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#65 January 2025 EZ2See® News
By Edward Cohen of
EZ2See® Products LLC
Hello,
I hope you had a meaningful and pleasant holiday season. I was grateful to take a December writing break. Below, I share one vision-related episode that happened while we were away.
Screen reader users can use the usual “H” key method to move between headings.
First the Personal Stuff
My Transition to Windows 11
My desktop computer was getting long in the tooth. Not only was it not capable of accepting Windows 11, but let’s just say it was not doing so hot with Windows 10 either. Here is my transition experience.
Before leaving on vacation December 2nd, I arranged with my local computer hardware expert to purchase a Dell Windows 11 desktop computer. Prior to leaving, he took away my old one. Then while we were gone, he transferred all the data and settings. Just the thought of having to do that myself fills me with dread.
Upon returning and receiving it, many issues still remained. I spent many hours on the phone with him, my webmaster and Casey Mathews, my Office application and accessibility software expert. Eventually, the computer and I have reached a compromise. It won’t add more new weirdness if I agree not to let my occasional tears of frustration fall into its keyboard.
Why I Still Prefer Phone Calls
I admit that given the chance, I prefer to pick up the phone and speak to the person rather than typing multiple texts or emails. I am a fan of the ancient communication technique called talking. I believe it leads to better decisions, made quicker and more enjoyably. Stepping down carefully from my soapbox, here is what motivated this particular piece.
I had a question for the local hardware expert I referenced above. After typing up a somewhat complex email, it dawned on me that if I called him, the issue would be easier to explain and his response more understandable. So, the call was made.
I was startled when his first response was, “Oh hi, I thought you might be the hospital”. I asked “Why, what is going on?” He proceeded to share the news. Yesterday he learned an untreatable diagnosis sent his mother to the hospital. For years she hasn’t recognized her children. His siblings learned she had a day or two left.
When he finished, I immediately responded to the sad news and said “I am hanging up now so you can deal with this and leave your line open”. To my surprise, he said, “No, talking to you is just the distraction I need right now”.
After giving him a chance to reconsider, he asked how the computer issues were going and the conversation of distraction began. For maybe 15 minutes, questions were asked and useful information exchanged.
As we wrapped up, I quietly said, “I’ll be thinking of you” and thanked him for his help. After a pause, he said, “No, thank you for calling. I really appreciate the distraction. It is what I needed”. How do you respond to a comment like that? “Good” is all I could say before gently hanging up.
Vision-related Episodes That Happened During My December Vacation
When we left home, the temperature matched the ages of elementary school students. Upon arriving, shorts and sandals were everyday wear.
A few times my vision loss played a part in being noticed. All involved overhearing comments in various settings. Here is perhaps the funniest one. While I generally used my white cane when out with my wife; I didn’t in the following situation. Consider if the comment I heard would have been different if I had.
We were walking on the sidewalk adjacent to the beach. We might have been holding hands as we often do. Besides it just feels nice, it lets her provide sighted guidance using hand signals we’ve long ago worked out. Or she might have been holding onto my arm for some support due to a painful knee.
We walked past a group of young spring breakers. Above the din of voices and music I heard a girl call out, “You are such a cute couple. I want to look like that when I’m old”. Without stopping, I turned and asked my wife, “Was that girl talking about us?”. When her answer was yes, we toss her a half-laughing thank you and walked on laughing.
We supposed she interpreted the image of us as an old, long-married couple still in love. She got the long-married and still in love part correct. Though we could quibble about the old part.
It got me thinking. Frequently, we make up stories, usually out of ignorance, to explain something about a person or a scene we encounter. Did I just use almost 200 words rather than simply advising us all to not to confidently judge a book or an old couple by what we’re seeing?
Snickers Pays us Some Visits
Snickers, the older grandson’s cat, who lives 3 blocks away, dropped by 3 days in a row right after we got back from being gone almost 3 weeks. I wonder if he was confirming that we still lived here. He never spent more than 30 minutes each time. He clearly wasn’t here for lots of head scratching or a quiet place for a nap.
Maybe he had dropped by more than once while we were away. When his loud yowls
did not produce an open door, was he concerned about us? Or were holiday festivities at his house so over the top, that he longed for our quiet, boring house. Either way, it was nice to see the big furry fellow and have a few words about Snickers to share with you.
And Now the Business News
Some Happy News to Share
For the past 3 years, we have annually printed 150 Academic Year Calendars. Sales slowly grew, but they never sold out. For the first time, the 2024-2025 Academic Year Calendars sold out. Yes, the number is tiny, But it is to an audience I sincerely wanted to help. It is a happy occasion and likely will lead to a slightly larger print run for the 2025-2026 edition.
And that’s it for January 2025.
Thank you for your continuing interest,
Edward
Links to Mentioned Items
I mention Casey Mathews and his Web Friendly Help business again. I do because he has solved so many of my computer and smart phone problems and made me a more competent user of these devices.
Check out the elderly fall, slip and skin protection products made by Prevent Products Inc.
They are my licensee and are the exclusive distributor of my products.
Edward is a low vision senior living in southeast Minnesota.
He is the founder and owner of EZ2See® Products LLC, established in 2015. Visit his website if you or someone you care about is looking for innovative organizing tools for daily living for anyone dealing with vision loss or other challenges.
There you will see the annual and academic year versions of his weekly planner/calendars, his high-contrast sticky note pads, 2-types of his no-bleed pens and a totally unique twist on an organizer and address book.
See EZ2See products on
* His website,
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* Or simply call, 800-234-8291.
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