In this diary, I want to take some time to talk about technologies that Deaf people are using nowadays. I'm very fascinated with these forms of technology.
I consider myself a recovering techie. I used to be big into computers and technology a few years ago. I even took web design courses at CCV, where I attended. I dropped that major two years ago because I felt that I suddenly lost interest in web design and any form of computer programming. There was overkill in regards to how many programming languages I was required to learn (PERL, PHP, Java, Javascript, HTML, CSS and maybe a few others) and it just turned me off to technology.
However, I still embrace a few forms of technology that I'm currently enamored with. Most of this technology benefits Deaf people and that's why I'm fascinated with it. Here's a few examples:
Sorenson VP
While I actually have an older DLink i2eye, I'm hoping to upgrade to the Sorenson model soon. It's a very, very cool utility that I like to use to communicate with my Deaf friends. The fact that it's free is another huge benefit.
Blackberry
While I don't own one of these yet, I have used one that belongs to a friend. I feel that text messaging can be a very useful tool in communicating with other Deaf people. Because I cannot use a cell phone (or any phone for that matter), I definitely want to look into getting a Blackberry.
These forms of technology are technologies that I am currently enamored with. To me, communication in life is very, very important and it has to be taken seriously by all parties involved in a conversation, etc. 30 years ago, the idea of people communicating with videophones using the internet would have been laughed off as absurd and impossible. Nowadays, that's not the case!