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

Welcome to this week’s edition of the podcast which manages to combine electronics, food and airplanes all into one show. How do Jamie Ricky, Joe and Mailbag manage this? You’ll just have to listen for yourself in order to appreciate the amazing artistry involved! After the news, Mike Bullis, Executive Director of the Image Center of Maryland, talks with Jamie Pauls about the Aging and Disability Skills Gateway, an ambitious new project that endeavors to fundamentally change how people with all types of disabilities obtain knowledge on how to accomplish ordinary and not-so-ordinary tasks. Stories covered in this episode include:

iOS8.1 is here. @AppleVis has the details on what got fixed for VoiceOver users

Emirates innovates with inflight entertainment for the visually impaired

Touchable Memories allows visually impaired to “see”

Magical Gardens for the Blind, Deaf, and Disabled

New Software Lets the Visually Impaired 3D Print a Map To Go

Registration now open for FREE Web Accessibility Training for Developers

Verizon unveils National Accessibility Customer Service (NACS): 888-262-1999

Hospitality, Accessibility and the ADA

Accessibility features on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Nexus 9 hands-on and first impressions

4 Reasons Amazon’s Fire Phone Was a Flop

First major update to Windows 10 Preview, delivered through Windows Update

Why the Mac momentum may just be starting

How to set up and troubleshoot Apple Pay

Apple Pay for Travel: Very Far from Great, or Even Good

Google Is Making Some More Noise About Google Wallet

Roundabout

NASA has a new SoundCloud page FULL of mission, spacecraft, and historic audio…an immensely compelling listen.

ever hear the sound of northern lights?

Unconventional Orchestras and Bone Conduction Headphones

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk podcast where Jamie, Ricky and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Lisa Salinger talks with Tyler Thompson, an adaptive technology instructor from New Mexico about iFidget, a soon-to-be-released free app that will unobtrusively alert a person to body movements such as rocking. Stories covered in this episode of the podcast include:

White Cane Safety Day

A subscription free version of Sendero’s Seeing Eye GPS app for iOS is now available for $299

Chicken Nugget 2.4! Better filtering! Better conversations! More stable! Loads of new good things!

Young Ham Recognized for Navigation Aid for Visually Impaired

SPN Special: 100 Years of Amateur Radio

Windows10 Technical Preview – Peering into the future.

Accessibility for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus

Apple iPad Air vs. iPad Air 2: Is It Worth the Extra $100?

Features and Bugs of OS X 10.10 Yosemite

Whose Responsibility is Accessibility?

All the New Stuff in Android 5.0 Lollipop

A list of all the Google Now voice commands

Google reveals our embarrassing voice search habits

HBO to Offer Standalone Streaming Service in U.S. in 2015

Watch out, HBO: CBS launches standalone Web TV service

Facebook Safety Check Confirms You’re Okay During a Natural Disaster

Mailbag

Greg Wocher Writes: “Hello SeroTalk Team,
I want to apologize right off the bat because this is going to be a long e-mail. There were so many things in the latest episode that brought back memories. First, Ricky yes it was me that sent in the long e-mail about braille a couple of weeks ago.

When Joe mentioned the mall and Sharper Image I could not help but think about how I use to go to the malls when I was younger and had eyesight.
I use to love to go and look at all the shops. I remember going into the various stores that carried items that you did not see in the regular stores. There was one I cannot remember the name of but it use to carry unique gadgets of various kinds. For example, little unique tool sets in something like a golf bag. I also went to the mall for BDalton books, Walden books, Electronics Boutique and the arcade.

Concerning Pop tarts, my favorite is the frosted brown cinnamon sugar ones. Also when Ricky mentioned chocolate mint pop tarts I thought of York Peppermint Pop Tarts. Sounds good doesn’t it? LOL.

When I had sight I used to play video games a lot. I had the SNES, N64 and the original PlayStation. My family even had the Atari 2600 which we used to play games like Pong and Pitfall on as a family. I even have a working SNES here at the house that my niece and nephew used to get out every once in a while and play Super Mario and Donkey Kong on. I used to have, and may still have somewhere, a system I want to see if Joe remembers. It was called the Turbo Graphics 16. It was competing with the SNES and the Sega but never did catch on. Well that’s it for now.
Have a good week everyone.”

Jenine Stanley
Says: “Oh how I remember installing Windows, from 95 on, with the many floppy disks.

I actually miss one aspect of Windows 95 and 98, the custom Office Assistant in the MS Office Suite. OK, it wasn’t necessarily very helpful as assistants go but in 95 there was a dolphin who made all kinds of cool noises when stuff happened. There were many choices for your Office Assistant but the dolphin was the most fun.

