I know that sounds really drastic but it is true. Why should we care though? Because, fact is, disabled people need the internet.

There are a lot of things that make me want to question all humanity, simply because it seems that common sense is becoming more and more a luxury than anything else today. Why? Today, I read an article that’s just promoting nothing more than false intentions.

I’m on twitter a lot and I read what my followers post a great deal. When I saw the article about the notion that Verizon was fighting against Net Neutrality to benefit the disabled populace, I didn’t have anything clever to say. I didn’t have a retort to utter. I didn’t even have a tweet to formulate in wake of this. Ladies and gents, there’s simply no other word to describe what they are claiming and the propositions that they claim, other than one. It’s a word that fits all, I believe, given this context and the huge array of just false debauchery that Verizon is trying to cook up.

LIES.

If you have not heard about the FCC and their latest plan to destroy the internet do a Google search for FCC and net neutrality. You will get some really interesting articles that basically outline what their new rules will entail.

It’s a proposal that would ban Internet providers from blocking or slowing down access to websites but may let them charge content companies for faster and more reliable delivery of their traffic to users.

It sounds good on paper and in a simple sentence like that. It’s not. I will briefly explain why.

Anything can be abused, including this new law. Internet service providers (ISPs), like Comcast or AT&T—believe that, as providers of internet access, they should be able to distribute bandwidth differently depending on the service.

They’d prefer, for example, to create tiers of internet service that’s more about paying for priority access than for bandwidth speeds. As such, in theory, they could charge high-bandwidth services—like Netflix, for example—extra money, since their service costs more for Comcast to provide to its customers—or they could charge users, like you and me, extra to access Netflix. They can also provide certain services to you at different speeds.

For example, perhaps your ISP might give preferential treatment to Hulu, so it streams Hulu videos quickly and for free, while Netflix is stuck running slowly (or we have to pay extra to access it). If you don’t think that won’t wrack up a huge bill, you are wrong.

How many people use cell phones and access Facebook, twitter, Netflix, ETC. This will affect everything that’s connected to the internet and they can all have a separate charge attached for that device to access websites and content.

This will also affect your tablets, game systems, ANYTHING that is hooked up to the internet. Knowing the USA, those fees can be taxed. enough said.

Imagine that Verizon or AT&T don’t like the idea of Google Voice, because it allows you to send text messages for free using your data connection. Your cellphone carrier could block access to Google Voice from your smartphone so you’re forced to pay for a texting plan from them. Or, they see that a lot of people are using Facebook on their smartphone, so even if they have the bandwidth to carry that traffic, they decide to charge you extra to access Facebook, just because they know it’s in high demand and that they can make a profit.

Obviously this will be great for people who have money spilling outa their pockets and who live in a financial bubble ignorant of the rest of us but I don’t think the FCC remembers that not everyone has money, If this rueling gets past it will ban some disabled people from using the internet. Let’s be real here.

Take SSI. How much is your internet bill per year now and how often do people on SSI rely on the internet and websites that host special content like Facebook, for social collaboration and school websites that often hold YouTube videos, which can have a steep price on it too on top of your internet bill if net neutrality is killed.

People on SSI or even SSDI won’t be able to pay all of that, given the fact that disabled people use the internet more than anything else for more than just socializing. People host teleconferences on Facebook, promote goods on blogs, the list goes on and I should not even have to point these out.

These ISP;s certainly won’t remember that not everyone has money because they want to have the money and they will want to have the money that they think they should have any way that they can get it, including charging people like you and I to use an email provider that isn’t with your default ISP like, for example, if you’re using Comcast and you look at your Gmail. Comcast could charge you to access Gmail even though Gmail is free.

The reason why blind people use Gmail is that it offers a lot of customization. For example, it offers free IMAP and POP3 access to mail clients. Yahoo does not.

This is why I say that Verizon is spewing illogical banter. There’s a stereotype about us Americans that say, frankly, we are greedy.

Verizon and Comcast really want to have this new rueling passed just so they can get more money and the fact that Verizon is using disabled people as a valuable excuse to justify why they want to kill Net Neutrality just so they can have more money really makes me, well, disappointed at my own country.

Hears the claim Verizon makes. Without a fast lane, disabled Americans could get stuck with subpar service as Internet traffic increases.

The issue that’s a constant problem isn’t even about the speed of access but, rather, the simple act of accessing something. I don’t understand how this will help us access something such as a website that isn’t designed to be accessible or obtaining some key information that’s in an accessible element on the inaccessible or partially accessible website. Since the internet often has inaccessible websites, even today, we would just turn to the phone, or, in my case, text one of my minions to look something up for me, adding a winking smiley at the end just because. The issue of speed doesn’t even culminate into a logical fit within this particular claim, if people really knew about screen readers and magnifiers and such. Instead of slower speeds dolling out a subpar service it’s the incomplete and botched content that we cannot access because developers didn’t make whatever accessible.

If there were, indeed, a way for ISPs to create two lanes of internet access, one slow, with costs to use all these demanding sites like Netflix and such, and one fast, combined with services like Facebook, it would ban a lot of disabled people from accessing some very key information all together all because of costs that would be designated by the ISP and then that would be yet another contender blind and visually impaired activists would have to constantly advocate for.

State rehabilitation will not pay for internet as is, and that’s just one monthly cost to access all websites and services. If this were to actually be enforced people with disabilities wouldn’t have access to certain sites at all because of the high costs that will, without a doubt, be determined by the ISP.

This could lead to loss of employment, fewer educational opportunities because this will affect schools too, and overall fewer productivity and would make the unemployment rate for disabled people increase because a lot of disabled people work from home, using many sites and services every day that wouldn’t be able to be accessed because, oh no! The bill is really high!

Speed is not the issue and it infuriates me that Verizon even uses that as a claim. If people know about screen readers, magnifiers, and accessibility issues with software and sites then they will see right through this fallacy. If they don’t know about disabled people and access technology it would be a simple conclusion that would make sense in their minds even though its hugely false, that speed would help us.

Access is an issue but the irony is access would be an even bigger issue, coupled with taxes and stuff, I’m sure, will be added onto these extra speed costs and costs to access content, thereby bridging the disabled homeless and otherwise on an even wider separation all because of money. Access won’t be an issue, it will morph into a barrier, one that will always be up.

This is just for work. Could you only imagine how disabled people wouldn’t have access to sites like twitter, where news is happening all day, every day? Oh my god!I don’t even want to entertain that nightmare.

I just cannot believe that Verizon would even say such a disingenuous thing. It won’t help disabled people at all. It would ban some from even using the internet, even some who are not disabled. I don’t think people who work at these companies know that not everyone works at Verizon or otherwise, but hey, in America, it’s all about the money. It’s all about the money.

Activate this link to sign up for a new account on Audible and get one free book.

Our recommended book for this episode of the podcast is Haunted Empire: Apple After Steve Jobs written by Yukari Iwatani Kane.

Listen to Lisa Salinger’s demo of setting up a new Audible account using System Access.

We thank Audible for sponsoring this episode of the SeroTalk Podcast.

Jamie, Ricky and Joe are back for another round of news stories in this week’s podcast. After the news, Buddy Brannan sits down with veteran journalist Art Schreiber to talk about his friendship with the Beatles, the current state of the news industry and his new book Out of Sight – Blind & Doing All Right.

Topics covered in this week’s podcast include:

Independence Day

And the audio version of this story is here.

Microsoft Had To Blindfold Me To See The Future

Cities Unlocked: Lighting up the world through sound – YouTube

: Braille printer leads $62m Intel injection for 16 startups

Listen to Buddy Brannan’s interview with Shubham Banerjee, on SeroTalk Podcast 188.

3 Tips for Teaching Young Children with a Visual Impairment How to Become Strong Readers

Braille and Large Print Menus Bring Dining with Dignity

Spread the word and the holiday cheer – @BraillePress has print/braille holiday cards on sale now.

Skype 6.22 JAWS scripts released, typing indicator fixes and over ten more things.

BBC iPlayer Now withAudio Description

Switching From iOS to Android

Eloquence v1.1.7 released

The first phone with Android 5.0 Lollipop is… the 2014 Moto X?!

Amazon Unveils Echo, a Speaker With a Siri-Like Voice Assistant

Office for iPhone Apps: 3 Things to Know

CBS brings a round-the-clock streaming news network to cord cutters

Shaking off Spotify is easy for Taylor Swift; for everyone else, it’s complicated

The top 20 catchiest songs of all time, according to science

Mailbag

From @blind_educator
Good MailBag, good MailBag, you’re back home. YOu were a good MailBag.

Hey there Ms. Enger, Mr. Pauls, and Mr. Steinkamp,

I return MailBag to you nice and clean. I brushed MailBag’s teeth, cleaned behind the ears, and got MailBag ready for the winter. We both had a wonderful time, MailBag tried sharing some Sero Tek secrets, but told MailBag it wasn’t a good thing giving out secrets when someone is trusting MailBag to keep them. We talked about what was good and bad, and MailBag seems to understand. I have no idea why Ms. Enger is the only person that MailBag behaves somewhat. A lot better then Mr. Steinkamp or Mr. Pauls. But I guess MailBag is star stricken because of the Rock Star from EOLShow.

By the way, Mr. Steinkamp if there are some charges on your credit card. MailBag share your card with me. We wanted to see if ApplePay is accessible. So I have it as part of my ApplePay. I have Triple Click Home folks and That Android Show peeps coming over for lunch. Between MailBag and myself, we’re going to see if they can start playing nice and stop the bashing between the 2 shows. I promise not to go over $1,000. Unless MailBag gets really hungry. Please, please, do not over feed MailBag over the holidays, and get all that is on MailBag’s Christmas list. Or wise, MailBag will start acting up again.

Have a good one. Awesome show, keep it up. Really enjoy the trio.

