Category Archives: news

Danger's T-Mobile Sidekick, a two-way pager has been raised the popularity in deaf culture, for communication with e-mails and AOL Instant Messagner (AIM).

This new two-pager will support in full color, but is it worth it? I do not think so, I have the seven-month old Sidekick pager with black-white screen, and I do not have a problem with that. I use this to contact the people through e-mail and AIM.

This new device cost $100 more than original Sidekick ($200, do the math: $200+100 = $300). If you wanna to get more know about this device, you can find their reviews in USA Today.

Silent into my blog in rememberance of those who lost their lives two years ago today.

Much thanks to meg for the code that turn into black & white.

I read the article about two young teenagers opened a fire into vechiles on highway in Tennessee, killing one person and several injuired. The young teenagers told the police, that they were bored, and decided to mimick their favorite video game, Grand Theft Auto 3. The family of the death, filed a suit against the company who made Grand Theft Auto 3, claiming that they should take responsibility for the vicitm death.

I am not very happy that Fahey wrote in the article, "....including id Software, creators of Doom, and Nintendo - creators of such blood filled orgies of violence as Mario and Pokemon..".

All of Mario and Pokemon games are rated E under ESRB, and those games have less or no violence, no blood. Take the note, Fahey!

Book: Web surfing can benefit workers.

The pargraph in the article said: "According to research, doing personal Web surfing while on the job can lead to better time management, stress reduction, improvement of skill sets and helping to achieve a balance between work and personal life."

Yeah, I felt that way, when I worked the internship as web developer last year, and it caused me stress, and I put work in hold for an half-hour.   I am surfing the web, and relax my mind and put stress away.

Monroeville. I raised that place all of my life, and this town is about 12 miles east to Pittsburgh. I am reading Times Express local newspaper in Monroeville, I find something very interesting which I didn’t know or hard to believe:

...Monroeville is the second largest commercial center in southwestern Pennsylvania, second only to Pittsburgh. It’s also the third largest in terms of commercial activity in the state, behind only Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

During my times, I went several shopping towns in southwestern Pennsylvania and I find myself that they are not as big as Monroeville shopping.

What does Monroeville have? They have a mall, 10 plazas, 7 hotels, 150 variety restaurants and bars, an ExpoMart convention center, and two recreation areas. Even, here are some of the main stores: K-Mart, Target, Best Buy, Kaufmann’s, JC Penny, Media Play, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Office Depot, Sam’s Club, Loews, Home Depot, Circuit City, Toys R Us, and too many lists I can’t think of.

There is something Monroeville does not have: Wal-Mart.

Ex-hurricane Ivan visited Pittsburgh, dumped 5.95 inches of rain on Friday in 24 hour period, a new official record-setting for Allegheny County. The hardest hit was from downtown Pittsburgh to west and north parts of Pittsburgh suburbs.

Compare the normal ones..

I live in Monroeville, east suburbs – 15 miles away from downtown Pittsburgh, and I didn’t get any minimal damage or flooded around my home area because of my area is above of the hills.

Last Friday night, I went Deaf Professional Happy Hour in John Harvard’s (near Monroeville), and there were few deaf people attended; few of them said they stood in car for 2 1/2 hours from their home to here because of road closed affected by flooding.

I am shocked to hear about this story from two local internet article news in post-gazette.com and pittsburghlive.com, a local Deaf man, Dennis Santiago, graduated 1988 in Western Pennsylvania School f/t Deaf, presumed first and only death in Allegheny County. I met him two times at DPHH and Kennywood, I remember talking with him; he defined himself as divorced man.

May rest in peace with you, Dennis.

I am shocked and unexpected to hear Christopher Reeve and Ken Caminiti passed away in October 10th. May rest in peace with them, we’ll see them up in heaven.

However, I just got friend’s message from forums about pre-death – CNN can makes pre-death page in case a famous person dies, CNN can have it prepared for a story in no time. Scary, eh?

Image stolen by mamamusings

Anyway, as you wonder this animated image above, this is real one. Click above that picture to see the movie clip of him his late term as governor of Texas in 1990s.

American has spoken, Bush is now a survivor.

Remember the entry #507? Now you might notice the comparison between yesterday's and today's headline:

Pre-coverage

Post-coverage

You might have heard the major global news right now.. the explosion rocked London in underground transit subway and bus. Why they are doing that? My guess is the terrorist did what they did in 9/11 in USA. Possibly affected from a day after 2012 Summer Olympic award, same day as G8 summit or today's War on terror in Iraq.

