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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 956

                            Monday, June 28, 1993

Today's Topics:


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                     BOP Braille Output Pad Development
                             Address book wanted
                          Re: Need employment info
                             Beating dead horses
                          Re: Speech output vs brai
                            Upgrade, then trouble
                               a.p.h. recorder
                          Speech output vs braille
                          Re: Quoting, Quoting and
          Many years ago I corresponded in Braille with a number of


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Subject: BOP Braille Output Pad Development
From: ad913@freenet.carleton.ca (Hugh Campbell)
Organization: The National Capital Freenet


The Braille Output Pad (BOP) was developed as a thesis project in a
Microcomputer Engineering Technologist college program.  Designed
to enable blind computer users to read text-mode screen data, it
delivers on a standard serial mouse an eight-pin braille character
corresponding to the text character located at the current mouse
cursor position.  Movement of the mouse cursor is signaled by a set
of beep tones, and mouse button presses will move the cursor to
either the top left of screen or the current DOS cursor position.
The PC interface is managed by an unloadable TSR driver; this was
written entirely in assembler to maximize speed and minimize code
size.  The BOP specifications were developed within the context of
recent related work by others, and of needs identified by the
end-user community.

In the opinion of the developer, the next phase of BOP development
would consist of industrial design, prototyping, and rigorous
testing by independent groups.

The developer is currently unable to undertake this further
development.  Respecting the potential impact of the BOP, however,
he prefers to transfer the project in its entirety, with neither
cost nor limitations, to any party willing (and able) to do so.
The project package will consist of development notes, contact
lists, research references, source code and executables, and
breadboarded hardware.  Costs associated with this transfer, such
as shipping and communications, must be borne by the receiving
party.

For further information, contact:

        Hugh Campbell
        2 - 1127 Wellington Street
        Ottawa, ON, Canada K1Y 2Y6
        613 729 5285
        ad913@freenet.carleton.ca
--




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Subject: Address book wanted
From: Eric.Smith@f120.n226.z1.fidonet.org (Eric Smith)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:226/120 - Colossus, Worthington OH


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

I am looking for an "address book" program. I want to keep
addresses and phone nbumber, but most important I want to be able
to point to a phone number and have my MODEM dial the number.  I am
really not interested in using a database program and "BMickey
Mousing" something.  I found somthing called Little Black Book, but
it wasn't speech friendly. Otherwise it seemed to be what I
wanted:  dialing feature, cross-referencing, etc.  If anyone has
experience with this shareware program (LBB315.ZIP, I think it
was), your help would be appreciated. Have you gotten it to work
with speech?  How:

Eric

... "Scotty, beam me up another Blue Wave message." ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!226!120!Eric.Smith
Internet: Eric.Smith@f120.n226.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: Need employment info
From: Steve.Bauer@f6.n291.z1.fidonet.org (Steve Bauer)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:291/6 - Wichita BBS, Wichita Ks


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 JH> I need information on employment statistics for people who are
 JH> blind. Can anyone give me a source, one that I could get in
 JH> print, if needed. I need this for a legal matter.  I have
The American Foundation for the Blind at 800-232-5463 maintains a
database of jobs held by blind and visually impaired persons.  They
will probably have the stats you need.

Steve

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!291!6!Steve.Bauer
Internet: Steve.Bauer@f6.n291.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Beating dead horses
From: Peter.Scialli@f432.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Peter Scialli)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:109/432 - The Idea Link, Wheaton MD


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Michael,
  My guess is that if you run Open Book with a speech driver intact at
  the same time as you have Window Bridge resident in the machine, you
  will get at least some of the speech repeating itself through the
  synthesizer as two drivers will be addressing it at the same time.  I
  have seen Open Book running through the use of a Windows based screen
  access package and it works fine.  In fact, it works better than the
  standard Open Book driver before more information is available on the
  screen than what the ZOB driver tells you.
    My advice is to try installing Open Book (and there is no problem
    re-installing it) and telling it that you have no speech
    synthesizer.  In this way, it will not attempt to use a driver of
    its own and Window Bridge can operate it as though it is just any
    Windows application.  You should also be able to treat it as such in
    terms of multitasking, etc.
      Oh yes,  The new release of the Open Book Unbound software, which
      you will get for free, is going to have a method for
      "unprotecting" the user from Windows for people such as yourself
      who want access to all that stuff!

     Peter

 * JABBER v1.1 * ShrinkWrap Computer Products: 800-377-0774
===
 * KMail 2.94g - The Idea Link -

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!109!432!Peter.Scialli
Internet: Peter.Scialli@f432.n109.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: Speech output vs brai
From: Dennis.Bartlett@f1007.n282.z1.fidonet.org (Dennis Bartlett)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:282/1007 - DRAGnet, Andover MN


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 -=> Quoting Larry Thacker to Connie Famulari <=-

 LT> I understand the need to see something for sure instead of relying on
 LT> the voice synthesizer's pronunciation.  I have some vision, so I use
 LT> screen enlargement in combination with speech synthesis.  I would want
 LT> to use braille display if I could not see at all, but I would not want
 LT> to go without speech.
 LT> I also wonder about GUI's.  I know that work is being done to make
 LT> things like Windows talk, but is anyone working on something to
 LT> represent them on a braille display device?

Window Bridge also works with some Braille displays.  I have not seen this
happen but their manual says it does. Also, I am totally blind since birth
I think I would like to see more in Braile than with speech. I am attending
school to become a computer programer and I am having some dificulty with
the concepts of what screens really look like and what diagrams are really
like.

