Week 4

We all know someone who "talks with their hands." My husband talks with his hands so frequently that we have a running joke: if I were to tie his hands up, he would be unable to have a conversation with anyone!


However, imagine if you were born with a disability or acquired a disability in life that greatly affected your ability to communicate with the world around you. How would you work and contribute to the community you lived in?

As a caregiver for developmentally disabled adults, I see the effects of such disabilities on an individual. Regardless of their intellectual disability, some of my clients also have motor function issues, speech issues and vision and hearing issues.

Now, with the invention of more compact and portable technology, individuals with varying disabilities can now benefit from a more enriched environment and workplace.

According to BBC News online, the poverty rate of individuals that are disabled is twice as high as someone without a disability.  Motor neuron disease affects 400,000 people worldwide; 2.3 million people are affected by multiple sclerosis.

However, neurons that control eye movement are more resistent to degenerative diseases, as are other parts of the face like the cheek. New technology has taken advantage of such qualities and researchers have developed a device that controls a computer based on eye movement.  This technology was first developed in the 80's but was so big that it wasn't portable and thus not many people benefited from it.

Now, the device is able to fit into a suitcase, thus making it easy to send on an airplane and making lives around the world more enriched. Developers have also made technology that senses head movement, while it requires more motor function, it is considerably less expensive.

Another interesting invention is one to help vision impaired or blind individuals see. According to the World Health Organization, there are 39 million people in the world who are blind and of these people, at least 90% have some degree of light perception. 

"Smart glasses" accentuate the differences between light and dark, thus allowing the user to see images in front of them!



There are also Talking Hands that allow individuals who suffer from deafness or blindness to access technology such as smartphones and computers!  Not only are these devices important to increase the ability of the disabled populations to interact with their communities, but it can also be beneficial to those without a disability- thus allowing for mass production and a broadened user base!

Second Life

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an online video game... NO it is not.

It's Second Life- an online virtual reality genius.

Started in 2003, Second Life offers users the chance to interact with others in a virtual reality like never seen before.  Although you can create an avatar that is akin to a zombie or vampire, there are very real and worthy things happening in Second Life.

Online classes just got more interesting. Imagine taking a chemistry class online...before Second Life, not possible... until now, where you can actually perform experiments and see real-world results.

Duran Duran even performed a concert in Second Life. Marriages happen. Monies are exchanged and monies are earned.

As if that wasn't enough to tempt you to look...the creators of Second Life want to tempt you some more. By end of year 2016, they plan to release a new platform: Project Sansar

Project Sansar has high hopes of creating a you tube like version of Second Life, giving the user more freedom to create a virtual reality life and make money. They have high hopes of making the platform user friendly on a variety of computers including smartphones and tablets.

Although I do not have a Second Life account, I am curious and more apt to look into it after researching it.  For now, I'll stick with my Sims games and pretend that I'm interacting with humans in a virtual world. 

Week 3

One thing I need in my daily routine is music, I love all genre's and sing often. I miss Los Angeles radio stations, the variety and the dj's... alas now there is an app that actually works and gets radio stations from all over the US!  In fact, this video discusses several radio apps that will play endless hours of any style that suits your fancy! I downloaded the radio.net app and I'm currently listening to KROQ..ahh...

Week 2

One in five hundred people are affected by Parkinson's disease, a neuro-degenerative disease that gets progressively worse over time.  A key symptom as a result of nerve damage is tremors in the patients limbs. One invention, the GyroGlove, is set to help reduce these tremors. 

Inventor Faii Ong was working with a woman who had Parkinson's and he noticed how difficult it was for her to eat soup with trembling hands.  Ong set out to create a solution to help his client, and based his idea on a gyroscope toy from his childhood. The glove is battery-powered and works to counteract the users trembles.  Although the gloves are not fully ready for purchase just yet, this is a very promising, drug-free aid/solution for those who suffer from Parkinson's!

Week 1

We live in an era of a technology boom! This week marks the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, so we are bound to hear of and see some very interesting and intriguing new technology.

According to Alexandria Sage's article on Reuters.com, there is an array of new hands-free driving technology being introduced. BMW has created a dash that recognizes five different hand or finger gestures to allow the driver access to volume control, phone call decline, and several others- thus eliminating pesky fingerprints on your expensive dashboard.

Japanese inventors created a 'perfume' that sprays in your face when the seat detects a drop in heart rate- so as to reawaken a drowsy driver.

While I like technology and the advances that we have from it, I do not think that all technology regarding our vehicles is a step in the right direction. I grew up in southern California and was fortunate enough to get involved with a company that paid citizens to be test-drivers. I got paid to be a drowsy driver, test backup cameras, and test hazard alert systems.  While some of the technology was helpful, mostly I found it distracting and difficult to use.  I ended up killing myself and my virtual passenger several times.

The testing I did was about 10 years ago, so I'm sure they've worked out many of the kinks, but I do not believe that much of the new extra add-ons will help the average driver. I believe that the technology will hinder most drivers and add to the distractions that we already face.

You can find the article I read at: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-tech-ces-touchfree-idUSKBN0UM0I920160108

Introduction

I am enrolled in CIS 120 as an online student for the winter term at COCC. I am taking this class because it is required for my degree, but also because I am interested in expanding my knowledge surrounding computers. I chose not to test out of the course, so that I can learn new information!  The online format works best for my schedule as I also work full time.

I am hoping to learn how to better utilize Microsoft Office programs, as I feel fairly comfortable with them but want to know more in depth tools and tricks to using them. I would also like to learn more about how to make my computer run smoothly and how to properly take care of it.