Via Joi, most of big media sites are slow or down. You might find the fastest news in Wikinews and Flickr group photos (1) and (2).

Oh by the anyway, today is 7/7.

Yesterday (August 18) the water main pipe broke 20-30 million gallon of water in downtown Pittsburgh (see Google Maps where water main pipe broke) in the morning.

The news confirmed that this is the largest water main break in Pittsburgh's modern history. Two buildings and underground garage park are the hardest hit, sent the residential and workers to relocated or home. They were also without electricity, computers in their building offices crashed, and approximately 175 cars were damaged from least ten feet flooded in the garage.

I was in downtown Pittsburgh working that time, and I just found out the news through work email before lunch time, and did not get a chance of my time to walk down to see this. My work building is over eight blocks away from site of water main break, and does not affect my work building (use restroom, water fountain, etc.)

Why does it happened? The main pipe water system is aged - over 80 years old. And it's about time for Pittsburgh Water Authority to replace those.

More pictures in site: Post-Gazette photos

I was reading Boing Boing, the most popular blog in the earth and I found very distributing article - a woman posted a cameraphone in her Flickr and claimed that this NYC man exposed himself and molest her on the NYC subway.

There's another story: The LiveJournal user have similar incident in different subway, posted them in her LiveJournal entry.

Can't imagine that taking pictures from illegal activity and posted in blog, it might change the face of social networking in information technology era.

The guy in the picture just got Boing Boinged!

UPDATE (8/27/2005): The guy is now in cover page in New York Daily News.

As you might heard the horrible news about aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and effects of the flooding, diseases, looting, arsons, shootings, famine, and riots in Big Easy areas. New Orleans mayor predict there will be possibly up to 10,000 deaths - especially 17 deaf people are missing or dead... and surprising, the counselors are looking to get a help Deaf and HoH hurricane victims to have free housing and reliefs... Via Grant blog

If this number of deaths holds true, then it will be nature's worst disaster in the United States history, and could be costliest disaster in the United States history.

UPDATE: Via Hedor, 17 dead deafies is a HOAX.

UPDATE II: Via Yahoo, Officials warn against hurricane aid scams..

You might aware that today is the day of September 11, 2005, the four year anniversary of 9/11. It has become so politicized, and changed our world views.

This is a moment of silence for them. Please do.

It's hard to imagine that Portersville Christian 18-year-old player collapsed in Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf (WPSD) soccer field during the game and died in hospital short time later.

WPSD, the 2005 2004 National Deaf Soccer Champion and Portersville stopped the game in eight minutes left of double overtime during the time the player collapsed. The score tied, 3-3.

Via Post-Gazette, Yahoo Groups and WPXI.com.

This valuable picture appeared today (as of Monday, December 12th) in newspaper of Pittsburgh Post-Gazette front section of newspaper and online. I know Amber is the student at Western Penn. School f/t Deaf, and I am trying to figure who is Santa, it's obviously that he or she is deaf and using sign language at Pittsburgh deaf club.

If you missed to find the picture in front page; you can view the picture of permanent url address.

They gave away lot of money than anybody else - over $40 billion dollars. I would do that the same way if I were them - to support all deaf schools in our globalization.

Also I checked out the TIME past covers for person of the year, I tapped few that make me think of interesting:
1999 - CEO of Amazon.com: Jeff Bezos
1988 - Planet of the Year: Endangered Earth
1982 - Machine of the Year: The Computer
1963 - Martin Luther King Jr.
1938 - Adolf Hitler (!)

No Helen Keller? Hmm, I doubt if TIME might choose Deaf Person of the Year with mighty Deaf leader...

"FCC opposted to use any blocking technology during movie playing in theater, because it interferes with people's ability to use a wireless device in an emergency situation." - CTIA spokesman Joseph Farren

Speaking of cellphones, it can distrub the neighbor seats for noise. FCC can jam the cellphone user to block the signals inside theaters, Is it threat for us? What about our deaf gadgets: email and instant messenger? This is silent-mute gadget, but I doubt it could distrub by visiblity from using the back-lit screen on.

For me, I am not worrying about this because InSight Cinema sent out very few open-captioned movies in my local area and there weren't many attendance coming.

Robotic Sign Language -- RSL? Researchers in Japan have developed a prototype robotic hand that can recognize spoken phrases and translate them into sign language.

