Thursday, October 28, 2010

Netflix Streaming CC choices Dismal

Lisa Goldstein over at i711.com recently blogged about Netflix and their streaming media and closed captioning. 


Once again the Hard of Hearing and deaf/Deaf are suffering. I think she makes an excellent point comparing what Netflix offers captioned streaming to what was available early on in videos captioned. You had to be so careful to check every box for the cc or the symbol. So little was available. And again...


Of all the movies and tv episodes that Netflix carries streaming, only 100 are captioned/subtitled at this time. That's really ridiculous! 


Lisa's blog is worth a read for an overview of the issue and how some of the others in the community view it as well. 


I liked the comment (among others) where the man tried to get his monthly fee reduced because he couldn't take full advantage of everything that they offer. I wish it had worked. 

Monday, October 25, 2010

A loan shark. Well not really.

So, my husband and I were talking about miscommunication through misheard comments. 

Seems one time he was at work talking with a guy who was getting ready to get married. The guy starts talking about his future father-in-law and his line of work. 

Husband hears, "He's a loan shark." And responds, "Wow, don't borrow money from him." 

Crickets start chirping. People look at him strangely. He says, "Not a loan shark?" 
His friend says, "No. A longshoreman."

Would it be as funny if it wasn't true? It's true though.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Campbell's Soup Kama Sutra

One of my most embarrassing hearing mistakes so far happened when I was working as a book clerk at Media Play years ago.

A woman and her teenage daughter came in when it was almost closing time. So, the book department was pretty much empty except for my ride home. The woman approached me at the desk and at the time we had a pocket size guide to sexual health that some company was pushing for the holidays on the counter. She glanced at the book and then asked me for what I thought was the Kama Sutra. I was thinking, "Wow. She must have some open relationship with her daughter if she can look at a book like that with her in tow."

I didn't repeat the title like I usually did. I just walked her over to the section and pointed out where the Kama Sutra books were. She looked at me blushing and puzzled. It dawned on me. I said, "That wasn't what you asked for, was it?"

"No. The Campbell's Soup book. The cookbook."

I was thoroughly embarrassed. At least she wasn't totally offended and I knew where the book was that she wanted. So, she walked out a satisfied if slightly embarrassed customer. And I lucked out that she wasn't offended enough to complain to management about my showing her and her daughter books on sexual health when all she wanted was as cookbook.

After that I learned to repeat back whatever title people gave me before I showed them the book or search results. Didn't totally stop mistakes, but it lessened the really embarrassing ones.