A WHOLE LOT OF SPIN

White Pages online is making life WAY easier for everyone but it's bloody invasive (cluttered too.)

I went to the US WhitePages because I was bored and looked up some people. Now, what ow didn't know is that you can get a background check including criminal history from somebody's WhitePages listing. I saw the sample report; it's bloody invasive! It lists past addresses, aliases (if any,) maiden names, marital statusand phone numbers. And that's only the basic one- the more advanced one lists all that plus marital status, forty years of address history and, if you choose, criminal records and lawsuits.

The New Zealand online phone directories are less invasive and much less cluttered.

FaceBook is equally invasive- but that's another story. And that's one thing you can find on the US WhitePages you can't find on the New Zealand ones, whether somebody uses Twitter or FaceBook (and links to the accounts, of course.)

A few months ago I received an email from a very intelligent, very perceptive fifteen-year-old blind boy in Australia. He asked me if I ever was lonely and why I thought I was.

Such questions I find hard to answer. I had to think a few days before I replied- I had to think of the nicest way possible to say what I wanted to say. Yes, I get lonely. In the end I resorted to saying what I really think to this effect:

We are intelligent we are blind. We have different perceptions of the world which not so intelligent people have trouble understanding. Some `normal` things are harder for us to do as blind people.

In 2006 when I filled out the census and the question on disability ("a long term medical/sensory condition which effects your participation in every day things people your age usually do") was posed, I told my scribe to tick yes. She disputed the answer, "Are you sure?" I said, "Yes, blindness is a disability."
"But are you sure?"
I grew assertive, "Yes, whatever you may say, blindness is a disability. I can't go to a party like the average teenager does. I can't dances I feel extremely conspicuous."

(Of course there ARE blind people who dance- one I know is a teacher but was sighted and learned to dance while he could see. But I also know many who are wary of going to parties because they cannot dance including me. No matter eow many workshops on dance and gestures we go to... but that's another story.)

The story is this- We must acknowledge that we are blind and that this affects us. But here's the rub: nobody really thinks about that (even those with our best interests at heart.)

When I was four, the blind school gave me this award a "Certificate of Independence" (how degrading- not many other kids get such an award for being able to go to the bathroom and put their lunches away?) But nonetheless, the point is, they gave me all these awards when I was a for "doing a forward roll by herself" and other things. But what they never said was you will never be able to go someplace without people looking at you strangely, you will have the hardest time ever gaining access to written material... you can't do EVERYTHING.

I mean every kid is raised with the notion they can do everying but I think with the blind child it is more intense because the things a blind adult can do are limited by the fact that they cannot see.

I knew another very intelligent blind man who told me once, "One day you will know, perhaps you already know, that you can go to a dinner with a thousand people and feel utterly alone. Nobody will talk to you all evening." I told him I knew.

My record collection is so very enormous I have run out of places to store it. But I just can't stop buying records- I like them too much.

So here's the little list (and the first in about ten years since I started buying records) for the used record store. Doesn't dig very deep but gives me a little more space on the shelf. Will have just a few more on it before it's done.

Gladiator: Film soundtrack
Starwars 5: film Soundtrack
Woodstock Memories
Encore encore: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber
An Old Time Christmas
Paul Simon Anthology
The Seekers Collection
3 Irish Tenors
Gilbert and Sullivan: Mikado (partial performance,)
Gilbert and Sullivan Yeomen of the Guard (D'oyly Carte recording from 50s.)
Back to Titanic (soundtrack of film includes extracts of dialogue)
Showtime: Music From Stage and Screen (includes Oliver, Westside Story, Mikado...)
Sarah Brightman: Harem Sour Live in Las Vegas 2004
Joan Baez From Every Stage
Best of Joan C. Baez
Jacques Brel: Fifteen Years of Love (copy)
Numer 1 Classical Album 2002
Number 1 Classical Album 2004
John Denver Favourites
God Bless America: For the Benefit for the Twin Towers Fund
Woody Guthrie
Handel: Messiah extracts
Best of K.D. Lang
Mary O'Hara
Harpistry: A Contemporary Collection
Some Irish karaoke record with the melodies played on a trumpet
Celtic Crossroads
Best of June Tabor

This one's dedicated to N., E., and R. and all those other blind folks who are starting high school and destined to be academic. Expectation is a tough thing.

