Archive for October, 2006

Nice New Car

Posted October 31, 2006 * Comments(2)

In the past I have bought a car from car show rooms…
Never again!!
I always had difficulty in understanding what they are saying, they talk FAR too fast and some talk WAY to slowly…as if I has special needs!!.
At most places you need to bring a hearing friend or member of your family along in order to understand what they are saying!

So now I always buy my cars from http://www.nicenewcar.co.uk

You get to browse different cars online and also they import Japanese cars (if you are into Japanese’s cars). You just order and they sort out all the paper work. They also sell a lot of their second hand (traded in) cars on Ebay.
After emailing them about prices of cars etc they replied in 5 minutes! You can’t fail to be impressed!
Best of all they conduct everything on MSN messenger if requested and Skype as well as telephone email. I told them I am deaf and can’t use the phone. They gave me their MSN screen name and we talked live about what car I was after and what they had available etc.
They deliver your car anywhere in the UK and as they can’t do BSL (British sign language) knowing that a deaf person about to receive the car they bring note paper and a pen to communicate (just in case).
So if you’re deaf/ heard of hearing and you need to buy a car without fear of not understanding. why not give them a try?

The Rise and Rise of VLOG’S

Posted October 25, 2006 * Comments(6)

Seen quite a few Vlogs on weblogs
see links below
http://www.grumpyoldeafies.com

http://vlog.gwallgofi.com/ (I must admit that the Subtitled Sign
Language is very funny)

Its great to see some of them but could they provide text for people
who cannot understand BSL?
But then I had a think and thought, ‘why should they?’
I have come across too many hearie blogs posting links to youtube
saying ‘this is funny’ etc and I don’t have a clue whats been said and I
doubt very much if I emailed them to ask them if THEY could provide the
transcriptions.
This puts me in a difficult position. I don’t know sign language and I
am not able to use hearie vlog.
The only thing is when seeing these type of website’s I hope and pray there is
subtitled text…

Fintan

New Deaf –UK-Chat mailing List

Posted October 23, 2006 * Comments(0)

 

I have created a Deaf-UK-Chat
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/deaf-uk-chat

 

I know there are loads of other Deaf mailing list and forums but I am merely filling a gap.

For example (of which I am still subscribed) Deaf-UK mailing list started in 2000 and is about Deaf issues and BSL issues. DUK also inform news, events, information to deaf people in UK – more encouragement and support to deaf people, and create campaigns for deaf people on deaf issues.

 

Whereas the one I created is to talk about anything:

.Computers

.Linux

.Cars

.Arts

.News

.Anything!!

 

You can post links about other deaf mailing lists, forum boards and diary blogs, just ANYTHING.

I just want deaf people to be comfortable to post about anything without worry
about posting off topic questions to wrong mailing list.

 

However you don’t have to be Deaf join but you must be related /married or friend of Deaf/Hard of Hearing people and over 18

Its not a rival mailing list more a complementary mailing list and forum. Some people prefer mailing lists than forums and if someone posted a link saying for example ‘there is a interesting discussion/tutorials at Deaf4Life forum’ then we might all head over there.

Warm Glow

Posted October 23, 2006 * Comments(2)

Nothing makes me happier than seeing Senior Citizens happy to see their computer fixed.

Quite often I have fixed computers for people who bought a top of the range computer (their words not mine) just for surfing the Internet when a cheaper one will do.

A few weeks ago I was asked if I could sort one of my wife’s friends neighbour’s computer.  She was a retired head teacher. There I was checking over her computer and turned out that the monitor wire was loose. I fixed it and said to her that her XP needed updating to service pack 2.
Updating on dial up would take forever so I suggested that I took it to my house and bring it all up to date as I have broadband.
When it was all updated I was looking at the computer and noticed it had DVD RW TV cards.  I was thinking ‘she was conned to buy the latest computer from a well know big PC store when all she probably uses it for is surfing the internet and typing on word.’
Boy how wrong was I?
When I returned the computer next day she said;
“My friend sent me a DVD of her daughters wedding and I can’t wait to see it.”
She also uses her computer to download patterns and connect her sewing machine to the computer.
She used to type basic on computers years ago, so she isn’t an old fuddy duddy that knows nothing about computers.
She said she knows her way round XP but when it comes to hardware faults she hasn’t a clue.
I asked her why she didn’t upgrade to service pack 2, her computer has the right tools to stay more secure and up to date.  She was told not to as the software that runs her sewing machine wouldn’t work.

I tested this and happily it does work

Deaf can’t get a job

Posted October 23, 2006 * Comments(0)

Now why this does not surprise me

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4931930.stm

Most Deaf people I know spent years in colleges to prove that they don’t sit on their arses while searching for a job.
Not long ago in some local paper it says about increase of people joining college and it shows how wonderful the college is.
and here is me thinking bet all of them are deaf.

Mythtv

Posted October 5, 2006 * Comments(4)

I have been building MythTV out of old computers.  For those who don’t know what MythTV is, it’s a home brew PVR (Personal Video Recorder).  It can record lots of things at once, schedule recordings from work and send messages home to be displayed on the TV (can hear my mum saying ‘get that fricking thing off’ when I left subtitles on her TV) it does more than Sky+ can do.
I built an all-in-one box but it was too noisy, so what I needed to do was get a small computer / or game consol sitting under the TV.
The other day I was browsing at the computer store mumbling to myself “I could do with one of those” when my lovely wife crept up behind me and said, “what do you need another computer/ game consol for? When you’ve already got one at home?” Later on we were shopping in another store and my wife was looking at shoes I said to her “what do you need another pair of shoes for? When you’ve already got a pair?”

I ran out the shop before she could say anything!

Why I Use Linux

Posted October 2, 2006 * Comments(1)

Around five years ago or more I installed Linux and never looked back. I got some reactions ranged from puzzled look to what an earth for? But to be honest most people didn’t know what I meant when I said “I don’t use windows”

There are good reasons why I use Linux: it just works for me. Not only that, whenever I have discussions about why my computer never gets viruses or spyware it is sometimes hard not to gloat, especially when I hear stories about Netsky and slammer worm

The great thing about being a Linux user is it kept me honest. Not in the sense that I would be using a pirated copy of windows, rather it makes sure that I understand what I am doing with my computer.
I see too many Windows users going through the motions, trying to their work done through memory hogging os alone.

As a geek I enjoy understanding how Linux and my computer work. Sadly these days computers are not only just tools they can be phising scams to relive people of millions of pounds each year and identity theft is increasing problem as well as viruses.
If I am to function in this world, whether I like it or not, I want to know for sure that my system is secure, reliable and robust. I like to know that if I wanted to or needed to, I could fix what is broken or change what really bothers me.

But when your windows box fails, your only option is reboot and hope it doesn’t happen again. If it does then re install (which takes hours) or avoid the applications that caused the problem in the first place