Blog comment from Steven Whiteker:

Thanks again for a wonderful podcast! I agree that when you have a guide dog or a service dog, you need to comply with all laws and also be a responsible person

From Pam Francis:

Hi folks,
As a young child, I was very fortunate to have had a sight-saving teacher take an interest in me & my ability to read as a student of the Missouri school for the blind.
At the time, my vision was considerably less than it is now; yet no one knew the course it would take. Therefore I was taught both braille & print simultaneously. Though I spent most of my school day in a braille atmosphere, I had minimally an hour a day with a sight-saving class working with the print alphabet. I could not read large print at the time. My teacher took a purple crayon to copy stories on to the cream colored paper we had with light green lines.. I was to read that story & come back the next morning explaining what I had read.
I did not realize how valuable that resource would be until I was mainstreamed in the middle of my 4th grade year through the end of my 7th grade year.
I basically did double homework. I learned to type & spell without braille contractions in order to turn my work in to my sighted teachers while making a copy for myself in braille in order to follow along with the class.
My Father spent time in Federal prison. While incarcerated, he took it upon himself to learn braille in order to communicate with me. He initially learned on a slate & stylus. More than once I had to translate many backwards lines of braille in his letters. He finally got a lavender braille writer. We all know how crappy they were.He ultimately got pretty good. He took it upon himself to teach other inmates as a resource they could use on the outside to help break down the communication barriers between the blind & sighted community.

I also had an experience with a pre-school class attempting to explain braille.
I wrote the print letter on a chalkboard with its braille counterpart underneath, explaining how the dots worked. We had a project of baking heart-shaped cookies; as it was near Valentine’s day. As a means for the kids to find their cooky, we used small cinnamon beads to form their names in braille in the cooky dough. They had to pick out their cooky with their names written in braille.
Pam Francis

Roundabout

Why Are Elections on Tuesdays?

Richard Bernstein to Become First Blind State Supreme Court Justice

A great scene from the West Wing for election day, “Do you know if I have to be preregistered or something?”

Titles
Cranky Cortana
Low-vision Ranch
Joe Steinkamp for President
Audible book: The Haunted Empire
Out of sight: Blind but doing all right
blindart@samobile.net
artschreiber.com

Serotek’s own Richard Wells recently had the opportunity to attend the American Foundation for the Blind’s 2014 Vision Expo held in Waco, Texas. While he was there, Richard managed to snag some great interviews which he brought back to the team. We are pleased to feature those interviews in this month’s episode of SeroSpectives. Be sure to visit the Websites of the respective organizations mentioned in this podcast so that you can learn more about what they have to offer.

Neva Fairchild talks with Richard Wells about the American Foundation for the Blind’s 2014 Vision Expo held in Waco, Texas.

Richard visits with a representative of HIMS Inc.

Heather talks about the Texas Talking Book Program.

Steven Thompkins talks with Richard Wells about NFB Newsline.

Kathy visits with Richard about the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services of Texas.

Philips Lifeline offers many health aids such as talking prescription information.

Tracey represents the Dallas Services Low Vision Clinic.

Teresa tells us about Ridgecrest Retirement Village.

Learn about emergency preparedness from a representative of the State of Texas Emergency Assistance Registry.

Jan tells us about the programs available from the Area Agency on Aging.

Everyone on the podcast team survived Seroween … erm … Halloween with plenty of candy to go around. Jamie, Ricky and Joe take a look at this week’s news, mailbag gets a makeover, and Jamie visits with award-winning contemporary Christian artist Ginny Owens about her new project “I Know A Secret”. You can listen to “No Borders,” the first single from her album and pre-order the entire project on Amazon or iTunes. Visit Ginny’s Website to learn more about what she is up to.

A T Talk

Audio Defence : Zombie Arena | AppleVis

Get a sense of what Audio Defence is like with this gameplay trailer.

An Indecent Proposal for Halloween – FamilyConnect: for parents of children with visual impairments

Braille: What It Is and What It Is Not

Beginning Braille Skills | WonderBaby.org

The updated Bookshare website is live! Learn what’s new and take the video tour.

JAWS 16 has officially been released! Details can be found on our homepage under “Featured News”

My Complaint with Freedom Scientific

Apps, the web, and productivity

Play it by ear: Baseball for the blind

Mainstream Matters

Starbucks just announced big news about delivery

Microsoft Band and Microsoft Health: The $199 all-platform fitness band

Google’s Massive Android Update Will Come With A New ‘Smart’ Lock Screen

Amazon exec: Fire Phone was overpriced

Samsung will ‘fundamentally reform’ its smartphones after dire earnings report

Dabbling in the future of payment: A week of Apple Pay and Google Wallet

MCX’s CurrentC, the infamous Apple Pay competitor, says its already been hacked

Meijer is first MCX member to break ranks, continuing to support Apple Pay

The guy behind Google Wallet is back to change payments all over again

Mailbag

From Jenine Stanley:

You all know I couldn’t stay silent on this one so let me explain the various legally allowable types of animals in public and then the reality.

Under federal law, specifically the ADA, Fair Housing Act, Air Carrier Access Act and Rehabilitation Act, there are two categories of animal that someone may be accompanied by and for which that person may have access rights.

“Service animals”, as of March 2011, are classified as dogs only with some exceptions for miniature horses. People who partner with service animals have access rights under all of the above laws. A service animal must, and this is the key, do work or perform tasks to be considered as such. An animal that just makes you feel warm and fuzzy when you pet it doesn’t perform a task. Also, tasks and work must be reliable and able to be duplicated.

Emotional Support Animals can be of just about any species or size, save for air travel where there are restrictions on species. The animal generally has no trained tasks but must be house broken and must conform to standard behavior expected of pets in public places.

The only laws that specifically mention rights for people with Emotional Support animals are the Fair Housing Act and the Air Carrier Access Act. Both of these laws allow people to bring their Emotional Support animals with them on planes and in housing situations. Under both cases, the animal must be prescribed by a mental health professional. This documentation must be presented in very specific ways and the team does not have public access rights.

Where this all gets slippery is when dogs do work such as seizure detection or some of the tasks associated with psychiatric disabilities. If they do tasks that can be repeated and controlled, then they are service animals. If it’s just a random thing the dog, in most cases, does, then it’s not a service animal.

One example in an article I read was of a family who had a lovely and well behaved German Shepherd who helped keep the kids together on family walks. They wanted to take the dog with them into other public spaces so got a service dog vest and called her a service dog. No one in the family had a disability per say. That family admitted to their fraud, sadly most don’t.

I could obviously go on and on about this but technically there’s no difference in access rights between the guide dog and the dog trained to alert someone to low blood sugar or perform a task related to PTSD such as focused grounding when the dog will actively touch or stop the person so he can refocus and shift attention from the distraction to the dog.

The final two thing I do want to note are:

1. With great rights come great responsibilities. This point is all too often ignored by many people, fraudulent or not. If my experienced guide dog is out of control in a public place, I can be asked to leave just the same as if the pocket Poodle yapping at the waitress yet being touted as a service dog, can be removed.

2. Aggression or personal defense has no place in service or emotional support animal work or presence. A lot of people want a dog for such protection and think a little growl is OK now and then. Granted, dogs in and of themselves are deterrents in many cases but specific aggressive behaviors are just not allowed under any access law.

Hope that helps sort of clear things up. the truly frustrating part is that we as guide dog handlers have had to behave and toe the line for nearly 90 years now while all manner of service dog comes along and people just assume they have rights with little responsibilities included. It really drives a rift between disability groups.
Jenine Stanley
jeninems@wowway.com

Blog comment from Dominique

Alan Wheeler well said. That makes lots of since. Prioritize as they say… First, think of saving yourself first, then fun apps after. Otherwise, you’d not be here to play said fun games if you didn’t.

Roundabout

10 Words With Spooky Etymologies

We Are All Confident Idiots

The Blind at Work in an Unusual and Demanding Profession

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. Fast cars and music are just a small part of what we have to offer this time around. After the news, Wade Wingler tells us what’s going on over at the Indata Project. Follow them on Twitter, visit their Website and check out their podcast on iBlink Radio.

Stories covered in this week’s podcast include:

The AT History site seeks to preserve the history of adaptive technology for the blind

Preview of Windows 10 Preview using NVDA

Windows 10 Technical Preview deep-dive: A promise of better things to come

Why Learn Braille as an Adult?

Navigating Immersion Training: Are Sleepshades Blinding Me?

No Barriers Grand Canyon Expedition Reflection

Google’s Conversational Search Gets Smarter, Adds OpenTable Integration

Microsoft CEO Tells Women To Trust The System And Not Ask For Raises

This Week in Tech Episode 479

Amazon to open first physical store

An Overview of iOS 8

What we know (and suspect) is coming in iOS 8.1

Apple’s iPad/Mac/OS X Yosemite event: Here’s what to expect

Apple Reportedly Preparing to Remove Bose Audio Products From Retail Stores

Tesla Unveils New Self-driving Car

Roundabout

David Hasselhoff Makes Dream Come True for ‘Knight Rider’ Fan With Down Syndrome

Peek Inside the World’s Oldest Sealed Time Capsule

Listen To This Woman Sing Two Notes At Once

Isolated vocals: David Lee Roth

Isolated vocals: Joe Elliot

Contrary to the title of this week’s podcast, Jamie, Ricky and Joe don’t spend all their time talking about food–unless you count Apple, that is. After the news of the week, we give you a short preview of an upcoming special featuring Buddy Brannan at this year’s Ameture Radio Relay League convention marking the 100th year of their existence. Stories covered in this week’s show include:

Jonathan Mann already has a song about iOS 8.0.1

Apple releases iOS 8.0.2 to fix nearly useless iPhone 6 models

Will Apple replace your bent iPhone 6? It depends

Apps with HealthKit integration start appearing in App Store following iOS 8.0.2 fixes

The $84.50 Reason Apple Wants You to Buy That Big iPhone

Apple will survive its terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week because that’s what Apple does

AudioBoo rebrands with a bang as AudioBoom with a newlook app

10 iPhone 6/iOS 8 Features I’d Like to See in Windows Phone

What happens to Windows 7 on October 31, 2014?

Enter the Braille-enabled tablet

From Apple Support: Type onscreen braille

Lisa Salinger offers paid iPhone classes and one-on-one training. You can learn more by stopping by her web page.

