Transcript:
This is part 2 of my vlog.
I didn't have time to finish up my thoughts. My first video. Need to stop fiddling with my face! Oh well.
Ok.
In my 2nd vlog I wanted to talk about technology.
I believe it is becoming a great communication equalizer for deaf and hard of hearing. And it's amazing how far we have come.
Remember technology was like 20 years ago? No internet! No cell phones. No smart phones that are connected to the internet. No video phone. NO internet like today. We had some email and discussion forums but that was about it.
NOw, what will communication technology be like 20 years from now? 3d real time communication in ASL? What about cell phones or smart phones that are connected to the internet? What will they be like 5, 10 or 20 years from now? Technology is moving so fast. On YouTube it now has automatic captioning. Although not perfect but it is a step in the right direction. Who would've thought two years ago that YouTube would come up with automatic captioning?
Yes. Technology is moving fast. I'm sure with videos we see on DVTV will soon become crystal clear and not so grainy. It's just a matter of time. What do you think of communication technology today? Has it helped your job? Your life? Anything? could you live without your today? Remember, you didn't have one 10 years ago and you lived fine without it! And, now, today, can't live without it. Strange how technology has helped us realize the importance of it for communication purposes.
What do you think?
So long.
18 comments:
Nice one Mike ! take the fight to them,they cannot argue is isn't accessible then. Sadly my sign is adequate only, I did sign vblogs very shortly after I went online, they cut me to pieces and ridiculed the signing, so I didn't really have the confidence to go and try it again...
I signed slowly it is obviously the re-translation process from English to sign for me, they could see the cogs going around lol I did it quarter speed (!) then tried speeding the film up, that was moderately successful. If they can respond in text, then I don't feel I am depriving them or anything,it's when they retreat to the signing area and you can't take it to them that is frustrating,it's abuse of communication really. When technology translating text back to ASL or BSL effectively then I can forsee them getting a lot of engaging them, can they handle it ?
Who knows how quickly technology will catch up. It'll be interesting to see how it'll evolve over the next 5, 10 or 20 years.
Oh, yes... I am grateful that we are living in the 21st century where the technology makes it possible for all of us to improve the quality of our lives.
I agree. It does make me think and I'm hopeful that we could be part of the contribution towards new technology and new ideas. Rather than just thinking about what might come next I hope to be part of it, really.
Oh, yea...totally agree. Technology is the key to independence regardless of what disability one has. If not now, it will be. You should add the ability to add video comments, I felt like responding to you via video since you talked via video! lol
I remember, when I was a kid, my dad would rely on me to make phone calls for him. I was the 'go to person' in my deaf family. TTY's were for deaf to deaf communication, and then TRS happen, I was relied on less and less (whoo!). Technology is good. Smart phones, I avoided it like the plaque, until two years ago...now, I can't live without my Palm and am looking to replace it with the latest new model.
Why is it that Europe has this technology where they can use video to sign/talk to other phones? What is it that makes USA behind in this area?
Candy,
Europe's telecommunication infrastructure is more advanced than the U.S. They have faster lines and is able hand more high speed communication that can handle the video load. Which is why the U.S. is developing actively the 4G network. You will see some cell phone commercials that talks about "4G" meaning 4th generation network. We are using 3G and in few places 2G networks. The 4G network is key for video over phones. We'll see more of that in 2011 and beyond. The U.S. is about 2 or maybe 3 years behind Europe while 4 or 5 years behind Japan and their Asian country counterparts.
actually you might want to find out the real truth about European's IT infrastructure. There is a serious lack of competition and options in Europe since it's socialized. US is more advanced than Europe but grossly behind Japan.
No. Europe has always been slightly ahead of the U.S. though both countries are nearly at the same position with 4G
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/01/4g-coming-to-eu/
http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/01/4g-coming-to-eu/
Yes,I understand that they are ahead with that technology. My inquiring mind wants to know why is that? Does it have anything to do with money, prioritzation, security, or does that involve replacing infrastructure (wires, etc), or is it just plain ole politics, red tape, etc.??
What's causing us to be behind, that' what I want to know.
What's causing us to be behind? Our infrastructure and our phones. Japan had its infrastructure set up way ahead of time to allow large and fast data downloads which would be ideal for videos on smart phones. In short, build and they will come. Japan and other Asian countries did that. Infrastructure needs to be invested first which is what the U.S. doing right now for 4G phone network.
looks like socialism works.
