So I got the webcam working with via Yahoo earlier this evening. Woot! I only had to sacrifice two goats…
The webcam seems pretty choppy for ASL, though. I’m going to google around and see if that can be improved, we’re both using cable and should be able to do better than that, though webcams ARE cheapie little things. I’ve got the Sorenson VRS, but not sure how to acquire one for my non deaf friends :uhoh:
In any case it was a pretty good day. Got my grubby paws on a copy of Children of a Lesser God so I can pick out all the swear words she uses 
Also got a copy of Forbidden Signs which looks very interesting, so am looking forward to reading that.
I have that book: Forbidden Signs. It’s a great book, have not read it in a few years but remember loving it. Be prepared for some really horrific quotes about sign language though! Ha.
Hey BEG,
I’m back… I’ve been busy these days. Life happens, you know. So you can go back to reading my blogs, if you want.
FYI - for those who are hearing, they have to buy Sorenson. It’s about $150, I believe. It’s free only for those who are deaf and hard of hearing, and is funded by the government. I think.
The choppiness of IM is all due to the speed of the Internet and how fast your computer’s processor is. I have DSL via Verizon, and I have a new computer. It’s sometimes choppy when I use video IM over AIM, and it freezes up. The speed of signing is not ready for the video IM. It’s fine for those who use it to speak to each other. Give it a couple more years, it’ll catch up to the speed of signing.
Oh… on Sorenson, it’s sometimes choppy, too. I think it’s related to the speed of DSL at the time of the day. It’s not consistent, but it’s better than TTY or CapTel. I have CapTel, and I don’t use it much. I find it difficult to sit and talk on the phone while reading the captions. It doesn’t feel comfortable. I rather just sit and sign what I want to say in a comfortable situation.
I’ll stop now… have a nice day.
Some of the choppiness is certainly due to the internet connection and bandwidth, but at the end of the day, the sorenson and the IM go over the same channels. With experimentation, I have found that the particular program used also makes a difference. Yahoo’s IM is useless. MSN’s IM works well enough for us — we’re pretty slow so it’s okay. I can easily see it being unusable for anyone signing any faster than us, though
Good to see you back! Saw your entries pop up on LJ & Deafread.