Now, high school (all school in retrospect,) for me, was really terrible-people are just so stupid arse- but that's another story. Now, the worst thing is when one gets ill-people can do really lovely things but sometimes the most lovely things are the most terrible (IE sometimes you don't want them and must simply accept them because it's the right thing to do.)

When I was fifth form (IE 10th grade in the US) - that's when the work really starts - I was reading and writing more than ever before. I was reading so much that my fingers were becoming raw. (I was also playing guitar- didn't get very far, hurt too bad, my left index finger is still paying the price for that- it goes raw quicker and much easier.)

I was reading very much that year- that was the year I actually became a reader. I read classics, I read V.C. Andrews, I read very very old school stories for girls (because they were there.) I read all this in Braille- always having been an avid audio listener and a writer. I read much over the summer and the first term or so. But I paid the price.

I had been experiencing wrist pain for a little while before I actually did anything about it. I would have the pains at the end of the day and go to bed, sleep them off and be able to do it all again in the morning. But eventually it got too much. My fingers were nigh-bleeding so to read was painful and the pains I had been experiencing at night lasted all day for two days.

I went to a physimtherapist who told me I had one of the the worst over-use injuries she had ever seen. She massaged my wrist joints. Tactfully with the good heart that this woman had, she suggested that I have all my equipment altered which did not happen. I got splints instead. The physio told me to take pills for the pain and have my mother massage my wrists. She said it was pointless coming back for physio treatment when one could easily do it oneself.

I did go back, of course, to get fitted with the splints. By this stage, I having rested for a week my wrists were not so swollen and painful. Strange thing is that when the therapist starting massaging them again they hurt and when I initially wore splints, I experienced more pain than when I had taken the rest cure.

Wearing splints then was more embarrassing than actually having RSI. For the first few days at school the teachers were all on about what cool new clothes I had. Then I got teased. And they hurt, too, so I gave up wearing 'em. I wore them, still do occasionally, at home where nobody can actually see.

The last four days I have been living in intense pain- so bad I could hardly open a jar. I have rested but I might just have to go to the doctor though I have rested and it's starting to clear up a bit. I have no idea what agrivated my OOS but it 1so getting better, for the time being. The demon strikes unexpectedly.

For more information about OOS (occupational over-use Syndrom,) formerly RSI (repetitive strain injury) seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetitive/Strain/Injury

As I start to write this I am listening to the band that made a song about how United Airlines broke their guitars. The song made the news and is a rather good song in a country kind of way.

But it's even laughable that "United Breaks Guitars" made the news in the first placeen It is the conappiest story we've had in quite a while (Susan Boyle aside- she's another story.) But it's very ironic that we, increasingly, it seems to me are not getting physical news, we're getting it from the Internet.

THIS morning I was looking on Twitter (which ow like because you can use it like a newspaper.) And I see Twitter haschanged xsinterface. On the front page one can see all the hot topics from this very minute, day and week. I think this is crazy. Now, folk will go to Twitter for the news- what happened to getting out and physically finding the news, to good old fashioned journalism?

But I have to say the "goose chase", the songwriter was sent on was almost comical.

The other night me and L were feeling like idiots. She and me are both depressed and we take care of each other a lot.

But anyway, she said, "What do idiots do when they're together?"
I said, "They pretend they're somewhere else." The thing is called Projection.

So me and L figured we would pretend to be somewhere else. First we went to a French church and then we went to a beach.

But the important thing is not that we're doing something really crazy (it's only crazy if we figured we were actually there and not where we actually were.) But the important thing is the "game", for that's what it was, has theraeputic benefit.

In order to go to a church (or whereever) mentally one must tell a story about it and through this come symbols from which one can learn about oneself and others.

