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                            THE BLIND NEWS DIGEST

                                 Issue # 1099

                        Wednesday, December 14, 1994

Today's Topics:


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                                 ECMenu 3.10
                              asap for windows
                                   ebooks
                               BREAD MACHINES


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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.afd.olivetti.com
BITNET:     blindnws@ndsuvm1.bitnet
Fidonet:    The Handicap News BBS (141/420)   1-203-926-6168
            (300 - 14,400 baud, 24 hours)

                              Bill McGarry (Moderator)
                              (203) 926-6187



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Subject: ECMenu 3.10
From: cleto@eclink.ch (Cleto Pescia)

[Note from Bill McGarry: This program is now available via
ftp or gopher from handicap.shel.isc-br.com in the
/pub/uspeech directory as ecmnu310.zip]


Hi Bill,

Very long time ago I had the pleasure to contact you about the possibility
of exchanging files for blind PC users. In the meantime, I have begun to
work for a Swiss telecom & rehabilitation company called EuroCom, for
which I develop speech-friendly software.
I have just uploaded to your FTP server a file named ECMNU310.ZIP,
which contains the latest version of my speech-friendly menu program,
ECMenu. I would be very grateful to you if you would like to carry it
in the USPEECH directory.

Bye,
Cleto



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Subject: asap for windows
From: scottr@ion.apana.org.au (Scott Rutkowski)


Can anyone please tell me if asap for windows has been released yet? If
so, is there an ftp site I could get it from? I am interested to see how
well this product currently works with windows.
If anyone can give me any info at all, please email to
scottr@ion.apana.org.au
Cheers and bye for now.




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Subject: ebooks
From: hertweck@ucunix.san.uc.EDU (David W. Hertweck)


A few days ago there was a lettter posted that talked about ebooks
I got the information from there mail server and it follows.
I think this is a grate or can be a grate aid to any blind or
text disabled person.  All you need is a pc and some type of access
software.  This will give you access to any book they offer.  I been
looking for something like this for a long time.

The following is the starter info letter from the ebooks mail server and
it can explane ebooks better than me.


------

-----

Welcome to the ultimate Electronic Book Superstore -- it's unlike
any bookstore you've ever "visited," for several reasons:

1) Our "e-ditions" are usually available at a fraction of their
print edition prices. As there are no trees being cut down, and no
shipping and warehousing to worry about, you the consumer only need
pay for the actual content. You can also preview certain books this
way -- some of our publishers will apply the cost of the e-dition
toward a subsequent print edition purchase.

2) We can deliver current, commercial books of the highest quality
to your PC within seconds -- anywhere in the world, 24 hours per
day. We can also take orders for the print edition...if you'd
prefer to use us as a traditional on-line shopping service.

3) Our e-ditions are never out of stock or unavailable (they are
custom-manufactured at the moment you order them).

4) You can search our catalog by any subject you wish, using our
special instant search-by-email function. You just send an email to
ebooks-search@access.digex.net, with any character string on the
subject line. Our computer will analyze every book in our catalog,
and will respond in 60 seconds with a list of every "hit" from all
of our books, brochures and index files. Free!

5) Because of our sensible copyright-protection technology, we've
got a great inventory already, from publishers like Pocket Books,
McGraw-Hill, Macmillan, American Management Association, Oxford
University Press, Dearborn Financial, Harvard Business School, and
a slew of others.  There is much information available on each
book, free, upon request via Internet email (and sometimes free
samples/excerpts).  All readers are going to love this new
service.

QUICK START
If you want to see our catalog right away, here's how to jump right in:

1) Prepare a new email addressed to:

ebooks-catalog@access.digex.net

(FYI, you'll do yourself a favor by adding that address to your
email "address book" right now.)

2) Type one of the following catalog file names on the subject
line, and repeat with a separate email for each additional category
you're interested in:

master-title            master list by title of book (long)
master-author           master list by author of book (long)
info                    more Internet Bookstore details, features and
                        benefits (long)

Or request one of our subject catalogs:

action-adven
adolescence
aids
alc-drug-abuse
alt-medicine
american-hist
autobiography
biography
biology
black-studies
business
career-enhance
catalogs
childbearing
christianity
classics
comm-health
conservation
contraception
cookbooks
crime
education
essays
fiction
financial-aid
gay-lesbian
general-int
health
health-care
health-policy
higher-educat
holistic
how-to
human-dev
humor
info-systems
intl-health
law
library-sci
medical-prof
mental-health
military-hist
modern-lit
new-age
non-fiction
nursing
nutrition
parenting
peace-studies
periodicals
philosophy
physics
political-sci
psychology
reference
religion
science-fictionx
sci-technology
self-help
sexuality
sociology
stds (note: stands for sexually transmitted diseases)
weight-control
wildlife
women-health
women-issues
young-reader

3) Send it off.  About 30 seconds later you'll receive a new email
briefly describing everything we've got on the subject(s) you've
requested.

