Nothing new has happened with regarding to captioning online or downloadable videos. I researched iPod captioning again to see if something had changed since the iTunes v7.4 comes with show captioning option as shown in iLounge.
However, I came across DiveintoMark’s entry on how to view his videoblogs with captions. Reviewing this — we have a problem. Too many options, too many different ways of doing things, no standards.
How can we expect iTunes to work as it depends on the video’s settings/codecs? A video may have captioning available for one media player, but not for iTunes and others.
Captioning Online Videos January 2008 Update
Pepsi's silent Super Bowl ad was Plano man's idea
Hey, this is exciting news… considering I live in Plano. Just watched the — of course, captioned — video and laughed out loud. Well, congrats… Pepsi is getting more promotion out of it with blogs like this posting about it. Hope it makes up for the big budget they put into airing it during the Super Bowl.
From The Dallas Morning News…
By Karen Robinson-Jacobs
PepsiCo Inc. is hoping to make some noise with a Super Bowl ad featuring 60 seconds of silence.
During the Fox network’s pregame show on Feb. 3, the nation’s second-largest soft drink maker will air a commercial conceived by a PepsiCo employee, starring him and three others, including two who are deaf.
Links: 2008-01-22
Great links to interesting articles and sites.
- Sharon reports Deaf actor in There Will Be Blood
- Sharon also has a great list of over 170 adolescent books containing deaf characters.
- Kathleen says her speech was better after learning ASL fluenty. This is fascinating as I observed an oral deaf person who later learned sign language and joined the Deaf culture do the opposite. Her speech and lipreading skills dropped. Sounds like it depends on the person.
- 10 Great Traits of Deaf Leaders by LaShonda explores what popular bloggers/vloggers have in common.
- KT Tunstall writing music for the deaf
- Scott Hamm writes his first ASL lyrics
Rally Caps
Just read about Rally Caps at Hearing Exchange. It sounds like a nice story. Stories surrounding a disability or difference don’t always make a good read. I was looking for a children’s book with a deaf character to read to 2nd graders and didn’t like any of the ones I found. So this might have potential.
The story focuses on two friends on a baseball team. One has a cochlear implant. Here’s the official description:
Ten year old Jordan is injured in an unfortunate and frightening accident while trying out for the Little League Travel team. Recovery is difficult. At summer camp he struggles to conquer his anxiety and fear in order to return to his beloved game of baseball. He forms a friendship with a deaf Italian boy, Luca, who wears a cochlear implant. Luca’s compelling positive nothing is impossible attitude, along with the inspiration he draws from his idol, Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., gives Jordan the courage to return to baseball with a passion. Find out what happens as “Rally Caps” are raised in the bottom of the final inning in the biggest game of Jordan’s life. Boys and girls alike will enjoy this touching story of persevering through difficult times.
Waiting for the World to Change
Found this great video on Blogs with a Face. I may not know much ASL, but the video gets its message across loud and clear.
Within an hour of writing this, I saw this song with captions on TV. It’s a lovely song.
Deaf Adventures Playing Tennis
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve been embarrassed while playing sports.
Just last weekend, I was running to the far side of the tennis court when I see classmates waving at me and pointing to the other side. Obviously, I needed to go to the near side of the court. Usually, I make sure I am going in the right place, but it doesn’t always happen.
Since I just play tennis now — I usually tell my opponent that if I keep playing after the ball is dead — it’s only because I may not be sure the play has stopped. They are respectful about that.
Closed-Captioned HD Radio by NPR
Radio was never a top priority for captioning mainly because I don’t sit in the passenger’s seat very often. I’m not about to read radio and drive. What I do want is the ability to see the song and group singing it so I know what songs I like. I know lots of radios do that, but I am driving a 10+ year old car with an outdated radio that shows only the station and time.
PC Magazine also reports on captioned radio.
However, streaming radio through a service like RadioTime.com would be cool as you can get it on any computer — so no danger of reading and driving.
Gizmodo reports on captioned radio from CES 2008.
Deaf Bunny
Ahem. This Wired article is a fascinating read, but read it in a safe place not at work or some place where someone seeing “Sex Drive” on your screen would embarrass.
Sex sells. No matter how you do it.
Deaf Kid in a Hearing Family
Rita’s Expressive VLog has a video of one person’s experience of being the only deaf kid in a hearing family during the holidays. The video is in ASL.
Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year everyone!