Only three or four max can play for otherwise the analysis would get too complex and we were not after a psychodrama.

Folks who read this will have figured out by now that I think computers are useful but that we should be able to use them straight out of the box. I hardly ever dabble in computer games- my idea of fun is to read wikipedia (well, not exactly) but I think there's far better things to do than play computer games.

But last night I was very bored and I found a text adventure on my Braille computer. I never played a text adventure successfully before but that's because ow never tried thinking it a waste of brain power. But the one I chose was relatively easy- except I told it to quit before it finished and I was about to win.

Text adventures (AKA interactive fiction) put you into a fantasy world, tell you a lG story about it and have you tell the protagonist what to do in pidgeon English (after all it's only a computer.) They have been around since the 70s and modern interpreters for Windows PC have turned up (apparently.)

But what was really actually quite striking was the literary merit of the text adventure. Some people say that they have none at all but I think it's the opposite. Try put "Interactive Fiction" in Wikipedia and see what I mean. See also www.ifarchive.org

I am officially the worst self-publicist in the history of the world. But nonethelesseaaf much thought, I did put an ad in the courier today for piano students. For, they say, do what you love and what you're good at. I wouldn't say I am good up to genius proportions but I am good enough to get people started on a beautiful journey.

I have spent five years thinking about music education and this is the approach I think will work. I also put it on FreeWebs but am putting it here as well.

MY TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

At the heart of my philosophy is the ideal of teaching the whole individual and creating a programme of study that is tailored to their needs. The material given below is by way of approximation as to use of the milieu of alternative methods I employ in my teaching.

I believe that anybody can learn to play the piano and sing. You don't need to be a concert pianist or an opera singer but just experience the pure pleasure of being able to play a tune and sing a long. Even to gain pleasure there is some work and commitment required so I expect my students to practice.

Using the Suzuki repertory as a basis, my studentness will learn to make good sound from the piano and build strong fingers to make this happen. Taking the view that music is a language and we learn to speak before we read, after 6-10 pieces have been mastered, my studentness will start to read music. This will initially be done through art and colour coding (the other universal language). My studentness will learn through creating their own scores of familiar pieces.

In short, my teaching method combines points from Suzuki, Kodaly, Rudolf Steiner and the recently invented colour-keys approach.

WHAT IS THE SUZUKI METHOD?

The Suzuki method is a classical based method which emphasises listening and playing first. Reading of music is delayed as music is viewed as a language that anybody can learn.

WHAT IS THE KODALY METHOD?

The Kodaly method is a vocal method (ie based on singing). It uses rhythm syllables and solfege as the bridge to musical literacy. If students like to sing I encourage this and unessence this as a learning tool before going to the piano.

WHAT IS THE RUDOLPH STEINER APPROACH?

The Steiner philosophy emphasises education of the whole person. Natural creativity and ability to imitate and learning through art are essential facets particularly in the early years.

I have played with Twitter a good while. Have come to the conclusion that it is the easiest social networking application online to use probably because there is really only one or two components to it.

It could perhaps be a bit better organised with a few more headings for ease of navigation. Setting up profile components is overly complex though the whole thing is fair enough.

Now, before I run off to bed, I want to inform you all why I write so much about the accessibility of social networking sites. Simply because accessibility 1so a right, not a privilege.

Of course, there are many people who write about the accessibility of websites. But I am different because ow give the "idiot's guide". I am of the view that you should be able to take the computer out of the box put the programmes in it you want/need and use it. Unfortunately, it's not like that. So I make many phone calls to my geeky friends who tell me how to do really complicated things with my computer, step-by-step and they laugh and think I'm stupid but I'm very grateful to my geeky friends.

I don't spend all day hanging on FaceBook etc, I do lots of other things and sometimes I may talk about them here too. But accessibility is very much on my mind at the moment and I hope that if I write these things some of the people who make the websites will ACTUALLY listen.

Well Must run- back to the grind at Uni tomorrow-