🚀 go-pugleaf

                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 928

                           Tuesday, June 08, 1993

Today's Topics:


                                ******


                                   Dos 6.0
                           Re: arkenstone changes
                              Advantedge here!
                              Advantedge here!
                          Re: Job interview -help!
                                  Recorder
                              Checkbook program
                                    Games
                          Re: Working Dog Guides in
                            braille code changes.


                                ******


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Subject: Dos 6.0
From: Lloyd.Rasmussen@f432.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Lloyd Rasmussen)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:109/432 - The Idea Link, Wheaton MD


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

I have been running DOS 6.0 for two weeks now, and I like it very
much. It would be nice, and more in accordance with the ADA, if all
of the docs were available.  But 6.0 is a tremendous stride forward
for us, since most of what you would ever want to know is available
on-line. The methods for getting on-line help, if you haven't found
them already are as follows:

As in DOS 5, if you type a command followed by slash question mark,
you get a brief message outlining command-line parameters and
switches. But if you type "help command" where command is the name
of the program or subject you want, you don't get the same thing.
Instead, DOS starts up QBASIC, just as it does when you say "edit"
in DOS 5 or 6.  The secret is that you need to create a
configuration file that is optimized for use with QBASIC.  Some of
its characteristics are:  Don't use the Alt key to enter screen
review.  Don't even use Alt in combination with another key as a
window reading key.

I think I set lines 3 through 23 as a window to be read when I
press the F11 key; this area contains the help text.  Set a
hyperactive window near the top of the screen (I don't remember if
it's line 2 or 3), where the title of the help file is found.  If
there is more than one screen of help information, you can use the
pgup and pgdn keys.  To go to the next topic (which may in fact be
notes or examples for the topic you just read), use Alt-N.  For
previous screens you have already read, use Alt-B.  To get the main
table of contents and go around in it, use Alt-C.  To work with the
hypertext features of the help system, define the tab and back-tab
keys to read the info at the cursor in the cursor's color.

Vocal-Eyes calls this "field data."  With these settings in your
QBASIC configuration file, and some practice, you'll be surprised
how much information is in the DOS 6 help system.  You'll also have
more appreciation for what's involved in using Windows, or the DOS
shell.

I found that the Duxbury braille translator, when running a long
file from WP to TXT to BRU to BRF formats, ran 25 per cent faster
with the DOS 5.0 SMARTDRV cache enabled than without the cache, and
nearly twice as fast as no cache when using DOS 6.0's cache with
its delayed writes.  If you translate a file on a floppy while
logged onto the hard disk, it takes three times as long as this
base time, and if you're logged onto the floppy it can take ten
times as long.

    Hope this information is helpful to someone.

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Subject: Re: arkenstone changes
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]

Tandy,
  Your confusion is understandable as to what the Open Book is because
  we have been all throwing around the terms "Open Book" and "Open Book
  Unbound" interchangibly.  Actually, The Arkenstone "An Open Book" is a
  stand alone machine that is marketed to individuals who are not
  interested in interacting with a reading machine as though it were a
  computer.  It is a very nicely built box with A 386 or 486 processor
  built inside (depending on model) It has DECtalk also built in with a
  built in speaker, headphone jack, line level outputs and a handle on
  top.
  One needs only to plug a scanner into it and off you go.  It doesn't
  even allow itself to be used as a DOS machine, The autoexec file is
  written to bring it right into the Open Book software each time it is
  turned on.  In addition, it is shipped with a dedicated keypad which
  does not give access to the alphanumeric keys.  It has dedicated keys
  for Scanning, Help, Reading, etc.
    The Open Book Unbound ($995) is software only.  It will turn your
    computer into the functionally equivolent machine. You can purchase
    it by itself or packaged with a voice synthesizer, usually DECtalk
    and/or a scanner.  The stand alone units are $4995 for the "Standard
    Edition" which houses a 386/33 MHz. and $5995 for the Deluxe edition
    which houses a 486/33.  There is also now a "Special Edition" which
    houses a 486/50.  These are list prices.
    Hope this helps.
         Peter

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Subject: Advantedge here!
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]

