Category: Opinion

Technology Reviews

Best Live Streaming Camera

| Charles Merritt

Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920

 

Best Live Streaming Camera. For under $50, currently on sale, you can have in my opinion the best entry-level streaming camera for video calling, web streaming, twitch streaming, YouTube live and video recording currently on the market.

At this price point, the number of options are excellent with great streaming at 60 Hz or 30 Hz plug-and-play capability I use mine currently in both a 2 camera and 1 camera set up.

Great tripod buy here.

  • Full HD 1080p video calling (up to 1920 x 1080 pixels) with the latest version of Skype for Windows
  • 720p HD video calling (up to 1280 x 720 pixels) with supported clients. Full HD video recording (up to 1920 x 1080 pixels)
  • H.264 video compression, Built-in dual stereo mics with automatic noise reduction. Automatic low-light correction, Tripod-ready universal clip fits laptops, LCD or monitors
  • Compatible with: Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 or later. Works in USB Video Device Class (UVC) mode: Mac OS 10.6 or later (HD 720p on FaceTime for Mac or other supported video-calling clients; Full HD 1080p video recording with QuickTime Player) Chrome OS, Android v 5.0 or above (with supported video-calling clients), USB port, Internet connection

Product Description Best Live Streaming Camera

Style: C920 Webcam

HD Pro Webcam C920
With the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920, you’ll be seen in more clarity and detail than ever before with Full HD 1080p video calling—the highest quality available. Enjoy vibrant, true to life video clips that capture the smallest details. No time to talk? Send the people you care about a Full HD video clip.

Trust me just buy one here:

Advanced Compression Technology
Faster, smoother, and compatible with more computers, H.264 encoding takes the pressure of compressing off your computer so you can enjoy quick uploads.

Logitech Quality
The C920 goes above and beyond the typical webcam, offering amazing clarity and detail thanks to the five-element, Full HD glass lens and precisely tuned autofocus. Dual mics capture natural stereo sound for superior audio.

Connect Like a Pro
Whatever your network, connect with everyone you care about through Full HD 1080p on Skype, and fluid HD 720p on FaceTime for Mac. You can also make high-quality video calls with Google Hangouts and nearly all other video-calling clients. Two mics with automatic noise reduction allow friends, family, and clients to hear the real you. Best Live Streaming Camera

Compatibility & System Requirements

  • Mac OS 10.6 or later (HD 720p on FaceTime for Mac or other supported video-calling clients; Full HD 1080p video recording with QuickTime Player)
  • Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10 or later
  • Android v 5.0 or above
  • Chrome OS
  • Available USB port
  • Internet connection

Technical Specifications

  • Full HD 1080p video calling (up to 1920 x 1080 pixels) with the latest version of Skype for Windows
  • 720p HD video calling (up to 1280 x 720 pixels) with supported clients
  • Full HD video recording (up to 1920 x 1080 pixels)
  • H.264 video compression
  • Full HD glass lens with precise autofocus
  • Built-in dual mics with automatic noise reduction
  • Automatic low-light correction
  • Tripod-ready universal clip fits laptops and LCD monitors

Package Contents
Webcam & 6-foot cable
User documentation
2 year limited warranty

If you found this to be useful please check out my Amazon echo review
Adapted technology, Gaming, Health, Opinion

Top Two Assistive Technology Computer Mouses  Quadriplegic Reviewed

| Charles Merritt

Top Two Assistive Technology Computer Mouses  Quadriplegic Reviewed

I use several types of adaptive computer mouse controllers depending on what type of computing I will be doing. I’ve learned over the past year that some controllers are better than others in certain circumstances. Here is my Top Two Assistive Technology Computer Mouses Quadriplegic Reviewed.


Continuing with a brief overview of the two I use almost exclusively except when I have something break and I need to revert back to option three which I’ll explain at the end. Many thanks to the Department of Veterans Affairs for helping me obtain these adaptive computer mouse controllers.



Quadriplegic Adaptive Computer Mouse Controllers & Gaming Controller (Can also use with Xbox and PlayStation) quadstick.com

Top Two Assistive Technology Computer Mouses  Quadriplegic Reviewed

Quadcapable in action with the Quadstick:

I have used one of these coReview of Three Adaptive Computer Mouse Controllers For Quadriplegicsntrollers for over six months they are very sensitive and very versatile piece of equipment, however, there is a steep learning curve programming the device for additional games. Plug-and-play does work well if you do wish to use this as a mouse. I found that its main weakness is prolonged use I typically would use the controller 16 hours in a day and that wears out the joint that holds the stem of the sip and puff to the base pretty regularly.
However, out of the two options, I will talk about this is my preferred because of the adaptability of the mouth stick itself for use with multiple types of software.  I would not consider it for everyday use only for specific programs and gaming when accuracy is a must.

Top Two Assistive Technology Computer Mouses  Quadriplegic Reviewed

Pros:

Accuracy

Adaptability

Can Program As Necessary

Sensitive Sip and Puff

Great Warranty and Customer Service (which I have had to use several times due to the stem breaking)

Cost around $400 but available through Medicaid and VA.

