Hope you have some good days ahead of you bro.

Last thought with AI. Just like with how Amazon took over is what is happening with AI now.

These products aren’t for you. They are being used to make you the product by eroding your skepticism and building blind trust.

I am not against AI but I am against how it will be used. Bit of back story I have worked with “AI” type of learning software for the last decade and have seen how business evolve the software.

Great example is working with UCaaS and CCaaS, phone systems if you aren’t familiar. There is a little function known as metrics that providers can use to score agents and users calling in. By itself this is great knowledge to have as you can isolate what what is commonly said, build frequently asked questions for example or have an AI that can tell you those. However in the last five years or so I have seen this technology being used to abuse workers and not provide help to customers. These same metrics can now measure voice levels, frustration, activity level to extreme detail, verbiage, emotions, etc. It can build a spreadsheet report on who is a good worker vs bad. Now what it doesn’t consider is if the employee is having a bad day, going through a divorce, or something terrible that may be affecting them. Tech doesn’t care and will flag you as a bad employee if you drop below a threshold. And it remembers.

On the flip I have seen a demo of AI being used for emergency routing. Say someone calls with their cell to report a fire. The same AI tool with the right integrations can look where the caller is calling from. Pull up cctv or activate police cameras near. Identify if other calls in the immediate area are reporting issues. An example I saw within a minute of calling in the system would be able to provide all the info that the dispatcher needs to know even if the caller couldn’t tell them where. This tech could help save hundreds of thousands from accidents to domestic abuse.

What it boils down to is not the technology itself but WHO and HOW it will be used. So for all these people willy neely installing AI on every device because it is free look at recent example of tech being obsolete once it is no use to companies. You are being fed slop to make you comfortable with AI having access to everything, even intimate moments in your house. In the next decade when companies change how they are using AI it will be to late to claw back those freedoms.

Look up what is happening to Nest and Ring right now. Companies want to earn your trust with cheap products and fun but your best interest is not at the top of that list.

I respect your optimism.

Look how divided people are already. If you were close to starving, family suffering, do you think republicans and dems would get along? Not the ones I know, especially republicans. I know several that are ready for a civil war, actually prepping for it. One in particular I no longer associate with is hoping it comes to that.

I believe that we wouldn’t come together because the people at the top wouldn’t want that. They would stir up more drama to try and make the poor fight. That is what it comes down to. Make the poor war with themselves so the rich get ignored with their abuse of society. Always has been, always will be the motivation. Country, time doesn’t matter.

Love me some WKUK! People watching is one of my favorite activities when I go out. With the hearing and all usually live in my own head while out in crowds. You can absolutely learn a lot about people by just watching their actions.

Glad to hear life is more clear for you. As you lose sense at a slow rate you easily forget what you have. Double good for people to remember these experiences as it helps dealing with other people that have similar issues.

I have plenty to be thankful for. Regardless how bad my issues seem I’ve seen far worse outcomes. I am just at the point where I have lost the energy and motivation to keep trying to improve my station. Short life has worn me down so much just roll with the punches and hope for the best. Don’t compare your life to someone else though. Everyone experiences life to different degrees. Our struggles compared to previous generations is nothing.

Had head cancer at 15. These are the effects of the radiation. The whole head region tons of problems. Mentally no. Had a huge mental breakdown 5 years ago. The whole self-deleting isn’t a matter if, but when for me to let you know how bad things are. I’m not a quitter though so I’ll be around at least till my mother passes.

Your buddy sounds like an unsung hero! The difference between medical person treating you as a patient and caring for you is huge. Learning the technology and procedures that make all this work, truly a marvel of medical and engineering.

Tell him thank you for the work he does.

Thank you for the response. Living is US so healthcare is always expensive. That is a big concern is being on a limited budget now having been told for at least the first year there are therapy and learning sessions involved. That means for my decision it needs to be worth the money, time, and energy. So far I’m leaning to no and just living with what hearing I do have left.

The more you know! That was extremely enlightening so thank you for taking the time to respond and post the links.

Unfortunately I have no interaction with the deaf community and don’t know anyone who signs. I had great hearing until the age of 15. Since then I’ve worked in technology so communication is usually with not as hard with quiet rooms and headphones. I’ve been informed by my medical team and read so much on what it can do. Looking for someone that has lived their life with a device that can give me a more day to day experience. Doctor’s can’t tell you how it feels going through a security check point and everyone eyeing you or what it is like processing end of the day taking the device off.