Then I think it was in 98 and office 97 that the dolphin went away and was replaced in our house by the cat. It was this white cat which appealed to us as we have always had pure white cats. The cat was great because when you got an error in Word, say, it would hiss. Our cats talked back to it.

I’m sure there are probably different sound schemes for the Mac that I have not discovered yet so maybe the dolphin can return to my computer. My home Windows 7 machine had a lovely beach soundscape on it but alas, no such thing for the Mac and not enough memory to run it on the work laptop.

Maybe we can get a MailBag soundscape going. Now that’s frightening.”

From matej Augustin

“Hellož!
I finally tried out the NVDA screen reader. It’s… interesting. One of the things I don’t like is the Espeak voice. So, if any of you are using NVDA, could you tell me which voices/tts engines are you using?
There are a few suggestions on their website, but I would still like to hear your input.
Also, some tips and tricks for new users would be helpful.
Thanks in advance and keep up the good work”

Roundabout

Why Your Privacy Matters, Even If You’re Not “Doing Anything Wrong”

10 Grammar Mistakes People Love To Correct That Aren’t Actually Wrong

Video games which open the door for the blind to play

Okay you know how you may plan something out in say, oh I don’t know, an outline? Then, when you start the project, you toss out… say the outline? Welcom to High Contrast 23. In this episode Rodeny, Byron and Joe talk about a great many things. Some examples may include, but are not limited to: Lighting, contrast, hotels, nail guns, Doctor Demento, Steve Austin, roller tips, white pants and of course low vision. All that, and an app review you can play with VoiceOver, on a very unique episode of High Contrast.

App Review: Codename Cygnus

Live the life of a secret agent. Be bold, athletic or clever in your exploits while you battle evil. All while you enjoy an immersive experience on your iDevice. This VoiceOver friendly app has a free option, however, the full game does have an In App purchase.

How can you find out what our hosts are up to outside the podcast?

Follow Maurie Hill on Twitter

Check out Maurie’s writing on the AI Squared Zoomed In Blog

Follow Rodney Edgar on Twitter

Check out Rodney on the Tech Access Weekly Blog and Podcast

Follow Byron Lee on Twitter

Check out Byron’s LowVisionRants.com Website

Feel free to send your feedback on this show to

You can always find the latest on this show and others on the SeroTalk Podcast Network

using iBlink Radio for your iOS device or your Android device. You can even leave us an iReport right from the iBlink app.

Thanks for listening!

Lisa Salinger joins Jamie Pauls and Joe Steinkamp to discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Buddy Brannan visits with Hoby Wedler, a blind chemist and wine taster. Find out how chemistry and wine tasting come together and discover what happens when a young person doesn’t take no for an answer! Stories covered in this podcast include:

ACB 2014 SPN Special 1

ACB 2014 SPN Special 2

ACB 2014 SPN Special 3

SeroSpectives presents our ACB NFB 2014 Convention Wrap-Up Special

SPN Special: A portion of the NFB 2014 Assistive Technology Trainers Division meeting

ACB coverage from Main Menu

2014 ACB Convention Archives from ACB Radio

David Lepofsky’s American Council Of The Blind banquet speech

2014 National Convention Highlights

AppleVis Extra #23: KNFBReader Mobile

An Open Letter to Mark Riccobono

iOS 8 Is Coming: And We’re Here To Get You Ready With The Master Pack from Fedora Outlier, LLC

Free iBook: Mastering the Macintosh with VoiceOver

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations—Movie Theaters

BlindCoolTechArchive

Apple’s Latest Earnings Report Hints at New Products

Apple seen inching closer to a mobile-payment service

How to Safely Install the OS X Yosemite Beta

Windows 8.1 update 2 reportedly will land August 12

Windows 9 image leaks shows the start menu is back

Nadella Merges Windows Phone, Windows

New Google Maps for Android and iOS Takes a Jab at Foursquare

Fleksy Debuts Version 3.0 On Android, With A Complete Redesign And New Premium Features

Is Kindle Unlimited worth it?

Roundabout

What’s Up With That: Why Does Sleeping In Just Make Me More Tired?

BBC News – Blind singer learns visual art of conducting a choir

While Jamie and Mailbag were both busy in Vegas, Joe Steinkamp, Ricky Enger and Lisa Salinger were back at home recording another podcast. After the news, Lisa demonstrates some of the new features found in the latest update of iBlink Radio.