New Tech Doctor Podcast “Follow the Dream”

Roundabout

The day the Coast Guard saved America

Anonymous Acts of Generosity: What To Do When You Can’t Say Thanks

Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students celebrates 25 years of inspiring children with disabilities

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe for this week’s edition of the podcast where they sip Apple juice and talk about all things iOS 8. If you’re tired of hearing about Apple, never fear; there are other stories in this week’s show as well. After the news, Buddy Brannan visits with Jim Gashel about the new release of the KNFB Reader app for iOS. Stories covered in this week’s podcast include:

National Federation of the Blind Applauds Release of KNFB Reader iPhone App

iOS 8 Adoption Lags Behind Past Upgrades — So Far

What’s New in iOS 8 Accessibility for Blind, Low-Vision, and Deaf-Blind Users

The Accessibility Bugs in iOS 8: From Serious To Minor

Apple Confirms HealthKit Bug, Promises Fix by End of September

BlindSquare: Acapela Voices Temporarily Not Available in iOS 8

Braille Moves Forward in iOS 8

Apple TV updated w/ Beats Music channel, refreshed design, Family Sharing, & iCloud Photos

new Victor Reader 2 Update now live

New audio channel makes fashion accessible for people with disabilities

Fred Gissoni

Code Factory becomes global! Check our new website

New TalkBack for Android released. Check the release notes to see what’s new

New Kindle Voyager docking soon

New Amazon Fire Kids Edition

The 3MT Reader Android app is a simple, intuitive way for blind users to read epub and txt books

Microsoft confirms Windows 9 event for September 30, Technical Preview to follow soon after

The new Ken Burns PBS series, The Roosevelts available on the Web with Audio description

Roundabout

Intel Unveils Connected Wheelchair

The 12-y.o. Hero Behind the Lego-Braille Printer: A Not Impossible Original

Here is a link to SeroTalk Podcast 188 featuring Buddy Brannan’s interview with Shubham Banerjee

The Tough MudderExperience

Welcome to the latest episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. This week, Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger and Lisa Salinger sit down to discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Joe Steinkamp sits down with AER president Lou Tutt to discuss the success of their latest convention as well as the past, present and future of the organization. Topics discussed in this podcast include:

A T Talk

NVDASR 2014.3rc1 now available for testing, before final release

Results from the 778 people who responded to the first NVDA Speech Synthesizer Survey, now closed.

Every JAWS User Should Have Leasey!

Samsung Is Making An Ultrasonic Cover For The Galaxy Note 4 To Help The Visually Impaired

30 Days with Android

Accessibility Head-To-Head: Android vs Apple

Beyond Braille: 3-D Printed Books For The Blind

10 Things Not To Say Or Do To A Blind Person

Mainstream Matters

This Week’s Apple Rumors, Ranked From Dumbest to Most Plausible

iPhone 6: A delicate compromise

NFL Now channel added to Apple TV w/ instant in-game highlights, live events and press conferences, more

Microsoft expected to announce Windows 9 on September 30

Former Microsoft CEO Ballmer steps down from the board

What it feels like to be the last generation to remember life before the internet

Roundabout

The Ice Bucket Challenge: Awareness is Not Money

What People With ALS Think of Ice Bucket Challenge

Pres. George W. Bush Takes Ice Bucket Challenge – YouTube

This Blind Grandpa Is Running 11,000 Miles Around The U.S. To Raise Funds For Cystic Fibrosis

Join Lisa Salinger and her special guests Chancey Fleet, Jeff Bishop, Joe Steinkamp and Jamie Pauls as they share their observations of this year’s ACB and NFB conventions.

You can also check out SPN’s ACB 2014 and NFB 2014 convention coverage.

Finally, be sure and listen to ACB Radio Main Menu’s convention specials featuring interviews by Jeff Bishop from Las Vegas.

You asked for more on Twitter. So here’s another interview from Baum USA

Jamie catches Jeff from Dolphin talking about their booth partner Irie A T

Perk up your ears to hear details from Guide Dogs for the Blind

Check out the services available from the Lutheran Braille Workers

Making drug bottles more accessible, listen to what Accessamed has to offer

Embossing all sorts of things with Enableing Technologies

Jamie tags in Braille Design

Find your way with GuideLights & Gadgets

Welcome to our second NFB 2014 HIMS special. This time around, you get two presentations in one as Dave and Andy demonstrate the Blaze EZ, HIMS’ new book reader with OCR and more. Then, they discuss the latest updates to the BrailleSense firmware that powers HIMS notetakers. There’s a lot to learn, so let’s get started.

We would like to thank HIMS Inc. for being one of the sponsors for this year’s NFB convention coverage.

We would like to thank HIMS Inc. and Elegant Insights Braille Creations for sponsoring this year’s NFB convention coverage.

There are many new updates coming to NFB Newsline

Make your own drawings with Easy Tactile Graphics

Purchase talking watches and more from ILA

There is a wealth of reading available from National Braille Press

Welcome to our first SPN special from NFB 2014 in Orlando, Florida. Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp have been hard at work talking with many of this year’s convention exhibitors, so sit back and enjoy the following interviews from the 74th annual convention of the National Federation of the Blind.

We would like to thank HIMS Inc. and Elegant Insights Braille Creations for sponsoring this year’s NFB convention coverage.

Matthew of Humanware talks with Ricky Enger about some exciting updates coming to the second generation Victor Reader Stream.

Joe Steinkamp visits with John Wilson of 3D Photoworks about 3D objects in real time and space.

Ricky Enger learns about Echo-Sense, a mobility aid for the visually impaired.

Joe Steinkamp explores portable low-vision solutions from Abisee.

Ricky Enger speaks with Tony of Enabling Technologies about their latest Braille embossers.

Joe Steinkamp talks with Odin Mobile about the latest news about their mobile phone solutions.

Heather of VitalSource Technologies talks with Ricky Enger about their accessible electronic textbooks.

Ricky Enger brings us some exciting news about the soon-to-be released KNFB Reader.

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. The news of the week, your feedback, a book recommendation and an interview with author Shelly Brisbin about her new book IOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch are just some of the things you will hear on this week’s show. Topics covered in this podcast include:

A T Talk

Braille Sense v8.2 Released with Features YOU Asked For!

Book Trade Announcements – Dolly Parton Presents Braille Book To Blind Child

GrabPak introduces line of Braille First Aid Kits

eBay and The National Federation of the Blind Team to Optimize Accessibility of Site, Apps

When Just Listening Is Not Enough: Google Falls Short on Accessibility for the Blind

What Will It Take for Google to Find Its Voice

Comparing the Windows Computer with the Mac

As Technology Marches Forward, Who Gets Left Behind?

Verizon Says It Wants to Kill Net Neutrality to Help Blind, Deaf, and Disabled People

Mainstream Matters

Report corroborates Apple planning to announce new wearable product in October

Apple’s new Lightning spec allows for smarter, better-sounding headphones

Rumor: NFC, wireless charging, improved LTE slated for iPhone 6

Starbucks to Start Offering Wireless Charging in San Francisco

Amazon Prime Subscriber? You Just Got Free Streaming Music

Roundabout

The Top 24 Summer Books of 2014

Vessyl smart cup can tell Coke from Pepsi

Xbox Live’s Major Nelson » E3 2014 Binaural Audio Experiment :

Ricky recommends Room: A Novel Written by Emma Donoghue

Our thanks go out to Andre Louis and Patrick Purdue of PD Audio Productions for the theme music heard on this podcast.

Replay the Accessible Event archive of This Month in Tech for May

Jeff Bishop is an IT Accessibility Analyst at the University of Arizona. He describes himself as a “Developer, technologist, Window-Eyes scripter, Broadcaster and family oriented guy” and is probably best known for his broadcasts on various community radio stations.

Janet Ingber has been writing for AccessWorld since 2005, and cohosts two podcasts on How to be Blind. Her new book, “Learn to use the Mac With VoiceOver” is now available from National Braille Press. Janet has a Masters Degree in Music Therapy and provides services for adults who have developmental disabilities. Additionally, she is certified as a special education teacher. Janet lives in New York City with her husband, daughter and guide dog, Jack.

Byron Lee is a Ham Radio Operator (KC9EEK), Broadcast Personality, Audio Engineer, Voice Over Artist, Web Designer, IT Professional, and most importantly, a huge geek! He is currently employed by Horizons for the Blind, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired, and is currently working on the DirectionsForMe project, a one stop source for accessible packaging information. In addition, Byron hosts two Internet radio shows. The Talk Zone is a two hour program about adaptive technology, disability rights, science fiction, pop-culture, and just about any other topic. The Fun Zone is a one hour program featuring comedy music. His shows are simulcast on ACB Radio Mainstream, and several other online radio stations. Byron has also been involved in other radio shows and podcasts, and is a frequent contributor on the SeroTalk Podcast Network. Find out more about Byron on his website or take a look at his newest project, the Low Vision Rants Website.

In the Community

HIMS Inc. Releases New Pocket-sized Media Player that Gives Blind and Visually Impaired Near-Instant Access to Printed Text

The Penguin Random House/Bookshare Partnership

BlindSquare celebrates two years; releases Version 2.0.

General Tech

Amazon, Twitter link up for easy shopping through #AmazonCart

Text-to-911 is here, but it isn’t everything you might think

Windows Phone 8.1 Launching June 24

WWDC

Information on iOS 8 now added to the Apple website

Information on OS X Yosemite now added to the Apple website

Apple publishes Swift programing language guide on iBooks

32 Hidden Features in Apple iOS 8

To help remake accessibility training as we know it, visit http://www.a11y.tv/ to view training subscription options and make your contribution to EZFire’s A11YTV funding campaign.

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they manage to talk about more than just the news from Apple’s WWDC keynote. Never fear, though; they discuss that topic at some length. After the news of the week, Jamie sits down with Mike Calvo to talk about the Philips HD8753/87 Intelia Automatic espresso machine. Topics covered in this podcast include:

A T Talk

HIMS Inc. Releases New Pocket-sized Media Player that Gives Blind and Visually Impaired Near-Instant Access to Printed Text

Mac Master Series FAQ

Introducing Magnificent, a new magnifier app for iOS

Chicken Nugget 2.3: YouTube support, hidden timelines, run at startup, more!

