Persona non grata

Calm down folks. Before I get any more emails (yes, I know) let me remind you that I don't have the need nor the time to watch videos that are long on hyperbole, short on facts and full of the tabloid stuff. Not my bag no matter the subject.

Next, if you like golf, technology and you have a hearing loss, maybe this bit of news will interest you.

The annual conference for the West Virginia chapter of the AG Bell association connects parents, teachers and health professionals to experts and to the latest research and technology in the field of hearing loss.

"The fall conference - it's our big annual event," said Austin, an organizer for the association. "There's lots of parents and education for parents. It's a neat time to get together and for the kids to see other kids just like them ..."

To prepare for the annual conference in the fall, the AG Bell association will host its fourth-annual Hearing Heroes Golf Tournament Monday at the Berry Hills County Club.

All proceeds from the golf tournament will go toward securing a national speaker at the conference, and to provide continued educational resources to families and individuals with hearing loss.

Be sure to read the rest of it.

Now, what are the odds that protesters will show up at this event?

Video: How to promote a positive picture of ASL without attacking...

The simplest and best to way to promote ASL is to focus on the positive only. No need to attack individuals or organizations for having a different opinion or philosophy. Below is my 1994 video of my hearing daughter, Heather, at her 1st birthday showing her cute way of responding to family's request on how to sign certain words. This is her at exactly 1 year old seeing how precocious of a child she was at the time when it came to signing and understanding the spoken language. This is exactly how ASL can be promoted in such a positive and enjoyable manner to parents of hearing and deaf children.

I am responding here to show people that I do support ASL for children with hearing loss. I even support the use of signing for hearing and deaf/hh babies because the benefit is the ease of communication for the baby or toddler. But in the same vein I also support the parents right and duty to make an informed decision regarding communication and educational options for their child with a hearing loss. Depending on circumstances or philosophies if the parents make an informed decision and decide to forgo signing then we have to respect that and move on.

Amy Cohen exemplified this very simple concept on the promotion of ASL a few years back in a discussion lost somewhere in the pages of Google history. I agree with her that the best way to promote ASL for children is to focus only on the positive. If there are leaders or people directly connected to an organization trying to promote ASL that have a habit of making personal and public attacks to other individuals or organizations then that organization will not succeed in its goal. It will fail. Why? Because people get turned off when an organization decides to go from a positive goal to a negative one. A goal cannot be achieved if one decides to focus more on the negative attacking than the promotion of ASL. Someone needs to make a decision on how this goal is achieved and maintained. I have no tolerance when I get personally attacked on a very public internet by an organization trying to promote ASL. I have my own opinions and philosophies. Either privately agree to disagree and move on. For an organization to publicly attack people can only make it look weaker and raises questions on the integrity of an organization's own goal in promoting the positive value and benefits of ASL to young children with hearing loss.

Matt Hamill to fight Tito Ortiz!

Man. How raw can this get?

The fight card for UFC 121 which is scheduled for October 23 at the Honda Center in Anaheim is shaping up to a big one with some big names in the sport. The latest confirmed fight will have "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz facing his former pupil in Matt "The Hammer" Hamill according to MMAFighting.com

Tito was the coach on "The Ultimate Fighter" Season three opposite Ken Shamrock. Matt Hamill was on Tito's team and according to some of the other fighters appearing on that season he received preferential treatment from Tito. The special care given to Matt seemed to stem from the bond between solid wrestlers.

And who would've thought this would happen after seeing rare pictures of Matt Hamill and Tito Ortiz hamming it up and clowning around in front of the camera like a bunch of happy frat boys? And now, it's gonna get real serious between the two on October 23, 2010. Of course, none of this is exactly official but tentative at this moment.

By the way, those pictures were sent to me by Matt Hamill as part of my continuing interviews with Matt Hamill that began 4 years ago.

Deaf Bilingual Coalition's Unprofessionalism

DBC, a pro-ASL advocacy organization, attempted to deride, smear and call names a deaf/hh private individual solely because of an opinion piece in a personal blog. DBC went so far as to advertise this unprofessional move using their blog section. This smear piece existed only for about an hour before it was conveniently deleted (note the URL address) for unknown reasons. This DBC blog piece was an objection over a blog piece that was done this morning by a deaf/hh individual. The link to this site was also recorded in the DeafRead extra section as well.

Here's the screen capture of DBC's blog piece.

A very unprofessional action by that organization allowing someone to use its blog section to personally try and go after individuals for having an opinion. If DBC wants to promote a positive image of their advocacy organization, the personal attacking needs to stop and focus on the pro-ASL advocacy only.

