My professor for Introduction to Computer Systems, had this in his presentation on Internet basics. 

When: 6:00 PM Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Where:  915 8th Street in Marysville — the Yuba County Board of Supervisors chambers

Length: 1 1/2 to 2 hours with a presentation starting at 6, then open booth.

Why? Your voice is needed for the planning of the county — services provided, parks, schools, medical type, police, fire, housing, businesses and agriculture land usage.

The web site is www.yubavision2030.org — be sure to visit it and read.  There are maps provided for your information.

Doing a quick Google search of her, I found her web site, some more news articles, web pages and videos.

Reading about Ashley reminded me of a daredevil deaf woman named Kitty O’Neil from the 1970s, who was called the world’s fastest woman and listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for getting up to 512.710 mph.  She was a racecar driver and a stuntwoman.  I think I still have the article that my parents clipped out for me somewhere in my keepsakes box. More can be found doing a search for her name.

I think it’s neat that Ashley is making a name in motocrossing. 

I’ll tell you why.

My next-door neighbor informed my husband on Tuesday that he had observed a Sutter Co. Sheriff’s car in our driveway on Sunday morning, when we were sleeping.  Whoever it was, knocked on the door, and when we didn’t answer, left.

My husband wondered what it was all about so he called the Sheriff’s department, but it was after business hours.  The only information he could get was that they were trying to serve civil papers to our address.

Civil papers?  What?  Us?  One of us?

Were we in trouble?

We spent the night wondering what the civil papers could be all about.  I asked some close friends what civil papers were and what it could possibly be for.  One friend joked in an Instant Message that I was now “wanted.”  I scoffed it off, but still worried that it was some crazy charge because we live in a crazy world.

The next day, while I was at work, my husband called them again during business hours.  This time he was able to get better information.  It turns out that they were looking for someone who used to live at our address almost two years ago.

I literally sagged.  Then I felt euphoric seconds later.

Man …

It was not an easy decision for me.  Ultimately, I chose distance learning because I couldn’t leave my employment and didn’t want to, yet needed to continue learning.  It took a year and half of searching and researching before I chose a school out of a long list of schools, both local and those that offered distance learning. Then I went through the process of applying, getting financial aid, and communicating with the school’s people and my Department of Rehabilitation counselor.  I did have to turn in some forms documenting my deafness and my need to have transcripted lectures/videos, which was really a formality.

The class meets twice a week via a Live Chat.  The teacher lectures with a PowerPoint presentation with a green pointer pointing as he speaks. All questions and discussions are done by text.  There’s an option to view the professor via webcam, but it’s really not necessary to be viewing the professor who is just looking at the computer screen and talking.

I like that the playing field is “level” and nobody notices I’m deaf.  There’s no interpreter sitting in front of the class.  I don’t have to worry about missing the interpreter, the quality of the interpreter, or the interpreter being late.  Nobody notices each others’ skin color, age, or handicap.  Communication is primarily by e-mailing if not in Live Chats or designated Discussion Boards.  Class assignments are uploaded directly to the posted assignment.

Even though people appear to be without a physical entity, we know each other by our real names and pictures because that’s how the system works — we are identified by our real names as entered on the application papers, school transcriptions and payments.  Once in a while, we will be put together into a small group to do a group project.  I just had my first experience with doing a group project with three other classmates.  We had our own little area for discussing, live chatting, e-mailing all members, and uploading our assignments.

From the start, I was intrigued by how the distance learning experience would be for me.   I was worried about getting lost, missing an assignment, or not understanding the discussions, but it was all unfounded.

Assignments are posted with their possible scores and kept up for the entirety of the term, and is immediately viewed when you log in to view your account so you can’t ever miss an assignment that’s right in front of you.  Teacher comments are also posted under the week’s agenda.  Each assignment has a field for teacher/student comments, grading, and due date with deadline time.  E-mailing is done within the account, and there is an area where you can see your own classmates, the professor, and school facility.  Clicking on their names gives you the option to e-mail, message, or a number to call a school facility member at, which is handy.  Everything is clearly arranged in the virtual campus.

I also felt that the teacher and classmates were much more approachable through the Live Chats, discussion boards and e-mailing. When a Live Chat is happening, you can see who is typing so it doesn’t get too crazy in there.  Keeping with the tradition of schools being the hub for clubs, there are even online clubs for registered students to join and share their interests.  Since my online school is a school for designers and web developers, the virtual campus is highly interactive and visually pleasing, I enjoy being logged on and working inside the virtual campus.