Try the New ZoomText Beta for Windows 7

Google Glass gives the deaf an ASL interpreter, even in the dark

Mainstream Matters

CD Players, Reluctant Technology Learners, and the iPod

Samsung Simband Preview

Google’s prototype electric self-driving car seats two, has no steering wheel

Surface Pro 3 Is Coming

Summary of Announcements from WWDC 2014 Keynote | AppleVis

Roundabout

Legendary author Maya Angelou dies at age 86

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings narrated by Maya Angelou

Long-lost, 1958 recording of Tolkien explaining Lord of the Rings has been unearthed

Mike Calvo’s review of the Philips HD8753/87 Intelia Automatic espresso machine

My review is as much about an excellent product as it is about an outstanding company. Let’s face it. Either the product is decent but the customer service is terrible, or worse, the product sounds great, but the interface is not accessible.
As a coffee aficionado, I was excited about the glowing reviews of the
Philips HD8753/87 Intelia Automatic espresso machine. A quiet grinder,
a smaller form factor, a convenient milk frother and easy programming
are just the beginning of what amounts to an amazing appliance. At a
price north of $1,000, one should expect nothing less, right?
Well, for blind consumers that’s a highly subjective question.
Companies rarely consider the potential blind end user, but in the case of Philips the reception could not have gone better.
My experience actually began before the package even landed on my doorstep. I called customer service to try to make sense of the product. Being the skeptic that I am, I wanted to make sure I would be able to utilize the espresso machine as soon as it came out of the box.
Daniel S, the helpful customer support representative, did not shy away from the challenge of explaining the machine to me when he learned I had a visual impairment. Instead he went and got himself in front of a model similar to what I’d ordered and proceeded to explain the order and function of each button.
Yeah, you could attribute it to the courtesy of one representative,
but later, after the machine had arrived, I called again to inquire
about some functionality of a special drink button I could not figure out.
The next guy proved to be just as friendly and accommodating as the
first guy, effectively proving that at Philips there is a prominent
culture of customer-oriented service. Even better? The PDF manual I
downloaded from the website was readily accessible for my screen
reader. That’s not typical considering the image-only manuals and
tutorials blind customers are accustomed to. Okay but how’s the
coffee? In a word: “AMAZING!” The wide variety of options this machine
provides will yield years of yummy coffee goodness! After all the
help from Philips I was able to set up the machine and enjoy my very
first coffee with absolutely no sighted help. I never can get over the
pleasure of purchasing a product and completing it’s setup
independently. Now here’s all you ever wanted to know abut the
Philips HD8753/87 Intelia Automatic espresso machine: Product
features

Save your favorite coffee settings
You will always get a perfect cup of espresso brewed just for you,
according to your personal preference, thanks to the innovative memo
function to adjust the coffee length, strength and temperature. Enjoy
a superb coffee drink in your favorite cup with just the press of a
button. Play with the coffee’s richness with the HD8753/87’s
adjustable grinder

Different coffee blends require different levels of granularity for
the full flavor to unfold. The grind granularity of this espresso
machine can be adjusted in 5 settings, from the finest grind, for a
full bodied espresso, to the coarsest, for a lighter café crème.

Enjoy coffee without burned taste thanks to a 100% ceramic grinder
Saeco uses ceramic grinders because of their consistent grind without
overheating the coffee bean for an impeccable espresso. Ceramic also
ensures long-lasting performance and a really quiet operation when
grinding your favorite beans.

Easy cleaning thanks to the removable
brewing group The brewing group, a Saeco invention, is the heart of
the HD8753/87.
ensuring automation. The brewing group is easily accessible from the
side. It can be removed effortlessly for cleaning by rinsing under the
tap ensuring maximum hygiene.

Coffee without the wait thanks to the
quick heat boiler The Saeco quick heat boiler technology ensures your
machine is always ready. Now you won’t have to wait between brewing
each espresso, but can prepare coffee after coffee. So, you can share
your new indulgence with friends.

Perfect froth thanks to the dual
chamber milk carafe Enjoy your milk specialties fully automated with
the patented milk carafe with dual chamber technology. Simply pour
milk into the carafe, plug it into the machine and select your coffee
drink. With the dual chamber technology you will always enjoy
professional coffee drinks with dense, long-lasting milk froth at the
ideal temperature from a constant splash-free flow of milk. Avoid
heat loss and fit every cup with the adjustable spout

The adjustable
spout on Philips’ espresso machines will fit every cup and thus
prevents the coffee splashing or cooling down while pouring in your
cup. This way your espresso is always served at the right temperature
while maintaining a clean machine.

Easy cleaning thanks to
dishwasher-safe parts For your convenience, you can put the Saeco’s
drip tray and milk frother or milk carafe in the dishwasher. This will
save time and ensure a hygienic cleaning. You will always have a
clean machine thanks to auto-clean and descaling
Saeco designed this espresso machine to automatically clean its
coffee circuit with water upon starting up or switching off of the
machine. This delivers a great, fresh taste with each cup of coffee.
Regular descaling prolongs your espresso machine’s life.

Technical specifications

Perfect Espresso
Espresso technology • Saeco adapting system • Aroma-system:
pre-brewing

Easy to use
Cleaning and maintenance • Automatic coffee circuit rinse
• Descaling cycle
Usage • Adjustable coffee dispenser
• Cup holding surface
• Rapid steam
• Removable brewing group
• Normal / long espresso option
Energy saving
Energy saving Automatic stand-by

The bottom line? It’s been a gratifying experience. The best part of
waking up might be the shot of espresso to jumpstart the morning, but
my day is made all the more productive when I know that if my machine
has issues, I can call a company that just gets it. No separate but
equal accessibility telephone lines, just helpful people who can
easily bypass the visual impairment stigma and go on about the
business of helping me like any other customer. Thanks Philips! You
certainly have a happy customer here!

To help remake accessibility training as we know it, visit http://www.a11y.tv/ to view training subscription options and make your contribution to EZFire’s A11YTV funding campaign.

Welcome to episode 199 of the SeroTalk podcast. Jamie Pauls, Lisa Salinger and Buddy Brannan sit down to discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Jamie talks with author Scott Duck about his first novel, In Full View. Stories covered in this episode include:

A T Talk

Sendero Group and RNIB Partner to Release Full-Featured GPS App for UK Users

CAVI is looking at offering a short course on NVDA in June for $60 if they get ten students or more

The National Federation of the Blind’s Free Slate Program – YouTube

WAI-ARIA for screen reader users: An overview of things you can find in some mainstream web apps today

Why iPad is the Ideal Learning Tool for the Blind & Visually Impaired

Enlighten Me: Inmates produce braille textbooks for visually impaired

Mainstream Matters

Drop that remote: Nuance to bring voice control to home appliances

Amazon makes 15 more cities eligible for Sunday delivery

Amazon, Twitter link up for easy shopping through #AmazonCart

Google Maps 8 brings lane guidance, Uber integration, and more

Apple iOS 8 Preview: Everything We’re Expecting

Apple hiring efforts point to medical tech integration

Why Beats Music matters: Streaming music services are the future

Roundabout

‘Firenado’: Wind Whips Up Wicked Whirl in Missouri Field – NBC News.com

Burger King offers burgers for breakfast

This Makeup Printer Could Destroy The Cosmetics Industry

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe for yet another episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. After a look at the top news stories of the week, Jamie reviews the new generation Victor Reader Stream from Humanware. Topics discussed in this episode include:

A T Talk

Blind protesters rally against alleged discrimination

What the Shift to Mobile Means for Blind News Consumers

A disappointing TV breakthrough

Hiring Blind: The Misconceptions Facing America’s Visually Impaired Workforce

New Story Explores Braille’s Role and Use in Accessible Technology and the Digital Age

the afb 2014 helen keller achievement awards

Michigan man among 1st in US to get ‘bionic eye’

Six iPhone microphones, and a look at iOS noise reduction by BorrisInABox

The Sharp Talking Time (80’s talking clock) played with an orchestra, but not for long. This is why

Drone rock: Robotics company creates a flying, musical band

Mainstream Matters

Google Glass becomes available to everyone, promptly sells out

The end is nigh for Google Glass

Fixing a broken Google Glass

Apple releases iOS 7.1.1 update with Touch ID, keyboard improvements, bug fixes

Apple Opens Up OS X Beta Testing to All Users

Tim Cook’s game with Wall Street: Underpromise and overdeliver

Microsoft Surface Mini to debut in mid-May?

Amazon Prime Pantry: 45 Pounds of Groceries Delivered for $6

Roundabout

Detroit’s Airport Just Installed a $75,000 Indoor Dog Bathroom

Parents Stunned by ‘Big and Beautiful’ 14-Pound Newborn

IT’S A SMALL WORLD: THE MOVIE directed by Jon Turteltaub is a real thing Disney wants to make!

About Our Presenters

Shelly Brisbin is a writer, editor, podcaster, and cocktail enthusiast. Her current project is iOS Access for All, a comprehensive guide to accessibility for Apple’s iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Shelly’s career in tech journalism spans 25 years, 12 books, hundreds of articles and blog posts for leading tech publications, and several stints on the editorial staffs of leading trade publications and Web sites. She served as editor-in-chief of Blogger & Podcaster Magazine, networking editor for MacUser Magazine, and online editor for online learning company, Powered, Inc. and Hoover’s Web sites. Her podcasts include the award-winning Shelly’s Podcast, and App Store Pundit, an iOS app review show. Her cocktail writing appears on this blog, and at the sadly departed The Spirit World. When she’s not working, Shelly spends time with her husband and cats in Austin, Texas, watches ancient movies, and reads books. You can follow Shelly on Twitter, or get updates about her book.

Liam Erven is best known for the computer games he produces for blind users. Games are released via his company, LWorks. His latest endeavor, Audio Archery, is now free for Android and iOS. Follow Liam or LWorks on Twitter for the latest updates.

Rick Harmon manages various email lists related to blindness and technology. He also runs the Blind Geek Zone website and Podcast. Since their launch in 2006, the site and podcast have served as portals to hundreds of free tutorials and demonstrations for the blind community. While he did the majority of these, he has selected high-quality submissions by others for inclusion as well. In 2007, Rick began offering paid training and support services, both in person in his local area, and by phone. Follow Rick on Twitter.

In The Community

A closer look at iOS 7.1’s accessibility changes

Getting Started with the iPhone and iOS 7: An Introduction for Blind Users

Battery drain problems in iOS 7.1, and how to fix them

Announcing the release of Sendero GPS 2014 products!

Solo DX Announces That They’re Closing Their Doors

Speaking of CSUN

New Tech Doctor Podcast: CSUN 2014

NosillaCast #463 Travel Tech, Boom, Omnigraffle, ChargeDr, Tack-Tiles, BigGrips, UbiDuo, WHILL, CSUN Disability Expo

The Great Big List from the 2014 CSUN Conference.

Audio coverage from CSUN by BlindBargains

SeroTalk’s CSUN coverage,

Sponsored by HIMS.