I have explained numerous times in the past, and as recently as this morning in my blog, I have no problems for parents making an *informed* decision regarding communication and/or educational options for their children with hearing loss. No one gets to decide except the parents. That is their parental right and duty. The where, who, and how this information are obtained is not the issue here as long as parents are well informed to make an informed decision based on circumstances, available resources and amount of hearing loss in question. ASL is no doubt an important part of the communication option yet it is the parents who make the final decision on how they will move forward.

This blog piece will remain available to the public so they can be well informed about this attempt which raises questions the professionalism of this organization. This should not have happened in the first place.

I will await DBC to make a formal apology to me and to the public for their gross oversight. And the person in question will need to agree to stop posting comments in my blogs as well and any references to me in any blogs from now on.

ADDENDUM: Please visit my recent blog of my video of my 1 year old hearing daughter who signs on her birthday. A video example on how to promote the positive value of ASL without the need to personally attack individuals or organizations for having different viewpoints or philosophies. Focus on the positive and you will go far.

Enemies of Choices

There is a recurring yet common theme I keep seeing in some segments of the Deaf community and that is the constant attempts to restrict choices whether it's choices on communication options or about competitions or of ideas.

Let's begin with Deafread, a blog and vlog aggregator site.

In the beginning many liked what Deafread was doing. So did the people who linked their cochlear implant, AVT, oral/aural blogs and by bloggers who may be critical about some ideas or people in the Deaf community. This was soon met with a gradual backlash by some segments of the Deaf community believing it was time that Deafread needed to refuse blog links on those very subjects. Deafread refused and believe that readers have the right to choose their own subjects or topics for their reading pleasure. It is an aggregator site.

Let's look at DVTV, a mostly signing vlog aggregator website.

In the beginning many liked what DVTV was doing. So did the people who did their videos on many subjects even by some vloggers who may have been critical about some components of the Deaf community. This, too, was soon met with a gradual backlash by some segments of the Deaf community believing it was time that Deafread needed to be shutdown over certain controversies. DVTV didn't bow to their demands. Viewers and participants have the right to choose their subjects for their viewing pleasure.

Let's look at the recent AB2072 bill controversy. It was a bill about choices where ASL was quickly amended to this bill along with many other communication options to help make available to parents of children with hearing loss so they can make an informed decision. But many Deaf people were against this bill outright. Many Deaf people were in favor of the concept of that bill and supported it. And many Deaf people were against it unless amended to their satisfaction.

Promoting Veditz's 1913 speech.

Veditz at the time was for the preservation of sign language (ASL, BSL, etc). His support for it was valid at the time. But today's technology makes a huge impact on communication choices and how it has fostered competition over ideas. Over time the educational component improved in its understanding on what works effectively and in what particular environment for a child with hearing loss. Just as well over time we saw information on these communication and educational options become increasingly available and easy to access over the internet. Compare this electronic access to information of today to parents of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and even into the 1990s who had to struggle to get their needed information and the people they needed to contact in regard to their child with a hearing loss.

Using Veditz's "enemy" speech is an outdated attempt to try and squelch choices and competition. An attempt to try and squelch other hearing loss support organizations that may be more favorable to other communication or educational options. What people tend to forget is that parents of children with hearing loss have the trump card. It is they who have the duty and right to make an informed choice on the decision for communication and/or educational options. The decision does NOT belong to any one deaf/hh or Deaf organizations or groups of people. The child belongs to the parents.

Veditz lived in a time when there were NO form of technology that can help with the communication and educational components for people with hearing loss. It made great sense at the time about sign language since technology simply did not exist. Yet, sign language is still valuable today. However, using Veditz's speech today in the attempt to call out other hearing loss organizations as their "enemies" will simply not work. Why?

1) It's because of our improving technology and greater understanding on the educational component for children with hearing loss.

2) Secondly, it will not work because doing so make them look like an extremist group who are against choices, competition, and the free exchange of ideas.

3) And thirdly, there is no one size shoe fits all for all children and adults with hearing loss.

This is all about choices.

There is so much what technology has to offer for people with hearing loss and understanding that it is technology that ensures choices will remain on the table and not be restricted by any one hearing loss organization or culture group.

Compared to 15 to 20 years ago what we have now we didn’t have then or the improvement we have now. It might seem snail pace but if you put everything together there has been leaps and bounds on the improvements in communication and technology in virtually in all areas.

*Internet relay service
*Automatic transcriptioning of videos on YouTube (accuracy varies)
*Video phone
*CART
*Communication Devices (UbiDuo)
*Enabled smartphones for people with hearing loss
*Video relay service via smartphones
*Instant Messaging (AIM, Yahoo, MSN, etc)
*Real time texting, simultaneous communication via smartphones (UbiVia)
*Email
*Movie theater captioning
*DVD/CD/Tape movie CC
*Real time human captioning
*Free subtitling/captioning software
*Digital hearing aids
*Cochlear implants
*Blogging
*Vlogging
*Internet video captioning (e.g. Project ReadOn)
*Automatic real time captioning (non-human, continues to improve)
*Core computer chips by improving efficiency, speed and performance where we go from dual core chips, to quad, to 16 core, to 32 to soon in a few years a several thousand core chip that will help in the area of communication including ASL recognition software (ASL to voice, ASL to text, text to voice, voice to ASL, Voice to text, voice to translated voice and so on).