  I received my copy of Reading Advantedge yesterday and have now spent
  about ten hours with it.  I think I have learned it pretty well and
  would like to give a mini review and comparison with Open Book Unbound
  from Arkenstone.  I have already made a similar post on GENIE so some
  of you will find parts of this repetative.  To start, let me remind
  everyone that I am an authorized Arkenstone dealer.  I therefore have
  some built in bias.  I am however, blind and want the best OCR
  software possible for my personal use; so I hope I can be at least a
  little objective.  You may still want to take my comments with some
  appropriate grains of salt.  I also think Stephen Baum should have a
  chance to respond to my comments, either good or bad.  I have no
  personal bones to pick with Stephen, nor do I have anything to gain by
  unduely praising him.
    The system I am using is a 386 DX clone running at 33 MHz.  I have
    both Open Book Unbound and Reading Advantedge installed on my D
    drive which is compressed with Doublespace.  Neither program had any
    difficulty being installed on or running from the compressed drive.
    Actually, I already had Open Book on the drive when I ran the
    compression. My system has 8 Megabytes of RAM of which about 6 are
    free when I boot up.  I am also using the DOS 6 Memmaker utility. My
    scanner iss a Hewlett Packard ScanJet IIc.
      Both programs are very easy to install.  Using ASAP as my screen
      reader both installations are straightforward.  Advantedge gives a
      bit more flexibility in that it lets you install your choice of
      screen colors and also permits you to install your choice of file
      conversion utilities.  I had it load all of them which is a choice
      on one of the install menus.  You need a good deal of room on your
      hard disk to install either program.  Reading Advantedge takes up
      about 15 Megabytes in one directory.  Open book only takes about
      four or five meg (I forget the exact amount), but you also need a
      skeletal version of Windows somewhere on your system to run Open
      Book.  This latter directory occupies about seven megabytes. In my
      case, I have Windows on my C drive and the rest of Open Book is on
      my D drive.  If you don't have 13-15 meg free all in one
      directory, you will have trouble with Reading Advantedge.
         With ASAP, Advantedge was nicely verbal right from the start.
         I later made a few configuration changes to make some of the
         highly repetative stuff disappear.  I will be trying Advantedge
         with Vocal-Ize and Tiny Talk later.
           While I have scanned several documents with Advantedge, I
           will limit my discussion to some specific comparisons I made
           between it and Open Book.  My first document was a high
           quality hard cover book.  On GENIE, I referred to it as a
           novel, but it is really a biography of Benny Goodman called
           Swing, Swing, Swing by Rod Firestone.  It is very very good
           quality.  The other piece of reading material was the May '93
           issue of Stereophile magazine.  Stereophile is a very very
           difficult thing to read with OCR software.  It has very
           glossy pages, many colors, multiple fonts on a page, headers,
           footers, graphs, photos and headlines.  The column layout is
           also very random.  I have scanned about 30 pages of
           Stereophile and about ten pages from the hardcover book.
              For the book, I set both programs to a scanning resolution
              of 300 dpi even though my scanner will support 400 dpi.
              The result was virtually identical in both cases although
              the Advantedge was about 30% slower in completing the
              process from scanning to text output.  The book came out
              almost perfectly with both programs.  I did not count any
              mistakes.  This was true even with Advantedge's "speak
              immediately" feature which, according to the docs, might
              be less accurate than a full completed scan and processing
              job.  Speak Immediately is very similar to Arkenstone's
              "Quick Speech" mode in which text is spoken as it is
              processed
                With Stereophile, I started with both programs set for
                300 dpi.  For a full scan and processing, Advantedge was
                about 30% faster than Open Book.  However, Open Book did
                an excellent job in reading the magazine in comparison
                to Advantedge which did a rather poor and inconsistent
                job.  I should point out that for all these tests, I had
                both programs set to automatic orientation and automatic
                brightness.  For Stereophile, I additionally had
                Advantedge's half tone filter enabled.  When I tried
                Stereophile with the programs set to 400 dpi, there was
                a substantial difference.  The relative speeds of the
                two programs were similar, but Arkenstone's recognition
                actually decreased with the higher resolution setting.
                I believe the official explanation for this is that the
                higher detail in the scan makes it possible for the
                software to better resolve stray marks and other
                ambiguous stuff.  At any rate, The Open Book was worse,
                but still readible.  The Advantedge's copy was
                dramatically improved.  It provided a very accurate and
                clear result on this very tough material. I think
                Advantedge, in the 400 dpi mode won that round. I am
                concerned, however, that if limited to a less expensive
                300 dpi scanner, Advantedge will have more difficulty
                with weird stuff than Open Book.
                  I next want to address some issues concerning the user
                  interfaces, including the convenience and practicality
                  of using either program.  I will do this in the next
                  message as I am getting close to the file length
                  limit.
                  To be continued...
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Subject: Advantedge here!
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]

