Face Blindness or Prosopagnosia

Some people with normal vision cannot distinguish faces. This unusual disorder sounds like something from a neuroscientist's daydreams. A friend, Kathy, sent me an article about this rare trait. It seems that scientists are using FMRI technology to learn more about the brain. Google prosopagnosia and read interesting articles about a different kind of blindness; also check Wikipedia. See a long piece in Wired.

Naturally, I did not post audio--I had no idea how to pronounce the Greek-sounding term for face blindness!

- Text by David Faucheux

New York women

Recently, I read two books back to back. They both deal with women who came of age in upstate New York a decade apart. One is a reigning opera diva though she has said that the negative connotations of that word do not describe her at all. The other is a clinical psychologist living in Toronto, Canada. One book takes the reader through the glittering and not-so-glittering aspects of the opera world; the other portrays a 1950s "Father-Knows-Best" world of small town America where women wore heels to the beauty parlor and the nuns who taught school always knew best especially about such occasions of sin as the new phenomenon, Elvis Presley.

I'd like to thank everyone who has visited this audio blog during the past 30 months or so. I hope you have found it enjoyable and amusing; hopefully never boring!

I hope to learn how to produce MP3 files but in any event do plan to keep you posted via text announcements about happenings in my life. The most recent of which is that I am in the midst of applying for a library job. Yes, it's with a regional library that handles recorded books for blind and physically challenged patrons. Keep your fingers crossed.

Best and thanks again for all the support and nice emails.

Book Review: Dear Valued Customer, You Are a Loser

Technology can go awry in the strangest ways. Bank computers might add several hundred thousand dollars to your account because of a decimal glitch. A website might list computers for 1 cent each as did the Compaq site in Australia. United Airline offered trips to France cheaper than many bottles of wine, $27.00 and if the studio microphone is on, who knows what the president may say as a test phrase during a mic check or what the broadcaster might mention thinking the satellite feed is not running just then? Groan with the woman who learned that the abdominal pain she had been having was the result of a surgeon leaving an 11 inch retractor inside her--no wonder airport security kept getting a ping when the metal detector was scanning her anatomy! Read Dear Valued Customer, and you'll find out. Emails have a habit of traveling the Net in a trice and amusing all who see them. One could wish a certain audio blog's url might travel the Net with similar results and twice as fast.

I have tried visiting rickbroadhead.com, but the site was down. I plan to try again.

On talking books and talking signage

I found the item discussing the production of talking books as it was 50 years ago interesting. The talking signage piece was fascinating. I hope the Baton Rouge company can work its magic on Baton Rouge signs, too; not just Seatlte's. I may need such talking signage should I be successful in obtaining employment in Baton Rouge.

Blunkett, Part II

Blunkett, Part I

Americans may not be familiar with The Right Honorable David Blunkett, but Brits certainly are. In his personal life, in my opinion, Blunkett combines a certain Clintonesque tendency to do that which can be construed as rather scandalous with outspoken political views on such topics as immigration and assimilation that might be more in line with the current U.S. administration.

Wikipedia outlines Blunkett's career: the tragic death of his father in an industrial accident, the family's poverty, Blunkett's determination to attend college, his early entry into politics in Sheffield, and his rise through the Labor ranks to a cabinet position, and the scandals that caused him to resign twice!

Note: I hope Wikipedia's information is correct. I have been hearing criticism about this project's failure to have the anonymous contributions of participants properly ascribed and vetted.

IMAGINE That!

A Breath of Snow and Ashes: Book Review, Part III

A Breath of Snow and Ashes: Book Review, Part II

A Breath of Snow and Ashes: Book Review, Part I

After reading this mega-novel, I felt as though I had run a marathon. It in itself is the longest book I have ever read. James Michener's Texas is a close second. The series is the longest series I have ever read for that matter. Click the audio link to hear a sample of the author reading her first book in the series, Outlander. You'll also hear samples of the excellent narration done by NLS-narrator, Suzanne Toren of AFB. Enjoy.

P.S. The closing musical snip is by The Cottars and somehow seemed to fit here.

P.P.S. Apologies for a three-part review but such a long book required a longer than normal treatment.

IMAGINE That!

Digital Talking Books, Anyone?

I was chosen as one of 100 individuals to participate in the NLS Digital Talking Book Download Pilot Program. It has been quite a learning experience. I think I'm going to really like it!

Addendum: My friend, Julie, who always sends the best items to me, passed along this link to a website that describes the new NLS digital talking machine. Here.

And another Addendum: Pictures and more info on NLS Digital Talking Book Player.

Designing Blind or How a Web Trail Led to an Article about a Most Unusual Career for a Blind Man

Recently, I learned of The Tea Garden from a website called headbutler.com and when I emailed www.infoeyes.org to inquire if there were any articles on The Tea Garden, I received several including one written by a Valerie Kuklenski. I emailed her to say how much I had enjoyed that article. I mentioned my blog very briefly in passing as I am want to do hoping for a miracle whereby a cybergod might look down and mention me in the right cyber circles assuring me instant nano-fame and fortune! She responded and mentioned that I might enjoy the article she did on a blind interior designer with his own show on A&E. Wish he could do something with my apartment, but it might scare him off.

Egyptian Art Made Tactile

I have always been interested in art. The Hadley School recently prepared a course that uses tactile diagrams to illustrate statuary, wall carvings, and paintings of ancient Egypt. I hope they develop other courses.

I regret to report that the service which provides this blog has decided to disallow the posting of items via telephone after this month. I shall thereafter continue with text items but not as frequently.

Thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. The nearly two and a half years of this audio endeavor have been a learning experience and a time of change.