The United States is the most technologically advanced along with vast support in the social services on providing the most communication access and choices for people who are deaf and hard and hearing. In fact, we are the most "spoiled" bunch of people in the world in that respect but at the same time we continue to bethe proving grounds for the world to see on technological advancements for people with hearing loss.

Choices. It continues to grow. Technology will ensure that.

A family outing at Sunset Falls for day of swimming in river

What a refreshing day it was. It got up to 91 degrees and spent about 5 hours swimming and eating at the very popular swimming hole at Sunset Falls in Washington which takes about an hour's drive south from where we live which is well worth the trip and certainly much better than a chlorinated soaked swimming pool. We got there at about 11:00 just so we can get a good parking space. My three hearing kids, deaf wife and a deaf dog, Lucky, spent the day swimming and jumping into a deep pool from 14 feet high. We did, not the dog. She doesn't like the water.

The video shows the larger and main pool of Sunset Falls while above that fall is another smaller one and smaller pool. We hit both of them and did some exploring upstream of the falls as well. At the end of the day we all agree that this will be our newest and favorite swimming hole.






The video above is a guy I video-taped at the same spot where I taped my two daughters jumping into the same pool but from a 14 foot height ... feet first. The guy does a single backflip from 25 to maybe 30 feet high. Don't know who the guy is. He's nuts.

When technology allows 100% communication access to language anytime

Imagine this futuristic scenario that may come sooner than later within our lifetime. Forget stem cells or gene therapy and consider the use of technology as the ultimate the answer to every deaf and hard of hearing person's communication needs. One hundred percent accessible to language and communication for every deaf or hard of hearing person. A technology so advanced, its own processor power, artificial intelligence built into a micro-computer smaller than the smallest hearing aid. It has the computational ability to pick up sound, voices, speech patterns, advanced speech recognition algorithms, artificial intelligence, smart grammar software and such that it's able to process spoken words almost instantly in the form of captioned words that would seemingly float before your eye in specially designed eyewear (or perhaps contact lens). No more would you guess what a person might be saying and instead understand 100% of what was spoken to you in a conversation. The ability converse in either a noisy or quiet environment would be easy as apple pie. Let's say this technology come into existence 50 to 75 years from now. That's 2 or 3 generations away.

If available today would you love to have this piece of non-invasive, highly intelligent piece of technology and software? And become easily part of the hearing world at your own time and choosing? Would you love to have this piece of this technology?

Who wouldn't?

Now, imagine this technology does become available and it'd be relatively inexpensive to own. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

Ok. Let's go a step further. That means just about every deaf and hard of hearing person from little children to adults could have this piece of technology just as easily as wearing a hearing aid or eye glasses. It would become so easy for users become an integral part of the hearing world indistinguishable from anything else. A technology so advanced that it would allow 100 percent access to communication and language in the written form without the need for interpreters. Would this piece of technology eventually make obsolete the concept of a deaf/hh community? What about the Deaf community? Would this advanced technology actually create a disincentive on the need to learn sign language when a deaf or hh can easily help with the communication in a hearing world? How would this technology impact on the socialization of deaf and hard of hearing people? What about the size of the Deaf community? Would it go down because of this technology?

Just food for thoughts, folks.

Oh, by the way, people are working on such an idea for several years now. Like here, here, and this video example this year that shows exactly where we are going with eyewear video and speech recognition ability. It's only a matter of time until we get to the point of total indepence with the full and complete ability to interact with the hearing world in person at anytime and any place.

Round Peg in a Square Hole

Here are some cartoon drawings based on different geometric shapes I was doing a few years back. Thought I put my drawings here for ya'll and see what you say.



Click here to enlarge.



Click here to enlarge.

When deaf people live out in the country

Lately I've been seeing some irrational rantings against certain people who like living out in the country or the wide open spaces of America in the great outdoors in the effort to somehow try and use that against them. Unbelievable. I believe there are more pros than cons in living out in the country than do city living. The most obvious one is that the amount of stress is considerably less living out in the country than to deal with the crowded people, the traffic jams, higher crime rates, the increased pollution, and so on. In fact, a recent study came out saying that spending time with nature helps boost your immunity, reduce stress and increase your sense of well being.