Here is my review continued:
  One last comment about the scanning accuracy.  Even with its very high
  quality job on Stereophile, Advantedge seemed to get a little confused
  at times about the order of things.  On one page of landscape
  scanning, for example, There was a very graphical ad on the entire
  left page and more or less straight text on the right.  Open Book read
  the ad first followed by the text in proper order.  Advantedge, on the
  other hand, read two columns of the text from the right, inserted the
  ad and then finished the material on the bottom of the right hand
  page.  All the material was there, it was just oddly out of sequence.
  Again, this was a very difficult layout of text.
    Regarding the user interfaces:  Both programs are quite
    straightforward in their command structure.  In each case, there are
    various menus which provide access to different options and scanning
    functions.  In both cases, you can avoid paging through menu choices
    by hitting the first, or other appropriate letter corresponding to a
    choice you want.  In both cases, you can create a default settings
    file such that you need only hit one key to begin scanning and
    reading as soon as the program is loaded.  Contrary to some
    discussion, the fact that Open Book runs under Windows with a
    dedicated speech driver does not make it more difficult to use.  In
    fact, I feel the speech in Open Book is better controlled and
    usually more relevant at any given time.
      Advantedge has a Text Browser built in.  Rather than a fully
      integrated file reader like the one in Open Book, it is simply a
      text reading application that you can shell to from the main
      Advantedge program.  This text Browser is available for free as
      part of the Reading Advantedge demo that has been going around.
      All in all, the user interfaces are close enough in ease of use as
      to be a dead heat in my opinion.  However, there is one area where
      I think Reading Advantedge is unnecessarily slow and cumbersome.
      The mode I use most often with an OCR program is Batch scanning.
      I like to be able to scan images in quickly and have them
      processed when I'm not around or doing something else.  I frankly
      hate Advantedge's batch mode. Once you are in Batch mode and enter
      the "G" or "Go" command, scanning begins normally, the stus line
      says "Acquiring" with the page number.  After the scan is
      finished, it says "Preprocessing" followed by "Writing", finally
      it says "Waiting" which means it is time to hit "C" to continue or
      just the return key as this is the default choice on the "Waiting"
      menu.  The big problem is, that this preprocessing and writing
      takes something like a minute to happen.  On Open Book and even on
      Discover 386, once an image is scanned, the program is instantly
      ready for the next page.  This is not at all true in Advantedge:
      It took me about 20 minutes to scan the images in for about 15
      pages with Advantedge.  In comparison, it took about five minutes
      with Open Book.  In the case of the latter, I was the rate
      limiting step as Open Book had to wait while I turned the page,
      with Advantedge, I could turn the page, set it up on the scanner
      and run to the kitchen for a can of Coke while waiting for the
      prompt to scan the next page.
        I also dislike the fact that you have to separately name both
        the Tiff files and text output files in Advantedge.  Open Book,
        in contrast, gives everything a default name which you can elect
        to change or not worry about as you wish.  Also, I lost some
        processed material in Advantedge.  After allowing several pages
        to be batch processed, I accidentally chose an option which said
        "End Document"  This exited me from batch mode without saving
        the work that had just been processed.  I should have first
        chosen "Save" document" before going back and Ending the
        document.  In Open Book, it is never possible to lose previously
        completed work without explicitly requesting its deletion. Also,
        Advantedge does not get rid of the image files after it is done
        processing them.  There may be some advantages to saving them,
        but I found it to be a pain in the neck to have to go back and
        delete them in a separate operation.  Oh yes, one thing I forgot
        to mention.  The release of Reading Advantedge that I have has
        an apparent bug.  When I tried to get it to do landscape
        scanning in Batch mode, as opposed to automatic orientation, it
        gave me an error message that said "Error 250 at line 817."
        There was no indication as to what this means. I therefore could
        not tell if setting the orientation manually would save time in
        batch scanning.  Finally, I don't like having to be careful
        about setting up my dos directory prior to entering Reading
        Advantedge.  When I first started, I accidentally ended up with
        some "Temp.XXX files in my root directory.  Open Book, in
        contrast is nicely self-contained with respect to directories
        and nothing ever ends up anyplace unexpected.
          Well, that's it.  I think Reading Advantedge is generally OK.
          It has good accuracy and good speed on a par with that of Open
          Book.  It's $795 cost may be offset by the fact that you may
          ned to add memory or disk capacity to your computer to get it
          to run, but maybe not. I worry about how accurate it might be
          with a 300 dpi ony scanner and one with no auto contrast. My
          advice is to watch for more reviews, maybe in Computer Folks.
          Also, work with the Advantedge demo which will give you a
          flavor of the "look and feel" of the program.  I await the
          comments of other users and those of Stephen Baum, the author
          of Reading Advantedge.
                Thanks,    Peter Scialli

