Ticklerkid on the forum is frustrated by the inaccessibility of podcasts, and wants to know if there is any software that can convert podcast speech to text. One respondent mentioned voicewriting. Is there any other software out there (besides the function in Windows Vista and Dragon software) that can do what Ticklerkid wants?

I should have known. Observing hearing people with their iPods, I couldn't help comparing them to the hearing aid users of yore. Now comes the news that there is an app that can turn an iPhone/iPod Touch into a hearing aid. Several places have reported this. Here are a couple: 1. CNET 2. TechCrunch

In the too cute not to blog category: A deaf woman's cats (Gwinnett Daily Post, July 5, 2009) perform some of the same functions as a hearing dog. Among other things, one of her cats detected termites in her home. I have a cat and all he does is demand to be fed...

Related on About.com:

Cats

Nobody likes to see deaf people lose jobs, particularly teachers. However, in Massachusetts, deaf teachers [update: in this case, a sign language teacher] who can not pass the state's English competency test for teachers are at risk of being let go. This test is required for teacher certification. According to the article in The Eagle-Tribune, so far the teachers have not been let go but it does beg the question, should an uncertified deaf teacher be permitted to continue teaching indefinitely?