[Mezla PigDog]

Gwynn ap Nudd, on 09 April 2021 - 02:46 AM, said:

My progress with cochlear implants is amazing. I can have phone conversations no problem. Find I am not really relying on captioning anymore on some TV programs, which is crazy. Listening to music, especially anything with distortion, is still a work in progress - but there is noticeable progress. Speech recognition test scores going from with hearing aids before surgery, day after turn on, one month and now three months were:
Easy test 14%-67%-95%-didn't bother with it, it was too easy for me
Hard test 8%-37%-78%-95%

The astounding part to me is that in quiet settings (work, audie's office, during testing, etc.) I don't need to make any conscious effort to understand most people now. I know I am making some extra effort, as days were I have lots of meetings I am mentally exhausted at the end of the day. But, nowhere near the amount of effort it took to speech read even three years ago before my hearing dove off again. Even in an ideal situation speech reading is really hard work, that I can just sit back and hear things instead is mind blowing.

Really enjoying reading your updates on this. Glad you enjoying having your mind blown!

[Malankazooie]

Did you guys see that flight on Mars?



That's a watershed moment for sure. I sorta think we should be putting that brain power to use in solving our climate problems down here, but that was something behold.

Now the downside is, an advanced alien intelligence that has been observing us will probably take that as the step in our progress as the moment they need to intervene and wipe us out, lest we continue and become a threat.

[Slow Ben]

I've been so swamped with work I havent been on here in like 2 weeks, which is awesome, and also sucks.

Back to work.

[Gwynn ap Nudd]

Mezla PigDog, on 14 April 2021 - 07:40 PM, said:

Gwynn ap Nudd, on 09 April 2021 - 02:46 AM, said:

My progress with cochlear implants is amazing. I can have phone conversations no problem. Find I am not really relying on captioning anymore on some TV programs, which is crazy. Listening to music, especially anything with distortion, is still a work in progress - but there is noticeable progress. Speech recognition test scores going from with hearing aids before surgery, day after turn on, one month and now three months were:
Easy test 14%-67%-95%-didn't bother with it, it was too easy for me
Hard test 8%-37%-78%-95%

The astounding part to me is that in quiet settings (work, audie's office, during testing, etc.) I don't need to make any conscious effort to understand most people now. I know I am making some extra effort, as days were I have lots of meetings I am mentally exhausted at the end of the day. But, nowhere near the amount of effort it took to speech read even three years ago before my hearing dove off again. Even in an ideal situation speech reading is really hard work, that I can just sit back and hear things instead is mind blowing.

Really enjoying reading your updates on this. Glad you enjoying having your mind blown!

Glad people are enjoying these. I do have one caution and one regret with the implants, for anyone who might look at them at some point in the future.

The caution is that my speech recognition scores are much higher than typical. According to the audiologist, my three month scores were close to the average for three years after turn on. I think this has something to do with how good a speech reader I was and how long I had stable, but barely usable hearing. The regret is that I wasn't able to have it done sooner. The only sounds that really sound natural are ones I can hear with the opposite ear, usually while wearing a hearing aid. Between wait lists and Covid surgery cancelations, I probably lost 200-300Hz of natural hearing between when I was eligible for surgery and when I had it. So, if anyone needs this, have it done as soon as possible. I think sounds will become more natural over time, but it could be a long process now.

[Mezla PigDog]

I don't really understand the science of implants but it is amazing what the brain can do. It must be so interesting testing yourself and being able to measure the change.

[Maark Abbott]

Mezla PigDog, on 21 April 2021 - 09:53 PM, said:

I don't really understand the science of implants but it is amazing what the brain can do. It must be so interesting testing yourself and being able to measure the change.

Now? They let you hear.

In ten years? You stand around in trenchcoats looking moody and say stuff like "My vision is augmented" or "I never asked for this".

[Tsundoku]

I just saw "the science of implants" and my mind went in a totally different direction ...

[Maark Abbott]

Tsundoku, on 22 April 2021 - 08:32 AM, said:

I just saw "the science of implants" and my mind went in a totally different direction ...

Insert any Bender quote you want here

[EmperorMagus]

The powers that be willing, and the tyranny of jinx allowing, I believe I just did my last law school (of Zoom) assignment today.

All hail!

[worry]

Congrats!

[Tiste Simeon]

EmperorMagus, on 27 April 2021 - 08:12 AM, said:

The powers that be willing, and the tyranny of jinx allowing, I believe I just did my last law school (of Zoom) assignment today.

All hail!

Hey nice work, well done!

[QuickTidal]

EmperorMagus, on 27 April 2021 - 08:12 AM, said:

The powers that be willing, and the tyranny of jinx allowing, I believe I just did my last law school (of Zoom) assignment today.

