Switch

I didn't REALLY know what to expect when I was suddenly handed a surprise Nintendo Switch. I knew it played games of course, but I was never really into video games because I didn't feel like I was any good at them? When I was growing up, my only access to video games required quarters. I didn't have an Atari, or an NES. I did have a Radio Shack Color Computer, but you were mostly expected to copy your games from magazines and save them on cassette.

Fast-forward to the moment I learned that the Switch supports Bluetooth audio & my hearing aids, my mind was blown.

I unpacked the unit & the first day was spent getting familiar with the thing. It's NICE, it seems well constructed. The first game I tried was Pinball. I think that was the right choice because it let me come to grips with that controller. 😁 I won't make any Pinball Wizard references, whoops - too late.

When I realized that this unit had HDMI I/O & could also be plugged into my 32" flat screen, I was impressed. Now I could play high quality games (not emulated) with a controller at my desktop. I plugged everything in & it just worked. I can appreciate a job well done, and Nintendo has done it IMO.

Memories of Morgentaler

 

Doctor Morgentaler fought for reproductive rights in Canada.

Today I heard that SCOTUS have struck down Roe vs. Wade. This is quite disturbing as abortion rights are essentially about bodily autonomy, something that many Women in the United States are sorely lacking. 

I'm pro-choice and I always have been, ever since I started thinking for myself and not what organized religions were preaching. I have always deferred to the woman - it's her body & her decision after all.

Maslow

I've been thinking a lot about Maslow's hierarchy of needs lately, and how it seems to be a constant struggle for those who are disabled to achieve basic needs, much less self-actualization.

I recall my naivety while reviewing this model in college & thinking that society was constantly learning and improving and we were striving to meet the needs of all of our people. It's 30 years later and I'm still trying to get the first 4 cylinders of this thing to fire in unison.

Facebook

These notices are Facebook's Gestapo informing me that linking to this blog violates their community standards for spam.

Alright. Where do I put my complaint about Facebook violating privacy standards?

Travel Kit

This item took a bit longer to arrive from Amazon, but I'm not really complaining. I need to organize the profusion of cables and accessories better so my solution is two-fold. I'll put like-with-like and keep the Samsung tablet & its peripherals together, and research another case for the stragglers. Up next, researching a power brick.

Reform & Alliance

The current Conservative party in Canada were a merger of the former Reform & Alliance party.

So if it doesn't feel like today's conservatives have a heart, they don't. The Federal PCs are dead. These are US styled Republicans they snuck in through the back door.

Why No Sort, Google?

I had a flat text file when I exported my Groceries list from Microsoft To-Do & in order to make it work efficiently in Google Keep as a checklist, I needed to do a lexicographic sort, which I neglected to do the first time. It takes too long to find a specific item in an unsorted jumble as you can imagine.

After fixing that I then had Keep add check boxes to each element in the list and voila, a cleaner shopping list. Much better. I wish Keep had a tool to sort alphabetically, however I managed to make it work for me. That enabled me to uninstall Microsoft To-Do & One Note - which saved me not insignificant storage on a Pixel phone that doesn't have expandable storage. I don't like that trend.

Pride Month

Time for some advocacy. If the thought of people with disabilities having sex makes you squeamish, go look at something else.

The label LGBTQIA++ & the month long #Pride corporate lip service doesn't matter if Persons With Disabilities aren't included. It's difficult to FEEL pride & camaraderie when nobody wants anything to do with them. #PWD need love & have needs, too. Cheers.

Focus

What makes a blog nowadays? I thought it was just words at one point, however you can also have video and comment sections. I don't know how far I want to go with this yet; it's currently a place I can talk about things that interest me, without polluting my social timelines with my carefully curated ramblings. Aren't you fortunate that you found this page?

Anyhow, this blog will have a niche focus on the joys and challenges of being hard of hearing (HoH). However, sometimes I diverge & I need an outlet - some place to put my thoughts! I'm investigating the idea of YouTube videos, but I do not know if I could sustain the demand of something like a YT channel. I haven't tried anything yet, though.

I need to teach my old school PS/2 trained hands where to go when typing on this Bluetooth keyboard that I am finally getting some use out of, and not rely on Gboard keyboard shortcuts. Another adjustment is a return to flow writing, where I let the errors fall where they may and I don't stress about wasting paper. And no, I'm not showing my age - vinyl records aren't the only things coming back, I see faux-leather bound journals, manual typewriters (like the ones I learned to type on back in the late 70s) while out in public, and social media posts about Calligraphy pens.

It is also commonplace to have a comments section. I was considering it but for once in my life, I'd like to say: "No, my thoughts are valid and I require a place to put them without the fear of push-back or censorship" - so no comments for now.