Mike, great vlog. In completely agreement about the pace of communication technology catching up with us and should benefit all of us in time. However, I'm little wary about how fast and how far we're becoming too dependent on technology to the point of not knowing the traditional means of communication like we all have 20 years ago or so. I often remind people of what life was like before the Internet, mobile phones and the likes.
And, Mike, lay off that hand-rubbing gesture for pausing. Kinda make you look like a villain gleefully plotting something with hand-rubbing. I had the same problem with experimenting my first couple vlogs. ;)
Heh heh
My plan is working flawlessly!
*rubs hands*
You know, I don't have a plan. I just rub my hands together and chuckle.
Excellent vlog Mike. One technology that has become an indispensable part of my life is the web cam. My family members all live in different states and I'm lucky if I can see them once a year. My folks don't sign (a little fingerspelling, maybe) but I can usually read their lips on the camera. Email is fine but it's so much better to see their faces. Plus an application like Skype will allow us to type if communication breaks down. I love the convenience of having a smart phone with Internet access right from my hand. I can use AOL IM to contact a text relay interpreter using my smart phone. All of this was inconceivable when I got my first portable TTY in 1976. My biggest concern about technology is that all the major tech players make their innovations accessible to all. Speech recognition technology is a step in the right direction. Kudos to Google for taking the lead on this. I remember Ken Harrenstien, now at Google, telling me about his work on this way back in the early 80s when he was at SRI in Menlo Park. So gratifying to see it come to fruition!
Interesting to see some of the hh/d/Deaf persons embrace technology to assist them in communication while some other hh/d/Deaf persons who grew up entirely in the hearing world finally come to terms where they reject communication technology in order to become whole. Go look at the latest blog in www.theaslproject.wordpress.com It is about a hard of hearing man groing through his journey of Deafhood and finding his inner peace by saying it is perfectly okay to be Deaf and in fact it can be much easier to be one than to try to be "hearing-impaired" in a Hearing world. Just an interesting perspective. Thought you'd appreciate reading about his experience.
And it's also perfectly fine to use technology to your benefit, too, regardless of what they are. Again, remember, hearing loss range from mild to profound. If your organization want any credibility, go and speak about your "deafhood" ideology to a bunch of people who have acquired mild hearing loss. Or those who have no problems with their use of their hearing aids. And so on. No one is denying his or her hearing loss. I accept my hearing loss. But that doesn't mean I ignore the tremendous benefits my hearing aid has given and continues to give me. My journey is my own and it's not just all about my deafness. That is your problem, Nikki, thinking it's all about being deaf in a person's journey. It does not. It's a component of everything else. It does not stand alone. What makes it all the more worse with this ideology is the constant need to define who we are. You are in NO position to define it. You have NO authority to do so. You do not represent me any more than I represent you on how we see ourselves. You are not in the position to declare whether or not we are at "peace." Yet, people continue to label, demean, attack, look down upon those who disagree or have a different way of doing things in the name of "deafhood." That is in of itself disgusting.
You have a problem with the terminology, "hearing impaired." I don't.
If you feel happy with what you are doing. Fine. I am happy in what I believe in doing and that is for the wider community.
I read the blog post mentioned by Nikki above. I can certainly identify with the writer of that blog, having been raised in the hearing world without ASL or deaf/hh role models myself, and no communication technology whatsover. Finding ease of communication through ASL and meeting other deaf people finally gave me the courage to be myself and not be embarrassed to tell people I'm deaf. I think that's a big part of what deafhood should be all about. Not necessarily the ASL route exclusively, but simply feeling comfortable in who you are and not all alone. But why throw out the baby with the bath water? Why does it have to be only one choice and not use everything you have? Who says I have to abandon my hearing self in order to be whole? it doesn't make sense. I can speechread, talk, have a conversation, hear amazingly well with my CI/hearing aid, am fluent in ASL, and can read and write. I would never, I hope, reject someone simply because they're hearing and don't know ASL and don't plan to learn it. That would be as senseless as a hearing person rejecting a deaf person because they are deaf.
Lol at the face fiddling part.
I heard one simple explanation why Europe and Asia are ahead of us- dunno if it holds water. Their land masses are smaller, hence A gets to B much quicker.
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