Stories covered in this week’s podcast include:

iBlink Radio updates live, Amazon Fire support added

SPN Special: Eight Interviews From NFB 2014

NFB 2014 Interview Special 2

NFB 2014 Interview Special 3

HIMS Part 1

HIMS Part 2

New Access World for July 13, 2014

DAISY Consortium is looking for a new CEO

A grant and new hire means A more certain future for free screen reader NVDA

Job Access With Bugs?

Easter Seals Crossroads on full page Braille tablet and more

Zoomtext for Mac Free v1.1.3 Update released. Adds smooth panning and tracking changes

APH releases Visual Brailer app

Access Note has gone free

Career Connect for iOS released

Happy Anniversary to Seeing Eye GPS app! To celebrate we have a new release. By popular request, users now have the option of Google maps.

Ios 7.1.2 changes

KNFB Reader for iOS at end of August, $99 and audioboo demo

Comments on Resolution 12 from President Rickabono

NFB says Apple has done more for access than others

Apple urged to increase accessibility for the blind and deaf

The power and promise of accessibility

Apple does more for accessibility, Android users frustrated

Accessibility in Google Apps – an overview

Roundabout

The potato salad Kickstarter is “the Woodstock of our generation”

This is the sound of electric cars racing

D&D 5th Edition Basic Rules Free Download

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

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

Welcome to this week’s edition of the SeroTalk podcast where Jamie, Ricky and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Jamie visits with Hope Paulos of Fedora Outlier about all the exciting learning opportunities available from the company. Whether it’s iOS, Mac or Windows, they’ve got you covered. Also, be sure to check out their Delivering Access podcast which is also available on iBlink Radio. Topics discussed in this week’s podcast include:

Why the Windows 8.1 Update probably means no more Service Packs for Windows

Why I can live without Office for iPad

Windows Phone 8.1 Review

Purported iPhone 6 cases suggest design changes afoot

An Amazon Phone for Everyone—FREE!

Smartphone Makers Agree on ‘Kill Switch’ to Deter Thefts

5 ways Graphene material will change gadgets forever

5 myths about Heartbleed you shouldn’t believe

19-Year-Old Canadian Arrested for Heartbleed Hack

Apple says Heartbleed security flaw did not affect its software or services

Attention Pandora users! Pandora Radio 5.3 has broken some VoiceOver functionality. Read more:

Apple Patents Indoor Navigation System Based On Existing Wi-Fi Access Points

Apple Patents Graphical Interface For The Visually Impaired

Google Patents Tiny Cameras Embedded In Contact Lenses

The Rise and Fall of AIM, the Breakthrough AOL Never Wanted

Mailbag

From Brett Wilhelm:

Hi Serotalk. After listening to podcast 195, I wanted to comment on the issue of Braille notetakers versus IOS devices. Before I do, I will say that I am a proud owner of both of an Iphone 4s and BrailleNote Apex BT. I feel I have the best of both worlds, and can be more productive as a result. I’ll now discuss the areas I think my Apex docs best, followed by the things IOS does best.

Apex advantages 1. Instant start-up. The Apex powers on and is ready to work faster. 2. The battery. The Apex has a longer battery life and its batteries are user replaceable. And let’s not forget its longer battery life. 3. The Apex remembers its place in documents. 4. No need for Bluetooth. Unless I need to use it as a Braille display with IOS, there’s no need to use batter-draining bluetooth just to get Braille access to the device. 5. One keyboard, one device. I only need to touch one device.
I never need to move my hands off a keyboard and interact with a touch screen.

IOS advantages 1. The Iphone can be charged via USB, allowing it to be charged from a laptop even when no outlet is available. 2. More stability. Though Humanware has been constantly improving the stability of the Apex since its release, I find myself having to press its reset button on an almost daily basis. 3. App support. As great as the Keysoft operating system is on the Apex, it is not possible for users to design software for it.
With so many great IOS apps, it’s not always necessary to wait for software updates before the device gains more capabilities.

So, I think that IOS and notetakers still have a place in the blind community. I don’t see the disappearance of the notetaker or of blindness-spacific technology completely disappearing anytime soon. I hope you find this email informative and I look forward to more great podcasts from SeroTalk. Thanks, Brett Wilhelm

Blog comment from Jessica Rickards:

Keep up the great work guys! Excellent show, and quite an informative interview!

From Luis:

Hi SeroTalk hosts,

After listening to podcast 195, I wanted to reply about a couple of things mentioned.

