If they can make self-driving cars…

January 25, 2017

Reprinted with permission from Berger Audiology.

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I had a patient come in the other day and ask me, “If they can make self-driving cars, why can’t they perfect hearing aids?”

<sigh> Well, first, this, from QZ.com regarding Tesla’s autopilot cars:

The NHSTA’s findings were generally favorable to Tesla’s testing procedures, attention to safety measures, and success reducing the number of traffic incidents involving Tesla vehicles. Investigators analyzing Tesla’s mileage and airbag deployment data from 2014 to 2016 for vehicles outfitted with Autopilot software found crash rates dropped by about 40% in that time frame. After the installation of autosteer technology in the Autopilot package, crash rates dropped from 1.3 per million miles in 2014 to 0.8 in 2016—significantly lower than the US average of 1.85 crashes per million miles.

Crashed Tesla S picture from QZ.com article quoted above

No doubt a 40% drop in accident rates is wonderful, but it’s not 100%. I would say they haven’t perfected the self-driving car yet. And neither have they perfected hearing aids… or are they likely to do so…

Hearing loss can be attributed to a wide gamut of causes ranging from congenital to causal. There are times that there are more than one issue occurring simultaneously. A hearing aid is an instrument to compensate for these issues. It is not a cure for the underlying problem. We’ll have to wait for biomedical scientists may find a way to repair the underlying problems, but for now hearing aids are equivalent to a crutch. But what an ever-improving crutch they are! The advances in recent years are phenomenal.

If you’re a long time user, you may remember what hearing aids used to be. Possibly you remember the hearing aids your grandparents wore. The amount of technology in each hearing aid has increased exponentially while simultaneously the size of the hearing aid has decreased to where they are light, comfortable and nearly invisible… sometimes even to me and trust me, I’m always looking at people’s ears! Ha!

That said, it doesn’t mean the advances are through. And there’s the possibility that future advances might make hearing aids a choice of enhancement for people with normal hearing. Sunglasses have become a fashion statement. Will hearing aids someday reach that same level of acceptance? Many of the hearing aids I sell today offer features such as phone connectivity, streaming music and streaming TV. I can link to a Multi Mic and enhance a hearing aid user’s ability to hear at parties, restaurants and presentations. Again, quoting Quartz, a company called Doppler Labs is working on computerized earbuds that can live translate languages. Star Trek’s Universal Translator is one step closer to reality! Will we someday be wearing the equivalent of Amazon’s Echo or Google’s Home to answer all our questions right in our ears? That future may not be that far off. At that point, having the latest and greatest hearing aid might be something to brag about!

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Charley Creek Inn Wrought Iron Installation

January 23, 2017

Kevin Berger

projects

Easterday Construction, Wabash

Schlemmer Bros. were on site last week installing the wrought iron work for the Charley Creek Inn Courtyard (see right). I tweeted some pictures of the wrought iron under production at their shop here.

This is one of the final touches for the courtyard. It will be ready for use this Spring as a venue for weddings, concerts and other gatherings. Miami Street is also where Wabash holds their First Friday events, so the courtyard maybe come a central fixture in that.

Below are some detail pictures showing the railing on the wall and dais.

Wrought Iron installed on Dais at Charley Creek Inn Courtyard. An identifying logo will be installed in the center medallion soon.

Wrought iron installed on the north portion of the perimeter wall.

Charley Creek Inn Wrought Iron installed on the south perimeter wall. The iron is anchored to the brick and sits on the limestone.

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Blast From the Past: Plymouth High School

January 9, 2017

Kevin Berger

Blast from the Past, Plymouth, projects

Easterday Construction, Plymouth

I got called to the principal’s office at the Plymouth High School the other night and ran across this dedication plaque. This is a project that was completed by Easterday Construction before I was born! Actually, I think this is before Dad was back with the company. I don’t think he returned to work at Easterday Construction until 62 or 63. It’s always interesting to run across these things.

My great grandfather, Russell L. Easterday, would have still been alive and running the company at that time. As I understand the history, the office would have been at the current location on Slate Street in Culver. I would assume my great uncle Jack Easterday or possibly my grandfather, Bob Berger, would have been superintendent on the job. That’s just supposition though.

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Bronze & Water

January 2, 2017

Kevin Berger

Tips

Primavera III, Plastik, Springbrunnen, Brunnen, Wasser, Skulptur aus Bronze, von Malgorzata Chodakowska

We have had the opportunity to help clients with some interesting sculpture placements over the past years, which has caused me to keep an eye out for interesting installations. The bronze work of Sculptress Malgorzata Chodakowska is interesting enough on it’s own, but when you see it with the water on, it comes to life!

When I worked on a Fire Fighter’s Memorial concept for the Culver Fire Department a few years ago, I did some research on several fountains that combined fire and water, but I hadn’t seen any like these that combined the grace of water as part of the figure’s form. Ms Chodakowska has done some outstanding things here!

Engel, Brunnen, Springbrunnen, Skulptur, Plastik aus Bronze von Malgorzata Chodakowska

Here are just a few of the sculptures from her website. I encourage you to visit the site and see them all for yourself. They’re worth a look. I would definitely encourage you to look at the video!

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