Mainstream Tech

Google drops its Drive storage pricing significantly, puts pressure on Apple to improve iCloud prices

Amazon ups Prime fee to $99 from $79: Customers likely to absorb it

Finally, Microsoft brings Office to the iPad

In this CSUN 2014 presentation, Joe Steinkamp, Ricky Enger and Dave Wilkinson demonstrate cloud-based solutions, mainstream tablets, PC’s and iDevices along with assistive technology from HIMS, Inc. and Serotek Corporation for complete access to information from anywhere.

In this CSUN 2014 presentation by HIMS Inc., Dave Wilkinson explores the comparative efficiency of completing educational tasks using iPads and Braille displays and Braille notetakers.

The SeroTalk Podcast Network would like to thank HIMS Inc. for sponsoring our coverage of this year’s CSUN convention.

Welcome to another round of interviews from the convention floor at CSUN 2014. Our thanks to HIMS Inc. for sponsoring this year’s coverage. Please visit the Websites of the companies represented in these interviews to learn more about their products. Included in this special are:

Discover Technologies

En-Vision America

Capti

EnableMart

Optelec

Reinecker

Sight Enhancement Systems

Do-It

Enhanced Vision

Triumph Technology

Welcome to another round of interviews from the convention floor at CSUN 2014. Our thanks to HIMS Inc. for sponsoring this year’s coverage. Please visit the Websites of the companies represented in these interviews to learn more about their products. Included in this special are:

Altix

Ambutech

Aumed

APH

Bookshare

Joe visits with Big E

Canon

Code Factory

Dancing Dots

Two worlds collide on this week’s SeroTalk podcast as Jamie Pauls, Buddy Brannan and Alena Roberts–all part of the Triple-click Home team–host this week’s SeroTalk podcast. After the news, Jamie reviews the Braille Edge, the incredibly popular 40-cell refreshable Braille display from HIMS Inc. Visit the Tech Access DemoCast to hear Erin Edgar’s in-depth podcasts on the Braille Edge. Stories covered in this week’s episode include:

A T Talk

A closer look at iOS 7.1’s accessibility changes

Getting Started with the iPhone and iOS 7:An Introduction for Blind Users (IPHONE-IOS7)

My top 4 app picks for Braille Users of iDevices in news

Announcing the release of Sendero GPS 2014 products!

Samsung Focuses On Accessibility With An Ultrasonic Case, A Text-Reading Stand And Voice Labels

Made in India: LECHAL, a Bluetooth connected shoe that guides wearers with directions

Senate Bill Updates SSI and Would Help Elderly Poor

Music By Ear

My Son’s Experience with the Perkins SMART Brailler

Mainstream Matters

Chromebooks and education: A perfect match

Google drops its Drive storage pricing significantly, puts pressure on Apple to improve iCloud prices

Amazon ups Prime fee to $99 from $79: Customers likely to absorb it

Starbucks test will let mobile users order items ahead of time

Alena recommends mint.com for managing your finances.

Toyota: Apple CarPlay, yes. When? Not saying, actually

Report: iOS 8 to Include Transit-Heavy Apple Maps Overhaul

iOS 8: Apple considers Notification Center + Messages tweaks, removing Game Center app

New Version of Microsoft Office for Mac Slated for 2014 Release

Concept Video Tips 4.7-Inch iPhone 6 ‘Air’

How to access the combination list/month view on iOS 7.1

How to manually control when Siri listens to you with iOS 7.1

Mailbag

From Jenine:

Hi Serotalk Gang,

You know I had to comment on this one. I had to in part because my employer has invested a lot of time and energy into this show on many levels.

As you probably have read if you’ve read anything about the background of the show, it is based on a real person who got his first dog from GDF back in 1980. His son has made several Youtube videos talking about the making of the show and the concept. One of the things he says is that the show is not meant to represent every blind person or every guide dog team but to tell the story of his family.

His father, who is still around and still uses guide dogs but not from GDF, is one of these larger than life people who can get away with doing things like what you see on the show.

There are a couple places I think where we all have disconnects with the show. the first one is that we are all so excited to see “one of us” in a network TV show that we put a lot of pressure on the show to live up to every concept we have of our group, regardless of the story. A friend asked me recently if African Americans felt the same way about Bill Cosby in the 1980’s when he played Dr. Huxtable. That wasn’t reality for many African americans at that time. It was the story of one family though in one set of circumstances.

Another disconnect with the show is the time frame. the son, D.J. Nash, is trying to adapt stories from his family that happened back when blind people did not have the technology they have now, and because of story telling conventions, Growing Up Fisher is set in the present. Will Mel have an iPhone on one episode? Who knows? Also, and any of us who are long-time guide dog handlers know this, what was acceptable behavior for a guide dog back in 1980 is not acceptable today in some very subtle ways. Yes the general tennants of good behavior are still there but I remember a lot more barking and such being tolerated back in the day. Now if a guide dog barks, the entire room of blind people will start yelling at the handler. Convention Trauma!

I honestly was very worried when I first heard about the show last June. I thought, “Oh crap. How many ways can this go wrong?” Way too many. Our community can be hyper judgmental about these things and it won’t matter what the general public thinks.

I, like Joe, don’t think NBC will keep the show around long enough to have a chance but if it did, how would our attitudes change? I do know that the producers consulted with GDF and local guide dog handlers in the LA area but even then, dramatic license is what it is.

I honestly also have not watched the show beyond the pilot episode yet. I hate network television. 5 minutes of show, 5 minutes of commercial. I liked the banter between the family as it mirros my own whacky family banter. As for the guide dog interactions not always being completely politically correct, let’s be brutally honest. We can all cite times when we’ve done things with our dogs or allowed our dogs to do things that are less than by the book. We even tell stories and laugh about them amongst ourselves. Let someone outside of our community portray that though and it gets uncomfortable.

Finally, I wanted to address the issue of the main character’s “passing” for sighted on the show. Believe it or not, this still happens and people will still try to be sighted when they are clearly not. I see it often when people come to guide dog class. They interview just fine. they look good getting around. then they come to spend 2 weeks or 3 weeks with a bunch of other blind people and they self destruct because OMG, they’ve never had to face their own blindness before in such a public way. they may never have been around real blind people in all their variations.

I see this at blindness consumer conventions too. We as a group tend to have some social behaviors that aren’t quite what you’d expect. Granted, the social conventions work when we’re in big groups, loud voices, training to get places, that is, making a train of people to get places, some of us not being as well groomed or observant of others’ social cues as one might expect. That all can freak people out the first time they experience it. And now they are one of “US”.

Most of the people who “pass” have some remaining vision. I don’t know about the character in Growing Up Fisher, just how “blind” he is. I do know that people can do amazing things in pursuit of denial. I did growing up. Gee, grown up partial? My youngest sister faked her entire last year of high school. No one knew she was totally blind by then because she had good friends who propped her up, and she was good at faking it by then. They knew she had vision problems but …

so the whole plot line of the main character faking being sighted for years is totally plausible. Less so I think back in 1980 than now with the technology but none the less, still going on.

Thanks for discussing the show in a very even manner. I know some people really hate it for a variety of reasons. Is it an ideal portrayal of blind people and guide dogs? probably not. It’s not meant to be though. It’s the story of a family that happens to have a blind father with a guide dog. Novel concept.
Jenine Stanley

From Greg Wocher:

Hello everyone,
I hope you all are doing well. I had some comments about episode 191.
First if you listen to the Security Now podcast you will find out that Steve Gibson, security guru, will not be updating his XP machines to something later. His reason is that there was a recent study that found if you run as a local limited user instead of an administrator on your XP machine you can eliminate nearly all vulnerabilities. If you want to hear more about this listen to the last couple of episodes of SN. So if you still want to run XP give your admin account a good password and always run as a local limited user instead. Secondly in this weeks and next weeks Security Now podcasts they are talking about how well Apple has done its security. It is really amazing what they have done. It is almost enough to make me switch back from Android. Now if they could get rid of that blasted iTunes software I just might switch back. LOL.

Thanks,
Greg Wocher

From Dominique:

Hey guys, listening to episode 190, and lol why not make your own Serotek phone? Just think of it. Aah, the SamNet phone! Buy it today!!! lolz. Just a thought, oh, and it could have the Ricke voice as the Speech TTS. I’d also be willing to give you my voice for that project. Just a thought. Talk later.

Blog comment from Amanda:

Hi,
I love tuning into the podcast and listening to the great stories and news you guys tell. I just have a comment about the show Growing Up Fisher. I have been watching the show and I really like it. I don’t think it’s a bad show at all. I am a guide dog user myself. I sure wouldn’t give my dog to someone when the harness is on either. The creater of this show has a dad who is blind. Don’t know if you guys knew that. I am on Twitter. Ricky and Buddy follow me as well as Joe. I also enjoy listening to Triple Clikc Home. Keep up the great work!

Roundabout

“Tastes Like Happiness”: Why Chocolate Fried Chicken Might Be The Future Of Fast Food

Want to boost your brain power? Walk more

HERO CENTRAL: Girl dials 911 with deactivated phone

Ricky and Joe hit the ground running just as soon as they arrived at this year’s CSUN convention. This year’s CSUN coverage is sponsored by HIMS Inc. We trust that you will enjoy the first nine interviews to come from this year’s convention. Be sure and check out the links to the various companies represented in the following interviews. They include:

HIMS Inc

AFB

Alexandra Vision

American Thermoform

Computer application specialties

GH

Maxi Aids

Tactalis

Telorion

Welcome to our first SPN special from CSUN 2014. Joe and Ricky were both so excited about this year’s CSUN coverage, that they got started a bit early. They sat down with representatives from Dolphin, Humanware and AI Squared to find out what those companies would be showing off at this year’s CSUN convention. Be sure to visit the Websites of these companies to learn more.

Replay the Accessible Event archive of the show

About Our Presenters

Luis Arellano is an instructional assistant for California School Districts and a regular, helpful participant in the SAMNet Community. He enjoys comparing, contrasting, and demonstrating various mainstream technology solutions. To hear some of these comparisons and keep up with his other activities, you can follow him on Twitter.

Mainstream Tech

Comcast Deal Seeks to Unite 2 Cable Giants

WhatsApp: the Bomb That Hit Silicon Valley

Forget the iWatch, Apple’s next big thing is health

Samsung Galaxy S5 made official: 5.1-inch HD screen, fingerprint scanner, and heart rate monitor in tow

Community News

FDA clears first drug for blindness sleep disorder

The New Generation Stream: Wireless access to over 36,000 radio station + Rich Media Content

Indian American 7th Grader Develops Braille Printer with Legos

Buddy Brannan’s interview with Braigo’s developer in SeroTalk 188

Results of the 5th Screen Reader Survey from WebAIM Released

Summary of survey results

American Foundation for the Blind Announces 2014 Access Award Winners

Welcome to yet another edition of the SeroTalk Podcast. This week, Jamie, Ricky and Joe team up once again to bring you the top news stories of the week. Then, Buddy Brannan interviews Shubham Banerjee, a remarkable seventh-grader who has designed a proof of concept prototype of a very enexpensive Braille embosser. You won’t want to miss this interview, so sit back and enjoy the podcast.