...spending more time in nature might have some surprising health benefits. In a series of studies, scientists found that when people swap their concrete confines for a few hours in more natural surroundings — forests, parks and other places with plenty of trees — they experience increased immune function.

Stress reduction is one factor. But scientists also chalk it up to phytoncides, the airborne chemicals that plants emit to protect them from rotting and insects and which also seem to benefit humans.

One study published in January included data on 280 healthy people in Japan, where visiting nature parks for therapeutic effect has become a popular practice called “Shinrin-yoku,” or “forest bathing.” On one day, some people were instructed to walk through a forest or wooded area for a few hours, while others walked through a city area. On the second day, they traded places. The scientists found that being among plants produced “lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, and lower blood pressure,” among other things.

A number of other studies have shown that visiting parks and forests seems to raise levels of white blood cells, including one in 2007 in which men who took two-hour walks in a forest over two days had a 50-percent spike in levels of natural killer cells. And another found an increase in white blood cells that lasted a week in women exposed to phytoncides in forest air.

In short, being out in the woods or the great outdoors among the plants and trees is quite therapeutic. So, before anybody start to make fun of deaf or hard of hearing people who choose to live out in the country, consider the many benefits in living out in the country. With technology today you can easily enjoy keeping in contact with your friends, work from home, and/or enjoy being away from the mad world of city life.

Below are some pictures of Mount St. Helens, Mt. Rainier and Mt. Adams I took recently. These are the mountains I get to see almost everyday out in the woods whether it's working or driving around town. Sometimes I get to see all three mountains in one day or even four mountains if you include Mt. Hood from a distance in Oregon on a fantastically clear day. These are the beautiful snow-capped mountains and I never get tired looking at them. Such majestic features that can be admired up close or from a distance.

The Mount St. Helen picture I have below is an older one from last year and I have a better and more recent picture of it to upload tomorrow if I don't forget. Meanwhile, enjoy the fine scenery along with fresh air, green plants and trees, and the colorful splendor of what nature can offer you.



Mt. Rainier in late June 2010 from road 25.


Mt. Adams near the Mt. Adams Wilderness sometime in July 2010 from road 23


Mike's self portrait in the exact same location as the picture above with Mt. Adams in the background sometime in July 2010 on road 23.


Mt. St. Helens in July 2009 from road 25 vista point.

A puzzling irony.....

I was in an email discussion with a deaf person I know (a non-blogger/vlogger) who explained to me what he saw in some videos vlogs with the name Barry Sewell coming up. He further explained that one of the basic complaint from those vloggers is that Barry is trying to seek attention to himself in his vlogs. This was funny considering what my friend said about those vloggers who were doing the same thing by vlogging on much more frequent scale than Barry! Pretty ironic when it comes to complaining about others "seeking attention." Kind of like the pot calling the kettle black except it was done in poor fashion by actually whining to the video audience seeking their attention that Barry's videos were done to seek attention. I can only shake my head with this laughable irony. Except this time Barry wasn't doing the whining or complaining here. It was some of those vloggers. Maybe they need to take their own advice this time and not complain so much like a squealing stuck pig?

Now, I like Barry. He's a good conversationalist. He seeks to understand and learn a variety of things about life. He a natural outdoors fellow and love all things natural seen in nature. Loves horses and animals. There is something to be said for living out in the open land away from the congestion of polluted and crowded cities in favor of a more natural and spiritually enhancing place. There is nothing wrong with living in the great open spaces of America. In fact, it's one of the best places to go to seek refuge and peace for the sake of body, mind, and spirit. If you don't believe me then why do Americans take off on their vacation to go camping, visit the many great outdoors like Yellowstone Park, the forests, raft the rivers, swim in the lakes and such? If anybody is smart enough already it is to avoid the crowded cities or the rat race of city life. Like me, I seek the open spaces as well as much as possible. And I'm fortunate that I am able to experience that on a daily basis. So is Barry.

Giving thanks on what hearing I have left

I don't do this every morning giving thanks but on occassion when I do come around to it do I realize the gift I have with what hearing I have left. And I give thanks the technology in the form of a hearing aid which has enabled me to access sound all around me. Though not perfect but I am still thankful that I am able to hear well with it. I am thankful for my mother and father for giving me my first hearing aid at age 2 progressing to the point of understanding the spoken words without even looking. It's a wonderful thing when a hearing aid enables one to hear beautiful music, the sound of thundering waterfalls as I do my hikes along the trails in a forest, the birds, my kids laughing making funny comments, and talking to friends, my sister or mother on the phone on a weekly basis and enjoying the intoxicating piano music while I play ragtime and novelty rags on my piano. There is a certain level of appreciation when it comes to the gift of sound that can only be appreciated by those who have access to it. For some it may not be as complete as others since hearing loss varies by amount of decibel loss and frequency range, and the time when we were first exposed to it.

