In the woods behind the house.
Effects of Microgravity on the Eye
The Goldman applanation tonometer is the best way to measure eye pressure. It measures the amount of pressure required to flatten the cornea. Normal measurements run from 10 to 22 mm Hg.
Recent research into the long term side effects of space flight on eye pressure show that microgravity environments cause the cornea to flatten, increasing the pressure in the eye. These effects were permanent in most cases.
If micro-G causes pressure in the eye to increase, does high-G cause it decrease? If one effect is permanent, would the other be permanent as well? How could this be applied to glaucoma treatment?
To Chris Hadfield: This Morning on Earth
Dear Col. Hadfield,
You have been sending us such wonderful photos from space. Here are a few from the surface.
I live in Wisconsin, in the middle of the woods. I ventured outside this morning in my socks and pajamas. The ground felt warm beneath my feet.
I had coffee outside in the garden. Light from the sun seems warmer and brighter than usual after the long winter. The air smells like dirt and growing things.
I raise my cup to you, Dear Sir.
Safe Travels,
Mandy
My Grandmother, a Dementia Patient using “Visual Synthesizer” on Android Tablet (by mandyistired)
Variables. Function.
It’s difficult to type like no one is watching. I am finding myself at a loss for words lately. I always think… it’s better to just not say anything if you can’t compose the thought.
My thoughts lately are those of frustration about my sight in it’s transitional phase. It’s a phase of constant adjustments. Add to that a bit of self-doubt… and I get this feeling of falling backwards out of an airplane on a planet where the laws of physics wouldn’t even let an airplane fly.
The constant is dependent on multiple variables. Some of those variables may or may not be a factor from moment to moment and some may simply be unknown.
If anyone has a linear equation for this… feel free to speak up.
Thank you to Audio Zoloft’s Dennis Moser for his blog post about Hacking Blindness. He also talks a bit about the connection between Theory Anesthetic [my old solo project] & Warren Ellis.
I had almost forgotten that Dennis and I collaborated on a tune several years ago. Those whooooshing sounds you hear were recorded on the roof of my old apartment building in Chicago during the air show. I don’t think I told him I moved out of the City of Chicago about 3 months ago. I now live in Wisconsin-where we have the whooooshing sound of snowmobiles, and herds of wild turkeys that parade through the woods.
Constant noise almost demands to be recorded.
This was my way of dealing with the disruption.
Close your Eyes, Imagine
First off, HUGE thanks to Peter Kirn, Hypebot & Paul Lamere for spreading the word about Hack Blindness. I was crying actual tears of happiness yesterday from the downpour of support that is happening over at CDM. Responding to everyone is going to take some time, but a gigantic THANK YOU is a good start.
Thoughts on Text-to-Speech [TTS]
Many people have already made software that uses text-to-speech to give the user a variety of information about what is happening on their screen. There are some very good things about this type of software, but I don’t think it has a strong place in music production and music performance software. I believe text-to-speech in this application gets in the way of what musicians and their audiences hear. Personally, I don’t need to know that my reverb level is at 62% because I can just hear it. Sure, I would like to know which parameter I am working in, but I could have complete control over that with my computer keyboard.
Remember: The non-visual musician has the ears of a fox.
There are other means of sensory replacement that could be used to allow the software to communicate with the user and vice versa. Haptic feedback and devices like the Syntact™ allow us to touch sound.
I’m not cracking on TTS in general. I think it is an extremely important product for the visually impaired. I use it myself when I work on the computer. Along with screen magnifiers, a good pair of sunglasses and extra brightness/contrast & color enhancements, my eyes get a chance to relax.
I challenge all of you, think of this with your eyes closed, now reach out…touch the sound, pick it up, move it around.