A T Talk

American Foundation for the Blind Announces 2014 Access Award Winners

National Federation of the Blind Commends President Obama for Executive Order on Wages

Get the Picture! Viewing the World with the iPhone Camera (GETPIC)

Screen Readers: A Guide to Punctuation and Typographic Symbols

QuickBooks Desktop Accessibility – How we did it.

from Eyes on Success: Raspberry VI

Indian American 7th Grader Develops Braille Printer with Legos

Mainstream Matters

Comcast Deal Seeks to Unite 2 Cable Giants

TWIT covering the Comcast story

Verizon confirms ‘More Everything,’ brings price cuts, more data, global texting

And the winner of Austin, TX’s gigabit service arms race is… Grande?

Could Cell Phones Stop Drivers From Hitting Pedestrians?

Android Is Not Really Open

Strange bedfellows: Microsoft could bring Android apps to Windows

Gates Spends Entire First Day Back in Office Trying to Install Windows 8.1

Microsoft’s Surface 2 cleared for takeoff in cockpit

What Are “Smart” Credit Cards, and Why Are They Coming to America?

No, Flappy Bird developer didn’t give up on $50,000 a day

Our Internet Empathy Problem

Mailbag

From Mike Arrigo:

I wanted to comment on the article from the person switching from the mac to Windows. I’ve been using macs since 2008, in 2010 I gave away my pcs and use the mac exclusively at home. I have a windows 7 virtual machine installed but rarely use it. I agree that it’s important to really learn the operating system, not just the screen reader. The concept of interacting can take some getting used to, one setting in voiceover that you can disable is the option to automatically interact with items when using the tab key. When it comes to learning an operating system and a screen reader, I think it’s important that the screen reader stick to making the screen accessible and not changing anything in applications. A friend of mine who was used to using Jaws has recently started using NVDA. In Winamp, jaws allowed you to press space to stop and start play back, NVDA does not provide this, and at first, they were not sure what was going on. This is an example of a screen reader overstepping its bounds. Same thing goes for the Jaws virtual ribin. That has no business even being there. Instead, people need to learn the application commands for doing these functions, that way it works regardless of screen reader.

From Marvin Hunkin:

Hi. I am doing a course via http://www.johnsmiley.com/ And learning java. I have learnt c # from the command prompt. Scripting with php and databases, html , css.

Marvin.

From Chelsea Cook:

Hi Serotalk Team,

I’m kind of behind the curve in listening to your podcasts—quantum physics is keeping me busy. Anyway, I had some comments on a few episodes:

Serotalk 183:

Cool on mentioning the space iBook. I had not seen that article until you mentioned it.

I don’t think I’m breaking any NDA’s here when I say that yours truly got the ball rolling at an internship a couple years ago. I wasn’t directly involved with the signification techniques—that happened after the summer project was over—but I did do some HTML coding to make images accessible. Basically someone would map out visual areas of the screen in HTML and I would add the descriptions, links, and give UI feedback. This system worked quite well on an iPad where you had a bigger screen, but the same principle could be easily applied to an iPhone or Mac trackpad screen. I see lots of potential for maps and other spatial things here.

Funny story: My colleague sent me an HTML map one day, I opened it and commented on how awesome his first try was. He was confused until he remembered that there didn’t need to be an actual photograph behind the map.

Triple Click Home 26: I remember Learning Ally’s math and physics books well. My primary reading medium is Braille; I cannot do math in audio at all! So I had to write down most of the equations anyway. The worst part for me was listening to those old guys read physics books—no stereotypes here—they always seemed to be old guys. Then there were the people who described diagrams with very little detail and you were yelling at the machine at 2 AM: “what is this picture?” Don’t even get me started on finding a specific problem for homework and having to rewind it three times to get the info when you finally found it. I use LearningAlly when I absolutely can’t find a book anywhere else, but I have trouble imagining people who rely on them. Maybe it’s just my field.

Regards, and keep up the awesome work! Chelsea

From Slau:

Hi Jamie,

I saw that you tweeted about your interview with Kevin Reeves on the podcast. I downloaded and listened while on the treadmill yesterday. Nice job and I’m enjoying the podcast in general. Keep up the good work.

I had to write to you to make a slight correction for the future. I know it’s probably a bit confusing but it regards my name. Actually, it’s pretty important to me so I’d appreciate your indulging me in this clarification. My birth name is Yaroslav. technically, it’s spelled with a J at the beginning and a W at the end. Unfortunately, that makes some people, who are unfamiliar with this Eastern European given name, to pronounce it much like I’m sure your screen reader will and that is Jaroslaw.

when my parents enrolled me in kindergarten, the principal took one look at my birth certificate and proclaimed that it would just be easier if they called me Jerry. First, the name Jerry is in no way connected to Jaroslaw. Second, because they took it upon themselves to christen me Jerry in school, my entire school career saw me using that name and it ended up on my social security and credit cards. My friends and family have always called me by my real name which is Jaroslaw or Slavko for short and, still shorter, Slau. I use the letter U at the end because it’s closer to the actual pronunciation of my name which has a soft V sound. Had I used a W, well, people would read it as slaw. Can you blame me for spelling it differently?

Anyway, I’ve long since changed my social security and credit cards to reflect my birth name and I never use the name Jerry. For future reference, I actually, quite literally cringe whenever I hear somebody refer to me as Jerry. It happens so infrequently that the effect is all the more pronounced if and when it does happen. In this case, I think I almost fell off the treadmill with a jolt.

Just kidding

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know in case it ever comes up again. Keep up the great work.

Cheers!

Slau

From Jenine Stanley:

Love the All Ladies show! It’s about time.

Regarding Apple wanting to get more into health and health and medical devices, how about a home unit that can interface with say a doctor’s office to send vital signs.

I have a couple medications that when refilled require me to take a couple hours, most of which is spent riding buses, to go to the doctor’s office and see not an actual doctor but a nurse practitioner and a tech who take my vitals and ask me several standard questions. They need to physically see me to do this.

Why not have a system by which you can do something like a Skype call, so they can physically see you and talk with you, and have a device that will take your BP, pulse, temperature and yes, weight and report those for both your tracking and the medical facility’s use. You could then use the various instruments, BP monitor, pulse/oxygen sensor, scale, etc. to keep records yourself or hook into programs like FitBit.

I do worry about Big Brother seeing that I have a passion for junk food at certain times and scolding me about it, but enough of my excuses for opposition.

This could be a really exciting time for people who have to use annoyingly inaccessible devices like glucose monitors. Why can’t an insulin pump be paired with an IOS app? After all, it’s not just taking the blood and hearing the numbers. It’s tracking and adjusting and controlling our own devices. Same thing with other imbedded medical devices such as pain pumps and e-stim machines.

And while we’re at it, I want a keyboard that will adjust if it notices me making certain typing erros due to hand fatigue. I love, love, love the wireless keyboard that came with my Mac but it isn’t always the best choice for my hands and I too noticed a big jump in hand pain with all of the multiple key commands for the Mac and VO.

Once I figured out though that there are Mac commands to do a lot of the same things and they use far fewer keys, life got progressively better.

Keep up the good work. And yes, I vote for you all to go to Broadway for a play and interviews.

Jenine Stanley

Blog comment from Matt:

I do wonder on this accessibility testing that John will be doing in his business. Will it only be for apps in the UK or both UK and US? Also what is accessible to one will not be accessible to another! So where is they going to get their standard on accessibility? Also it is nice to have usability built in as well as accessibility! These are two different things! I also don’t see why someone would would pay for this when they could just get this done by reaching out to the blind community for beta testers of the app! Because of John advance skills there is lots of things he sees accessible and user friendly that most don’t! So lots of questions on them do this testing and what kind of impact it will have on apps and such in the blind community! JST!

From Greg Wocher:

Hello everyone, I am a type one insulin diabetic. I have been a diabetic for 34 years, since I was four and a half years old. Not having to prick my fingers is something I would pay a great deal of money for. When I was first diagnosed they did not have the little finger prickers like they do now. When I was in the hospital they had to use a steril razor blade to prick my finger to get the blood to test it. They would use the corner and very quickly jam it down on my finger tip. This has given me a phobia when it comes to testing my blood and I don’t do it nearly enough. I hope this gives a bit of perspective to those who do not have to do this and help them to understand why something like this would be priceless.

Roundabout

Lisa Mouse Recovered From ‘Steve Jobs Time Capsule’

Blind card shark amazes with his astounding skills

10 things to know about Shirley Temple

About Our Presenters

Erin Edgar is a lawyer currently working for Legal Aid, which is a non-profit lawfirm that assists low-income clients with various issues. She and her husband, Rodney, co-host a podcast called Tech Access Weekly which focuses on news and events  in assistive and mainstream technology. She also co-hosts the Book Hoarders Annonymous Podcast, which is dedicated to book lovers of all persuasions. Follow her on Twitter, or reach her via email.

Rodney Edgar is a low vision IT Professional in the banking industry. In 2009 he co-founded the Tech Access Weekly Podcast which discusses a variety of accessible technologies. He is also the host of High Contrast on SPN, technical director of Tech Access DemoCast, and shameless promoter of the Book Hoarders Annonymous Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter

Allison Hartley is an avid technology enthusiast, and co hosts the Tech Doctor Podcast with Dr. Robert carter. She currently works as a rehabilitation counselor for a state agency. She is also a trained singer. She and her husband Jeremy share a love of music and technology in common, and are working on putting together a jazz ensemble. They also enjoy kicking back and watching mindless comedies on Netflix. You can follow her on Twitter.

Jeremy Hartley has a strong passion for technology and music. He is a former owner of a small Internet Service Provider, former host of the Whole Note program for blind musicians, and member of several bands in the San Francisco Bay area as a singer, trumpet and keyboard player. He was also the voice of the narrator in the audio game, Entombed. He currently works at a web accessibility company in San Francisco. Along with his wife Allison, he is putting together a small jazz ensemble. They also share a love of reading and discovering new local restaurants.