Look at that - that was a completely unhurried, uninterrupted train of thought that I successfully composed & posted. That felt nice.

Batman

I hated Christian Bale's 'Batman' because I could never understand anything he said. When College Humor released this bit I felt better about that: Batman chooses his voice.

2 Books

2 books I've read that changed my understanding of everything.

1. Joseph Campbell - The Power Of Myth. All religions are founded on myths. The sooner you get to grips with that, the better.

2. Stephen Hawking - A Brief History Of Time. Once you've got a grip, hold on.

Chargeless

Am I the only one who has to remove their Fitbit Charge 4 from their wrist, any time I need to sit down & do some serious typing?

Pixel Buds

Something about my sweat just destroys electronics. I've gone through many HAs & though my newest pair are IP rated I would prefer to baby them if I can. I have XBox wireless headphones but they're big & dorky. Looking @ these Pixel buds for the gym.

"Alternative Facts"

"The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. Instead of altering their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit their views...which can be very uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering."
 

Doctor Who - The Face Of Evil

COVID Burnout?

I have been seeing recent reports in the news that many people are suffering from burnout. The increase was attributed to the pandemic & the continued extension of mask mandates.

I'm probably not alone in wondering: if we hadn't had those outright refusing to vaccinate, if it could have been over with sooner rather than later. I guess we'll never know now, because it's too late. The virus ran almost unabated even in progressive European nations - despite educating the public about transmission & the sure potentiality for mutation. This was attributed to Russian bot spam campaigns on Facebook & Twitter. Welcome to the mis-information age. I'm getting off topic however. 😤

My partner & I both got triple vaccinated & eventually got "breakthrough" sick. We suspect it was COVID-19 because many of the symptoms were there. We reported to the ER & patiently waited 4 1/2 hours for someone to see us. We described that it felt like we were trying to breathe through a straw. After getting chest X-RAYS, the Doctor told us to isolate for 10 days or until symptoms subsided. He also said that we were not the first he'd seen with similar respiratory problems in the recent weeks & we likely wouldn't be the last. He confirmed they would not administer a PCR test (due to Provincial restrictions private schools getting them all). I suppose we'll never know for sure what we were sick with either, because we couldn't get tested. Did we indeed have COVID-19? Was it Delta? Was it Omicron? I guess we'll never know the answer to those questions, either.

I will continue to mask up in busy areas despite the mask mandate being dropped for now. It's not over yet, "Folks."

Going Mobile

I recently purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 on a "trial run", to see just how mobile I could be. In fairness, my excursions have been limited to the dining room table, the living room couch, the outdoor balcony on a nice day & the bedroom. So far, it's been a champ. The TL;DR (since this isn't an actual product review) is that it has strong WiFi reception, a decent screen indoors, & very good battery life.

Yes, I'm aware of iPads but they've almost always been out of my range as a tech enthusiast on a budget. I was a PC user, not a Mac user. At the time I was already invested in 2 ecosystems (Microsoft Lumia/Windows & Google).

What made all of this possible was Bluetooth (BT) technology. The smaller speakers on smart phones and tablets are very difficult for me to make out clearly with my hearing, so I don't bother with the majority of them. The game changed when I paired my new hearing aids (HAs) with my mobile at the time, the LG G7 One. I now own the Pixel 5.

 

The next step was investigating if tablets would work as well as my smartphone. I found a Samsung Galaxy A7 in an open box sale and brought it home. The A7 has WiFi & BT. Pairing was a nearly seamless experience, whether it was my trusty old Microsoft folding keyboard, to my new BT HAs. I plan to delve into more detail later on those, if anyone's interested.

Low Voter Turnout

The results speak for themselves. Low voter turnout, I'm hearing that CBC stated something along the lines of less than 1 M voters bothered to show up. There was a boisterous and loud Twitter campaign to try and get parties to move the needle on disability progress, but it didn't move. Heck, it barely budged. Despite MAiD getting media attention! What's that you say? It's medically assisted suicide. There are people on disability pensions in Ontario who have it so bad, they'd rather die than continue living.

Am I disappointed? Yes. Am I surprised? No. Voter apathy, pandemic weary, whatever number of excuses you like. My spirits have been crushed. Because at the provincial level, nobody cares about persons with disabilities (PWD).

UPDATE: There may be a light at the end of the tunnel, however I am skeptical as to the time frame & how quickly it can be implemented. Carla Qualtrough, the current Employment Minister, has announced the Liberals re-tabled the previously suspended Parliament's C-35 (after a motion from the NDP politely reminding them of their election promise). You can read the CBC write-up here.