First, I do have to agree with Mr. Steinkamp about fragmentation on iOS. It’s funny that he keeps on bringing up the original iPad which stopped receiving updates since iOS5.1.1. However, I did a full comparisons of fragmentation between Android and iOS. I was going to share the direct link. That I posted on a forum that I created over at SAMNet. And sadly because it was over 6 months ago, the post has fallen off the forum. But Apple has fragmented their OS since iOS2 with the introduction to appstore. Where the original iPhone back in 2007 came out. That phone couldn’t nor wouldn’t support iOS2.

Second, the comment about NoteTakers, has been around since 2010. Or even maybe earlier. I know the former CEO of Sero Tek has been against and I quote, “Blind Ghetto Products”, end of quote. But just recently I heard someone mentioning that he himself is now using a BrailleSense U2 Mini. And I know you will have a lot of people writing in about this. So, I’ll try to keep it short. The NoteTaker is as good as the user. If someone doesn’t know all about what the product can do, Then yes the product will be a waste of money. Like an Android or iPhone. Where I work sighted people have smartphones for there everyday tasks. But when I ask how is this feature working out for you? They stay quiet because they didn’t knew their phone was able to do that or they couldn’t figure out how to do it. So they just use the phone, email, and to watch YouTube or play games. While when I asked a student who used an MPower BrailleNote and is now using an Apex. He mentioned he preferred the Apex because it had more features. When I asked him like what or how are you using these features? His reply was, I don’t know I just know I like the Apex because it has more features. And for those who say, it’s just a waste of money. Since Main Stream devices are now accessible right out of the box. The device is, but the apps are only as accessible as the developers make them to be. Then, you’re at the mercy of them until they get around to fixing what they broke in accessibility. So, there is room for both, specially if you rely on Braille displays. Where on iOS Apple may break the ability to communicate with your Braille display as they have done on the last 2-3 OS updates. Or Google which according to an interview from That Android Show. It’s up to to the maker of the display to get it to communicate to your device.

Third, I don’t understand the hate on the front facing camera on the Nexas7, it did a pretty good job when I had to use it with Google Goggles. It was able to identify mostly everything I put in front of it. The same results that I get with my Nexas7 2013 model that has a back facing camera.

And forth, I am with Mr. Steinkamp about the Dice World posts. I rarely will post the generic tweet. More often then not. I will change the tweet to something random so not to bug my followers. Unless I beat Richard Wells. Then I have to brag about that great victory. As a matter of fact, I encourage anybody playing Bupster. To beat him in any and all Dice World games you play with him. He really enjoys giving gold to all.

Great podcast as always.

From Jake:

Hello all. I just wanted to say great job as always! I just had to comment on “It’s a Small World” turning 50. I vividly remember when I was a toddler, my parents and I went to DisneyWorld. This ended up being one of several trips that my family and I would take there. But my parents put me on that boat ride, and I can remember crying my eyes out from hearing that darn song so much. Obviously I got off the ride eventually, but I don’t remember the exact sequence of events that day. I have since grown to love DisneyWorld and Epcott Center. I haven’t been to either in several years, and I don’t believe I was ever at DisneyLand in California. I have also since grown to like that song. One other thing I remember is listening to a record my mom had in her vast collection, and I was fascinated at hearing the song in all the different languages. I definitely agree that the song has a good message. Well, thanks again for another good episode, and keep ‘em coming!

Best wishes, Jake

Roundabout

When Things Look Dark, Country Music Gets Sunnier

The science of seasonal allergies — and why they’re so awful

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.

Since Ricky steadfastly refused to rejoin the podcast until we could demonstrate to her that the mailbag had returned, Jamie, Buddy and Joe were forced to forge ahead like the good soldiers they are. Thus was born another SeroTalk GuyCast. We fully expect Ricky to take things in hand again next week. In the meantime, here’s what the guys discussed on this week’s podcast:

Window-Eyes 8.3 is Now Available!

HIMS Inc. Releases Update to Popular Braille Display

The Braille Edge: new firmware, new case, almost like having a new device

Connecting the Community Open House

New Generation Victor Reader Stream upgrade now available

Version 6.0 for the Plextalk Pocket now available.

