March 23, 2004
Outta Here
From the Cleveland Enquirer:
At Ohio psychiatric centers, workers molested children, denied them food or gave them alcohol and drugs. Some kids suffered broken bones. Others lived in homes so dirty they urinated on the floor by their beds.
Taxpayers shell out $160 to $1,000 a day for each mentally ill child who lives in these private treatment centers.
Some things simply shouldn't be privatized. After many years of neglect and oversight, state policy makers are beginning to grapple with the unique issues surrounding childhood mental illness. Given the right treatment and therapy, nearly all of these kids can be helped. But in the stampede to privatize every traditional state service because it's cheaper and easier, we throw kids into predatory environments that will screw with their heads at a time when they are especially vulnerable. Great.
I've been meaning to write about this before, but it keeps slipping my mind. NASA engineers have developed sensors that can detect and process subvocal speech, which is essentially the nerve impulses that travel from the brain to the vocal cords. If this technology matures, it would be like manna from heaven for those with various communication disabilities. Attach these sensors to a human-sounding voice synthesizer and you have what would amount to natural speech. Man, I'd love to dictate to my computer subvocally. This is one of those technologies that has a ridiculously high cool factor.
Leaving on a jet plane tomorrow. I'm not sure what the next six days holds for me, but I'm sure it will be an adventure. Not sure when I'll be blogging and I definitely won't be checking e-mail. I leave you in Charles's capable hands and you'll hear from me soon.
Posted by wintermute2_0 at March 23, 2004 07:50 PM
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Comments
I think subvocal recognition will be the tipping point that revolutionizes computer interfaces for the able-bodied, once it's commercially viable. I always joke that one of the reasons standard voice recognition hasn't yet been more widely embraced is that it simply isn't conducive to clandestine cybersex.
Bon voyage, Mark!
Posted by: Michelle at March 24, 2004 02:21 AM
vaya con dios, y buen viaje! Ojala que te mejor muy pronto.
Posted by: nurse at March 24, 2004 06:42 AM