That’s me.
Why this is noteworthy is that it is at the tender age of 63. What that is all about is that, given my physical condition, only the bareest minimum of attempts were made to train me in visual matters. Yet it was all around them. As early as age 4 I had a strong interest in flying things. At age 7 I found the motiviation to read, (did you really think that Dick and Jane or New Friends and Neighbors would cut it for me? No shot: it was COLLIERS’ and LIFE magazines’ articles on space travel that were the prime movers here). when in 1954, my class became aware of the Crayola 64 color set, I HAD to have it and I used to be able to draw pretty well. But then the concept “low vision” had not really come into its own and below a certain level, such persons were lumped in with “blind”. Consequently I just wasn’t trained in matters visual and am for the most part self-taught. I never regarded that as any great shakes since I was more interested in the things it got for me. It was only later that I realized the size of what I had done, compensating for a 90+% deficit to a point that I was in the middle level of reading skill in my Freshman year as measured by the Science Research Associates’ reading skills program. Also I became a fair sandlot ballplayer, specifically football and basketball and a mediocre hitter in baseball with a strong and accurate throwing arm; if I could see it, I could hit it, all of which I enjoyed tremendously. In short, I became moderately competitive with full-sighted persons with my mental skills often giving me an edge or making me of greater usefulness. I was also a voracious reader. This exacted a price. having accpmplished this, I became willfull and headstrong and very intolerant of disrespect.
One of those things I missed out on is taking pictures. by the time a boy in 1956 was 11, he had a Brownie Haskey camera and was able to use it. That was not the case for me. I didn’t miss it since I was wrapped up in other thihngs. Over the last 20 years, I’ve had a mild interest in photography, as a means to an end rather than an art. However the plethora of cameras, films and other paraphenalia was daunting to me and it was questionable whether I could use the viewfinder. So it went un-acted upon.
Well, just a few weeks abo I saw a Polaroid i739 on ebay for $US65.00 and said “If I’m to get it done, I must start somewhere”. A digital camera would be perfect for me. No film to have to figure out, buy and run out of, so I can practice until the cows com home and the LCD is the viewfinder so I’m home free there: It’s all good. so I grabbed it up and learned to use it. I still have some learning to do with regard to lighting and things but I think I can handle it. I’ve been like a kid in a candy store thereafter. Since I don’t have to buy film for it I can just go crazy taking pictures and deleting them or putting them on the computer and learning to edit and retouch. The invention of a usable LCD had made the viewfinder obsolete and I can easily handle the 2.5" screen.
This can also serve as a “PC camera” for video conferencing. Am I to presume that this means webcam? With voice IM, which I have enabled, this is the staple of sci-fi known as the videophone. To accomplish this, I need some kind of clip to attach this to my flat-screen monitor.
Now for a kicker. In 1968 we had 3 things. the keypunch machine, the teletype and closed circuit television. I suggested the marriage of the three to make the input for the cardpuncher visiable to and editable by, the operator before the actual card punch was done. This would decrease spoilage due to typographical errors by a huge amount. I was considered a mad visionary. Well look at computers today. I am no longer considered a visionary. And just think of what the ubiquitousness of keyboards has done for the typographical error idnustyr.