 LT> -!- Squish v1.01
 LT> # Origin: ADAnet(tm) NetHub Birmingham, Alabama (205)854-9074
 LT> (94:94/1)  ! Origin: ADAnet(tm) Gateway Birmingham AL. (1:3602/24)

... Documentation - The worst part of programming.
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!282!1007!Dennis.Bartlett
Internet: Dennis.Bartlett@f1007.n282.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Upgrade, then trouble
From: Steve.Matzura@f203.n2603.z1.fidonet.org (Steve Matzura)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:2603/203 - The BATcave Mail On, Brooklyn NY


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hi all:

If you're a SynPhonix user--not an ARTIC 210 or 215 user, but the
old SynPhonix (pre-210) board--then I need your help!

My BBS has just returned to the air after a week of being down.
The cause for the downtime was that a battery pack that was used to
back up the on-mother-board lithium or mercury battery finally
sprung a leak in one of its cells.  The leakage was extensive, the
mother board was effectively ruined.

But that's OK, because I was able to get a used 386 33 megahertz
mother board to replace it with!  Now I have a "real" computer!

Now here's the problem:  Ever since the upgrade, my SynPhonix board
has been making strange un-SynPhonix-like sounds when it talks,
like the kinds of sounds the old Apple 2 Echo board made
sometimes.  I'm wondering, is it because my machine is now so fast
it's feeding the SynPhonix board too quickly?  So, I dropped my
machine's speed down from 33 to 25 megahertz, same thing.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, and thanks in advance.

--
Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!2603!203!Steve.Matzura
Internet: Steve.Matzura@f203.n2603.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: a.p.h. recorder
From: Steve.Gomes@p0.f810.n104.z1.fidonet.org (Steve Gomes)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:104/810.0 - Electronic Library, Denver CO


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

well i have one of those a.p.h. recorders and I was wondering if
anyone who has one also experiences the same thing.  if you put your
hand over near the tone indexing button and back further towards the
rear of the unit it feels warm if left pluged in to the wall and
also it feels like the motor is possibly running or is it just the
power suply?  I want to find out if this normal before I take it
apart and check it out thanks

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!104!810.0!Steve.Gomes
Internet: Steve.Gomes@p0.f810.n104.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Speech output vs braille
From: Donald.Roberts@f88.n119.z1.fidonet.org (Donald Roberts)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:119/88 - Madman BBS, Chico CA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

As concerns your inquiry about the comparative advantages of
speech versus braille, my sentiments to a great extent concur
with those of Christopher Hill as verbalized in his response to
you.

Each method has its own advantages.  However if one is forced
to opt for one or the other because of cost or other consider-
ations, then I would choose speech because of its lower cost,
lower maintenance costs, greater flexibility, and also of course
because it for me is much much faster.  Ideally, it is preferable
to have access to both.

If you have specific questions which I can address, please
feel free to contact me.

Don Roberts

... The last thing I saw was this Big Blue Wave!
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!119!88!Donald.Roberts
Internet: Donald.Roberts@f88.n119.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: Quoting, Quoting and
From: Donald.Roberts@f88.n119.z1.fidonet.org (Donald Roberts)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:119/88 - Madman BBS, Chico CA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 -=> Quoting Isaac Obie to Donald Roberts <=-

 IO> You've developed quite a technique for ridding yourself of quoted
 IO> jargon. I  only wish it was possible with braille. I can't imagine
 IO> setting up windows of specific text to read. do you know
 IO> the different  colors being read? Or is that a separate
 IO> piece of information you can request from the speech
 IO> program at any time as desired? I wonder if I could take a
 IO> speech program and runn it in the back ground while I read
 IO> braille, thus reaping the benefits of the speech program? I
 IO> got eight megs of ram, so I don't think memory would be a
 IO> problem.

Hello Isaac,

I do not see any reason why you could not do it with braille.
T S I has this external program called "Tracks" which you
may be familiar with which is supposed to make it possible
for you to do that very thing.  Although I have looked at the
tracks program, I do not claim to understand it and found the
docs to be as clear as mud, although my thick skull may well
have been part of the problem.  My braille access is via
Versa-braille classic which I bought for a very reasonable price
from another Blink Talker.  Most of the time I use it to get
braille of things I wish to proofread. Did you ever get that
German braille display in which you expressed an interest?

As to your question about the window colors, I don't remember
the colors off hand but would be glad to check if you would find
it helpful.  However, since in the offline readers that I know
about, the user can configure the colors to his own preference
and since the colors would vary depending on whether you use
a monochrome or color card, I do not think it would help for me
to list the colors that my system uses.

I do not do multi tasking at all so am not qualified to address
that question.  I have all that I can do to get this thing
to run right one task at a time.

So long for now.

Don Roberts

... Catch the Blue Wave!
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!119!88!Donald.Roberts
Internet: Donald.Roberts@f88.n119.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Many years ago I corresponded in Braille with a number of
From: David.Arocho@f136.n267.z1.fidonet.org (David Arocho)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:267/136 - Access BBS, Ballston Spa NY


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Australian pen friends with whom I have lost touch.  If
anyone reading this knows Roslyn Sloane or Norma Chamberlain,
please let me know or give them my address:
David Arocho
600 Warren Street,
Albany, NY 12208

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!267!136!David.Arocho
Internet: David.Arocho@f136.n267.z1.fidonet.org




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                 End of Issue # 956 of the Blind News Digest

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