Bob's computer has been failing for a month or so. It would be going along fine, and then just turn off. Then when turned back on, it would try to run a registry repair which would lock up. Bob would have to turn it off, and the next time it would start normally or not at all. He took it to a repair service who scanned it and said the hardware was all fine. They removed a virus and sent it back home. The next day it happened again, so Bob took it back (they had a 30 day guarantee). They did a complete sweep, restoring factory defaults on the hard drive. We got Office and CS5 back on, and then it locked up again. Sigh. Long story shorter, we went shopping. First online, at Tiger Direct and Amazon. Then in town, at Best Buy, Office Depot, and Sam's. No great deals in store, but comparable to that online; no shipping fees, but taxes; Windows 8 at the store; 7 still available online. He decided to get one at Best Buy. It is sure different to have Win8, but he's starting to learn his way around.
We had trouble getting online with our home wi-fi network (had to call tech support), but once he got on, all the other computers couldn't get on. Then he thought of something, but that bumped him off, too. THEN finally we all got back online.
Meanwhile he had a photo customer today, besides the work from his class (portraits this time).
Also wanted to mention Daniel is really growing. He's 10 months now, and walking has replaced crawling. He still crawls some, but walks more. He's learned to make the mmmm sound (he used to say "mama" by patting his hand against his mouth), and will say "mmmmm mamamama." He's also started making the hard g sound and a few others. He said "uh-oh" when he dropped something. He doesn't eat a lot of table food, but it's getting more, and he does expect to sit at the table with us 3 times a day now. He loves to pull on ceiling fan strings (and touch light fixtures), and has got back into the kissing/biting habit. His hair continues to curl.
I've been teasing Bob lately about his hearing, so when we were at Sam's yesterday he got a hearing test. There is a frequency where his hearing just drops off the chart. The tech said it was what makes it possible to distinguish human speech - he can tell people are talking, but if he's not paying attention he can't make it out. She recommends hearing aids for both ears. I really thought he was just ignoring me, so now we all a little flabbergasted at the thought that he's really that bad. I don't know if he'll make an appointment with the VA or just wait for next year's annual.
2 comments:
Congrats to Daniel on walking. That's exciting. :-)
Sorry to hear about your computer troubles. As far as Windows 8 goes, my understanding is that most of it is just like Windows 7, except the addition of the Metro screen (which you can bypass like I do every day) and the removal of some hidden settings.
On the hearing front, I'd assume that being around jet planes / hangars, etc. might have something to do with it, but that shouldn't have affected the human speech range, right?
Mine has weakened as well, but it's usually only TV listening that's affected... And we keep the TV low anyway. With movies, I generally use the subtitles.
Wil,
Bob also prefers to bypass the metro screen. It's just an annoyance to have to take that extra step. He also misses the start button with its full list of programs.
The hearing tech said that the high frequency loss is common to pilots and mechanics, which we expected. I was also surprised to learn that it affects human speech, but apparently the consonant sounds are in that higher range. At least according to what she said. I haven't looked it up since then to verify she knew what she was talking about.
Aren't subtitles great? Especially for British/foreign shows/actors.
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