FSCast Episode 81: What’s New in Jaws 15

Sprint Launches Kyocera Kona — Industry First Feature Phone with Verbal Translation of Internet Browsing

National Federation of the Blind Survey September 2013

The Tech Doctor’s Favorite Podcasts

Described documentary: Four More Feet

In Blockbuster Deal, Microsoft to Buy Nokia

Surface Pro 2 Details Emerge

Microsoft responds to pressure over canceled TechNet subscriptions

PayPal Updates iOS And Android Apps With The Ability To Order Ahead, Pay Restaurant Bills, Access Bill Me Later And More

Chrome Apps Are Going Native

Sony’s SmartWatch 2 is better than the first one, but still far too expensive

Apple to hold rare event in Beijing, suggesting imminent iPhone launch in China

The one thing that hasn’t leaked about the next iPhone is the only thing that matters

Apple begins training support staff on iOS 7 & iTunes Radio, preparing for customer surprise

Android KitKat is the next version of Google’s mobile operating system

oogle Nexus 5 leak in KitKat video

Verizon bundles Samsung Note 3 and Galaxy Gear for $599

Balky carriers and slow OEMs step aside: Google is defragging Android

Roundabout

Nymi bracelet uses your heartbeat as a password

The Inspiring Story of a Voiceover Artist Who Overcame Blindness

‘Simpsons’ creator finds funny in his cancer fight

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

While Jamie is enjoying a bit of R and R after all of our convention coverage, Joe, Ricky and Lisa hold down the fort and produce yet another stellar episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. Along with the top news stories of the week and your feedback, Joe visits with the developers of Solara, an iOS-based strategy game from Esper Labs. Our thanks to them for taking the time to visit with us this week. Be sure to follow them on Twitter and express your appreciation for their hard work.

Check out our SPN Special: HIMS NFB Workshop Part 1

Listen to our SPN Special: HIMS NFB Workshop Part 2

Listen to our latest SPN Special A T Trainers

SPN Special: Using the SAMNet Socializer

want to hear more about the #Socializer? Check out @RangerStation and Ricky_Enger on ACB Radio’s Main Menu.

want to use SAMNet and the Socializer with another screen reader? Here’s what you need to know

EOL Extra, Noms Edition: Victory Is Life!

You can now view the show notes and listen to the audio of This Month in Tech for June

There’s a demo of the upcoming DirectionsForMe app on the current @serotalk episode. Check it out!

Great article on the truly global ramifications of the WIPO treaty on accessible formats.

AI Squared has just launched a ZoomText Certification Program. There are two tiers of certification: Essentials and Professional. Here’s a link with more information

HumanWare Announces Prodigi: a Breakthrough for People Living With Vision Loss

Infovox 4 now available from Triumph Technology

The Seeing Eye GPS app is out!

You can find the Seeing Eye GPS User Guide here

On the GPS topic Chris Grabowski has produced “SenderoMaps, More than a Map Manager, Comprehensive Audio Tutorial” from Mystic Access. This is over 2 hours in length and goes through the features of the program. The introductory price is $19.95.

Mike Arigo Comparing Nearby Explorer and Sendero Seeing Eye GPS

Official #GWMicro #SocialEyes for Facebook Page, $50 annual, pre-order for $25, to be released early next week

Thank You For Using The Internet! We Regret To Inform You That Your Free Trial Has Expired.

T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon Plans Promise Early Upgrades, but the Devil’s in the Details

Chinese woman electrocuted by iPhone may have used an unauthorized charger

Recharging iPhone blamed for another serious shock in China

Study Finds iOS Apps Just As Intrusive As Android Apps

Android 4.3 pops up on a Nexus 4 bought from Craigslist

Microsoft’s Making More Money From Phones, but a Lot of That Is From Android Patent Payments

Microsoft takes $900 million hit for unsold Surface RTs in 4Q13 earnings

Roundabout

OMG, kids these days: Digital tools don’t make students better writers

rom @gigaom: “British scientists have claimed success in charging a smartphone (a bit) through the use of…

‘Pet Flipping’ Is Now a Thing

Someday Your Guide Dog May Have Their Own Wearable Technology

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

The holidays may be over; you might have already forgotten your New Year’s Resolution promises and all those gift receipts have become the gifts you asked for after waiting in those long lines at the Customer Service counter. But your holiday experience isn’t over just yet. Rodney, Maurie and Joe talk about the pitfalls in holiday party preparation and aftermath in this episode’s main topic. Joe has a game review that isn’t just on his iPad for a change and more. So take that last container of Eggnog out of the freezer and relax with high Contrast.

Here are some links to resources mentioned in this month’s episode

Fresh Direct Food Delivery

PeaPod Food Delivery

You can also order some types of food on amazon

Great things to help in the kitchen at Independent Living Aids

The Serotek Staff gave their ideas about what gifts were great for the holidays; however, they make great gifts all year round. Listen to the SPN 2012 Holiday Review Special here.