All hail!

That's a long road you've reached the end of. Congrats!

[Morgoth]

EmperorMagus, on 27 April 2021 - 08:12 AM, said:

The powers that be willing, and the tyranny of jinx allowing, I believe I just did my last law school (of Zoom) assignment today.

All hail!

Congrats! There's getting to be enough of us now we could start a firm!

Have you given any thoughts to what fields you like?

[Macros]

Imperial advisor, to keep the rest of you scumbags off the block

[Maark Abbott]

It's tempting to do ILEX but... man, I don't know. 3 year commitment.

[EmperorMagus]

Morgoth, on 28 April 2021 - 05:50 AM, said:

EmperorMagus, on 27 April 2021 - 08:12 AM, said:

The powers that be willing, and the tyranny of jinx allowing, I believe I just did my last law school (of Zoom) assignment today.

All hail!

Congrats! There's getting to be enough of us now we could start a firm!

Have you given any thoughts to what fields you like?

Thanks! I have to do a one year period as an articled student now and I am working in-house with an insurance defence legal team. I generally like litigation (both civil & criminal) and I think I'll keep doing it after I finish articling.

[Morgoth]

I discovered early I prefer civil to criminal, or with tax I'm somewhere inbetween the two, but I liked the less personal aspect of it. I did criminal cases when I worked for Customs (drug smugling, that sort of thing) and there were a lot of emotions involved in those cases. A lot of crying and a lot of rage. Threats, cries for help. People dont get as worked up over taxes and restructuring of assets. Or EU competition rules. No one has yet to threatened my life over the classification of an asset transfer.

I guess it depends on how good you are at distancing yourself from the work you do. I am not great at that I found.

[EmperorMagus]

Morgoth, on 28 April 2021 - 08:37 AM, said:

I discovered early I prefer civil to criminal, or with tax I'm somewhere inbetween the two, but I liked the less personal aspect of it. I did criminal cases when I worked for Customs (drug smugling, that sort of thing) and there were a lot of emotions involved in those cases. A lot of crying and a lot of rage. Threats, cries for help. People dont get as worked up over taxes and restructuring of assets. Or EU competition rules. No one has yet to threatened my life over the classification of an asset transfer.

I guess it depends on how good you are at distancing yourself from the work you do. I am not great at that I found.

My experience with criminal law is doing a lot of minor cases as an student volunteer (small thefts, assaults, harassment, etc.) and my clients have honestly been more pleasant than the civil files I worked on.

Though I have gone court watching in serious criminal cases and the emotional toll they take (even on me as a disinterested observer) was significant. At the end of the day though, I am going to work wherever someone pays me money at this stage of my career. I will be picky once I have a few years under my belt and some actual legal skills.

[Morgoth]

EmperorMagus, on 28 April 2021 - 08:45 AM, said:

Morgoth, on 28 April 2021 - 08:37 AM, said:

I discovered early I prefer civil to criminal, or with tax I'm somewhere inbetween the two, but I liked the less personal aspect of it. I did criminal cases when I worked for Customs (drug smugling, that sort of thing) and there were a lot of emotions involved in those cases. A lot of crying and a lot of rage. Threats, cries for help. People dont get as worked up over taxes and restructuring of assets. Or EU competition rules. No one has yet to threatened my life over the classification of an asset transfer.

I guess it depends on how good you are at distancing yourself from the work you do. I am not great at that I found.

My experience with criminal law is doing a lot of minor cases as an student volunteer (small thefts, assaults, harassment, etc.) and my clients have honestly been more pleasant than the civil files I worked on.

Though I have gone court watching in serious criminal cases and the emotional toll they take (even on me as a disinterested observer) was significant. At the end of the day though, I am going to work wherever someone pays me money at this stage of my career. I will be picky once I have a few years under my belt and some actual legal skills.

Hah, yeah. It's hard to be picky right away. I wrote my masters on a (tiny) aspect of shipping contracts, and ended up working for Customs as my first proper job. And now I do taxes. Weird trajectories is the norm I suppose, and it's surprising how many fields can turn out to be interesting once you're on the inside. A friend of mine wrote his thesis on consumer law, and ended up becoming one of the foremost experts on employee sick leave.

[Malankazooie]

Man, you know it's going to be a great day when it's a Friday (weekend bitches!) and the weather is going to be so nice - clear and sunny with temps tickling the 80s °F. And you look up towards the mountains and see snow, and not just snow capping the tallest peaks but snow still visible in the foothills laying in the dappled shady areas. Life is beautiful. Don't you just love America?