Alexander Graham Bell - Patent Thief?

There is a story on slashdot.org about Alexander Graham Bell being a patent thief. http://science.slashdot.org/science/07/12/27/1342258.shtml

This is old news to Deaf people from all over the world.

Thursday ~ December 12, 2007 by deafgeek

Posted in Technology | 1 Comment

Wireless Keyboard for your Blackberry

Blackberry Wireless Keyboard

The wireless keyboard is a bluetooth enabled device. I ordered the keyboard from freedomkeyboard.com and it is very useful for IM chats. Its so hard using the thumb to communicate in real time.

I have a big thumb and the wireless keyboard is a Godsend!

Blackberry users are getting extra tools to make their Blackberry experience useful.

Tuesday ~ June 06, 2007 by deafgeek

Posted in Technology | 9 Comments

Mac Safari Public Beta 3 for PC Now!

Safari Beta 3

I am using a Mac Safari as a web browser on my PC. I have a Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop with Vista Enterprise and the Safari works like a charm.

It includes quicktime and it is nice also.

Download the Beta 3 at: http://www.apple.com/safari/

Enjoy!

Tuesday ~ June 06, 2007 by deafgeek

Posted in Technology | 2 Comments

Using a Blackberry pager as a modem for your laptop

BlackBerry 8700gBlackberry pager can be used as an external modem. I tried this on my Blackberry 8700g using Dell Inspiron 6000 laptop and I was surprised at the speed.

What it does is to give you a wireless connection on your laptop using the Blackberry pager as a modem. I was driving and playing with the Google maps to find directions. I was thrilled to get this feature because I am getting a lot of value using the Blackberry. I used the laptop and played some online games which was fun. I made a relay call using my laptop while I was in the parking lot to inform my friend where to meet. You can use a camera to do video relay chat; however, some areas are fast and some are slow. In big cities you get up to 2 mbps but the average is 400-700 kbps.

I am enclosing instructions for the Deaf and hard of Hearing people on how to set up your Blackberry as a modem.

Click for INSTRUCTIONS:

More choices for the Deaf and Hard of hearing Blackberry users.

Tuesday ~ June 06, 2007 by deafgeek

Posted in Technology | 12 Comments

Automated Phones - How do we get a human on the telephone?

This is a good list on how to bypass the automation telephone system. When a Deaf caller needs to speak to a live person and they have to go through voice activated menus. I stumbled at a web site to show you how you can bypass the selections by pressing certain numbers or characters.

This will make life much easier for people who don’t want to be acosted by voice menus.

Go to the website at: http://gethuman.com/ and look at the database of companies also with instructions on how to get a human person on the phone.

Saturday ~ May 05, 2007 by deafgeek

Posted in Technology | No Comments

Free-Lunch within the Telecommunication Relay Service?

Technology has been advancing daily. Do you remember when we fought hard for the state relay service?

State telecommunication equipment distribution program was a godsend because many of us could not afford expensive TTY/TDD’s. Then CAPTEL (Captioned Telephone) came out and people with speaking skills find this device awesome because you can speak and read the comments on the CAPTEL screen. Many people on the state advisory boards have fought to include CAPTEL on their statewide telecommunication distribution lists. Do you remember we were not allowed “wireless” communication devices because the law says we can have devices that are selected by the statewide telecommunication equipment distribution list which are plugged into the telephone jack. Wireless has no telephone jacks to plug in. What happens if the law is changed to include “wireless” communication devices? What will happen to the TTY/TDD’s that were distributed by the state? Some people mentioned the TTY/TDD’s are good for 911 emergencies.

Now we have telecommunication relay service that can handle calls anywhere in the United States and in fact people do not call their in state relay service as much as they used to. The customers have a choice and most have brand loyalty.

An explosive rise of telecommunication providers is when Video Relay Services was established. Business were making a killing at first providing Video Relay Services. In 2002, NECA (National Exchange Carrier Association) paid $17.044 per minute of use rate.

Telecommunication providers jumped on the bandwagon because it became a profitable business venture.

The high reimbursement rate in 2002 is to encourage telecommunications providers to build the relay business by providing high technology devices to benefit the Deaf and hard of hearing customers.

Now we have several VRS vendors who are competing for our business. There is a problem with this and how can a company compete? The cost of doing VRS business are the same. This service is free to Deaf and hard of hearing customers and is it fair?

A lot of hearing people pay for language translation services through the telecommunications provider and why Deaf people get free equipment and services? This sounds more like socialism. I am not saying that we should not stop the process but how can a Deaf and hard of hearing customers become equal with their hearing counterparts? It is true “if” NECA stops paying relay their reimbursement rate and Deaf people will not be using the relay because it is expensive. What is their next option, Text-messaging, Instant Messaging, Video-to-Video communications?

