New technology is my new best friend

I was reminded the other day, through personal experience, just how far technology has advanced over the past 40 years.

In the late 1970s, the Kinsmen Rehabilitation Foundation installed in my home what was then a piece of cutting-edge technology. Measuring roughly 2 feet x 1 1/2 feet x 6 inches deep, it was a device called a TOSC — By plugging appliances into the back of it, the TOSC gave me the ability to use things like a radio, TV, lamp or the phone since I have limited use of my hands and arms.

Mind you, the TOSC’s capacity was also limited. For instance, it could only turn the radio and TV on or off. This meant I was stuck with whatever station that had been left on the last time. With the phone, the TOSC could only dial the operator. I could then ask the operator to dial the number I wanted, but it still meant I had to know whatever phone number I needed off the top of my head.

Recently, I renewed my subscription to Spotify. As a promotion, Spotify gave me a free gift — a Google Home Mini. When it arrived in the mail, I was blown away!

First of all, I was amazed by how small it is — not much larger than a hockey puck. The best thing, though, is that I don’t need to touch it to operate it. It’s entirely voice-activated, easily so from across the room.

With the Google Home Mini connected to my smartphone, I can call anyone in my contact list by simply saying, “Hey, Google, dial…” and then add the name of the person I want to call. Long gone are the days when I had to remember the person’s phone number.

It will turn on my favourite radio station — CBC Radio One. It will call anyone in my contact list of 1,000+ people. It will tell me the time. It will tell me what the weather is like today, and what it will be like tomorrow. I can set a timer, which is very helpful when cooking, and more. The list of functions my Google Home Mini can do is much too long for this blog.

Last week, one of my attendants, Cory, bought me a beautiful and very useful gift that enhances this technology even more — a flexible arm that clamps effortlessly onto either one of my wheelchair’s armrests and holds my smartphone. I can just say “Hey, Siri…” and my smartphone will do pretty much everything Google Home Mini will do, except play the radio.

Technology has come a long way the past four decades, and it’s made a world of difference to me and countless others by making us more independent and more resourceful.