Or, use the search function described in section 4, at the top of
this email.

FULL BROCHURES ON EVERY BOOK

When you receive your response, you'll see that each book has a
code number. You can use that number to get a full "brochure" on
the book -- just send another email to the same ebooks-catalog
address, including the book's code number on the subject line.

NOT TEXT FILES -- A NEW MEDIUM

You should be aware that these ebooks are NOT text files. They have
been designed so that they can only be read on a computer screen.
You can easily move them to various machines with you but you can't
print them out directly, and you can't make useful copies for your
friends without giving them your key (otherwise we'd have to
*write* the books too -- no publisher can afford to risk mass
piracy of their authors' properties).

Which brings us to the magic question -- who wants to read a book
on their computer screen?  We think you'll want to. . . if the book
is:

1) Inexpensive.  As mentioned, our publishers aren't charging you
for printing, paper, or shipping (unless you decide to purchase the
print edition -- which you can also buy through us, often at
special prices).  You're paying for the words, not for the paper
and ink.  (And you're also saving trees, by the way).

2) Weightless.  If you store your new bookshelf on your hard drive,
it takes up no room at all.  And our technology allows the whole
Bible bookfile (a fairly big book)to transport, store, or read from
one floppy disk (see point three).

3) Compact.  Of course, storage is an issue if your hard drive is
getting full -- whose isn't! That's why our books are permanently
compressed to about one-fourth the size of a normal text file.  Our
Reader software decrypts and decompresses the book only one screen
at a time, so the file never needs to be permanently "exploded."
I've got 20 average-sized books loaded onto my laptop, and they
take up only 5 MB (you could take a whole business, research, or
personal library with you, everywhere you go).

4) Convenient to use.  The traditional, printed book is a beautiful
thing.  We're not trying to replace it.  But do any of your printed
books:

   a) open automatically to the exact spot on the last print-page
      you were reading?

   b) allow you to "dump" a screenful of text into a word-processing
      file (and automatically generate a Chicago Manual of Style
      footnote at the end of each excerpt -- with the print page
      number inserted in the proper place)?

   c) let you create and annotate multiple bookmarks and margin
      notes -- and erase/append them at will?

   d) allow you to do word searches, independent of the print
      index (which is also included, of course)?

5.  Ecologically Sound.  To be perfectly honest, we're in this for
business reasons.  But we love the fact that there's a side effect
to our safe electronic publishing technology: every e-dition we
sell will help preserve the world's forests.


TRY IT -- FREE BOOK!

If you'd like to see what e-ditions are really like, we've made
Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" available as a key-free
e-dition, which you can read with special software and without a
key. (Of course, without key protection, classics, samples and
self-publishing is about all you'll ever be able to get).

To get the sample software and the book, just send a separate email
message for each to ebooks- catalog@access.digex.net (see why we
suggested you add that address to your address book?). On the
Subject line of one type: ebooks.zip (that will get you the
software program, which is less than 90K). On the second email's
subject line type: 01231.bkf (that's for the book.  It's that
simple.  A minute later you will receive a uuencoded binary file
for each, attached to new email.  It's yours to keep. (If you have
a problem with receiving it please read the technical note at the
end of this email.)

YOUR KEY TO A NEW, COST-EFFECTIVE, INSTANT-DELIVERY MEDIUM

You, as an information and entertainment consumer, can take
unlimited advantage of this new medium, for just the price of an
inexpensive starter kit (which includes your personal key decryptor
- - it fits in the back of any PC, and you can install it in
seconds without even using a screwdriver). This key contains
information that allows our software to read your books (which are
custom- manufactured specifically for your key -- no-one else can
read them).

If you aren't sure you want to buy e-ditions -- but you do want to
buy the print edition -- you can set up an account just for print
purchases. If you decide later on that you'd like to buy e-ditions
(and save up to 70% on new bestsellers) you can call us anytime to
order your starter kit and upgrade your account.

JOIN TODAY!

If you'd like to set up your account, call us 24 hours a day at
1-800-OK-KEY-ME (or 1-703-845- 9445 outside the USA), and leave the
information below on our voice-mail system.  You may also fax the
following form to us at +1-703-845-3655.  You'll need to give
credit card information, so we don't suggest emailing the form back
to us.  If you'd prefer to pay by check, you can set up a debit
account by using the same form, and sending us a check drawn on a
US bank for at least $50 (our address is Internet Bookstore, 2708
S. Nelson Street, Arlington, VA 22206, USA).