Of course, I have a year and half to go so anything could happen.  But I think this is turning into a positive experience.

Apparently, someone took him out of the shelter overnight. When news of the puppy’s disappearance broke news through the Sacramento Bee, he was somehow traded to a homeless man for a bottle of booze. The homeless man then contacted the shelter and had the puppy returned. Click on the links to read the original articles.

It was interesting to follow and the ending was good though, I can’t help wonder who it was and why the puppy was taken.

 How could they mistake the CI for a Bluetooth headset?

I’ll admit they look similar at the very least, but there’s a major difference: the CI has a part that is attached magnetically to the head! See picture on top left. The Bluetooth headset has no magnet attaching it to the head — it’s just a earpiece that has a little part sticking out towards the mouth. See bottom right picture.

What were the thieves thinking?

Still, I’m curious if there are other stories like this.

A little background: I have almost never had a phone call through the office sent to me; my calls are always done on my computer. Still, I get a few messages that I received a call. Usually I can just call them right back on the relay. But this night, there was an exception.

Co-worker: “There’s a call for you.”

Me: “Uh… what?”

Co-worker points to his own phone on his desk. The “hold” button is on. I look then look back at him. We’ve worked together for over 6 years, and he sits next to me. I wondered in my mind for a second, why he thought I could pick up the phone and talk on it when he has never seen me do that.

Me: “I’m deaf.”

There was a deep pause as we stared at each other.

Me: “I can’t use your phone. Can you write down a message and I’ll call back?”

Co-worker: “Oh okay.”

Co-worker goes back to desk. I watch and wait. And wait.

About fifteen minutes later, he instant messages me on our Bonjour intranet system.

Co-worker: “I’m sorry, the call is from a deaf person who is looking for information about rent costs in the area….I feel only slightly stupid that I thought there was some way for you to convert a phone call into text, etc… It certainly proves that having the ability to hear does not necessarily mean you have the ability to think!”

(To clarify things here, the deaf person was calling our office after-hours through the relay and was asking  how much rent was in our area. I’m guessing it was someone who was going to or thinking of moving to Yuba-Sutter area.)

Me: :LULZ:

Co-worker: “I gave the person a phone number to the local realtors … just because I can hear doesn’t mean I know everything like rent costs.”

Me: :LMAO:

Co-worker: “I’m done embarassing myself with the deaf community now … thanks for all your support.”

I was trying hard not to fall on the floor laughing that I could not answer. For the next few days, I had the uncontrollable urge to burst out laughing every time I saw him.  And he knew why.

“I know why you’re laughing and you’re enjoying it!”

In other words, if you’re under 18 years old and driving, your hands should be on the wheel and your eyes on the road.

The exception is to dial 9-1-1 in an emergency.

If you are caught violating this law, you will receive a conviction on your driving record, although there will be no violation point added. This applies only to the driver — passengers are exempt. Push-to-talk cellphones are not exempt.

More information: Wireless Telephone Laws FAQs.

Now, this also applies to people who text on their cell phones, whether you are deaf or hearing.

When I was living in New York more than 6 years ago, the law was already in effect there, courtesy of Governor “Rudy” Giuliani. People had to pull over to the side of the road if an incoming call was urgent or use a hands-free device.

After I moved here to Yuba City, California, I realized how much I missed the law on cellphones in New York, because I was seeing so many drivers around town yakking away on their cellphones and being a general danger on the road.  It made me angry!  My friends who texted or talked on a hand-held cellphone while driving, freaked me out because they often missed the littlest things on the road and tended to be all over the road.  I would end up staggering out of the car with my heart pounding and wanting to kiss the ground. I don’t need that kind of excitement if I can get it at an amusement park — when I want to have shaky legs and pounding heart.

I won’t say that I never texted while driving. I will admit that I had a scare and never did it again. I was lucky only because I was on a deserted country road, but imagine what if I had been surrounded by cars doing 65-75? I read so many awful stories by young drivers and experienced drivers who paid for their mistakes on the road with an hand-held cellphone.

So, put down that cellphone and just focus on your driving.  A lot of people will thank you for being a little more safer and less road-rage indicting.

Addendum:
The law does not specifically apply to texting on cellphones, but you can be warned or cited if you demonstrate unsafe driving on the road while texting.

Appeal-Democrat ran a local article:  “Sorry, wrong number“

A $5 gets you one spot out of 30 available.

Deadline is July 7. Hurry and get your spot!

Contact Tami Levario at 916-349-7500 Voice/TTY/Videophone or e-mail her at Tlevario@norcalcenter.org.

Click for the Flyer!