Cons:

Not for Prolonged Use

Stem Material Needs Redesign

Sip and Puff Mechanism Needs Adjustment from Time to Time

 

Quadriplegic Adaptive Computer Mouse Controllers Quadjoy.com

Top Two Assistive Technology Computer Mouses Quadriplegic ReviewedNext up we have the Quadjoy. Instead of being left without a mouse while my quadstick was being repaired requested the quad joy mouth stick from my VA adaptive occupational therapist. I’ve been using this for the last 30 days or so exclusively as my quadstick was broken and is offer repair. I use this device for 12 hours a day typically and in general, it is for web design, games kind of, Facebook, other social media, editing graphics and images. Amongst many other things that I use both of these devices for.

The Quadjoy adaptive computer mouse controller for a quadriplegic with no hand function works very well as a solution for normal computing needs I currently use the version 2.0 and the latest version 3.0 that I’ve not yet used which has been designed to accommodate some gaming.

Pros: QuadJoy version 2.0 Adaptive Computer Mouse Controllers:

Very Sturdy Design

Easy Set up

Works Well As an Everyday Mouse

Cons: QuadJoy Version 2.0 Adaptive Computer Mouse Controllers:

Around $1000 retail (I received mine from the VA)

Tends to Hold Debris inside the Mouth Stick

Limited Functionality

Unable to Program

Sip and Puff Sensitivity Should Be Increased

Conclusion

In conclusion, either of these controllers should be utilized situationally. If you are using the computer to check emails and surf the web than the Quadjoy may be the choice for you. If you want more control for gaming, precise mouse control, and key mapping than the quadstick is definitely the go to. With that being said there are alternatives that can be homemade. I used a trackball attached to a mount and literally facerolled while my quadstick was in the shop.

Top Two Assistive Technology Computer Mouses  Quadriplegic Reviewed.

Additional information Quadstick:

The QuadStick is a mouth-operated game controller for Quadriplegics.

The QuadStick has three models, the original QuadStick, the Singleton, and the QuadStick FPS. The primary difference between the two game controller models is the joystick module. The QuadStick FPS has a larger, more precise joystick with a stronger centering spring than the original model. Between the two models, the QuadStick FPS may not the best choice for some users with disabilities affecting muscle strength.

QuadSticks game controllers have four sip/puff sensors, a lip position sensor, all connected to a 32-bit ARM processor. This converts the sensor inputs into USB Bluetooth signals for games.

Compatibility

The QuadStick is directly compatible with the PS3, Android, and many PC games that use a joystick. Through the use of a 3rd party USB adapter, XBox 360, XBox One, PS4 consoles can be used.

The connections between the input sensors and the signals sent to the host are configurable by the user. Settings are pre-configured profiles while playing a game, to match different situations in the game. Specific configuration profiles can easily be created for games that require unique control inputs leading to.

Finally, the QuadStick comes with a one year warranty. qs has a thirty-day no-questions-asked return policy.

Opinion

People Are Assholes

| Charles Merritt

People Are Assholes

I want to believe that people are inherently good and want to do good things. Only until recently I’ve learned that people are assholes. Not to say there are not good people out there that care and don’t attempt to take advantage of everything that comes their way. But unfortunately I have to say there is a little bit of asshole in all of us. No pun intended. Now to what degree you are an asshole fluctuates from person-to-person and in some it is hardly detectable. However, it is there waiting for the moment to jump out and show you its true color. To those that can control it and keep it buried deep inside I applaud you because most are just waiting to seize the opportunity to be the asshole they were meant to be.




Now I am a little bit jaded and given my current circumstance of being a quadriplegic I may be more so than ever before. I do have a good outlook on life and I stay positive most of the time. But sitting here as I do I began to notice that there are two types of people I run into. The first type are the caring people that have their asshole buried deep inside and fight to keep it down. The second type are assholes. Unfortunately it is hard to point these people out because they are camouflaged to look like type ones. So here in lies the problem we have in society today where we can’t tell a true asshole from a person or group of people who are trying their hardest not to be assholes.

Back to the point. Over the course of the last 1 ½ years directly following my injury I’ve had “friends,” “trusted” employees, and perfect strangers do their best to be assholes to me. What bugs me about this the most is that before my injury none of these people or persons would have been this way. They were the first type of people whom put in a certain circumstance showed how big of assholes they could be. To inform the world or whoever reads my blog and Facebook posts I would like to give you a few examples from my own personal life. I guess that’s what a blog for anyways.

Here are some of the most blatant assholes in my life over the past year in no specific order. The girl that moved in to help my fiancé while I was in the hospital who decided to pawn all of my tools along with the jewelry I bought for my fiancé the Christmas before. Giving her an opportunity of amnesty she denied any wrongdoing even though we had the evidence from the pawnshop. She is now on probation. This happened over the first six months I was in the hospital. Bear in mind I paid this girl every week for her assistance, fed her, and let her live in my house. Before the injury she was considered a friend.

