a more silent world

 It has been about 7 years since I received my first cochlear implant.  I chose Advanced Bionics in 2014 and received their Q70 processor at activation.  This was their first processor based on Phonak technology, since both companies are owned by Sonova. The Q70 was a very good processor, and coupled with their HiRes Fidelity 120 programming strategy, I enjoyed good appreciation of music.  I use the Optima-P strategy in particular.  The processor was much smaller than the previous Harmony processor, and featured a much smaller, if fragile, t-mic2.  The t-mic is arguably the best feature offered by AB.  It is a microphone that hangs by a wire, and is positioned near the ear canal, allowing me to use headphones and mobile phones normally, by positioning the speaker where everyone else would hold it, instead of having to hold the speakers up near the top of the ear, where traditional mics are placed. With the Q70, I was able to use Bluetooth devices, but that required a ComPilot--a small

 CODA is a new movie, available on Apple TV+ (free trial) and was made with high involvement from Deaf community members, and features several prominent Deaf actors like Marlee Matlin, etc.  The movie follows the story of a Deaf family where both parents are Deaf, one kid is Deaf, and the other kid can hear.  There are obvious culture conflicts here, and the movie covers these, as well as exposing the discrimination that is felt my Deaf people in our Hearing world on a daily basis. It is a sweet movie, and definitely worth watching!