Here’s video from a demonstration of a neckband that translates nerve impulses into speech. It only recognizes about 150 words and it doesn’t offer the same responsiveness of the human larynx, but the designers are optimistic that a version for patients with ALS will be ready by the end of the year. If the neckband can be miniaturized to a small patch, I’d consider using something like this for phone conversations and presentations. And it better be programmable so I can make myself sound like Alec Guinness or Laurence Fishburne.

My grandmother passed away a couple days ago and the funeral was today at the same cemetery where we buried my grandfather nearly twenty-five years ago. I chatted with relatives I hadn’t seen in several years and learned via the rabbi’s eulogy that my grandmother had cared for a younger brother who had died young. I had never heard this bit of family history before today and it led me to imagine my grandmother’s life as a young woman, something I had never really considered before. She would have been a teenager during the Depression. The world she left is in so many ways a radically different place than the one into which she was born. And I’m here to experience it because of her.

I’m not a New Yorker, but Spitzer had impressed me during his time as Attorney General. He seemed to possess a genuine passion for combating corruption among powerful business interests; an uncommon virtue among politicians. I recall reading a profile of Spitzer in the New Yorker not long ago which portrayed him as less effective as governor, but I still thought it likely that he would eventually make his way to the national stage. The actions leading to his swift fall from grace exemplify the kind of mental compartmentalization that is the downfall of so many men in the public eye. How else does someone prosecute prostitution rings while at the same time availing oneself of a prostitute’s services and not lie awake at night feeling like a schmuck? Spitzer’s decision to pay for sex is a private matter that shouldn’t have any bearing on his ability to serve the public. His own blatant hypocrisy provided the fatal blow to his career.

I got home about a little while ago and learned that my parents are on their way here. My grandmother’s health has been declining and she has taken a turn for the worse in the last twenty-four hours. We were never close, but she always showed concern for me through the years. When I first moved to Minnesota, she would frequently call my nurses on winter days to make sure I dressed warmly when I went outside. And I now all I can do is hope that whatever time she has remaining is spent in peace and comfort.

The UK government has announced an Independent Living Strategy that incorporates several strategies to give its citizens with disabilities more opportunities to live and work in the community. The Guardian interviews several policy experts for their reactions. I’m glad to see the government emphasizing consumer direction as part of its strategy, but also hope this doesn’t become another program that is highly touted at first and quickly loses momentum for want of sustained attention and follow-through.