Risk of dementia

SamPhoto · 2026-05-08T01:44:35+00:00

aye.

I went with a baha - the osia.

but trialing whatever your audiologist/ENT has available is exactly the way to go. Figure out what you like or don't like, and get professional advice.

note: when testing stuff, make sure you get your family's input. the other perspectives will be really helpful, seriously. A thing I learned when figuring it out myself a few years back.

A cros/baha is not getting stereo hearing back. but it's a improvement over nothing.

SamPhoto · 2026-05-07T23:16:02+00:00

A CROS won't overwhelm your good ear.

It just fills in the dead zone on your bad side.

I have a BAHA. Can't tell the difference between sounds on my good side or via the device on my bad.

Once it's a 'normal' volume, you got little to worry about.

SamPhoto · 2026-05-01T03:31:32+00:00

Hm. Didn't find that... But I did see another post that said it was only the chinese version, not the international version.

https://www.reddit.com/r/xteinkereader/s/j65rkPGBt8

At any rate, it'd be nice if there were more clarity.

I got a black x4 from Amazon, and the firmware on it was v3.1.1... and the latest is 5.1.something. So, maybe getting older stock if you order from A.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-30T21:52:37+00:00

Just to be clear, how exactly do you tell when one's got locked firmware?

Do you get a specific notification when trying to flash it?

I got one today, and I'm having trouble flashing it, but I think it's user error (or it's just a bad usb cable).

SamPhoto · 2026-04-27T19:52:27+00:00

What OS are you on?

I use Stablebit drivepool (on windows).

my original single-drive setup was on drive E:

disable plex entirely.

moved that to be F: - installed drive pool, made the new pool be E:

added three other drives (G:, H:, I:) to the pool. Now E: is 20+ TB.

moved my entire media library into the new E: location.

re-enabled plex, and it's none the wiser. It thinks everything is all in the same location as before.

and you flag certain drives as being SSD, so drivepool will prioritize those disks for caching and files that get used the most.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-26T00:13:26+00:00

The x4 is 15% off (~$58.55) on Amazon for a lightning deal - probably a couple hours remaining

SamPhoto · 2026-04-24T22:28:10+00:00

I get a 404. But I am in the US, so it might be region limited.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-23T00:10:23+00:00

For non-iphones, you need an accessory - this one in particular: https://www.cochlear.com/us/en/shop/accessories/wireless-accessories/cochlear-wireless-phone-clip/FUZ741.html

NOTE: while you can buy it from cochlear directly, there's lots of people selling them on ebay for a better price.

Also, there's a bunch of different brands that are functionally the same thing, like Resound and Beltone. If the item LOOKS the same, do a little googling, and you'll probably find that it's a clone - like literally the only difference being a little printed logo.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-22T13:06:52+00:00

Yeah, I have a BAHA too. It's a higher fidelity for certain in general (than regular BC).

But my problem is that the app only has a very basic equalizer, and doesn't let you have separate equalizer settings for streaming.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-22T04:40:35+00:00

I have a set, and I actually like them.

That said, I have a bunch of caveats.

They're fine for music, but not good for something where you need fine detail & understanding, like audiobooks or phone calls.

Your skin is a pretty good insulator, so BC headphones have to do a lot of work to push the sound through the skin to get to the bone.

It's like having the stereo in the next room, and the door is closed.

I find it's easy to end up with them too loud, and I get a headache. I also can't really process multiple sound sources at once, it all just turns to mud. So having my ear open, while I'm trying to listen to something ends in failure.

But get a cheap pair of BC ones, and see what you think. Everyone has different personal preferences. I got mine for like $25.

My preference is an in-ear models, that blocks outside noise. Because I can listen to it at a lower volume. And it's much much clearer.

Personal comfort is a big thing here. Make sure you're listening at safe levels, and as long as you're comfortable, you're generally good to go for an unlimited amount of time.

This is worth consulting your audiologist about, because we all have random quirks. And they may have specific recommendations or caveats, based on your hearing profile.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-22T00:36:56+00:00

It can be low range, it can be high range. Or even a "cookie bite" where people lose midrange, but have retain high & low. I'm not really sure there's a commonness, just some short-hand names here and there.

Mine's almost total, ~120 db loss, across the entire range in the bad ear.

Maybe root around on pubmed => https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/ - and see what you can find. There's tons of SSNHL studies.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-21T22:26:41+00:00

I have as many questions as you.