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Subject: Re: Job interview -help!
From: Al.Gayzagian@p0.f460.n101.z1.fidonet.org (Al Gayzagian)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:101/460.0 - VI/BUG, Holbrook MA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Peter, I want to address your question from the point of view of
someone who spent many years in personnel and conducted many job
interviews, among them quite a few with blind individuals who came
to the company, in some cases anyhow, know that there was a blind
person in the personnel department.  I found that those who made
out best with me and with the managers to whom I referred some of
them were those who addressed matters of how he/she, as a blind
person, would handle some of the kinds of situations that the job
might present.  They didn't wait for the interviewer to ask,
knowing that many interviewers would not in fact ask.

It was also important for these interviewees to have do9ne some
homework on the company and to approach the situations with a
degree of realism.  A blind person doesn't ask for a position where
reading a lot of handwritten documents is essential un,less that
blind person can come up with a reasonable way to handle such a
job, and I dfon't mean asking the employer to hire a full-time
reader.  Anyhow, I don't believe I'm telling you anything you don't
already know, but be up front about your blindness and convince the
potential employer that you have thought out how you would handle
the job and that you have demonstrated the ability to do so.  Now,
pardon the lecture, probably not needed!

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Subject: Recorder
From: Brad.Harris@f85.n372.z1.fidonet.org (Brad Harris)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:372/85 - Dickson's House, James Island SC


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Hello All!

I am a new user of Blinktalk. I am a fifteen-year-old from James
Island, South Carolina. I enjoy math, physics, playing on our quiz
team, and, of course, computers. Honestly, I really don't know what
else to say about myself, so I guess I will get to the point of my
message.

I am looking for a voice-activated four-track minicassette
player/recorder. No, I don't mean a microcassette recorder, I am
referring to such products as the Handicassette and Talkman, which
are walkman-sized. I have learned that BIT has gone out of
business, so I can't get the Talkman V., which was perfect. I have
contacted LS&S Group, VisAids, AFB, Maxi Aids, and Independent
Living Aids. None of these sources could supply a voice activated
model such as the Talkman V. The best response I received was from
LS&S, who recommended I buy a microcassette with voice activated
recording, and buy a four-track model without it. If anyone knows
of a source for such a recorder, the mini, not the micro, please
write back via this echo. (Or, if you know of a model that has a
reputation for recording at a distance with clarity, let me know,
please!)

Thanks in advance,

Brad Harris

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Subject: Checkbook program
From: Walter.Siren@p42.f17.n396.z1.fidonet.org (Walter Siren)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:396/17.42 - N. O. P. C. Club, New Orleans LA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Does anyone out there know of a good checkbook program that works
fine with speech.  I want a program that will not only work with a
checking account, but one that also will work with a savings and
credit card accounts in the same directory.

Walter

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Subject: Games
From: Donna.Siren@p43.f17.n396.z1.fidonet.org (Donna Siren)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:396/17.43 - N. O. P. C. Club, New Orleans LA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 MS> I had a conversation with a friend and we were talking about how you
 MS> cannot
 MS> get the most popular games to work with speech.  Currently the only
 MS> games
 MS> that work are

Just yesterday I was looking at the file list for a local bbs and
there were a number of games and there are a few that I'm wondering
about.  Unfortunately, I don't know the names offhand, but I'll
look them up if you'd like, but one of them is a spades game and
one is a rummy game.  I'm very interested in finding card games
that work with speech and those were two that interested me.  I
think there was even a slot machine game, but I don't remember for
sure and if that works with speech, I'd be interested in that one,
too.  I'm just afraid to try some of these games and get myself
into a mess that I can't get out of.