Each of us look at hearing loss or what hearing we have left differently. I look to the positive with what I have left and cherish it for one day it may disappear. But technology and science certainly help keep that hope alive to hear through cochlear implant and perhaps someday soon the restoration of nerve deafness using adult stem cells. Regardless, the point is that I am happy that I was given this opportunity on Earth to be able to hear even when the ravages of the German Measles or Rubella tried to steal all of my hearing away while I was still in my mother's womb. Yet, I prevailed. As a hard of hearing person who is deaf, I try and remember to thank God for my good health and hearing.

Certainly my perspectives are completely different from those who never experienced what sound is like and certainly wouldn't care for it finding it of no importance. Maybe go so far as calling sound as "under-rated." I understand that but just because you may not find value in hearing sound does not mean everybody will agree with you. Lacking the experience or the senses does not make a person any less of a person than a healthy hearing person. We're all different yet equal. Each of us has our own strengths and weaknesses.

But we are in an exciting time when technology continues to help us access a world that was at one time primarily reserved for hearing people only. And there are ways we can enjoy sound or music without the need to hear it through our ears. Sound gets to be appreciated here yet sometimes it is misunderstood by those who don't value it in the first place. There are those who appreciate in hearing sound and those who appreciate the total absence of sound. We value those things differently. One isn't necessarily better than the other. Just that our perspectives and experiences translate it into a value judgement.

New technology on captioning and audio at theaters

This is what I'm talking about. Let innovation drive technology as a solution rather than have laws forcing companies to do the impossible.

New technology will start being rolled out later this year in major movie cinemas, making it possible for deaf and blind people to follow the film they are watching.

The digital technology, which includes providing captions and audio descriptions, will be introduced for films screened by the four major cinema groups.

New ideas and innovation are what make these things possible. There are always new technologies being developed for deaf and blind people, and people with various conditions or disabilities.

The limp handshake

I've shaken hands many, many times in my life and I've come across all kinds of handshake responses. Some were good ones and others were just horrible with limp, fishlike like handshake like the one I experienced with a Deaf person at a NAD convention a few years back. This happened twice with the same Deaf person. It was a handshake signal that conveyed lack of confidence and weakness. It wasn't a sweaty handshake but somewhat a moist, fish-like limp handshake. It is the second worse kind of handshake next to a sweaty one. Enough to withdraw your own handshake quickly and avoid that person the next time around.

The most important handshakes are when you're establishing a business contact or relationship with a person you're meeting with for the first time (and thereafter). Other handshakes are for social reasons not related to business but still just as important. It's important for deaf people to understand the value of a handshake along with other social cues like eye contact and saying the right words. In other words, strive for the "perfect" handshake and avoid being known as a person with a fish-like, limp handshake that no one wants to shake it with. There is a time and place on how to do the right handshake. Not every handshake has to be a strong, firm one. Social settings dictate the kind of handshake needed.

Of course handshakes between men and women are different, especially when it comes between two opposite sex shaking hands with one hand normally being the bigger hand of the smaller one. And those with small hands, there are ways to counter strong (even crushing) handshakes of a bigger or stronger hand during a handshake. There's a technique in a handshake where you won't feel overwhelmed with an overly aggressive and crushing handshake by an ego driven idiot. A technique that can even prevent hurting your hand. Maybe I'll show you how the next time around? Meanwhile, watch that handshake!

How the iPhone 4 and iZ could cost more money for Deaf users

Let's look a little closer on this iPhone 4 and the recent iZ news on Video Relay Service (VRS) for iPhone 4 along with the reality of real time video bandwidth it can consume each minute. Let's see how this could put Deaf people at a financial disadvantage using the two technological wonders. Instead of getting overly excited, people should be concerned on how this could hurt their wallets if they're not careful.

With the recent AT&T change on how it would charge cell phone users on data download and upload it reverted to a capped usage amount for their tiered pricing plan which began last month.

For $15 a month, the DataPlus plan offers smartphone customers 200 megabytes of data. If customers exceed 200MB in a monthly billing cycle, they receive an additional 200MB of data for $15 until the end of that billing cycle. For $25 a month, consumers sign up for the DataPro plan and get 2 gigabytes of data. If subscribers exceed 2GB during a billing cycle, they will be charged $10 for an additional 1GB of data.

So, 2GB a month sounds alot doesn't it? When it comes to video downloading or uploading like real time video chat, real time video VRS, or uploading video shots to your Facebook page that 2GB limit could go fast before the end of the month is up in a non-WiFi scenario here.

Here are some numbers :

The front-facing camera resolution is 640×480. At 30 frames per second, with H.264 encoding, this would result in 5 MB per minute video.

