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Archive for Matthew's Natter...
June 25, 2008 at 6:21 am · Filed under Matthew's Natter..., Uncategorized
About myself
My name is Matthew Turk and I suffer from a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy presenting with extremely weak muscles. This means my mobility is very limited and I am confined to an electric wheelchair. Due to these limitations obviously I cannot participate in normal activities, I’m sure Arsenal wouldn’t appreciate tyre marks from my electric wheelchair on the Emirates pitch. With special adaptations and programs I can however regularly use my computer and spend most of my time on there. Playing games, writing and chatting to my friends are my adventures in cyberspace. Everyone loves the Internet.
Knowledge is power
The beautiful thing about communication is the exchange of ideas and finding ways to do a particular thing more efficiently. By sharing our knowledge of the programs we operate, we can create new innovations and help others to use software easier. For example, I try to tell people as often as possible that if you triple click a word instead of the regular double, the entire paragraph gets highlighted rather than just the single word. It might sound simple but it can be extremely useful and reduces the need for drag highlighting. The Internet is no different, which is why CEME will be good for teachers and anyone else who sees the video clips because so many ideas have been shared.
New surroundings
When I was at school I wrote a letter to the Broxhill Centre as everyone in my year had to apply for work experience. Thankfully I was offered two weeks experience and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I helped out with the classes and was even able to do some more there once I had finished college. I learned that the team were going to be moving offices and the filming at CEME was my first opportunity to see the new building. I was very impressed with it, as the accessibility was fantastic and the entire site including the garden/fountain areas makes it a very welcoming and positive building. Everyone was extremely helpful and seemed to have a smile which also made the new location even more friendly.
The next generation
During the discussions and filming, the knowledge of the school children was amazing to me. I keep telling myself that it is probably because the topics they discussed were just never around when I was at school, it doesn’t help make me feel any younger though. These students, and all the others that are classed as the new generation have so much to offer in that they are able to explain new ways of how to get the most out of the Internet. They talked about anonymous proxy servers, encryption, filtering, their knowledge was accurate and they could explain it easily. I find it reassuring in a way because all of them want to know how to use the Internet to its optimum performance, if they encounter a problem they want to find a way around it.
The questions
Before a group was interviewed about the Internet, everyone discussed the issues involved and the questions that might have been raised. During and after the discussion but before the filming, it was great watching all the personalities, the typical teenage “I’m fantastic” attitude and when the filming began how nervous and quiet some of the students became. I love observing little things like that. Most of the questions were relatively simple, how the Internet at school works, their computer habits, any private information and how they deal with it. Youngsters today get a lot of bad publicity but from what I saw they were sensible and mature. Filtering at school, cookies and other technical issues were also raised for the students to share their knowledge on.
My contribution
I thought it was best that I be interviewed on my own. There were a lot of questions regarding Internet use at school, nearly all of which I wouldn’t have been able to answer because those subjects weren’t around when I was at school. I didn’t want to deprive other students of answering those questions and likewise because I’m in a unique situation, I didn’t want to have questions asked that weren’t relevant for them. I answered how I operate my computer, the freedom the Internet brings me, how nearly all stereotypes and discriminations don’t exist in online chatting, the problem with my webcam and a question about the Internet browsing history. I enjoyed it because the only way for people to learn anything new is to ask the question, and I hope not only that myself and the others were helpful but also this event could happen elsewhere and again in the future. It would enable people to share even more knowledge.
A good day
I think it was a very productive day and I’m really glad I was invited to be a part of it. It will be very helpful for all those who see the finished product and I can only say good words about the new building.
May 15, 2008 at 8:34 pm · Filed under Matthew's Natter...
About myself
My name is Matthew Turk and I suffer from a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy presenting with extremely weak muscles. This means my mobility is very limited and I am confined to an electric wheelchair. Due to these limitations obviously I cannot participate in normal activities, I’m sure Arsenal wouldn’t appreciate tyre marks from my electric wheelchair on the Emirates pitch. With special adaptations and programs I can however regularly use my computer and spend most of my time on there. Playing games, writing and chatting to my friends are my adventures in cyberspace. Everyone loves the Internet.
I can see you…
In today’s society nearly everyone uses some sort of instant messenger. There are far too many to mention and there are even websites for when you cannot connect and you can use their service instead. We have video conferences, can send pictures around the world and keep in contact with family using a simple little device – a webcam. True, they are optional and may not be necessary but they certainly enhance the communication experience. Being able to see the person you are typing to is wonderful because it adds a sense of realism, you’re seeing how they react to a sentence rather than just seeing a reply. Some of my friends all around the world have a webcam and it is great being able to see them. The quality of the image is almost life like and if the Internet connection is fast, you are seemingly “chatting” in real time. I used to have a webcam but unfortunately it broke, and despite jokes I certainly didn’t run over the wire. Recently I decided to buy another especially as the technology has improved over recent years.
…can you see me?
I made a point of researching the available models and reading the specifications as I don’t like diving straight into a purchase. Without digressing too much, I was sensible about it and made sure my selected webcam was going to be suitable and compatible with Vista. For the purpose of the rest of this article, I shall call it “A”. “A” looked great, sat nicely on top of my screen and was ready to be used. The installation process went without any problems and it even connected to the USB port smoothly. I signed on to MSN, turned “A” on so a friend could see me, the connection was established, straight away there were pink and green lines appearing over the image. While the thought of Mr Blobby can be entertaining, I wouldn’t want friends thinking I am his cousin. I tried “A” with different people but the problem persisted. It was becoming very annoying, the problem shouldn’t have been happening.