If you elect to open an e-ditions account, you'll receive a starter
kit within two days (if you're in the US; foreign addresses will
take a bit more time), and then you're ready to go.  Your kit will
include our Reader software, a manual, and a small decryptor "key"
which fits in the LPT1 (if you've got a Mac, even though there are
keys made for it, you'll need to wait until we hear from enough of
you to convince our investors to port over the software -- sorry,
for now you can do print orders only).  Your other devices can plug
into the other side of the key -- in other words it doesn't "hog"
the port, so you can just forget it's there.  That key will allow
your computer to easily read the ebooks you purchase using the
account you set up.

If you do want to purchase a starter kit, the charge to your credit
card or debit account is $29. 95 -- this covers the cost of your
software and manufacturing and shipping of your key.  You may also
automatically receive special membership benefits as they are
added.

*******************************************
        ACCOUNT APPLICATION
*******************************************

Fax to 703-845-3655, or mail with a deposit check/money order of at
least $79.95 (US funds/US banks only please) to:

THE INTERNET BOOKSTORE
Operations Center, 2nd Floor
2708 South Nelson Street
Arlington, Virginia   22206

1) Your full Internet email address:

(NOTE: When you place an order, you may specify any email address
for delivery of your book.  However, we will send book purchase
receipts to the email address on your account, regardless of what
address you order the book from, or have it delivered to. )

2) Your postal mailing address:



(this is where we will ship your Starter Kit and Key, via 2nd-Day
mail -- as well as future print-copy orders)

3) Your Major Credit Card number (Amex, MC or Visa -- or prepaid
check (pls.  delete all but one):

4) Name as it appears on your card:

5) Expiration date:

(we also accept Institutional accounts -- contact us at
ebooks-comments@access.digex.net for full information)

6) Your preferred Internet protocol for receiving your binary
bookfiles: MIME or UUENCODE

Check one:

___ I would like to order a starter kit at this time, so that I can
enjoy the advantages of e-ditions

___ I would prefer to just order print editions with my account
(for now). I understand that I may upgrade the account at any time
by ordering a starter kit.

Your credit card will be charged $29. 95 for your Starter Kit ($25.
00 + $4. 95 Shipping & Handling) which includes your software,
personal Bookstore key, and two free books.  Your standing credit
card or account will automatically be charged for any book
purchases as you order them.  An email receipt for charges is sent
to your home email address.

Allow a few days for delivery of your starter kit. . . . .  and
allow 2 minutes for delivery each time you order an ebook.  Five
minutes after you install your key, you can be reading your first
e-dition, delivered in its entirety by the unique ebooks instant
reply email.

Save trees, time and money.  Enjoy.

FOR THE EXTENDED VERSION OF OUR INFO FILE, SEND E-MAIL  TO
ebooks-catalog@access.digex.net and type:

info

on the Subject line.

Please tell your friends about us!  Thanks.



**Technical Note: Receiving Binary Files/Software in E-mail**

Your e-ditions are sent over the Internet as "attached uuencoded
binary files" (that's the only way to transfer PC-compatible
program files over the Net). Some Internet access services
automatically reconstruct and download attached files for you when
they arrive. If your provider does not, however, you'll need to use
your access provider's procedure to 'uudecode' (put it back into PC
program file form), and then download the attached files to your
PC.  It's not difficult (the second time!) By the way - without
full Internet access, you may not be able to receive files this
way.

The general process is 1) Detach from email, 2) uudecode to regain
the original file bit for bit, and 3) download it to your PC.
Usually, your email program has a key command to detach the file
and put it in your regular user directory.  Once in your file
directory you type: uudecode 01231.bkf (the filename of the
still-uuencoded file you detached) to remake the original binary
file.  Last, you use your system's binary file transfer procedure
to download the binary files to your PC.  If your modem program can
receive zmodem, type: sz -b 01231.bkf (the file you are
downloading) to invoke zmodem.

**Receiving .zip Compressed Software** You need a program called
pkunzip.exe (which you can also obtain from the ebooks-catalog
address by typing: pkunzip.exe on the Subject line) to uncompress
programs that have been compressed using zip.  Once you have it,
copy pkunzip.exe and your new ebooks.zip file into the root
directory of your hard disk. Then type: pkunzip -d ebooks to
recreate the keyless reading software and put everything in its
proper directory (that's what the -d is for). Copy any free
bookfiles into the \read\library directory set up by unzipping the
software. It's your default 'bookshelf'.

More Power to YOU.   Welcome to the Cyber Age of Book Pubishing!






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Subject: BREAD MACHINES
From: hyde_david@oslmac.osl.or.gov (HYDE David)

I'm looking for one that is programmable without using the led display.
 You can respond to me on the list, or directly at
DAVID.HYDE@STATE.OR.US
Thanks.



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                 End of Issue # 1099 of the Blind News Digest

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