The back-facing camera resolution is 1280×780. At 30 fps and H.264 encoding, this would be 12.8 MB per minute video (note that H.264 is generally more efficient at higher bitrates).

Netflix streaming onto an iphone would be about 2.8 MB per minute video.

Let's assume a 5 MB per minute through iZ VRS relay using the iPhone 4. Let's use the 30 frames per second (fps) standard since at a minimum for clarity sake in seeing clearly the signing a 15 fps would be required. And let's assume you only make one VRS call a day for 5 minutes which equates to 25 MB used for one day VRS call. All done on non-WiFi calls. Do that each day for 30 days you would then have used up 750 MB already, almost half of the 2 GB capped limit. But add the constant real time video chatting with your friends and any videos uploaded for email, on social networking sites, or even YouTube. Do all this along with checking your emails and surfing the internet would certainly and easily push you over the capped limit of 2 GB per month with AT&T's new tiered pricing plan for smartphones. But I think the additional use of the VRS with your smartphone streaming video could turn out to be the potential hidden killer here. And how it could help take a hit on your wallet and get slapped with overusage charges by going over your capped data limit.

Looking back now and into the future one will need to develop a strategy to prevent any possibility of going over the capped limit if you plan on getting the iPhone 4 and use iZ VRS. The key is to recognize and understand these things that could end up costing you an expensive monthly telephone bill. There are other ways to keep in contact and communicate like texting, email, or IM. After all, not everybody will use the video phone to communicate all the time. Especially not when you have AT&T and other telecommunication companies coming up with their tiered pricing plans. This marks the begining of the end of unlimited download on your smartphone. Watch your wallet.

4G and the upcoming era of tiered pricing for data usage and how it could impact Deaf people

In my previous blog article on "Why some deaf people don't like using the video phone" I discussed how people's own preferences will determine how valuable a product or service is in the communication technology sector even when others deem it as worthless. It's like this wise saying,"One man's junk, another man's treasure." Which is why there is a huge ongoing growth of apps and services for smartphones in the age of rapidly improving telecommunication infrastructure that will increasingly handle faster and larger data loads such as video streaming as we ease into the 4G era that will easily surpass the 3G network system on speed and data load that most smartphones currently route through. Perhaps this "all you can eat buffet" will not last much longer and the amount of data used will determine the price you will have to pay, a tiered pricing data plan for smartphone users.

In other words, video streaming will eventually be limited in terms of how much people are willing to pay on the amount of video data you want. And we all know that video streaming or downloads can eat huge amount of megabytes of data every month. This could easily impact the wallets of Deaf people soon enough who recently got excited with the recent news of iPhone smartphone video capability (see video demo here) for its signing communication potential.

According to Nielsen Company a typical smartphone user consumes about 300MB of data a month which is more than doubled compared to last year's figure. And with the coming advent of video streaming of all types (Hulu, video relay, Mobisode, YouTube, Facetime, Fring, etc) with the effort to include captioning in all videos.

For Video Relay Service (VRS) for deaf people through Apple's iPhone Facetime it could add even more video streaming data to your bill until it reaches a cap, say, 2 gb. That cap could come quickly before the end of the month along with your watching captioned television shows ("mobisodes"), movies (e.g. Hulu, Netflix) and the recent on-demand captioning attempt of YouTube videos making it increasingly attractive for Deaf smartphone users to access streaming videos. But would VRS through smartphones eventually put Deaf people at a financial disadvantage because such a service could easily push over a download cap of 2 gb a month, for example, when combined with other video downloads? Although there is no doubt that Apple's Facetime through VRS there have obvious advantages for hearing, hard of hearing, deaf and Deaf people when it comes to communicating with other people.

"Having FaceTime on iPhone 4 is a huge thing in the deaf community, because its the very first time any deaf individual can make a phone call to another deaf individual on their phones," she wrote in an email. "Before, we only could communicate with each other using email, text or IM."

It's been a long desired hope to be able to use the phone and be able to communicate freely and fluidly like everybody else. Not only just the visual aspect of signing but soon through Real Time Texting (RTT) over the smartphone without the need to hit the "send" button everytime you want to respond whether it's voice, visual signing or RTT. That exactly what your phone should do for you - unencumbered, unimpeded, and without waiting.

People will soon have their own communication preferences in choosing between using voice, real time video for signing or speaking, or Real Time Texting (RTT) where UbiVia would satisfy the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009 requirements on texting.

The "21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2009" (H.R. 3101) plans to modernize disability standards by making such accessibility features as closed captioning, video description and real-time texting a standard for Internet technologies.

Although the H.R. 3101 bill is good overall except for the fact that it'd be impossible for Assistive Technology (AT) companies to conform to the language requirement in the bill that all AT companies must include an "all in one" functionality with their devices. The language of the bill need to change and clarified as to not impose undue burden to AT companies on technology innovation.

