🚀 go-pugleaf

                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1123

                          Friday, February 17, 1995

Today's Topics:


                                ******


                            Ham Radio Instruction
                             windows and braille
                                 text reade
                   Re: midi-mag mailing list for the blind
                         What CD-ROM's are suitable?
                             software available
                      Experimental hypertext document?
                              PC Voice software
                           www interface problems


                                ******


To subscribe to the Blind News Digest mailing list or have your
thoughts in the next issue, please send electronic mail to
Bill McGarry at any of the following addresses:


UUCP:       uunet!bunker!wtm
INTERNET:   wtm@bunker.shel.isc-br.com
BITNET:     blindnws@ndsuvm1.bitnet
Fidonet:    The Handicap News BBS (141/420)   1-203-926-6168
            (300 - 28,800 baud, 24 hours)

                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 926-6187



------



Subject: Ham Radio Instruction
From: marlaina@tpe.ncm.com (marlaina)

Is there share ware available to teach ham radio?  I am interested in
going for a General Class license.

Marlaina Lieberg



------



Subject: windows and braille
From: hyde_david@oslmac.osl.or.gov (HYDE David)

In issue 1114, there was a question about windows and braille.  I saw a
program called WinDots when I was in D.C. last week.  You can get
information by contacting Tomy Craig at tecraig@gba.com



------



Subject: text reade
From: sylviac@netcom.com (Sylvia Caras)
Organization: Mood Matters

| From: SGibbz@aol.com
| Date: Tue, 7 Feb 1995 22:00:01 -0500
|
| Any ideas for a text enlarger for a mainframe terminal?
| Thanks.    Susan Gibbs: 454-2600 phone  am's
| scruza.per411@hw1.cahwnet.gov   e-mail
|



------



Subject: Re: midi-mag mailing list for the blind
From: nhinman@netcom.com (Nelson Hinman)

Bill, the midi-mag@netcom.com list is there even as I write what is not
there is an archive, and thus far there has been a small amount ofatraffic.

The purpose of the list is to discuss and solve problems for and
about the use of midi by blind folks.

I will announcde to the list when I've got the archive happening.

You can use this and/or I can forward the info for the list to you if
you'd like.

Nelson




------



Subject: What CD-ROM's are suitable?
From: G6JPG@soft255.demon.co.uk ("J. P. Gilliver")



What CD-ROMs are suitable?
==========================

A visually handicapped friend of mine has recently acquired a CD-ROM drive (and
a soundcard). Therefore I am on the lookout for CDs that are suitable.

The information given on CD-ROM cases is woefully inadequate even for we sighted
people; it is virtually impossible to tell whether they are suitable for the VH.
While it might, just might, be possible to tell whether a disc requires Windows
to run, even this is not a definite guide; some discs that run under DOS still
have a graphical presentation, and for that matter a FEW of those that run under
Windows may still have some text files that are accessible, though only to the
more experienced user.

I thought therefore it would be a good idea if we could draw up a list of, at
least, discs which are predominantly text. What follows is my own analysis of
the discs I own, as that is all I can try, but perhaps someone else might be in
a position to produce a much more comprehensive list.

* MINERVA shareware discs: at least II, III, IV, and V have a text-based front
  end, and include a fair proportion of text-based shareware.
* Crossword Cracker (and Margana) [NPP 001, from Romware from Nimbus Information
  Systems]: entirely text-based. (Margana does anagrams.)
* CompLex/ANDRoute [3122 288 76351 from Philips]: one of the best, in my
  opinion. Although the ANDRoute part (a routing part for Europe) includes maps
  which will not be any use, the CompLex part includes the Concise Oxford
  Dictionary, Hutchinson Encyclopedia, and Collins English/French,
  French/English, English/German, and German/English Dictionaries. All are text
  only, with cross referencing between them (they can even run in the background
  and be called from within your word processor or whatever). I paid 18 pounds
  for my copy, but have been unable to find it since.
* Our Solar System [Chestnut 7 57563 00307 7]: some text, but mostly pictures
  and graphical prog.s.
* Macmillan Dictionary for Children: Windows. The text MIGHT be accessible, but
  I think it is encoded.
* Guinness Disc of Records 1992: Windows and DOS, but I couldn't get the DOS
  version to work, so I can't say.
* Greatest Books Collection 3.01 [World Library]: entirely text based; a good
  collection of books - complete Sherlock Holmes, complete Shakespeare, lots of
  historical documents such as Independence and Magna Carta, lots of Religious
  Documents such as the Bible, Koran, and Book of the Dead, lots of literature,
  such as War and Peace ... good searching facilities as well, so it can be used
  to look up quotations.
* World Atlas: Windows. I have version 3.2, but I don't suppose it has gone back
  to DOS! I haven't tried to get at the text on it.
* Media Clips (Majestic Places and so on) [aris entertainment]: Windows, images.
* The Catalogue [RS Components Ltd.]: Windows. Text may be accessible.
* SO MUCH SPACE! [Power User Software]: though not Windows, mostly pictures.
* Movie Select For Windows [Paramount Interactive]: Windows, obviosly, though
  most of the information is text, so it may be accessible.
* Library of the Future 3rd Ed. [World Library]: both Windows and DOS
  interfaces. The DOS one is again purely text-based. This contains between 1750
  and 3500 items, depending how you count them; each edition contains all that
  was in the previous ones and more, so I imagine the earlier ones will have a
  text interface as well, and are probably cheaper (I won this one).

I hope this lot helps someone!

--
J. P. Gilliver (John); also G6JPG @ GB7NNA on the amateur radio packet network.
I am what I am - I am my own special creation;
I am what I am, and what I am needs no excuses.





------



Subject: software available
From: chigh@halcyon.com
Organization: Tenax Software Engineering, WA, USA


We have placed a shareware version of our Vortex product on the ftp site
handicap.olivetti.com

Vortex is machine assisted reading software technology for computer text in
a visual format of selectable font sizes (up to VERY large).

Registration of this shareware verison is free to handicapped individuals.

New version retails for $39.95 with printed manual or $33.95 with on disk
manual.
___________________________________
Cliff High
Tenax Software Engineering
chigh@halcyon.com

         "To change the world,
          change a mind"







------



Subject: Experimental hypertext document?
From: yen@aloha.com (Duen Hsi Yen)

Recently, I made a small posting regarding the development of electronic
travels aids. I have not gotten too much response, but, I have another
related idea regarding travel, not in real space, but in virtual space.
Maybe I can write an experimental hypertext document that is more easily
accessible to the blind. I would like to hear from anyone who is blind, who
has figured out how to use Mosaic, to e-mail a list of problems
experienced, and what changes they would like to have.

Thank and aloha from Hawaii!

Duen :)





------



Subject: PC Voice software
From: stu_maappler@VAX1.ACS.JMU.EDU (Matthew Appler)

I am looking for software that will allow my fiance's brother to use his
computer to read text/books to him.  He has a 386 w/ soundblaster.  I haven't
had too much luck finding anything on the net.  If someone could point me in
the right direction, I would appreciate it.

Thank you,
  Matt



------



Subject: www interface problems
From: dashiell@nadc.nadc.navy.mil (J. Dashiell)

The problems with www interfaces that are happening even
now even with a speech friendly client like lynx are known as
hot spots.  These are designed by the home page designers.
Thus making lynx useless on particular sites.

jude <dashiell@nadc.nadc.navy.mil>




------






                                ******

                 End of Issue # 1123 of the Blind News Digest

                                ******