A reminder
Now, as you read this next section please keep in mind my muscular limitations – I use an on-screen keyboard to type. I just click the letter with the mouse and it appears.
Software conflict
I tried so many things to get “A” working properly. I uninstalled and reinstalled the software, downloaded the updated drivers, I even tried a different USB port but nothing worked. I was getting extremely frustrated because I don’t like anomalies, things that happen without a reason. Just in case I was doing something wrong, I closed everything down and asked my Mum to try it herself. I was not using the computer so my keyboard was not open. She signed in to MSN for me, started the webcam…there were no lines at all – perfect image. This couldn’t be right so I asked her to try again and exactly the same clear image occurred. I asked her to try once more but this time with my keyboard running and the problem reappeared, lines all across the image. There appeared to be a connection between the problem and my keyboard running simultaneously. As a precaution, I opened Microsoft’s own on- screen keyboard (found in either accessories>accessibility or accessories>ease of access) and the problem still occurred. I was relieved as the issue still arose with software running developed by the world’s leading software creator – Microsoft.
The more you see the less you know
I decided to contact “A”s Customer Support, explain the problem to them thinking that because “A” was their product they would be extremely helpful and suggest a resolution. Two emails between each other, and following their advice with no success, they said it was a problem with my software and they couldn’t help any further. From the tone of the email they weren’t too interested in researching it either. So, in effect, they were saying that Microsoft’s software was incompatible with their product. Somehow I don’t believe Microsoft would have allowed that to happen. I knew that “A”s creators would have helped, I saw that I was wrong. I was faced with the dilemma of having the lines or not opening the keyboard and not communicating. I decided to take it back to the store, who were extremely helpful, and I exchanged it for a different make of webcam (“B”) and it worked perfectly, no problems at all with my on-screen keyboard (and also Microsoft’s on-screen keyboard) running simultaneously.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal
The above line is from the American Declaration of Independence and I feel it is appropriate to this article. That sentence means everyone is the same, have the same rights, privileges and should not be limited in any way. This example regarding the webcam shows that even in today’s technological development and message of equality, companies are unwilling to spend a little more time and money testing that their product is compatible with software used by the disabled. There are so many other issues that can be encountered and it isn’t just with webcams, it can be anything computer related. Sometimes the minority, the “different” people are still ignored.
Your experiences
So what do you all think? Have you ever found a piece of hardware/software that was incompatible with software used by the disabled? Do you feel that companies could do even slightly more to ensure these problems don’t arise? All comments are welcome.
April 13, 2008 at 5:21 pm · Filed under Matthew's Natter..., Something To Ponder...
About myself
My name is Matthew Turk and I suffer from a condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy presenting with extremely weak muscles. This means my mobility is very limited and I am confined to an electric wheelchair. Due to these limitations obviously I cannot participate in normal activities, I’m sure Arsenal wouldn’t appreciate tyre marks from my electric wheelchair on the Emirates pitch. With special adaptations and programs I can however regularly use my computer and spend most of my time on there. Playing games, writing and chatting to my friends are my adventures in cyberspace. Everyone loves the Internet.
Different people, different reactions
The Internet. Two powerful words that make different people have contrasting reactions and emotions. For the teenagers and younger children the Internet has always been around, it opens so many possibilities for them. For the people in their twenties, the Internet was a revolution in the way we communicate ideas and even meeting new people. For the disabled, the Internet means freedom from our limitations and a chance to be seen as “normal”. Finally for the parents, the Internet instantly worries them for the safety of their children, whether it is a danger for their children to be involved with Internet multiplayer games or online chatting.
Holding back
I am physically disabled with severe muscular limitations. We do live in a world where just that sentence can mean, if I am talking to someone online, they immediately stop talking to me. It is an unfortunate fact. Following this, I have learnt to withhold personal information until I have got to know the person. Those like myself, teenagers and younger people know that there are benefits to not revealing information. We have learnt that talking about hobbies, interests, school/college/uni, anything that is not personal information, can give a good impression of the person and whether to continue talking to them.
It’s good to talk
Normally throughout conversation online, you get to know someone’s personality. Rarely though do I disclose any information about my condition until I am about to add the person to my MSN. I get worried that if I do, and the person is “discriminatory”, the information will be passed on and so more people will not talk. Using this method, I can see who is actually worth talking to because if we have regular conversations after I have added them, my condition obviously doesn’t scare or phase them. There is a website I go on which has a nice little community of “regulars”. While I have never spoken to most of the regulars, the few that I have talked to were fine when I added them to MSN.
We want to break free
I guess people chat online for a very simple reason: it’s a place to talk to people without having stereotypes, because there are no labels online. We hide personal information about ourselves so that we have the potential to be just “anyone”. It gives us the freedom to get to know each other and who we are, without any judgements on appearances. Even celebrities have admitted that they chat online using an alias, just to be a normal regular person. I think if we don’t frown upon that and can understand it, then we can easily understand why the youngsters sometimes do too.
Positive responses
I have a friend in Canada and we talk every night. We first started talking on a particular website and as always I didn’t volunteer any information about my condition. Once we started talking on MSN I told her more, and she was fine about it all. This is why I think if people learn about the other person, just conversation about every day events, not revealing information isn’t that bad.
We should remember…
Of course there are dangers on the Internet, perhaps too many to write here. I do believe though, especially with my experiences online, that games and chat rooms are being monitored much better. We all know how some people behave online and how scary that thought is. If the rooms become even more closely monitored and multiplayer games strengthen their surveillance, Internet safety can improve.
What do you think?
So what have your online experiences been? Do you feel the Internet can be a safe place? Or are there too many dangers to ever feel comfortable online? Please add your comments…