Shapiro agreed on the value of a centralized database of all products and services for disabled Americans. He explained CEA’s concern that H.R. 3101, by requiring all Internet connected products and services be accessible by Americans with all disabilities, would freeze technology and deter innovation and entrepreneurs. Shapiro suggested several alternatives to the end goal of providing Americans access to information, education and entertainment. “The legislation before us – H.R. 3101 – is extremely broad in its scope; chilling innovation and the entry of new products. More, it ignores the increasing number of products on the market which serve the needs of many in the disability community.”

Shapiro noted that the current legislation does not take into account the ever changing dynamic of Internet-based services and devices. “We are no longer living in a world of single function devices…The legislation’s attempt to adapt old regulations established to apply to primary function services and devices …to new multi-function devices will not produce the desired result, and will only impede the advancement of new technologies and accessible features.”

Rather we should allow technology be the innovator and creator of voluntary standards much like what Research in Motion (maker of BlackBerry smartphones) has been doing by incorporating their philosophy on increasing accessibility for smartphone users. A philosophy and guideline on addressing people who are either deaf, hard of hearing, color blind, blind, speech impairment, motor impairment, visual impairment, or people with cognitive or learning disabilities. In this case, ignoring some 30 million people in the United States with hearing loss as potential smartphone users is not good marketing sense. But there seems to be an unseen caveat here with the increasing smartphone's video capability where Deaf people could unwittingly find themselves paying more than the average hearing person simply because of the VRS availability for smartphone users in the very near future. Have the telecommunication carriers even thought of this potential problem and avoid discriminating against those who require the use of VRS through smartphones when the days of "unlimited data" download comes to a screeching halt? Tiered pricing is coming. And a potential wallet buster for Deaf smartphone users.

Why some deaf people don't like using the video phone

There is a certain misconception or misperception when it comes to communication technology like the video phone, email, texting, voice using the phone and so on the preference of a particular piece of communication technology over another. For example, the video phone. Not everybody like to use the video phone. In fact, several deaf people I know avoid using the video phone as much as possible and use email to communicate instead. They would prefer to quickly write out an email letter on what's going on than to sit and chat, mindlessly (according to them), for hours. Some people are not chatters when it comes to using the video phone. Or would try and limit conversations on the video phone. For them, it's probably an issue on the amount of time consumed for social chit chat when time could be better spent elsewhere on getting things done. You'd be surprised.

And then we have the texting example. Not everybody like to text all the time and would either avoid it or keep it to a minimum and perhaps instead prefer voice over the phone. Or in the upcoming case of the new real time texting conversation technology without the need to hit the "send" button to respond everytime would be the new UbiVia communication technology. In this case it would be people who like to text all the time rather than those who use texting sparingly. It would probably come down between the preferred choice of texting using the "stop and go" texting (e.g. SMS, AIM, Instant Messaging, etc) versus UbiVia real time, live texting where people on each end can see each other's texting at the same time. This would be very similar between two people talking (voice) with each over the phone in a fluid fashion. People will undoubtedly choose one communication technology over another for a variety of reasons. The communication technology pie is very big out there and people are willing to pay for certain services or applications if they find them beneficial or useful to have.

No matter what people say there will always be preferences on using certain type of communication technology over others. It doesn't matter if one group of people who will be negative about a communication technology because there will always be another group who would praise it for its beneficial uses.

Let's look at the UbiDuo communication device. It is a communication technology mocked by many Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing people saying it wouldn't work or that it wouldn't be as successful in selling the product for a variety of reasons. Yet they were wrong on all counts and the company, sComm, that makes the UbiDuo communication device, continues to grow and sell successfully this quality product each year.

Another thing to look at is the iPhone video calling. Eventually this will become mainstream in many phones into the near future. Just because you have this communication technology feature built in doesn't mean everybody will prefer this feature over other types such as "stop and go" versus real time, live texting, emailing, video phone through your television screen (bigger screen), voice only and so on. Some will prefer to using the old pen and paper method and avoid technology altogether.

Choices and preferences are two very different things here. Preferences vary over the hundred of millions of people in the United States when it come to choosing a particular piece of communciation technology for everyday use. Just because you don't like a particular use of communication technology doesn't mean others will share your same sentiment and will instead see value and beneficial use.

A politically incestuous relationship?

The fourth of July has come and gone and having experienced one of Seattle's best fireworks on the lake shore near the Gas Works. I now have a few post-fourth of July thoughts to share with you. For me, the fourth of July is a special day when our nation fought for our independence and freedom from tyranny.

By now you probably have noticed what's going on in the deaf and hard of hearing blogosphere and how it has become a bit of a spectator sport of sorts nowadays. More personal in nature of those undergoing apoplectic fits over each little hiccup of a disagreement or a view that goes against their line of thinking.

