Ferris Wheels Also Make The World Go Round

by Kevin Burton    In response to one of my Valentine’s Day posts, a reader let me know that Feb. 14 is also National Ferris Wheel Day in the United States.    Now that’s news I can use! What an apt metaphor for the “love” of love songs that is wrapped in feelings, or perhaps …

High-Tech Glove Combats Parkinson’s

From todayonline.com LAS VEGAS —Roberta Wilson-Garrett looked at the glove keeping her right hand steady and smiled.    At bay for the moment were tremors caused by Parkinson’s disease affecting her muscle control. She could do things others take for granted, such as write crisply with a pen or hold a cup of coffee without spilling. …

AI And Biblical Warnings Of Strong Delusion

by Kevin Burton    The Biblical warning of “strong delusion” coming on mankind is playing out now. The vehicle: artificial intelligence.    Read your Bible. Pay attention.    First here’s the warning, in context, from II Thessalonians 2:1-12 in the New King James Version:     “Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our …

Retronyms: The New Defining The Old

by Kevin Burton    We all know that time marches on. So does technology and so does the language we use to describe it.    Today from our friends at Merriam-Webster dictionary, we get some phrases made necessary by those inexorable marches. They are called retronyms. Think of them as a blast to the past. …

Where Does Lost Airline Luggage Go?

by Melanie Peeples National Public Radio    The Transportation Security Administration screened 30 million people over the recent Thanksgiving holiday.    That’s a lot of suitcases for airlines to keep track of, and unfortunately, some are bound to get lost. So where does all that lost luggage end up? In a store called Unclaimed Baggage, in …

Doctors Perform First Whole Eye Transplant

by Jacqueline Howard CNN    It was a moment Meagan James never expected to witness.    A surgical team at NYU Langone Health in New York had performed the world’s first successful whole-eye transplant in a living person: her husband, Aaron James.    After an accident at work led to the loss of his left …

Here’s Yet Another Label For The Disabled

by Kevin Burton In at least one part of the world, people with disabilities are called “people of determination.” Have you ever heard of that?    I had not. But I found a story about an expo where devices for the disabled were on display. (I include part of that story below).That story referred to …

Discrimination Common For The Disabled

by Julia Metraux Mother Jones    After becoming blind in his late 20s, designer and artist Marco Salsiccia had to learn to navigate the world through assistive technology—like a screen reader, software that speaks digital text and image descriptions aloud.    Leveraging that experience, Salsiccia began work as an accessibility specialist, eventually working part-time at a well-known …

Robot Cane Device For The Blind Being Tested

by Kevin Burton    Researchers are testing what they believe will be a revolutionary robotic mobility device for the blind.    This is not your father’s cane. The device, called “Glide,” was demonstrated Saturday at the sixth annual Robot Block Party, a celebration of robotics, held in Boston.    “The device incorporates robotics, sensors, and …

Blind Man Loses Website Discrimination Case

by  Jessica Stemple    (The following is a blog from the Valenci Rose law firm from Los Angeles.)    Consumers in America and around the world have embraced online shopping for everything from food and fashion to vehicles, medicine, travel, and countless other purchases. But many retail websites are inaccessible for consumers who are blind …