Mainstream Tech

CES 2014: Wearables, connected appliances, automated cars, and curved TVs

New lease on life? AOL reportedly selling Winamp to Radionomy

Apple execs reflect on the Macintosh at 30

Microsoft faces new brand dispute over OneDrive name

Google Glass finally works with prescription glasses, frames cost $225

All About Apps

MBraille 1.7.2 updated to include Facetime calling support and bug fixes

Seeing Eye GPS 1.3 includes 17 notable changes and a NEW Monthly subscription option

Announcing the AppleVis Golden Apples of 2013

Hey iOS peeps! Now you can school your Android friends in SpellStack.

Digit-Eyes 2.0 has a completely NEW and simplified user interface design plus other New features

Announcing Fleksy VO for iOS. A new keyboard for VoiceOver users.

Clarification of Fleksy VO for iOS

Interview with Fleksy developers on SeroTalk 185

In the Community

GW Micro Announces Global Window-Eyes Initiative for users of Microsoft Office

A Toast to GW Micro

How gaming can help blind people navigate buildings in real life

The Beauty of Space Comes to the Visually Impaired

About Our Presenters

Erin Edgar is a lawyer currently working for Legal Aid, which is a non-profit lawfirm that assists low-income clients with various issues. She and her husband, Rodney, co-host a podcast called Tech Access Weekly which focuses on news and events  in assistive and mainstream technology. She also co-hosts the Book Hoarders Annonymous Podcast, which is dedicated to book lovers of all persuasions. Follow her on Twitter, or reach her via email.

Jason Meddaugh is a cofounder of BlindBargains.com, one of the most popular deals and news websites for the blind and visually impaired. He also manages A T Guys, a website featuring low-cost tech gadgets and accessories. He is also a cohost on That Android Show. Follow him on Twitter.

Jamie Pauls, [Producer and host of the SeroTalk Podcast, plays keyboard professionally, and has shared the stage several times with current X Factor winner Tate Stevens. He is a music therapist who has worked with both the elderly and children, and teaches a music Appreciation class one evening a week at a community college. In the current setting, he is best known for his work as Content Director for Serotek. You can follow him on Twitter.

Joe Steinkamp is cohost of the SeroTalk Podcast as well as several other SPN podcasts. You can follow him on Twitter, and can read his personal Top Ten list on his blog.

Top Stories — 6-10

Story 10: X+Y = Math Access

SeroTalk Podcast, including an interview on the T84 Calculator

Story 9: A Tasty Google Treat

That Android Show

Story 8: Real Potential in Access to Set Top Boxes

Comcast Website

Stories 7 and 6: A Tie! Between two A T Giants

Victor Reader Stream: Second Generation

Sendero GPS

This Year at Serotek

Introducing Our New, Redesigned Website

Serotek Ambassadors’ Club is Launched

Serotek Podcast Network Reaches Highest Listener Count Yet

Serotek Launches the Newly Updated Socializer

The Top Five Stories

Story 5: You Down with UEB?

Unified English Braille to become official code in 2016

Story 4: Love Em or Hate em, Apple Gets People Talking

Apple iOS 7 Page

Triple Click Home

Story 3: The Tap Tap See Controversy

Tap Tap See Review

Triple Click Home Interview

Story 2: The Holy Grail of iPhone Apps

Story 1: Amazon Helps and Fights A T in the Same Breath

Kindle Fire HDX Product Page

Kindle Fire HDX: Usable By the Blind At Last?

As the clock races toward Christmas day, are you still frantically racking your brain to figure out what to buy for that special person in your life? Once again, the Serotek team comes to the rescue with our annual holiday review special. As you listen to the podcast, be sure to follow the links below to learn more about the respective products discussed in this podcast–and Merry Christmas!

Lisa Salinger starts us off with a discussion of the FitBit One

She also mentions MyFitnessPal which has become more accessible of late.

Joe Steinkamp reviews the Keurig K75 Platinum Brewing System

The K 75 is a great gift for the person who wants a brewing system if, and this is a big IF!, they don’t mind memorizing menus and buttons. The unit sports a blue backlit screen with hard to see text. And it has a menu system for changing things like cup sizes and the like. Yet, for the package as a whole, it comes with lots of accessories and it has 72oz of coffee or tea at the ready. Its kind of big too, possibly due to the built in K-Cup tray underneath, so you can’t hide it behind the toaster. All and all, it’s a great gift to give someone [especially if you find it for under $149] but you may just want to stick with the Travel Keurig models if you want to avoid all the frills, menus and memorization.

He also recommends Lola Savannah Coffee – Cozy Winter’s Night (Whole Bean)

Next, Ricky Enger discusses four devices that will make your life easier in the kitchen.

Polder 6631-75 Stainless-Steel Sink Strainer with Extending Rubber-Grip Arms

Artisan (2 pk.) Non-Stick Silicon Baking Mat Set. 16 5/8″ x 11″

Edge of Glory Knife Sharpener

Alton Brown Salt Cellar

Buddy Brannan interviews the developer of The Bradley Braille Watch

Matt Campbell helps us be more productive with the Asus Transformer Book T100.

Richard Wells introduces us to Lee Oscar harmonicas.

Finally, Jamie Pauls reviews the Bose SoundLink Mini Bluetooth speaker.

Replay the Accessible Event archive of the show

About Our Presenters Luis Arellano is an instructional assistant for California School Districts and a regular, helpful participant in the SAMNet Community. He enjoys comparing, contrasting, and demonstrating various mainstream technology solutions.

Rick Harmon manages various email lists related to blindness and technology. He also runs the Blind Geek Zone website and Podcast. Since their launch in 2006, the site and podcast have served as portals to hundreds of free tutorials and demonstrations for the blind community. While he did the majority of these, he has selected high-quality submissions by others for tinclusion as well. In 2007, Rick began offering paid training and support services, both in person in his local area, and by phone.

Laura Legendary is a speaker, author, and educator specializing in disability awareness, advocacy, accessibility, and assistive technology. Read the Accessible Insights Blog. Most recently, Laura has added entrepreneur to the list with her Elegant Insights Braille Creations. Follow Laura on Twitter at either @Accessible_Info or @ElegantInsights.

In the Community

Dr. Abraham Nemeth, inventor of the Braille math code, dies at 94

Jaws 15 has been Released

Serotek: a Fresh Season of Updates

FCC adopts TV rules for blind and deaf

Microsoft

Goodbye Microsoft Security Essentials: Microsoft Now Recommends You Use a Third-Party Antivirus

Do I Need to Stop Using Microsoft Security Essentials?

Windows 8.1: What a difference a year makes

Android

The Google Nexus 5 is finally here. Get all the details

Android 4.4 KitKat is here at last. Take a deep dive into the new OS

Apple

From iPad Air to Mac Pro: everything you need to know about Apple’s fall event | The Verge

Papa Sangre II on the App Store on iTunes

[Technically Speaking

I’m the original voice of Siri’

Amazon Launches Kindle Fire HDX Tablets, Fire OS 3.0

Turn on Accessibility Features on your Kindle Fire HD or Kindle Fire HDX

The latest SeroTalk Podcast contains an interview about the Kindle Fire HDX.

This week, Jamie, Ricky and Joe return to their familiar places on the podcast. Topics discussed in this week’s episode include:

Extra Extra, Read all About it: the NLS Bard Mobile app is on its way!

JAWS 15 Public Beta

NCBI Podcast #16 Features Sendero GPS, the Serotek Socializer, and more

Amazon.com: Out of the Whirlpool: A Memoir of Remorse and Reconciliation eBook: Sue Wiygul Martin: Kindle Store

ATI Seminar Subscription

Keyboard shortcuts – Perform common Firefox tasks quickly

Homophones are Not Mistaken in Braille

Keeping Students with Disabilities Safe from Bullying

National Federation of the Blind Comments on Gun Ownership by Blind Individuals

Apple launches iPhone 5C: Color, costs aimed at emerging markets

2015: 64-bit ARM chips in iPhone 5S serve up taste of Intel-free future for Apple

Apple provides details on Touch ID’s privacy features

What’s right (and wrong) with the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s

10 new iOS 7 features for the enterprise

iCloud Keychain Removed in iOS 7 GM

OS X 10.8.5 update more than doubles 802.11ac file transfer speeds

Blast Processing

Microsoft’s Cortana shapes up to take on Siri, Google Now

Facebook suddenly deletes Social Fixer’s Facebook pages

Facebook testing videos that autoplay in mobile News Feed

Mailbag

From Luis

Hi Jamie, Joe, Ricky, or whom ever else that will join this week’s podcast,

After just finishing listening to Podcast 168 and listening to RoundAbout. The last story covered about the Simpson’s creator finding funny with his cancer fight. It reminds me about a story on CBS’s Today show back in February. On how creative a cancer survivor became with his wealth. Here’s the story that I got back then from a Houston morning show. By the way, as far as I know, no one has located the treasure yet, but be aware. That people have needed to be rescued when trying to follow the clues. Enjoy.

This Riddle Will Lead You To Millions! If You Can Solve It! Sarah Pepper February 28, 2013 A man was dying of cancer and so he hid a box with jewels and treasure in it! He wrote a riddle and if you can solve it the treasure is yours! I know, sounds like “The Goonies” but it is legit, it was on the “Today Show”! Here is the riddle. “The Thrill of the Chase”. As I have gone alone in there And with my treasures bold, I can keep my secret where, And hint of riches new and old. Begin it where warm waters halt And take it in the canyon down, Not far, but too far to walk. Put in below the home of Brown. From there it’s no place for the meek, The end is drawing ever nigh; There’ll be no paddle up your creek, Just heavy loads and water high. If you’ve been wise and found the blaze, Look quickly down, your quest to cease But tarry scant with marvel gaze, Just take the chest and go in peace. So why is it that I must go And leave my trove for all to seek? The answers I already know I’ve done it tired, and now I’m weak So hear me all and listen good, Your effort will be worth the cold. If you are brave and in the wood I give you title to the gold. Happy hunting!

From Mike Arrigo

The plextalk update is really good. Samantha actually sounds decent now, that was a change that is long overdue. I used to have a tech net subscription and I’m also sorry to see this disappear. It was a great way to get access to Microsoft software at a good price, and it’s how I got windows 7. I don’t know, some of the decisions Microsoft is making these days do not seem to be in their best interest. I have yet to hear anyone say that they really like windows 8, now they’re purchasing Nokia’s hardware division, and they’re discontinuing a service that is clearly still in demand. they are going to have to rethink some things if they intend to remain competitive.