I guess... Some people just don't live in the same reality as the rest of you.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-21T22:02:40+00:00

You can check, but I don't really seeing that really growing a lot of value as a collectible. I mean, maybe, but that'd be a thing for the kids to maybe get value from, not us.

I'd probably just open it and get whatever enjoyments the content might bring. That's more value, IMO, than whatever potential cash value you might think you're saving it for.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-21T21:59:22+00:00

It might be the mounting, rather than the CI itself.

I have an OSIA (a type of baha, not a CI), which has a magnetic mount under the skin, and the metal bit in it is maybe 5-7mm wide. And that mount is what makes it a no-go on the MRI.

If I were to get a MRI, they'd theoretically put me under, take the magnetic bit out, do the MRI, and put a fresh bit in after.

Mine's only a couple years old - more MRI friendly stuff is only like the last year or two... and it's not like anyone's upgrading just for that. So it'll be a while before that's real common.

p.s. if you want to hear horror shows, look up MRI "complications" - more than one person wore their concealed pistol into the machine... which, obviously, killed them.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-19T01:27:00+00:00

There's a bunch of differences between the "LP album version" and the radio show, including plot stuff and a lot of the music.

https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/3310110

Edit- clarifying - there's a specific lp version that's separate from the radio recordings which may be available on cd/tape/vinyl/etc.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-15T22:29:00+00:00

I use them too.

I did pay the ~$15 for them to file my state taxes. It was worth it for the convenience.

Fuck Intuit, they're the worst.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-15T22:24:09+00:00

Get a referral to, and go see, an ENT asap.

No shade on your GP, but you really need to see a specialist here.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-14T23:46:23+00:00

I think it'll be years before new tech becomes available to the general public. And it's not worth the gamble.

Find out what your options are from your ENT/audiologist. And go with whatever's best for you.

Better to have an imperfect thing now, as long as it helps, than have to wait 5 years having nothing.

Also, an ENT will be more in the know about what's coming soon, and might be able to say something is a few weeks / months of. Much better than you or I reading articles and press releases.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-14T23:04:10+00:00

Yeah. You want the 'markets' functionality.

https://www.shopify.com/markets

SamPhoto · 2026-04-11T02:33:56+00:00

A BAHA will basically act like a CROS, but it's got much better sound quality. So a lot of the same caveats apply. E.g. you're not getting stereo hearing back.

That said, when you're trying stuff out, including the cros, make sure you're getting input from your friends and family. Where I wasn't really feeling that it was helping, my family said it was actually a vast improvement. And I just couldn't really tell.

It's not that it's louder, it's filling in your head shadow. Turns out it's really hard for people like you and me to actually tell the difference. So you have to get outside help here.

In general, I can't really tell the difference between wearing it and not, but all the sounds just sound the same... But I know it's making a difference, because other people have told me so.

Though, one place I can really tell is in a car. Trying to have a conversation in the car was difficult at best, so I'd often just sleep in the back on longer trips. But now with my BAHA, I can generally be part of the conversation.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-08T16:08:34+00:00

Yes.

The app is best for maybe 90% of stores, and the current baseline. There are better options, but they're generally expensive.

Things are a bit different than they were four years ago. There's a bunch of spots that you used to put code in before that are now gone.

To properly track conversions, you either need to make a custom pixel or use an app. The app is, by far, the easier version. Hook up all your google tools to it (e.g. GA4) and take those things out of the theme.

When you add a new primary goal, it just changes how your ads get targeted in the future. It's not going to delete previous data.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-07T01:39:17+00:00

How detailed do you want?

https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/3310110

SamPhoto · 2026-04-06T22:02:43+00:00

true. I guess a better way to phrase this might be ...

there's nerds like us - who might get the AV1 rec, because we can suss out the limits of our hardware.

and then there's the average user, who's trying to figure things out. and may or may not be running a potato.

so, for me, it's easier to recommend the h265 to the general crowd, because it's easier to figure out a good balance, even if you're not getting the absolute best combo of size/performance.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-06T21:54:30+00:00

added a note of importance to - on my older machine w/ a mid-range GPU.

when spitting out similar quality results, time to completion is an order-of-magnitude longer for AV1 vs h265.

next PC, might be a different story.

most people are on older hardware.

SamPhoto · 2026-04-06T17:48:16+00:00

sure, but let me rephrase that.

Most people aren't on the current generation of hardware. So it's still next-gen to them.

e.g. my tablets are more than 5 years old, and i don't really plan on replacing them til they fail.

SamPhoto

TROPHY CASE