaron los «y», que representaban más de lo mismo sólo que con un rasgo evolutivo propio: controlaban la Playstation sin libro de instrucciones. O sea: eran apáticos, pero avispados. No hace mucho, alguien con suficiente tiempo libre a sus espaldas puso en órbita la «generación z», supongamos que para rizar el rizo y de paso apurar el filón del abecedario. Tal letra acoge a los nacidos entre 1993 y 2004, una caterva de adolescentes y tiernos infantes cuyo perfil individualista, multifuncional y cibertecnológico los convierte en seres del todo despreciables para una sociedad que pretende ir de racional. Algunos de los «z» son hijos de los apáticos «x», lo cual no ayuda nada a defender la platónica evolución de las especies. Este mundo feliz que ahora padecemos se divide así entre inconformistas, inadaptados e insolentes, un panorama que nos acerca irremediablemente a las negrísimas predicciones de Huxley: las castas marcan territorio henchidas de superioridad, los niños, hipnopédicos perdidos, navegan por internet pero patinan en el resto, y la tele azuza el temblor con experimentos como ese de la «generación ni-ni» (que ni estudia, ni trabaja, ni nada de nada). En realidad, los «ni-ni» son unos cuantos «z» rebautizados que ya se postulan como adalides de un futuro mejor en el que no hará falta ganarse el pan: caerá del cielo como un maná mientras sus padres, los «x», nos preguntaremos sin cesar por qué no nacimos más tarde.
36 Answers
Time cures almost everything, but I doubt that it will cure the misery entailed in being part of one of those those tribes that certain sociologists invent every so often, in order to prop up the eternal dystopia of a world that gets ever worse. Thus, those of us in our thirties are (or maybe, were) the standard bearers of “generation X”, who, according to Wikipedia, are also known as the “generation of apathy”. Oh the drama. Then right on the heels of our sneakers came the generation Y, who represented more of the same, only with a unique evolutionary twist: they could operate the Playstation without a manual. Or in other words, they were apathetic, but smart. Not long ago, someone with enough free time on their hands launched the term “generation Z” – presumably in order close the circle and incidentally exhaust the alphabetic resources. So that letter accomodates those born between 1993 and 2004, a horde of adolescents and mere children whose profile -- individualistic, multifunctional, and cybertech-savvy – turns them into beings that are completely useless for a society that has pretensions to rationality. Some of the Z’s are the offspring of the apathetic X’s, which is hardly helpful in moving along the mental evolution of the species. This brave new world that we are now subjected to is therefore divided between the non-conformists, the non-adaptable, and the impertinent, a panorama that brings us inevitably closer to the very blackest predictions of Huxley: each caste, full of its own superiority, marks its territory, while the children, lost souls mouthing what they learned while asleep, surf the internet but slip and slide everywhere else, and television eggs on the tremors with experiments like “Generation Neither-Nor” (those that neither study, nor work, nor in fact do anything at all). In reality, the neither-nors are just a few Z’s rebaptized , setting themselves up as champions of a brighter future in which no one will need to earn their daily bread: it will fall from the sky like manna, while their parents, the Xs, won’t be able to stop wishing we had been born a bit later.
About Plato:
5) Platon (428 - 347 a.C.)
Cree en Dios como el único creador de la evolución, pero sobre la evolución del hombre, dice que el conocimiento es la base de todo, la mente evoluciona antes que el cuerpo, el alma y la mente son primordiales y la base de la vida.
Which makes the mentioned generation completely worthless, as they:
Ni estudian, ni trabajan: los ni - ni
This is what is said about these guys:
Aquella frase manida que se utilizaba para ligar de ¿estudias o trabajas?, ha caído en desuso para muchos de los jóvenes de las sociedades industrializadas, porque muchos de ellos ni estudian, ni trabajan; es más, no tienen ninguna intención de hacerlo, por lo menos de momento; son lo que los sociólogos ya están empezando a denominar, "La Generación ni- ni". El 15% de los jóvenes españoles entre 16 y 24 años ni-estudia, ni-trabaja, y este porcentaje se encuentra en proceso de crecimiento.
