Technology that’s keeping me entertained

Posted in Sandi's blog on 16 July 2009 | 0 Comments

There are two things that I like to do that I should be ashamed of. The first is reading celebrity biographies - you know, the trashy tell all, dubious kind - and the second is watching mindless, senseless and unrealistic TV programs. I know, I am supposed to be all serious and responsible but this little brain of mine gets overworked sometimes.

Books? TV? What? No. I can’t read books and no I can’t see much on TV, but that is where technology takes over.

Audio Books

Sure. The concept took some getting used to. I was concerned that the whole experience of reading, of using your imagination to interpret the story and responding to it in your individual way would be lost, but this is not the case. Choosing the right narrator is the key. It does come down to personal preference, of course, but I tend to lean to books that are narrated by the author because then I get the intended emphasis and tone and not someone else’s interpretation of it. I use Audible , which allows me to go online and download a digital version that I listen to on my iPhone. Alternatively, the RNIB Talking Book Service offers Audio Books in the Daisy format, with others online offering a mix of digital and CD formats.

Audio Description on TV

Again, takes some getting used to, but after a few days, it becomes an integral part of the experience and you miss it when it’s not there. My darling husband used to have to explain the program to me on the fly, which ended up in both of us missing bits, but with Audio Description , we can all just kick back, relax and enjoy the show. The level of detail is excellent and even though we have a big TV, secretly known as the plasmatron, there is still plenty that I don’t see, so having Audio Description makes a huge difference.

And Mark, don’t think I haven’t seen you listening to my Audio Books or lying on the sofa with your eyes closed listening to audio described TV programs. I wonder if these things could be repackaged and marketed as assistive technologies for the overworked or the exhausted or even the lazy? OK. Maybe not, but I do know that I am not the only one in my family that enjoys the benefits.

0 comments | Tags: Audio Books, Technology