Oh, look, yet another news bit about mind-machine interfaces. When future versions of the Playstation and Nintendo game consoles start including such technology as standard equipment, i might be persuaded to brave the fanboy stampedes and flying bullets to pick one up. Until then, I’m keeping it old-skool with my PC.
My monitor has some faint yellow burn-in streaks (most likely caused by the first version of the SETI screensaver–my bad for not engaging the monitor’s sleep function) and it’s starting to bug me. It’s a CRT monitor that I’ve had for almost five years, so it’s probably time for an upgrade. I’m actually a little embarrassed to admit that I’m still using such a clunker of a display; it kind of undermines my uber-geek cred. If you have recommendations on a new LCD, let me know. I’m thinking that something in the 19″-20″ range should suit my needs fine. My other major dilemma is where to put my Spock bust and Star Trek miniatures that currently occupy the top of my monitor.
New Scientist is currently running a special where top scientists and thinkers offer their predictions for the next fifty years. Things like this are always an intellectual crapshoot, but there seems to be general agreement that continued research in genetics is about to yield some major breakthroughs. And I wonder how any of this would affect me and people like me. I’ve always assumed that in the years ahead, i might lose a little more functioning or it might simply plateau (as it seems to have for the past several years). If I live long enough, perhaps genetic therapies might offer me some small degree of increased functioning. Perhaps nanomachines could help me breathe without the assistance of a bulky ventilator. An extremely slight possibility, but one worth considering.
Whatever the future brings, I hope I’m around for a while to watch things play out.
On the Consumerist website, a deaf person wrote about how Capital One, a credit card company, would not accept a relay-assisted call from her. For the uninitiated, a relay service provides deaf callers with a communications assistant who verbalizes the deaf caller’s words (which are usually typed or signed) to the person on the other end of the line. I’ve heard stories about phone scammers taking advantage of relay services, which might have something to do with the company’s reluctance to take relay calls. However, is it really possible to verify anyone’s identity over the phone? I’m guessing that relay users frequently run into clueless or ignorant callers. I’ve used speech-to-speech relay a couple times for customer service calls (back when I was a little more insecure about making myself understood over the phone), but I haven’t used it enough to make any intelligent comments on its efficacy when conducting daily business. It’s a great service and I hope that other businesses are more adept at serving deaf callers.
On NPR’s Fresh Air, music critic Ken Tucker gives a glowing review to country singer Bradley Walker’s debut album, Highway of Dreams. Walker has a form of muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, but the review makes it clear that he is worthy of attention regardless of his disability. I’m no aficionado of country music, but even I can tell that he’s the real deal and not just a twangy pop act. Perhaps this will be the break Walker needs and he can quit his day job at the nuclear power plant.
I really should screw up the courage to try out for American Idol. People tell me that my rendition of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” is quite soulful.
Thanks to my friend Ellen for the tip.
Now that the Dems control Congress, I’ve been giving some thought to how they might address issues of concern to the disability community. Clearly, the Iraq war is going to dominate the agenda for several months, but here are a few priorities that we should urge the 110th Congress to take up:
What am I missing? On what issues can we ally with other advocates to make this a better country not just for people with disabilities, but for everyone?
While I was waiting for Wicked to begin, I noticed that fifty, maybe sixty percent of the audience was female. In general, I suppose musicals attract more women than men, but the disparity seemed more noticeable at this performance. Perhaps it had something with the fact that Wicked is one of the few musicals to feature two strong female leads, with the major male lead not appearing until well into the first act.
Having not read the book, I can’t say how faithful the musical adaptation is to the source material. I did find it to be a clever retelling of the Oz story. I especially liked the portrayal of the Wizard as something of a petty tyrant. There always did seem to be something vaguely fascist about that guy in the original. There are even some disability undercurrents in the story, although I found it somewhat unfortunate that the girl in the wheelchair turns out to be the Wicked Witch of the East and, well, a clingy little bitch. But such minor gripes aside, it was great show.
It became even greater during those numbers that included a fetching redheaded dancer with a great smile. Surely, there must be a fan club for her. If not, I’d totally start one dedicated to her. If I knew her name, which I don’t. But if I did, I would.
Most of my visit to Chicago consisted of sitting in assorted hotel conference rooms, which didn’t leave much time for sightseeing. But I did manage to do some exploring on Friday, despite the sudden shift in the weather from sunny Indian summer (the kind that makes you wonder if global warming really is such a bad thing) to icy winds and torrential downpours. I’ve made previous visits to the city, but I had forgotten how massive and sprawling it is. Downtown Minneapolis is a sleepy burg in comparison.
However, Chicago isn’t quite as disability-friendly. I didn’t see many buildings with automatic doors and some of the sidewalks didn’t have curb cuts, which meant I had to retrace my steps a few times to find a crossing. But my compliments to the management of the gorgeous Oriental Theatre, where I had great sixth-row seats for a performance of Wicked. I’ll share a few thoughts on the show in my next post.
Someone should pay me to be a political consultant. I did reasonably well with my predictions, missing only the gubernatorial race. In an election where the Democrats swept every other constitutional office and made huge gains in the state legislature, Pawlenty’s win is a bit mystifying. Two factors seem likely contributors. One is independent candidate Peter Hutchinson. He only received 6% of the vote, but I’m willing to bet most of those votes came at the expense of Hatch. And the Hatch campaign’s missteps in the final week might have inflicted more damage than I had first estimated. I’m taking this loss in stride, though. A DFL-dominated legislature will kill any Republican efforts to grandstand on divisive social wedge issues like abortion and gay marriage. It might also mean that that we see some progress on issues like improving access to health care and modernizing our transportation system.
Of course, I’m thrilled with the national political landscape as well. It’s good to see my side coming in from the cold after a long sojourn in the wilderness. But Democrats can’t afford to be too self-congratulatory. They need to show the country that they didn’t win simply because the other side imploded. They must demonstrate that they have a vision and plan for our collective future that is better and more hopeful than anything Republicans can offer. They need to prove themselves as leaders.
I’m going to be in Chicago for the next few days, so blogging will probably be light until the weekend. I hope all of you who are eligible to vote have done so or will do so tomorrow. Think of me tomorrow evening, when I’ll be sitting in some hotel room and nervously flipping between newscasts for the tiniest scrap of electoral information.