It might cost as much in handy, and the learning students might learn this kind of stuff and turn into RSL instead ASL (American Sign Language). Can you imagine this?

Via Slashdot > Engadget

Via Yahoo:

Six Flags announced today a new company policy under which its theme parks across the country will become smoke-free environments. This measure is the newest element in the company's commitment to improving the family entertainment experience throughout the Six Flags system.

Will this be very effectively monitored and enforced no smoking in ride lines policy in Six Flags? Will it improve their marketing? If they become successful, I am hoping Cedar Fair and my local amusement park - Kennywood follow the same thing.

If you remember New York state, state of California and city of Boston already have the law in past few years - no smoking in whole public buildings including the pubs. I am hoping the state of Pennsylvania do the same thing.

My old high school, WPSD forbids the smoking on the campus (land), including outside and inside.

Also, yeah if you wonder about me - I am anti-smoking. I totally hate secondhand smoking.

I couldn't help myself but want to print inspiring story here in my blog.

The story really hit me, amazed and touched my hearts - Jason McElwain, 5-foot-6 a 17-year-old senior at Greece Athena High School in Rochester, New York drew a national attention - the story began two weeks ago on February 16.

Jason McElwain said he doesn't care what people think about him - he is his own person. That is because he is autistic. He was team manager of varsity basketball team for three years. He usually sits on his basketball team's bench all the time, keep the stats, run the clock and as a waterboy. Until his coach gave a heart to Jason to play in final four minutes remaining in the final game of the season - it was his first and only appearance.

He hit six 3-point shots and a 2-pointer, finished with 20 points in final four minutes! It might sound like impossible for autistic kid have even done before, a gift from God that way he did it.

I have watched this video for dozen times... Unbelievable. "His triumph was captured on a student video that made the rounds of the television networks. The school was besieged with calls and emails, and the parents recieved inquiries from 25 productions companies including Disney and Warner Bros."

Again as I say four minutes of fame, wow. He's now Hollywood kid.

It's very sadden to hear the news - Tara McAvoy, 18 was killed by train snowplow while she was using pager and did not hear train honking the horn. This incident happened in Austin, Texas where she frequently walked on the train tracks.

She was 2005-2007 Miss Deaf Texas pageant and was Gallaudet student. My heart goes to her family and friends and wish her rest in peace.

Read the local news web site and Texas Association of the Deaf more about her.

UPDATE (3/15/2006): Grant Laird Jr. from Texas has an excellent article about Tara's death and Ke5ter's details how she got killed.

UPDATE II(3/16/2006): official web site of Tara Mcavoy Memorial.

UPDATE III (4/2/2006): Tale a look at her MySpace account and another unofficial MyDeathSpace entry.

A 33-year-old from northern Malaysia, Muhamad Noor Che Musa sits next to his newly married 104-year-old wife Wook Kundor at their house in Kuala Terengganu, Monday, May. 1, 2006.

33-year-old and 104-year-old?!? That's offbeat 71 years difference. I wouldn't be surprise myself if they can handle the soft sex to make them happy and satisfied.

Maybe the 33-year-old just want to curious and watch her dying very, very soon.

Via Yahoo Odd News.

Let me tell you short history in Pittsburgh about Deaf Professional Happy Hour (DPHH): the founder of DPHH Pittsburgh borrowed the concept idea of DPHH, in Washington, DC to Pittsburgh as social deaf bar events established sometime in early 2000s and died in short year. Then in 2004, the second generation of Deaf Pittsburghers including me, bought DPHH back, and died in summer of 2006 again, and yet third generation of new committees bought DPHH back alive again on March 2007.

I was the last second generations with seven DPHH Pittsburgh committees, I was the only person have talented web site to get our dphhpgh.com running. On November 2005, I left DPHH Pittsburgh as committee, no one want to take over my position as DPHH web work. The website became idle, the second generations of committees had to send out distribution email to Pittsburghers for DPHH event announcement. DPHH is suffering slowly in last few months, deafies are declining to attend DPHH, and died.

Now, DPHH Pittsburgh got whole new attitude in 2007. New committees. New website and photo sharing site. Actually, it's not dphhpgh.com. The new web address is: MySpace Pittsburgh DPHH and Google Picasa to view the photos. It's interesting to see how the new committees who have little or no experience with web skills, they figured out the easy way to have free web application tools like MySpace and Picasa to get DPHH website running.