And here is a link to the transparent OXO containers that Joe mentioned during the show

Also, overstock.com is a great place to find deals on those things that may not have been as popular this past holiday season

App Review: Fruit Ninja

Joe has mentioned Halfbrick Games before, like Jetpack Joyride, but most of the games he has mentioned before are exclusive to the iPad or have only facebook versions available. Well that changes today! Fruit Ninja is on so many platforms that you can’t avoid this game at all. Android, iOS, Windows 8 and even Xbox 360. They all have the game and its worth playing no matter what the device you use to play it with, you’ll be slicing and dicing pieces of fruit in no time.

How can you find out what our hosts are up to outside the podcast?

Follow Maurie Hill on Twitter

Check out Maurie’s writing on the AI Squared Zoomed In Blog

Follow Rodney Edgar on Twitter

Check out Rodney on the Tech Access Weekly Blog and Podcast

Follow Jeremy Curry on Twitter

You can also check out GW Micro on Twitter.

Feel free to send your feedback on this show to resources@serotalk.com. You can always find the latest on this show and others on the SeroTalk Podcast Network using iBlink Radio for your iOS device or your Android device. You can even leave us an iReport right from the iBlink app.

Thanks for listening!

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

For this very special holiday podcast, each member of the Serotek team was asked to review an item that they felt would make a good holiday gift. As you listen to the voices of the Serotek team members, feel free to follow the links in these show notes so that you can further explore the items of particular interest to you.

If there is one thing blind people are passionate about, it’s audio. Brian Kevelighan starts off our show with a review and demonstration of the Jawbone Big Jam Box. Next, Matt Campbell reviews the Koss PortaPro headphones. Finally, Mike Calvo rounds out our first segment by reviewing three sets of headphones—the new Aftershokz Sportz 2, the Radius 2 earbuds, and the Bose in-ear Sports earbuds.

Next, we focus on taking our audio on the go. Buddy Brannan visits with Danny of the Braille Superstore about the brand new Tiny Tunes MP3 player, designed especially for the blind. Then, Richard Wells visits with Laz Mesa about the Rockboxed Sansa Talking MP3 Players.

To round out our discussion of all things audio, Lisa Salinger shows us how to make music with the QChord. Shane Jackson has produced an in-depth review of the QChord.

Getting a Feel for the QChord is a manual written specifically for the visually impaired by Jackie McBride.

Hear the QChord by going to a page with QChord songs and sound clips

If you would like to purchase a QChord, or for further information, you may email Jackie McBride.

Next, Joe Steinkamp tells us about the OXO 10 Piece Pop Up Container Set.

Patrick Purdue stops by just in the nick of time to tell Jamie about the Wenger Braille watch.

After that, Ricky Enger makes house cleaning fun by introducing us to the Litter Robot self-cleaning litter box.

Rounding out this year’s holiday festivities, Jamie Pauls helps us make a great espresso with the Nespresso Pixie espresso maker.

You can listen to our Coffee Charge special from last year where Mike Calvo goes into some detail about what makes a great cup of espresso.

Watch a YouTube video of the Nespresso Pixie in action.

Feel free to email resources@serotalk.com with holiday ideas of your own.

Listen to SeroTalk Podcast 118: Twitigation

A helping of analysis, a smidge of prognostication, a dash of humor and a pinch of sarcasm are all a part of the recipe for this week’s SeroTalk Podcast with Jamie, Ricky and Joe. Your emails and iReports are the icing on the cake. Stories discussed in this week’s show include:

How to upgrade your Hotmail email address to @outlook.com

How new Outlook just made my Gmail usable again

Outlook is nice, but it’s no Gmail [review]

Windows 7 poised to topple XP as leading OS

Dropbox bolsters security: Will businesses be wary?

T-Mobile close to $2 billion deal for its 7,000 towers, report says

Watch live TV on your phone! No, really

Amazon’s cloud music service gets scan and match

What happened to Google’s Nexus Q?

Blind and visually impaired fastest growing iPhone market

Wifarer’s mobile app doesn’t just map the indoors, it maps the objects within

Learn about the excellent work that David Woodbridge does as an Apple Ambassador in the new Tech Doctor podcast

A Blind Trek Through Android – Part 1: Unwrapping the Jelly Bean (Getting Started)

No-C-Notes® Music – Download Digital Audio Sheet Music

NosillaCast #377 Fleksy Keyboard for the Blind, Motion X GPS for Geotagging, @jasonhowell of Tech News Today

AllMenus

Ten Affordable Screen Readers

Feature Writer Alena Roberts – Bring on the Braille

Mailbag

We had so much in the way of feedback again this week, thanks to all of you for your emails and iReports!, that we had to share a few of them here online in the show notes.

