🚀 go-pugleaf

                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 971

                          Wednesday, June 30, 1993

Today's Topics:


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                                 NLS CD ROM
                            Re: Guide Dog Problem
                                more dog poop
                               nlscd and asap
                              cd rom and speech
                     JAWS configuration for Automenu 4.7
                            Blind Filing System?
                             WINVISION is here!
                             Re: Speech systems
                     CQ speech friendly packet programs


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                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
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Subject: NLS CD ROM
From: Larry.Skutchan@f120.n2320.z1.fidonet.org (Larry Skutchan)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:2320/120 - MicroTalk, Louisville KY


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

You are right; that NLS CD is tough with speech. I don't think they
could have made it much worse if they had specifically hired someone to
make it not work with speech. Anyway, I was just talking to Dennis this
morning and he had just uploaded some set files for it. He only has a
mono screen, though, so while he set the color attributes, they haven't
yet been tested. If you have a color monitor and want to check them
out, be sure and let us know if they work. I heard his setup over the
phone, and it sounded pretty good.

As far as other CDs that work good with speech, Bookshelf and Groylers
are probably the best two encyclopedias to use with speech. We even
have set files for both of them. I just picked up the Windows version
of Bookshelf, but I haven't had a chance to tell how good it works yet.
I will be sure and keep you posted, though.

 * RM 1.0  * Eval Day 20 *

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!2320!120!Larry.Skutchan
Internet: Larry.Skutchan@f120.n2320.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: Guide Dog Problem
From: Richard.Webb@f8.n290.z1.fidonet.org (Richard Webb)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:290/8 - Iowa MIDI BBS, Des Moines IA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hi there, again.

Had never head the thing about raw egg-white, so hadbeen feeding my dog
raw eggs all this time.  Ah well.

A friend of mine that's an obedience trainer was telling me that the
lady's problem with her dog might be flea dermatitis, also, which is a
tough thing to treat.  The only thing you can do with it is get rid of
the flea problem as much as possible, then see where you can take it
from there.

Glad to hear I'm not alone on the fat addition to the diet, though.
Most commercial dog foods are mainly grains, and don't add some of the
fats and complete proteins a dog would get in its normal diet, so logic
would dictate that one must add some, especially if they don't feed the
dog table scraps to augment their regular feed.  But, as they say, logic
doesn't always proove out, does it?

See yuh later.

RICHARD WEBB

... DOS never says "EXCELLENT command or filename"...

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!290!8!Richard.Webb
Internet: Richard.Webb@f8.n290.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: more dog poop
From: Henry.Kasten@f29.n130.z1.fidonet.org (Henry Kasten)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:130/29 - The Mail Drop, White Settlement TX


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Howdy Clara,
So your pus a real poop!  Do not give up.  There may still be hope!
For the most part, all of us were on a pretty tight schedule while
at dog school.  From what I understand, many untimely poop problems
were corrected by graduation.  It was merely getting together on
your schedules.  But, alas you go home.  So much for schedules.  I
know it is tuff.  But, have you tried consistent feeding and park
times?  How much and how many times do you feed?  What did you do
at school?  did it work?  And if all else fails you can always
purchase doggie diapers or a cork!
You said you give your pooch a lipid supplement .  There is some
talk about stopped up arteries.  Who knows.  Dogs do not produce
Linoleic Acid.  Some pooch people swear it really helps with dry
skin and its accompanying maladies.  An inexpensive brand you can
find at pet and feed stores is called Linatone.  It may be an
alternative to what you are using and I do not know what the cost
differential would be.  My neighbor uses the stuff as a treat when
she works with her dog.  They love the way it tastes.
HK

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!130!29!Henry.Kasten
Internet: Henry.Kasten@f29.n130.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: nlscd and asap
From: Dennis.Brown@f120.n2320.z1.fidonet.org (Dennis Brown)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:2320/120 - MicroTalk, Louisville KY


[Note from Bill McGarry -- I will try to get these available
via ftp.]