Algunos de los «z» son hijos de los apáticos «x», lo cual no ayuda nada a defender la platónica evolución de las especies.
This is a very strange sentence. Plato normally spoke of the devolution of the species. Ancient (possibly mythological times) were referred to as the "golden age". The "silver age" was less clearly defined but in Plato's opinion, he found himself in the "Bronze age". Like almost anyone over thirty-something, he thought that the "good old days" were, in fact, better.
Time will cure almost anything, but I doubt if that also includes the burden it means to belong to those demographic groups invented every so often by certain sociologists to give meaning to the eternal distopia of a a world gone mad.
Thus, those of us in our thirties are (or maybe were) standard bearers of "generation x", which, according to Wikipedia, is also known as the "apathy generation". Big deal? Hot on the heels of our trainers came the "y"'s, representing more of the same, only with a uniique evolutionary twist; they were able to operate a Playstation without the instruction book. In other words, they were apathetic, but fast learners. Not long ago, someone with too much time on their hands launched "generation z", presumably to make things even more complicated and while they were at it to finish off the alphabetic resources.
This letter encompasses those born between 1993 and 2004, a swarm of teenagers and tender infants, whose profile, self-centered, lacking in concentration and poor at socialization, makes them completely worthless members for a society that aims to appear sane. Some of the "z's" are the offspring of the apathetic "x.s", which doesn't say a lot for Plato's theory on the evolution of the species.
This brave new world we now endure is thus divided between mavericks, misfits and whippersnappers, a scenario that inevitably bring us to Huxley's darkest predictions, the supercilious castes mark off their territory, the children, lost and brainwashed, surf the internet but skip the rest, and the television fuels the disquiet with reality programs like "generation ni-ni" (who neither study, nor work, nor anything else).
In reality, the "neets" are a few renamed "z's" who already suppose themselves champions of a better future in which you will not need to earn your bread: it will fall from the sky like manna for the Israelites, while their parents, the "x's", will constantly be asking ourselves why we were not born later.
(I think I might need a few extra "hints" on parts of this) 
Okay, here's my attempt (without peeking at y'all's answers)
Heidi, so you know... about 2.5 hrs of research & thought
Time cures nearly everything, but I doubt it cures the royal pain of supposedly belonging to those tribes which certain sociologists invent every so often to give credence to the eternal dystopia of a world continually getting worse. So those of us who are around 30 are (or were, I don’t know) the vanguard of “generation x”, which, according to Wikipedia, is also known as the “generation of apathy”. A drama. Hard on our heels arrived the “y’s” who demonstrated more of the same, only with their own particular evolutionary trait: they could work the Playstation without reading the instruction manual. In other words, they were apathetic, but clever. Not long ago, someone with too much time on their hands put in orbit “generation z”, in order to make things even more complicated, we must suppose, and incidentally to finish off the alphabetical streak. This letter was received by those born between 1993 and 2004, a horde of adolescents and tender infants whose individualist, multifunctional and cybertechnological profile converts them into beings completely worthless to a society that claims a pretence of rationality. Some of the “z’s” are children of the apathetic “x’s”, which doesn’t speak well at all for the platonic evolution of the species. This joyous world we now suffer is thus divided between the nonconformists, the maladjusted, and the insolent, a prospect which brings us irreversibly to the darkest predictions of Huxley: the castes mark out territory, heads swollen with superiority, while the children, poor lost brainwashed hypnopaediacs, surf on the internet but skate by in everything else, and the TV spurs on the tremors with experiments like that of “generation neither-nor” (which neither studies nor works, nor does anything at all). In reality, the “neither-nor’s” are a few of the “z’s” re-baptized now that they’re in the running for commanders of a better future in which there’s no need to earn your bread; it will fall from the heavens like manna, while their parents, the “x’s” constantly wonder why we couldn’t have been born later.
