Monday, September 2, 2013

I SEE WHAT YOU’RE SAYING

Literally.  It’s a bit of a story, so settle down, relax and read.

I have been somewhat hard of hearing for a while, but have avoided doing anything about it. But this summer, when Cliff and I were going to plays, I had a hard time understanding some women with high pitched voices. It seemed to me that I was losing it in the upper ranges, so when my M.D. recommended an audiologist, I made an appointment to have my hearing tested. Sure enough, the tests showed what I’d suspected.

So I made an appointment to get fitted for aids.  I was told that I didn’t need the fanciest, most up-to-date expensive ones since my loss is not that severe.  The audiologist had me try a few different styles that didn’t break the bank, and we agreed on one.  She said they would call when the aids arrived.




About a week later I was called to let me know that my aids were in, so I made an appointment.  A couple of days later there I was getting my improved hearing.  But that is not what the headline to this story is about.  The audiologist had pointed out a special telephone that is available only to the hard-of-hearing, at no cost!  Well, not really no-cost. There is a very small charge on our monthly telephone bill that pays for these instruments, so I’ve been chipping in for years, and they are available only to those that audiologists identify as needing them.  I said I wanted one, so the audiologist placed the order.  “But it might take as long as a month to be installed,” she warned me.  Oh.  Okay.  One week later the installation was complete.




The main feature of this phone is that when someone talks to me (on the phone, of course), the words show up on the screen.  This takes some getting used to because there is about a two second delay between the spoken word and the printed word on the screen.  I have already found the phone helpful when talking to tech support, and I trust I’ll get used to that brief delay. (I tried to get a photo of the text, but was not successful.)

I can also store most used phone numbers, and the phone stores incoming, outgoing, and missed calls.That’s what shows on this pic.  So, yes, I do see what you say!



Humor --

LOOKING FOR WIVES

Two guys, one old and one young, are pushing their carts around Home Depot when they collide. The old guy says to the young guy, "Sorry about that. I'm looking for my wife, and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going.

"The young guy says, "That's OK. It's a coincidence. I'm looking for my wife, too. I can't find her and I'm getting a little desperate."

The old guy says, "Well, maybe we can help each other. What does your wife look like?"

The young guy says, "Well, she is 24 yrs old, tall, with blonde hair, blue eyes, long legs, big bust, and she's wearing tight white shorts, a halter top and no bra. What does your wife look like?"

The old guy says, "Doesn't matter --- let's look for yours."


2 comments:

  1. Nifty phone gizmo! Does it handle strong accents well? Have Cliff try using funny voices and see what it does HAHAHAHAHAHA!

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  2. Really?! They do voice recognition now? My audiologist gave me a prescription, or authorization or whatever the official term is for one of those, and the next day is when my car got smashed into. For me to get that phone, someone at the time would have had to drive from Stockton for me with several phones for me to try out.

    I just couldn't endanger someone to that degree for such a thing. I was pretty aware of what a car could do.

    That was in '00. I've never yet gotten around to it. But clearly the phones have gotten better!

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