Hearing New Voices

Though there's a lot of talk about newspapers and politicians and celebrities having weblogs, we are continually reminded that the most amazing thing about weblogs is how they let average people share their unique perspectives on life. Two of the sites that have caught our attention recently are Bionic Ear Blog by Meryl Evans and Perry Miller's Cochlear Implants: A Mate's Perspective.

As the title of Perry's site suggests, both weblogs are about cochlear implant technology, which is restoring or improving hearing function for people who've lived most of their lives with profound hearing loss. Reading about these experiences allows all of us to learn from someone who is going through the implantation procedure or to follow someone whose spouse is learning to live a new life enabled by these remarkable devices. It's a good reminder that the best technologies are those that help us communicate with the people who matter in our lives.