I've finally finished the asap set files for the cd-based catalog from
the National Library Service (nls).
Since I've aquired a color monitor, the set files are set up for both
color and mono.
The filename on the MicroTalk bbs is "S-NLSCD1.ZIP".  Be sure to read
the text file within that archive for important notes.
The MicroTalk bbs number is 1-502-893-2269.
After getting to the main menu, select "f" for the file menu.  Once
there, press "d" for download, and following the directions given by
the bbs.
Feedback is welcomed!
Thanks,
Dennis Brown
MicroTalk Support

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!2320!120!Dennis.Brown
Internet: Dennis.Brown@f120.n2320.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: cd rom and speech
From: Dennis.Brown@f120.n2320.z1.fidonet.org (Dennis Brown)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:2320/120 - MicroTalk, Louisville KY


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

A few monts ago I posted a list of my collection of cd roms that I've
found works with speech.  Since then, several people have asked that I
post it again, so here it is!
First of all, I use a menu program that allows me to, after  inserting
the cd, select a particular title from a list, then hit the enter key.
The menu program moves me to the correct directory, then runs whatever
files are needed for that particular selection.  After I exit the cd,
I am placed back in the menu.  It is a really neat and simple vtility!
If it doesn't work with speech, it'll say so in the description.
If you know of a cd that works with speech, or a good deal on cds or
cd drives, please post it!
dennis
   -----------------------
1. MicroSoft Bookshelf91: Encyclo, dictionary, thes, etc.
2. Toolworks Reference: writer's guide, webster's dict, webster's
quotes, ny library guide, business forms, etc.
3. NLS CD:  Beta cd-based catalog from National Lib service.  Works
fairly well with asap, but you'll need the asap set files for it.
They can be found on the mtbbs at 502-893-2269, with the
filename of S-NLSCD.ZIP.
4. ProPhone_Business:  This 7 cd set contains over 4 gigs of names,
addresses, and telephone numbers from phone directories across the
u.s.  Updated every 6 months!
5. ProPhone_West
6. ProPhone_North East
7. ProPhone_South
8. ProPhone_Mid Atlantic
9. ProPhone_Mid West
10. ProPhone_Pacific
11. Bible & Religion:  Lots of religious documents and study material.
12.  CD Bible: contains 9 versions of the Bible as well as 20
references, dictionaries, etc.
13.  Library of the Future 1st edition:  A really neat literary
reference tool!  Contains over 450  documents!  (The second edition
contains over 900 works!)
14. BookShop:  A little bit of everything!  The books range from
Shakespear to home inprovement!
15. Reader's Library: Thousands of historical documents, Supreme cort
dicisions, etc.
16. CIA Facts:  info on 248 contries.
17. KGB Facts: info on over 250 countries and territories!
    The cd claims that this collection was constructed by mother russia!
18.  Time Almanac: 67 years of time!
19. Magazine Rack:  300 magazines  from 1990.
20.  Family Doctor:  hundreds of questions and answers concerning
medicine, injury, illness, and a prescription index.
21. U.S. History: U.S. historical perspectives on topics of political,
 social, military and economic import.
22. Able Data:  lists over 17 thousand adaptive devices.
23.  Total Baseball:ranges from the first game in 1800s, and ends with
the 1991 season.  info and stats on thousands of players, games, rule
books, etc.
24.  Federal Regs:  410megs of Federal Regulations.
25. Ham Radio:   over 1000 files dealing with every aspect of radio!
Regulations, exams, freqs, etc.
26.  Front Page News: News from 1991.
26.  Techno Tools:  Lots of programming tools.
27.  C-User's News: over 13thousand c source code files!
28. Zip++:  Not quite sure what this cd does!  I'll get to it someday!
29. CD Source: over 800 cd listings, and 80 demos of CDs.
30. BlueBook:  Quotes on autos, boats, farm equipment, construction
machinary, etc.  Helpful for when you go to purchase a bulldozer!
31. Small Business:  anything you ever want to know about setting up a
small business!  Regulations, licenses, etc.
32.  Dictionaries and Languages: A giant compilation of dictionaries,
thesauruses, word processors, style/syntax checkers, glossaries,
lessons in French, German, Italian, Hebrew, Russian, Czech, Greek,
Japanese, Spanish, Cantonese and MORE!
33.  MSDOS archives:  6500 shareware and pub dom programs.
34.  American Business Phonebook:  over 9 million business listings.
35.  Colossal Cookbook:  over 4thousand recipes.
36.  RomWare Magazine:  not sure yet!
37.  Selectware:  lots and lots of demos of programs that access cds.
38.  Nautilus:  useless--graphics.
379  Battlechess:  useless--graphics.