Deaf and hard-of-hearing people need to prepare for the future because technology is changing daily and the hard part is, will the “free-lunch” will be over.

Source: http://www.neca.org

http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trs.html

http://www.captionedtelephone.com/911psaps.phtml

Thursday ~ May 05, 2007 by deafgeek

Posted in Technology | 1 Comment

Text Messenger IR Walkee Talkees - Databank Organizer

Product Review

I purchased the SMS text messenger IR system from OCDAC (Oranage County Deaf Advocacy Center) via eBay for $39.99 plus $5.00 shipping. It comes with a pair of sidekick-look system without batteries. When I opened the box and installed the batteries (2 AAA batteries for each unit) then tested.

It is not that simple and it has a wireless range of 50 feet. I and another Deaf person tried this out without instructions to see how easy it is to use. The keypad itself is confusing and there are buttons to press for receiving and sending messages.

I let the kids play with the device and after a few minutes they returned back to me and said “I don’t like this thing.”

This is not a great device to chat back and forth and the Sidekick (1-3) by Danger, Inc. (www.danger.com) has a specific keyboard that can be typed using thumbs or fingers fast. The SMS unit by OCDAC is not like the sidekick.

I would recommend a paper and pen handy nearby. You can do a lot more with a paper and pen than using the SMS messenger unit.

Source: Click here 

Friday ~ May 05, 2007 by deafgeek

Posted in Technology | 3 Comments

Deaf Brain

There are amazing research on Deaf brain. It is to help us understand how the Deaf brain works. I have posted links and the links itself is technical in nature but a good reference for people who are curious about the subject itself.

An article about how the brain helps the Deaf enjoy music: 

A child must learn to map each concept:

New Language Learning Linked To Early Language Experience:                                                                                    

How a deaf-born person interpret written language?                                   

Language, Modality, and the brain:  

Other related links:

http://www.ajnr.org/cgi/content/full/28/2/243

http://www.ascdeaf.com/blog/?p=122

http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/news/releases/02/6_14_02.htm

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000C2254-1C3C-1C68-B882809EC588ED9F

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/reprint/100/17/10049.pdf

Saturday ~ March 03, 2007 by deafgeek

Posted in Technology | 2 Comments

American Sign Language (ASL) - is it a new language?

A lot of people misunderstood American Sign Language because they assume that it was founded within the 1930’s.

In fact Before April 15, 1817 (American School for the Deaf was established in America) there were other sign language that existed. Martha’s Vineyard had a record of Deaf people using old Kent Sign Language (OKSL). Home sign language in America may be the oldest language until one day someone discovers the true origins of sign language.

The 1776 Declaration of Independence is the birth of the United States of America and 41 years later first formal public school for the Deaf was formed at West Hartford, Conn. The first Deaf teacher at that school is Laurent Clerc who is from France.

Gallaudet University was founded in 1856 as National Deaf-Mute College. American Sign Language has been around for more than 190 years and it is not new at all.

References:

Tuesday ~ March 03, 2007 by deafgeek

Posted in Philosophy | 4 Comments

Why not Deaf people become an Audiologist?

If you want to change the way the audiology works. Then get Deaf people involved in the audiology field as a career.

Hearing audiologist can focus on sound and Deaf audiologist can help Deaf to develop language using hearing aid and ASL.

This will be the most powerful influence to make changes within the audiology profession. Parents will contact an audiologist first to find out what can be done for their Deaf child. A Deaf audiologist will emphasize speech, American Sign Language, and auditory aids.

This will create a new era of how to help a Deaf child succeed in life. If a parent chooses to go to the cochlear implant route and make sure they get American Sign Language therapy because the child cannot speak until their vocal chords are developed to pronounce speech. What could work at that period is to use American Sign Language to help the child start language development at a very early age. I am very confident that parents will allow that because they want something to work for their Deaf child. After a few years their parents will realize how much their child had succeed by learning ASL and pave way for speech. This will create a bicultural approach which is a win-win situation.

Technology is moving fast and there are new inventions if we work along with this and we will enable to promote American Sign Language at the same time. if we fight this and we will lose for sure also will be labeled as inable to reason.

The rationale behind this that parents will prefer to speak with a Deaf audiologist because they have the experience of being Deaf. Hearing people learned about Deafness from the books and internships. Deaf person knows it from living and understands what will work for the Deaf child. An audiologist is a professional degree and is well respected.

If we can get Deaf people to enroll Gallaudet’s audiology program and in a few years the philosophy will change for the best because it works also promotes inclusiveness.

What do you think of this idea?

Tuesday ~ March 03, 2007 by deafgeek

Posted in Technology, Philosophy | 16 Comments

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