Time heals almost all wounds, but I doubt whether it will also cure us of the pain in the neck that is supposed to belong to those tribes that certain sociologists invent all the time in order to lend credence to the eternal dystopia of an even worse world. Therefore, those of us who are around thirty are (or were, I don’t know) the standard bearers of “Generation X,” that, according to Wikipedia, is also known as the “Generation of Apathy.” What a drama. Following hot on our heels quickly came the “Y” who represent more of the same only with one evolutionary feature of their own: They operated a Playstation without an instruction book. That is to say: They were apathetic, yet clever. It didn’t take long before someone with enough free time on there hands launched “Generation Z,” we suppose in order to make things even more complicated and while they're at it, to hurry up and extract the last remaining nuggets from the alphabet mine. Such a letter accepts those born between 1993 and 2004, a swarm of adolescents and tender infants whose individualistic, multifunctional, and cybertechnological profile becomes a completely worthless being for a society that aims to be rational. Some of the “Z” are children of the apathetic “X,” which doesn’t help at all to defend the Platonic evolution of the species. This brave new world that we now suffer is divided as such between nonconformist and insolent misfits, a panorama that brings us irreparably closer to the darkest predictions of Huxley: the castes mark territory full of superiority, the children, lost in a hypnotic dream state, surf the web but skate through the rest of their lives, and the TV eggs on the quake (catastrophe) with experiments like that of “generation neither-nor” (That neither study, nor work, nor anything else). Actually, the “neither-nors” are a few re-christened “Z”s that have already been nominated as champions of a brighter future in which there will be no need to earn a living (earn their bread): It will fall like manna from heaven while their parents, the “X,” will ask ourselves endlessly, “Why weren’t we born a little later.”
Time heals all wounds, but I doubt that it will do the same for the misconception that we supposedly belong to these social groups that certain sociologists invent all the time to give substance to the eternal dystopia of an even worse world. That is, the thirtysomethings are (or were, I don't know) the embodiment of gen x, who, according to Wikipedia, are also known as the "apathetic generation". How dramatic. We click the heels of our high heeled shoes and just like that gen y arrived, who represented more of the same, only slightly evolved: they can work a Playstation without reading the instructions. Or rather: they were apathetic, but driven. They didn't do much, anyone with enough free time on their hands could launch gen z, and let's assume show them how to curl their hair and learn their abc's. That letter is given to those born between '93 and '04, a gang of adolescents and tender infants whose individual profile, multifunctional and cybertechnological, has made them totally despicable beings in a society that is going to try to be rational. Some of the z's are children of the apathetic x's, those who couldn't do anything to prevent the platonic evolution of the species. This happy world we now suffer through is divided like this between nonconformists, maladjusted and insolent, a panorama that draws us irreparably closer to dark predictions of Huxley: the classes mark their territory full of superiority, the children, dazed and lost, surfing through the internet, but skating through the rest, and the TV makes us tremble with the feeling that this is the generation no-no (no studying, no working, no doing anything.) In reality, the no-nos are as much the rechristened z's that have already been nominated as the leaders to a better future in which everyone will have their daily bread, it will fall from the sky like a mana from heaven while their parents, the x's, will endlessly ask ourselves why we weren't born later.
Time heals us of nearly everything, but I doubt that time could ever heal us of the crimes supposedly committed by these social classes, which some sociologists frequently invent (to give substance to the world's dystopia). Thirty-somethings are (or were, I don't know) symbolic of GenerationX, which, according to Wikipedia, is also known as the Generation of Apathy. What a drama! We are trampled by the heels of the shoes of the up-and-coming Y-ers, which represent more of the same, except for one evolutionary feature of their own: they can operate a PlayStation without an instruction book. Or, to put it another way, they are apathetic but clever. It wasn't long before someone with too much free time coined the term GenerationZ -- just to hurry up and complete the alphabet, if for nothing else. Z is such a fitting letter to assign to those born between 1993 and 2004, a swarm of adolescents and tender babes whose individual, multifunctional, uber-technical profiles are rendered totally insignificant by a society bent on being rational. Some of these Z-ers are the children of the apathetic X-ers, who won't do anything to defend the platonic evolution of the species. This happy world now suffers being divided among the nonconformists, the misfits, and the insolent -- a panorama that comes dangerously close to fulfilling the dark predictions of Huxley: the superior castes marking out oversized territories for themselves, the hypnotized, lost children navigating the internet but just getting by with respect to everything else, the television constantly abuzz with experiments like that of Generation Do-Nothing (those that neither study, nor work, nor do nothing else at all). In reality, the Do-Nothings are just some of the Z-ers renamed, who postulate about the leaders of a better future, in which there will be no shortage of supply: it will fall from heaven like manna, while their parents, the X-ers, will constantly wonder why they themselves were not born later.