From Paul

“Dear All,

I listened with interest as usual to SP #117 and, as a blind person here in the UK (as well as an RNIB volunteer), I felt I had to respond to your piece about the RNIB’s promotional video.

The RNIB used to be called the Royal National Institute for the Blind.

Only very recently in its history did it change its name to the Royal National Institute of Blind People, reflecting a significant change in attitude. Surely the ‘of Blind People’ assertion denotes a sense of ownership and involvement by blind people themselves in the activities of this organisation, as opposed to simply being on the receiving end of alms or other forms of charity ‘for the Blind’. In this context, has the RNIB really shot itself in the foot or, even worse, has it shot the credibility of blind people here in the UK with its emotive promotional material?

Let’s imagine for a moment that none of us has any feelings or sensitivities about what it means to be blind or visually impaired. What is the RNIB trying to do here? It is engaged in the activity of fund-raising. Fund-raising is about money, money and more money. Money is measured in numbers using arithmetic – not by racing pulses or elevated blood pressure which is perhaps more relevant to measuring emotions.

The problem faced by the RNIB is that it is having to compete for funds with the other 180,000 or so charities which exist in Great Britain. The existence of this mind-boggling number of charitable bodies is probably due to the insufficiencies of state-provided services: in Norway, for example, visually impaired people are horrified that we Brits have to go to charities for help to buy expensive assistive technology. In Norway, they get A.T. by right from the state, so there’s less need for the kind of fund-raising which is necessary in the UK. It seems that in the UK, members of the public are more likely to pay for services for ‘the less fortunate’ privately by way of philanthropy rather than by suffering higher taxes to finance public spending on the same services.

Remembering, therefore, that the success of a fund-raising promotion should only be measured in terms of the quantities of cash generated as a result, the real question is whether the RNIB’s current campaign is effective, not whether it is ‘appropriate’. For an organisation which is only in a position to offer services to visually impaired people if they have the funding to do so, staying financially solvent, especially during an economic crisis, is mission critical.

If we are to credit the RNIB or their promotions team with any intelligence (I think we should), perhaps we can give them the benefit of the doubt by understanding that their analyses and projections, following on from hard data through market research, have indicated that the heart-string-pulling technique of immersing poor little Emma in involuntary illiteracy would be the most effective method of persuading the Great British public to part with £3 per month (an amount somehow linked to the provision to Emma of a Daisy player or whatever).

The fact that blind people here in the UK, as well as elsewhere, might view this campaign technique with teeth-grinding, buttock-clenching concern could well be regarded as a price worth paying if the campaign produces the goods and enables the RNIB to do whatever it does. So, assuming that the RNIB’s approach has been precisely tailored to match the prevailing culture and mindset of the British public, perhaps our emotional responses to the promotional material can be regarded more as verdicts on the culture here in the UK, rather than on the campaign techniques of the RNIB.

The big question is, how can a body such as the RNIB continue to promote the interests of blind people if it cannot raise sufficient funds to survive or to provide services which are the basis of its existence?

Catch 22.

The other side of the coin is, of course, that the integrity, esteem and public perception of visually impaired people should not be sold at any price. It might even be possible to argue that if an organisation with the stated aims of the RNIB has to resort to financially rewarding, but socially damaging campaign techniques, it might well be time for such an organisation to review its own structure and costs in an effort to become more efficient so that it need not resort to inappropriate methods of campaigning.

If you were charged with ensuring the financial survival of the RNIB, what would you do and what would you rule out?

Paul”

From Gordon

“Hi everyone,

I have been listening to Serotalk 117 and the chat about the RNIB’s promotional advert.

My first thought was “this is revolting”.  It was so negative in its presentation of blindness and how blind people relate to the world around them.  I very much agreed with everyone’s comments.

However, to be fair to RNIB in some way, here in the UK this is very much an identikit charity advert.  It’s as though every charity appeal promo has been written by the same team of marketeers.  Perhaps there is a group of them in a little dingy room somewhere in the less well-paid quarters of London whose lives revolve around creating tearjerking appeals to the British public to separate our cash from our pockets and propel it into the meedy coffers of the charity sector.

Every ad has the same format, whether it’s for a disability charity, one for the homeless, overseas aid, animals … they are all tearjerkers and present the target as needy, helpless, defenceless and their only hope is the monthly charity aid being sought.  So, this RNIB advert is not so shocking in that context.

