Data & Stuff // Neil Houston

Spotted: November 12th – November 30th:

• Extract colors from photos and make color schemes | ColorSuckr – A handy way to choose colour schemes.
• SQL injection with raw MD5 hashes (Leet More CTF 2010 injection 300) – cvk | nc -l -p 80 – SQL injection with raw MD5 hashes
• CTOvision.com – Disruptive IT – This list reviews the companies regarded as having very high potential to change the way IT is done in large enterprises. It was compiled by Bob Gourley based on personal research. For more on methodologies see the note at the bottom of the list.
• BBC – 5 live blog: Radio 5 live and our use of Twitter – Radio5 talking about their use of Twitter to engage with their audience.
• Never Wait For The Website To Be Ready – FeverBee – The Online Community Guide – You can spend a lot of time waiting for the platform to be just right. Everything has to look perfect right? …or members wont participate?<br />
  <br />
  Wrong. 

A little while ago I mentioned about my deafness, and the associated consequence of not being able to hear (what a surprise), and some of the ways I learnt over the years to cope with it.

I’ve come across some advice, which covers both how some deaf people cope, and some general advice about what might work when talking to them – it’s a handy PDF, and well worth a gander. Somethings you might not know, or may surprise you.

Anyway, a week ago I got fitted with my ‘new ears’. Or Ears 2.0 as I like to call them. The are a pair of ear moulds with a behind the ear (BTE) aid. The fancy ‘Oticon Spirit Zest P/Mini’ or some catchy name like that. My first impression is that the actual unit is much smaller than when I last used a hearing aid.

So this hearing malarky. It’s a bit overrated right? Well not quite. but this was my first impression:

In general, this week has made be realise:

• The world is noisier than I thought.
• Somethings make sounds, that I never was aware of.

For the first point, I’m now much more aware of noises on my peripheray.  The only downside is that I’m obviously also hearing a lot more noise around me, that I need to get used to and tune out.

The second point is the funniest, my iPhone keypad makes noises when you dial a number.  I had never heard that, or had an inkling it did that.  I can hear the fan on my Macbook whirring away as I type, I can hear the sounds of me tapping away on keys!  I can listen to music on the Macbook without needing speakers or headphones, even if it’s only half way up (before I could never hear it).

As you can imagine it’s a bit of aural overload at the moment, but it has been great.  I’ve not needed to ‘blag’ a conversation at all; I can hold down a conversation without needing to focus all my efforts on the person talking to me – a success.

I’m learning day by day what ‘normal noises’ sound like.  Curtains screeching along a curtain poll, leafs crunched underfoot, that the toilet flush is a bloody loud noise. A lot of the time has been spent with me just listening, and looking to work out what is making the noise. Like when I heard a printer churning out pages slowly, 20m away!

So whilst it is early days. I’m looking forward to seeing what technology is out there to assist, and generally provide more functionality. I know bluetooth exists in some hearing aids! My current task is to workout the best way to listen to my iPhone/MP3s, and whether I get telecoil style earloops, or bluetooth neckloops, to use with the aids, or just remove them etc.

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