So second asshole in my life recently. When I was released from the hospital I began to work from home and hired a past employee to assist me in the day-to-day of my business. In some instances she was left alone in particular when I was admitted to the hospital again for sepsis. Upon arriving home my laptop, and my fiancé’s jewelry which we had rescued from the pawnshop was missing again. And of course everyone denied. During this period we were also moving to a new house so I allowed this assistant to work from home and use one of my desktop computers to do so. We then filed a police report on the previously missing items and included anyone who had been in the house including this assistant and we have not heard from her sense. She still has my work computer and phone.




I believe these two had buried there and are assholes previously but given the circumstance it fought its way to the surface and their true asshole spewed out. Maybe if I wasn’t handicapped people would be less likely to show their true asshole to me. Unfortunately the subconscious asshole believes different. Don’t get me wrong I am an asshole to. To most it can’t be seen but to some it shines bright like a highly polished rodeo belt buckle.

There are many assholes that I have left out that I come in contact with on a daily basis like the home health aide that left two hours early today into her four hour shift without getting me out of bed and after talking on her phone for at least one and a half hours of the time she was here. I guess people think I’m helpless because of my injury. They believe I have no ability to act, and that I don’t have the means to follow through. They could not be more wrong. They do not know me. They don’t know that I will persevere, I will endure, and I will win. So to all the assholes, you need to watch out. I’m not as handicapped as it may seem and believe it or not we live in a world where you can still get punched in your mouth for being asshole.

 

Show you’re not an asshole: donate to the cause by clicking here

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Opinion

Opinion: Pitfalls of US Stem Cell Research

| Charles Merritt

According to the NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR SPINAL CORD STATISTICS there are currently 270,000 recorded spinal cord injuries in the US alone. Increasing at a rate of 12,000 annually our particular percentage of the population is minuscule (1). Which leads to the first pitfall for US stem cell research for SCI (spinal cord injury):

  1. Because of the small percentage of SCI in the US and globally funding for traumatic spinal cord injury treatments and trials are limited. For example two of the major contributors here in the US are private organizations. Both Christopher and Dana Reeve’s foundation as well as the Miami Project To Cure Paralysis are privately funded organizations with their founders being a quadriplegic themselves (2) (3). How do we expect to find a cure without proper funding from government? It’s my opinion that the biggest contribution from our government is the restrictions placed on research by the FDA. Thus further slowing the process of not only treatments for spinal cord injury but dozens of other illnesses from ALS to blindness.

Recently I made a trip to the Miami Project and spoke with one of the individuals directly involved with Schwann cell clinical trials. Currently after two decades of animal trials the FDA finally approved human clinical trials for thoracic and soon cervical patience. However some requirements have led to very few SCI patients being accepted into the trials. For instance out of 500 only 2 were accepted want to cover requirements is the scar on the spine or the lesion can be no bigger than 2 cm (4). Also the FDA only allows for C-5 and reason below to be a part of any study regarding stem cells and spinal cord research here in the US. So the second problem is:

2. The requirements to be a part of any clinical trial first themselves the US rule out 99% of SCI patients. And in looking at the amount of time it took to transition from animal to human trials a further transition into widespread human trials appears to be very far in the future.

Unfortunately for us as well the FDA has rejected embryonic stem cell’s due to possible tumor growth (5) but has approved the Schwann cells even though reportedly by themselves do not repair the spinal cord. “Thus, the endogenous regenerative events that occur after injury fail to repair the spinal cord.” (5) which leads to the 3rd problem:

3. We’re using the wrong stem cell’s due to the fear of a possible tumor created from the embryonic stem cells which are the most pliable the FDA has ruled them out.

So what are we to do? Well in other parts of the world certain restrictions do not exist, certain regulations do not carry over, they are doing the research now on the front lines. So we do what all sick people do when we are looking for a cure we become “stem cell tourists.” Meaning we go to the countries that are doing the trials. Currently there are several places including Panama, Thailand, China, India, to name a few. They have paid for ads on Google directing you to their websites where patients have beaming testimonials concerning their treatment and hope for success.

Why isn’t the US on the forefront of this? Why is our country lagging behind on treatments that could heal and save people like me and millions of others with the potential that stem cells create? Is it that big pharmaceutical companies don’t want cures for diseases that leave people taking meds for decades, insurance companies wanting you to be sick wanting to you to pay your premiums wanting to increase your deductibles? I encourage you to look for private companies doing stem cell research in the US most either go out of business because of lack of funding or sell to companies outside the US. Look up Osiris a company in Maryland which recently sold out because of lack of funding. Has money become so important that health takes a backseat in the US?

I want everyone reading this not to look at it as a conspiracy theory but to think realistically about the state of the US and why we are so far behind other countries. Something needs to change, people need to come together, raise awareness, speak out, not just on Facebook, but in the streets rally behind the causes you believe in, be a part of something.

Charles Merritt

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REFERENCES:

  1. J Spinal Cord Med. 2012 Jul; 35(4): 197–198.

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3425873/

2. The Miami Project http://www.thebuonicontifund.com/Page.aspx?pid=201

3. Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation http://www.reevebigidea.org/

4. http://www.miamiproject.miami.edu/who-can-participate

5.Spinal Cord Med. 2009 Apr; 32(2): 105–114.
hTTP://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2678281/