People watching from the sidelines would probably be thinking that there seem to be a politically incestuous relationship being developed between certain Deaf people and certain Deaf organizations, all intertwined into one pulsating mass of indecency. A relationship seemingly born out of their desire to show their orgasmic feelings over a lot of things lately by moaning and groaning together. Things like the AB2072 bill controversy. Or climax over the idea finding that there are actually Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing people who don't care about this "deafhood" notion. Or get upset when someone donates $656 dollars (in Monopoly money) and then ask a selfish question about where "OUR money is going?" Some may see it as a rather selfish, egotistical and galling to use the word "our" as if the money, had it been real, deservedly belong only to certain Deaf organizations instead. An attitude that would classically highlight it as a politically incestuous behavior among certain Deaf elites and certain Deaf organizations thinking everything belongs to them under their roof and not of others. At least that's what it appears to many people watching from the sidelines. I can't blame them if they see or think that way.

And the latest mindless travesty has been about going after people who were once anonymous bloggers. A pointless excercise that comes with hyperbolic commentaries and false accusations. Whatever the reason, the mindless, personal attacks continue. If a blogger or vlogger cannot debate effectively, the answer seems to be is to make these personal attacks against bloggers they do not agree with along with pitchforks and torches which reminds me of a certain scene in a Frankenstein movie. Not a pretty scene to watch a frothing mob in action. A rather indecent mob scene I'd say.

The Candy exposure.....the meltdown.

Well, after going back to see what's the heck is going on to take a second look about this whole Candy blogger affair I still find it all a bit comical and laughable in some instances. I barely remember coming across her original blogsite a few years ago. And then when she transferred over to a different blog with the name "Candy" she seemed to have exploded out of nowhere this year. And that's a good thing because that means more people are reading her blogs. And it certainly got some people to notice her a little bit too deeply. Anonymity as a blogger is a big part of the blogosphere. Not everybody wants to divulge their identity. But to do so on in an even smaller blogosphere called the Deaf blogosphere via Deafread is an entirely different set of environment.

Candy will not stop blogging just because a few people have personal grudges against her because of what she said in the past. I admire her and her informative blogging style. From her blogs and comments elsewhere I've not found anything offensive according to some people who claimed to be offended by her comments. Where? I think some Deaf people are offended by her because of her opinions and information about the recent AB2072 meltdown. And perhaps many felt that she was taking the limelight away from protesters of AB2072? Who knows.

Candy has a right as anybody else to blog her opinions on her blogsite. Bloggers do have the right to be anonymous. There are personal reasons for doing so. Outing her might seem "victorious" to a few people but I'm betting that the majority of readers find it a petty exercise. I think the real meltdown isn't Candy's own but somebody else. I believe she will continue as who she is. Her strong sense of character should attest to that.

Candy, welcome to THIS side of the blogosphere.

The "everything technology" on communication for everybody

I am continually amazed with the ongoing improvements in the field of communication technology, especially benefitting those with hearing loss. And how technology can almost literally give people the gift of "hearing." In other words a way to communicate with hearing people through real time interaction such as using the UbiDuo face to face communication device as if you are a "hearing" person interacting with a hearing person even though no voices are used or exchanged. What makes UbiDuo unique is the real time conversation that takes place and without waiting for a typed response each time you send it out and wait for a reply. The key to this "everything technology" on communicating with deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people is the real time conversation nature it requires. The UbiDuo satisfies that. So does the video phone when it comes to signing and talking. So does using the phone for everyday conversations used by billions of hearing people when interactions are done in real time. Even Google has gotten into the act through YouTube by establishing a free service using their voice recognition software to transcribe the spoken words on YouTube videos into captioned words. A perhaps someday soon a much improved speech recognition software will able to transcribe the spoken words in real time. Though this YouTube's version is not entirely perfect but it's a start on the merging of communication technology with the growing social networking field.

Right now, I see on the horizon things will change and improve for the better on communication technology for deaf, hard of hearing and hearing people when this "everything technology" will gradually meet everybody's communication needs and be a part of the growing social network society. A society where we are tethered and connected to each other. Communication technology will continue to diversify, merge, adapt and change from the many hundreds of different companies from Research in Motion (they make Blackberries), communication carriers like AT&T and Verizon, YouTube, Facebook, sComm (the maker of UbiDuo) and many, many more. There is always room to grow while being resourceful and inventive with new ideas on how to make it all seemlessly work together. But some of the best inventive ideas comes from people with hearing loss. I can guarantee you one thing. We will see more of these things explode in the days, weeks and years ahead of us when it comes to communication technology. So, be sure to keep your eyes and ears open or you just might miss the ride.