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!2320!120!Dennis.Brown
Internet: Dennis.Brown@f120.n2320.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: JAWS configuration for Automenu 4.7
From: Jeff.Belina@f5297.n3603.z1.fidonet.org (Jeff Belina)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3603/5297 - Henter-Joyce Techni, St Petersburg FL


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Howdy All!

If anyone is interested, I just had a machine come thru here with
Automenu on it, so I made a configuration which should work well
with it. It is available for download or file request as
AUTOMEN.EXE via the  Henter-Joyce Tech Support BBS 813-579-0099 and
1:3603/5297.  I'm sure other BBS's will pick it up if you are
interested.

Let me know what you think, and if there are any ideas you might
have for improving it.

Bfn,
Jeff Belina
Manager - Technical Support
Henter-Joyce, Inc.

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!3603!5297!Jeff.Belina
Internet: Jeff.Belina@f5297.n3603.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Blind Filing System?
From: Pete.Cresswell@p1.f318.n273.z1.fidonet.org (Pete Cresswell)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:273/318.1 - User Support, Paoli PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

My dad can read pretty well with a CRT magnifier, but has a problem
locating what he needs to read.   i.e. if he wants to look at an
electric bill; he has to grab the first piece of paper on his desk,
put it under the magnifier, determine that's not the one, grab the
second piece... and so-forth.

First thing that came to my mind was color coding - using fat
colored magic markers to put large dots on various pieces of paper
once they're identified.  He says, however, that the colors don't
show up.  He's got glaucoma and macular degeneration in both eyes
and a cateract in one (the other has had lens-replacement
surgery).

Certainly some sort of filing system sounds like an obvious
strategy, but I can't think of one that doesn't rely on a fair
degree of visual acuity.

He's 85, doesn't read braille, and I don't think he's inclined to
learn braille as such.  There's a matter of so-called "pride"
here.  He's one step away from the character Richord Pryor played
in "Hear No Evil, See No Evil".  Painting his cane white, for
instance, would mitigate most supermarket and sidewalk collisions
and make cash register transactions a lot smoother simply by
identifying him as someone who can't see - but he won't even
consider it because it would be advertising that he's not 100%
independent...).

However, at his age, he has more smarts that I'll ever have and I'm
thinking that some sort of hand-operated braille tool along with a
table of braille number codes presented not as braille per-se, but
as a specific solution to marking pages might be accepted.

I'd be grateful to hear from someone with practical experience in this area.

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!273!318.1!Pete.Cresswell
Internet: Pete.Cresswell@p1.f318.n273.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: WINVISION is here!
From: David.Tanner@f234.n109.z1.fidonet.org (David Tanner)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:109/234 - Braille Bank BBS, Oakton Va


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Artic Technologyies is now selling WINVISION their speech software
for Windows. The new product is selling for $495 for the software,
you will need either the Artic Transport or an Artic Sonix215 card
to run the software. Registered Artic Business Vision users can
purchase the new product for $295 until the end of September 1993.

First impressions of the product when it was shown at CSUN were
that the product may be pretty nice, ut then it is difficult to
make much of a decision based solely on seeing a demonstration of
the software at a conference wwhere there are a lot of people
trying to see a product in a very limited amount of time.

    D. T.

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!109!234!David.Tanner
Internet: David.Tanner@f234.n109.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: Re: Speech systems
From: George.Mccoy@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (George Mccoy)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89.0 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hello Paul!

I have used the Covox Speech Thing.  I loaded the smoothtalker software
from First Byte Technology.  I liked the quality of the speech,
especially considering the price tag.

The only problem I had with it was that it seemed to use up all my
computer's attention when it was speaking.

In other words, when it was speaking, everything else within the
computer stops.

I have not tried it out with Tinytalk, yet but I enjoy reading books
through the stdriver.sys device driver.

Hope this helps,
George and Bullet

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!George.Mccoy
Internet: George.Mccoy@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org




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Subject: CQ speech friendly packet programs
From: Mark.Senk@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org (Mark Senk)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/89.0 - BlinkLink, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Can anyone recommend a speech friendly packet terminal program for
the PK-88?  I suppose any term program will work, but I wonder
which are better and which I should not waste time experimenting
with.

                        Mark WB3CAI
Also, can you direct me to any electronic text files?

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Uucp: ..!uunet!bunker!hcap!hnews!129!89.0!Mark.Senk
Internet: Mark.Senk@p0.f89.n129.z1.fidonet.org




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                 End of Issue # 971 of the Blind News Digest

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