A bit of this and a bit of that » personal

Spare a thought

owen — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 22:36:38 +0000

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.

I had a pretty interesting weekend at CityCamp, and one of the things that was particularly remarkable was how there were a pair of signers translating everything for a deaf attendee. It got me thinking about how some people find it harder to integrate with modern life as they don’t always find assistive technology to help them get along. Well, today I came across the website of NMEDA, a website that promotes driving and safety equipment for less able-bodied individuals. They cater for disabled and elderly clients, but they’re not in the business of selling. Instead, what they do is certify retailers and work with them to establish standards around equipment and procedures. They are based in the US and provide national services to help disabled and elderly clients get back on their feet. If you pop onto their website, you an give it your ZIP code and it will give you a number of retailers in your area that subscribe to their code of practice.

The difficulty with adaptive technology is that now two people are alike. Add to this the fact that the client may have different disabilities and you end up with a plethora of different conditions that need supporting. NMEDA provide an in-personal consultation where the client will be evaluated and equipment ideal for his/her situation recommended. They even supply training should this be required. A complete service all around.

Spot on the nose

owen — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 21:53:28 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

This might be a bit of a silly post, but I feel like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer today. Yup, I’ve got a spot on my nose and it’s really annoying. Now I’m not a spotty teenager, far from it, but I’m sure that even if I was on the best acne treatment around, this spot would have come out anyway.

Ah well, we’ll have to see what we’re going to do about it. Need to get rid of it before we fly to Malta, otherwise I might spark some sort of security alert!

Visiting the Air Traffic Control Tower

owen — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:52:40 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

I went with the BCS today and joined them for a tour of the new Air Traffic Control Tower in Ronaldsway. It was a pretty good tour and I have some photos I’ll be uploading to my main blog if I’m still awake in a few minutes

It was interesting to get some insight into someone else’s work day. It’s easy to get dragged into the mire that is your every day life and sometimes seeing something different can give you perspective. It’s also good to see what other jobs are out there, airline jobs, construction jobs or even flying an aeroplane. It’s just that these sort of jobs are so far from where I am, that sometimes you don’t even consider them as options for other people.

I wonder what the kids will grow up to be when they grow up …

Need a haircut

owen — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:17:10 +0000

As you can see from my photo it’s getting high time for me to get a haircut. Ok, I should also be researching the best shampoo for thinning hair, but the rest of it is going out of control. We’ll probably do the deed this weekend, both Arthur and I need a haircut, so we might be getting up early and popping down to the barber for a bit of a trim. It’s been a few months since our last haircut. I know that both of us have been needing a haircut for a few weeks now; it’s just a matter of getting down and having it done! It’s actually quite amazing how fast his hair is growing, he soon won’t be able to see through it!

So, I’m hoping to have a more streamlined photo for you next week. Watch this space!

Ouch .. my back!

owen — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:55:04 +0000

I don’t know what I’ve done to my back, but I seem to have messed it up again somehow. I don’t know if it’s lifting and playing with the kids or whether I’m not sitting properly. I know that I do spend too much of my day sitting, but after all, my job and hobbies dictate how I spend my day up to a point.

Thank goodness for drugs, I guess. A couple of Ibuprofen tend to dull the ache and it fades away. It’s good that you can reach out for something for backache or migraine treatment or hay fever. Must have been hard living in a cave without access to the comforts we have today.

Surfing the Web

owen — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:12:46 +0000

The Web is great isn’t it? It’s amazing how you can always find the answer to every question you want, whether it’s how to use ListViews in Android or research extenze side effects. Yes, there’s a whole thing about social interaction nowadays, with Facebook and the like making a huge impact; but for me, the fact that I can just pop on and find out anything I need to know is that has really changed my life!

Has the Internet made an impact on your life?

Are You a Cyber-Addict? (psychologytoday.com)

Enjoying what I do

owen — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 10:16:38 +0000

You know, it’s great to be doing a job that you enjoy. It’s just a thought that passed through my mind this morning. You see, because of holidays and sickness I’ve only gone into work one day this week .. and well, I’ve missed it! My focus is currently on two different projects, one providing online services to government services and the other in easing Government into Social Media. I’m working with a great group of people on each and this is probably the best situation an employment position can put you in.

Do you enjoy who YOU do? Tell me all about it!

New T-shirt – by Unisys

owen — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 22:18:55 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

We had a clean out at the office today and one of my buddies, who works for Unisys, had some shirts he was giving away. So now I have a new XXL Unisys polo shirt. I do like collecting promotional products from different companies, even though I don’t always make use of it. It sort of reminds me of when I used to visit the occasional conference and we used to run around trying to see who could collect the most swag. Then, in the evening we’d just swap stuff around, the Dell pen for the flashy toy from the company that did live satellite webcasts, the HP T-shirt for the USB drive from that storage company that noone remembers.

Ah .. the memories …

Hop-tu-Naa

owen — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:54:27 +0000

: Image by Mountainside Crochet via Flickr

Well, it’s been a quiet evening .. was expecting at least a couple of trick or treaters. It’s Halloween night, or Hop Tu Naa, as the traditional Celtic feast is called here in the Isle of Man. I haven’t seen kids in costume, or parents ferrying them around or even anybody in safety vests; pretty quiet all around.

We had a couple of decorations around the house and did some “scary” stuff; but with two one-month old babies, the options are a bit limited. We do have a Halloween party tomorrow, so there may be a bit of fun there. Costume anyone?

Our stay in hospital

owen — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:12:56 +0000

Well, the twins are officially 2 days old now, and this is Camille’s third night in hospital. I must say that I’m constantly impressed at how good the staff on the Jane Crookall at Nobles Hospital. All the staff have been great, from the doctors and midwives, all the way down to the support staff that keep the place ticking. I must say, I haven’t had that much exposure to hospitals, but one thing I did notice was how much packaging goes around medical equipment. I guess it’s the need to keep things sterile, but it’s quite surprising just how many packages and wrappings have to be opened up (and discarded) to get anything done. I guess that’s one of the costs of healthcare really, making sure you’re using equipment that’s up to scratch for the job.

Anyway, I guess it’s soon time to plan our return home, as everything is proceeding relatively smoothly. We’ll have to see when they let us go back home.