Roundabout

First Blind Solo Kayaker Goes Down Entire Length of Grand Canyon

Why Do We Clap?

Surgeon live-streams knee repair with Google Glass

Do you enjoy our SPN Podcasts? You can help us out a whole lot by taking this very short survey.

Replay the Accessible Event archive of SeroSpectives: This Month in Tech for August

ABOUT OUR PRESENTERS

Byron Lee is a Ham Radio Operator (KC9EEK), Broadcast Personality, Audio Engineer, Voice Over Artist, Web Designer, IT Professional, and most importantly, a huge geek! When asked about Byron, people often say “He’s just this guy, ya’ know?” He is currently employed by Horizons for the Blind, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired, and is currently working on the DirectionsForMe project, a one stop source for accessible packaging information.

In addition, Byron hosts two Internet radio shows. The Talk Zone is a two hour program about adaptive technology, disability rights, science fiction, pop-culture, and just about any other topic. The Fun Zone is a one hour program featuring comedy music. His shows are simulcast on ACB Radio Mainstream, Radio Free Dishnuts, The Beyond Radio Network, and Dementia Radio. He has also been involved in other radio shows and podcasts, and is a frequent contributor on the SeroTalk Podcast Network. Find out more about Byron on his website

Joe Orozco handles marketing for Serotek. He is a freelance writer and aspiring author of young adult horror. You can learn more about Joe at his website

MICROSOFT

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer to retire within the next year

Windows 8.1 shipping, online and physically, on October 18th

New Windows 8.1 build reveals built-in tutorial and tips

ANDROID

Hands on: New Nexus 7 review

Nexus 7 receives bug fix update, should solve multitouch and GPS issues

APPLE

Report: iOS 7 may come to iPhones and iPod touches first, iPads later

ASSISTIVE TECH

Announcing the Newest Inductees into the AppleVis iOS App Hall of Fame

HIMS Releases Braille Edge 40 1.1 Upgrade with .RTF, .DOCX Support, More

New version of Nearby Explorer, Here’s what’s New

Announcing the release to the Apple Store of the first update to The Seeing Eye GPS app for the iPhone, version 1.1.

NVDA 2013.2 now Available

The Next Chapter

Moving Forward

GENERAL TECH

Twitter has a new dedicated accessibility team

Inclusive Gaming

Interview with Donald Katz, CEO & Founder of Audible.com

If there is one thing that can be said about a SeroTalk Podcast, it is that you never know what you’re going to get. Petting cheetah cubs, riding in self-driving cars and rapping about science are just a few of the stories we cover on this week’s episode. One thing you can be sure of, however, is that the SeroTalk podcast team will get you where you need to go all in one piece. Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they discuss the top stories of the week including:

The Next Chapter

A Review of the Socializer System Access Mobile Network App from Serotek

Entertainment Apps For The Blind And Visually Impaired

Papa Sangre II

Blind games: The next battleground in accessibility

Blind Bargains: Introducing the Cosmo Braille Writer

Life – A tactile comic for the blind

Using the Victor Reader Stream as an audible teleprompter

Now Hear This! Musings of a Blind Hearing Aid wearer

From Fedora Outlier: Managing Your Wireless Settings On Windows & Mac

Campaign for a more accessible Netflix

New release of the Kindle app for iOS adds Accessibility Quick Reference to the FAQ section in Settings

Amazon and Sony Don’t Want to Build E-Readers for the Blind

Blind Bargains: Amazon and Sony Are Requesting That The Accessibility Requirement Be Waived for E-Book Readers

Dropbox Folder Management Using JAWS for Windows

Screen Reader Failure: Innovation, Deterioration, Despair

Roundabout

H E A R and There Audio Magazine: Petting Cheetah Cubs at the Cincinnati Zoo

Science Rap B.A.T.T.L.E.S. Bring Hip-Hop Into The Classroom

What it’s like to ride in a self-driving car

Join Lisa Salinger on August 19 at 8 PM in the Pat Price Tech Talk Training room over at Accessible World to discuss our exciting new SAMNet Socializer. We look forward to seeing you there.

Do you enjoy our SPN Podcasts? You can help us out a whole lot by taking this very short survey.

They say “all good things must come to an end” and that is true, as this is our fith of five HIMS-sponsored SPN Specials featuring interviews from the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind 2013 National Conventions. And we go out with a blast as we have interviews with Braille Watch Dogs. No wait, that should have read Braille, Watches and Dogs. Yep, that’s better. Join Jamie, Ricky, Joe, Patrick and the unstoppable force Derek Lane as they comb the Exhibit Hall for the best of what Orlando and Columbus had to offer. Please be sure to visit the links below and mention that you heard about the goods and services offered from us and these very podcasts from SPN. Also, we extend our thanks out to our 2013 Summer Convention Sponsor HIMS Inc. for assisting us in bringing you all of the audio you heard in these SPN Specials.

Colorado Center For The Blind

Perkins Products

Freedom Scientific

Braille Design

HIMS Inc.

Enabling Technologies

Independent Living Aids

National Braille Press

Philmore Productions

Guiding Eyes

Duxbury Systems

Seeing Eye

Replay the Accessible Event archive of This Month in Tech for June

Join Lisa Salinger, Steve Sawczyn, and Jamie Pauls as they discuss the top news stories for the month of June.

Apple
What Apple revealed at WWDC 2013 | Apple – CNET News

WWDC 2013, A Lot of Announcements | MacForTheBlind

Apple announces ad based iTunes Radio, ad free for iTunes Match subscribers

OS X Mavericks First Impressions: A Little Good Going a Long Way

Microsoft

Microsoft goes public with Windows 8.1 upgrade policies

All the New Stuff in Windows 8.1

In the News

White House defends snooping of Verizon phone records | Security & Privacy

Miracle In Marrakesh: “Historic” Treaty For Visually Impaired Agreed

International Copyright Treaty for the Blind – Sowing the Seeds

The Book Famine for the Blind May Soon Be a Thing of the Past

In the Community

From Blind Bargains: Buy Your Version of Chicken Nugget Today

Introducing the SAMNet Socializer

AN objective look: iOS vs. Android for the visually impaired. (2 parts)

Part1

Part2

MBraille Home Page

Tech Doctor Podcast: MBraille Advances Touch Screen Braille

Weight Watchers Announces Comprehensive Accessibility Initiative

Accepting Physical Credit Card Payments: the Accessible PayPal Solution: a Podcast by Steve Sawczyn

Serotek at the NFB and ACB National Conventions

Feel free to follow SeroSpectives on Twitter.

In part 1 of the HIMS NFB workshop, Jenny Axler and Scott Hegle demonstrate the new features of Braille Sense and Voice Sense notetaker version 8.0 including Dropbox, YouTube, RSS, Excel Viewer and the new Quick Browser as well as enhancements to Twitter and the Word Processor.

To learn more about HIMS INC., you can Follow HIMS on Twitter

Or Like them on Facebook

The SeroTalk Podcast Network would like to thank HIMS for sponsoring this year’s NFB and ACB convention coverage.

This week’s podcast is packed with a lot of great content. After Jamie, Ricky and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week, Jamie visits with Duyahn Walker about a recent television interview where he talks about playing video games from a low-vision perspective.

Facebook announces video on Instagram

Facebook’s Video Ads Now Likely Delayed Until Fall

Amazon adds group gift cards to Facebook

Microsoft on Xbox One reversal: Dude, E3 held us up

LG phone to sport always-on voice commands in 2014

Big Apple TV update adds HBO GO, WatchESPN, Sky News and more

Apple Updates Siri’s Response To Possible Suicide Risks

What’s Wrong with the iOS 7 Icons? by Ian Storm Taylor

OS X Mavericks First Impressions: A Little Good Going a Long Way

Introducing MBraille, the most feature-rich braille app on the app store.

Outdoor Play Tips for Toddlers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

Blind Bargains: Buy Your Version of Chicken Nugget Today

Blind Bargains: Purchase “Record Tech Demos Like A Pro” by Jonathan Mosen for $19.95

Vocalizer for NVDA driver 3.0.5 is available.

AN objective look: iOS vs. Android for the visually impaired.

Google Glass Already Banned In Many Places Months Ahead Of Release

One year later, the Nexus 7 has gone from the best to worst tablet I’ve ever owned

Feedly Launches New Cloud Platform to Replace Google Reader Ahead of July Shutdown

Google Fiber spawns startup renaissance in Kansas City

Roundabout

Google Patents Image-Capturing Walking Sticks

Edgbaston Queen Elizabeth Hospital offers doggy daycare for blind patients

Internet Taxation Coming Soon to a Link Near You Syria cut off from the Internet once again No joke: The Onion tells how Syrian Electronic Army hacked its Twitter Twitter API v 1 retirement date extended to June 11 Don’t throw dirt on the grave of Windows 8 just yet Microsoft confirms public preview of Windows 8 in late June What’s new about Windows Blue Windows Start button could make a comeback, Microsoft exec says Tablets devastate laptop market T-Mobile USA moves half million iPhone 5’s in first month, spurs first subscriber growth since 2009 New Apple patent suggests that future iPhones could sport invisible buttons Apple closes in on 50 billion app downloads, offers $10,000 to the person who hits it David Woodbridge: Review of the Accessible Kindle app with VoiceOver NFB Grading of Kindle Accessibility on iOS Chris Danielsen from NFB comments on Buddy’s Kindle opinion post. “Poisoning the Treaty for the Blind” Blind advocates: Hollywood lobbying threatens deal for accessible books Here is a related article from Matt Campbell about HTML5, W3C and DRM Serotek blog post: Consumer Tip: Protect Yourself from Bill Shock A user review of NVDA in the Braille Monitor: My Constant Search for Accessibility The 2013.1rc2 version of NVDA has been released [ChromeVox 27 Released! Math support, ChromeVox context menu, and more] Viber more accessible on iOS but not PC and Mac Looktel Money Reader Gains New Currencies Join CathyAnne on May 18, 4:00 PM for An Introduction to Word 2013

Roundabout

Poll: 90% of parents admit to multitasking while behind the wheel, even with kids in the car Typing with Brain Waves Do you enjoy our SPN Podcasts? You can help us out a whole lot by taking this very short survey.