Wednesday, May 1, 2024

Finding My Way Through a Building... for Science!

 

Yesterday I was going to blog, but I didn't have much to say. I was just going to post a photo of the stuff I'd bought this weekend. However, the photo got stuck somewhere between my phone, the Cloud, and my computer, so then there was nothing to blog about. It did show up today.

I worked on campus today, and at lunch I took a walk at the Allen Centennial Gardens, where there was this interesting tulip.


The gardens smelled so good because of all the flowers blooming there, and then on the path I walk on my breaks, there were golden currants with their scent like exotic spices.


Right after work I participated in a study about using assistive technology for visually impaired people. They also wanted people with normal vision, I suppose as a control group, so I was happy to do it. It was actually kind of fun: they took me on four different circuitous routes, every other time without the headset that showed labels like "Bathroom" and "Lockers," and every other time with it. At the end of the route I had to draw a map of what I'd seen along the way, then they took me back to the starting point by another route and I had to do the first route as fast as I could. I did pretty well without the headset, but when I had to wear it, I had trouble producing the maps. However, I still had no problem retracing the routes. Maybe I am really good at navigating. Like, without the headset I could remember for the map where we turned left or right, but maybe the headset was too distracting, so my maps were mostly straight lines. But in real life I could remember which way we'd turned as I was trying to follow the route. And they even paid me to do this! I'm telling you, I should have been a sailor - I can navigate well and never get seasick. What use are these skills while holed up in a dingy office creating spreadsheets?


Famous Hat


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