               Donna

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Subject: Re: Working Dog Guides in
From: Dennis.Bartlett@hnews.fidonet.org (Dennis Bartlett)
Organization: The Handicap News, Shelton CT (203) 337-1607


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

 -=> Quoting Carla Campbell to All Dog Guide Users <=-

 CC> Most of the time if I give him a suggestive command or request like
 CC> "left, left, find the sidewalk" or just "left left," he will march
 CC> directly left, between the nearest parked cars and up to the curb or
 CC> flower bed.  He does not look for the roadway or path going left.  If
 CC> I cannot hear the opening, myself, and offer him the proper command at
 CC> the proper time, he will just go between the cars immediately in the
 CC> direction I've indicated.

 CC> What I've tried: I have tried working my way over to the end of the
 CC> lot and then along the end to the street, but I can't seem to manage
 CC> this very well in all lots. Sometimes there are parking places along
 CC> the sides, and without going between the cars, you can't even tell if
 CC> you're at the side or just at another row of parked cars.  Sometimes
 CC> there isn't a building or a road at the side of the lot with which to
 CC> judge by sound-- sometimes it's just another parking lot, separated by
 CC> a fence or hedge.

 CC> I've tried "aiming" us toward the sound of passing traffic, but if
 CC> there are too many rows of cars or planters or ornamental hedges
 CC> between "here" and "there," Max refuses to try anything on "forward,"
 CC> "left" "right" or about anything else I've tried (including "Move your
 CC> hairy carcuss, critter...".)

 CC> He has managed to get the hang of lots we use regularly, and will move
 CC> skillfully through the rows of cars and make his way to the exit and
 CC> turn onto the sidewalk with only "Max, Forward-- find the sidewalk."
 CC> and lots of encouragement from me.  He has not yet learned to
 CC> generalize from parking lots he knows to all parking lots, and I'm not
 CC> sure how to approach teaching him to do this.  I know it's primarily a
 CC> matter of seasoning.  Max is a fantastic dog, and very willing to learn
 CC> new things and build on the old, but I'm not the best teacher in the
 CC> world, I fear. I've certainly seen a lot of improvement in our work
 CC> together over the past months and believe he is "seasoning well."  But
 CC> I'd love to know how to speed this process along a bit.

 CC> I know we probably covered something applicable in class, but, for the
 CC> life of me, I can't figure out how to work a parking lot when I'm not
 CC> sure of the layout of the rows of cars-- how many there are, where the
 CC> gaps and planters and hedges are, etc.  Yet another thing I've taken
 CC> for granted for nine years without doing "correctly," I suppose.  How
 CC> are these best approached, in your opinion?  Is there a "Technique" I'm
 CC> missing, here?

 CC> All suggestions welcome. Thanks!

That's a very interesting problem.  Most of the time my dog will find our
way out of the parking lot.  There have been a few times when he refuses
to do so but usually this is when there is no clear way out.  From what I
have been told they need some clear line like a fense or hedge or curb to
follow.  But I hav found that once they get used to a certain parking lot
they never forget it.  My big Golden named Rhett never forgets anyting.
I even have to take different routs now and then so that he doesn't start
making the decisions for me.

Good luck figuring out your problem.  I'm sure that once he gets used to
working the way you do he'll figure things out.

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

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Subject: braille code changes.
From: Ray.Rokita@f950.n159.z1.fidonet.org (Ray Rokita)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:159/950 - The Lighthouse CBCS, Lansing MI


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

i would like to hear from anyone who has comments on the proposed
braille code system changes.  i read an article about this in the
may newsreel.  from what i know about these changes, it doesn't
sound too good.  is there anywhere a person could get a copy of
these proposed changes on the braille code?  they want to make the
system where every dot or combination of dots mean one thing only.
example in our present system dot 2 mmeans  1 in using the nemeth
code or a comma or the ee a  sign.  they want to change the
question mark to the w h sign instead oh the lower h which is the
question mark now.  i think this could be a mess in figuring out
what's what.  if anyone would like to write to hilda caton and
express there feelings on this subject, send all letters to the
american pringing house for the blind.

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                 End of Issue # 928 of the Blind News Digest

                                ******