hipnopédicos perdidos
Now the use of perdidos here has caused a lot of trouble. I can see this could not be understood and is really a very Spanish use, obviously only in Spain, as Carlos did not get this either;
perdido used with an adjective,or noun simply means: absolutely with a negative nuance.
tonto perdido: absolutely stupid
Idiota perdido: an aboslute idiot
loco perdido: coompletely crazy
Also: loco perdido por ella, completely crazy about her
navegan por internet pero patinan en el resto
The use of patinar seems to be unusual too.
Patinar en algo: to be bad at
Patino en mates: I am bad at maths
Actually, the definition was in the RAE:
patinar1.
- intr. coloq. Perder la buena dirección o la eficacia en lo que se está haciendo o diciendo.
Expressions used here and correctly translated as(only to mention some)
del marrón the royal pain, the burden, pain in the neck
cada poco : every so often
quienes rondamos la treintena: those of us in our thirties
tiernos infantes tender infants, very sarcastic
de paso apurar el filón del abecedario: incidentally exhaust the alphabetic resources, extract the last remaining nuggets from the alphabet mine (great Izan)
para rizar el rizo : in order to make things even more complicated
Este mundo feliz This brave new world , this needed to be the exact title of the book which is differently translated in Spanish
experimentos como ese de la «generación ni-ni» reality programs like "generation ni-ni" (very good Sheila), new programme on Spanish TV
azuza el temblor spurs on the tremors fuels the disquiet
New category, we finally got it!!
Ok, I have come to the conclusion that I had to chose, jeje, but I really did not know who this time. I think Kattya came closest to the original, brave new world included
Good job everybody, I hope you will have a go at this one, only Alba has had a go at it so far
However, Heidi, to skate by means something a little different... to barely accomplish something with minimal effort... to not try.(Do you agree, Samdie?)
I've heard it used like that although, I'd often prefer "to scrape by" (but that shifts the emphasis away from the effort and stresses the narrowness of the margin of success.
In police and courtroom dramas one also hears "We'll let you skate/slide on this one (this charge) but ..." (meaning to forgive/overlook some wrongdoing).
Our own dictionary includes for "patinar":
- To screw-up (meter la pata).
By the way, to skip something or skate by or similar, according to your explanations, I would translate that as:
pasar de algo
Y pasan del resto, they skip the rest.
this would mean they put on effort whatsover in the rest and only concentrate on what they like doing.
What do you think?
I don't disagree with this. However, Heidi, to skate by means something a little different... to barely accomplish something with minimal effort... to not try.(Do you agree, Samdie?)
Isn't that at least close to " Perder la buena dirección o la eficacia en lo que se está haciendo o diciendo." ??
patinar
Izan said : to skip the rest...well, this is not the use
Me patina esta asignatura means: I am bad at it, I can't do it, I am really hopeless.
There is another idiomatic use too:
Me patinan las neuronas. 
I am crazy
Very appliable to "servidora" jejej
perdido
The definition is actually only close to the actual use of this term. it is normally used in a derrogatory way, unless talking about love, then it becomes positive, jeje
I only just say webdunce's entry, this would have been a perfect translation too:
hipnopédicos perdidos...utterly hypnotized?