Except … a charity like RNIB, which is a membership organisation, should be presenting much more positive images and aims as it does in most of its work.  In this context, the advert is highly disappointing and is very much reminiscent of campaigns and attitudes It is out of step in a very

significant way with the usual campaigns of RNIB.   of previous decades.

Anyway, sending this response gives me a great opportunity to thank all of you involved in producing Serotak and the other podcasts for all of the really enjoyable audio coming out every week and month.  They are so informative and professional, a great pleasure to hear, especially as they are presented in such a friendly and involving manner.  Thanks everyone!

Gordon,

Stirling, Scotland”

From Pamela

“Thanks again for another informative podcast.

I still have major issues with the video you asked for a one word response to from RNIB.

We as visually impaired people deal with enough stereotyping & cynicism among general society without international help. Why is it that the image of a blind person who seems unmotivated or socially inadequate is the image that sticks in one’s mind versus those of us who are high functioning members of society; who on occasion do ask for help when needed?

There are times I wish we as high functioning blind  people who have either, or both held a job &/or run a household & raised a family, functioning as our sighted counterparts could somehow work with less functional blind people to help them integrate to the best of their ability within society.

If we did a better job within our own subculture of helping each other with concerns in daily life, we would not have to respond to such a plea for money from an organization who is obviously working with & for the benefit of blind people; though in another country. They would have a more positive image if we could be pictured helping a newly blinded person adjust to their surroundings rather than picturing them in a dim & dark world.

 I have an anecdote to share that may help you understand why I am so adamant.

I, as I am sure all of you have, done my share of traveling. 2 years ago I went to Seward Alaska alone for a week. I have family heritage there who was a part of Alaskan history. My Great Great Aunt wrote her autobiography while living there depicting most of her accomplishments. The focus of my trip was to retrieve information for my then ailing Mother who had never met her; but had read her book. The information I brought home was not in the book. At any rate, while in Alaska for the entire week I never was asked the age old question “What are you doing so far from home being blind?”

To make you laugh, as expensive as the Alaska trip was, the information, 50 pages & 125 pictures on a CD afforded me by the curator of the local museum cost me $9.

Without a militant attitude, though it has mellowed through the years, I have tried to educate by example. I have no problem with any legitimate organization asking for pledges or donations for their given cause if it is done in a tasteful manner.

Keep up your excellent work.

Scincerely,

Pamela Francis”

From Lewis

Hello Serotalk Podcasters,

I left you a voice mail but I screwed it up royally so here is my attempt at a coherent email.

My reaction towards the RNIB video that you played on Podcast 117 is sadness and anger. While listening to the audio I pictured someone who has nothing left in their life accept for this donated audio book player which has become their life line. This saddens me because here is an organization dedicated to enriching the life of the blind and visually impaired who is choosing to perpetuate society’s misconceptions. This sadness then evolved into anger. As someone who is going to leave the home soon to become independent and perhaps even risking burning bridges with my family this is a slap in the face. How could an organization portray the people they are helping in such a pathetic way? If were an employer who watched the video I would never hire a blind person accept out of pity! If RNIB wants shock value why not create a video showing blind people doing things and living a productive life. Show an Emma, who is playing with her friends, who still rides a bike, who discovered another way to see and then grew up to be successful. Then tell society how with their help more Emma’s can be created.

Thank you for letting me rant and keep up the great work. Oh speaking of independence, I would love to hear a podcast in which Mike Calvo and other Serotek staff discuss their journeys to become independent individuals. I would like to know what they wished they would have known, mistakes they’ve made, and anything I can do to make the road easier to travel.

Take care,

Louis”

From Dick

“Hello Jamie:  First, I want to let you know that I thoroughly enjoyed your printing house tour.  I have toured the original printing house three times and the mmuseum twice.  In 1954 in kentergarten, through the third grade, I used the slate and stylus, as well as the hall braille writer. I received a perkins in the fourth grade.  But I digress. Though you did not include it in the audio tour, I hope you didn’t miss the Hall Of Fame.  It includes embossed representations of some of the well-known leaders in work with bllind persons and is very interesting.  I also listened to to the coverage of the ACB Convention through Serotek’s link to ACB Radio.  I have finished the Conventions’

Special Eppisodes one and two, and hope to complete eppisode three today.  Thank you for all the hard work you and others on the Serotek team do to put all this matterial together.  I believe it is very

informative to lots of people.   Dick Seifert, Little Rock, Arkansas.”

From Harry

“Hi Jamey, Joe, and Ricky,

I can’t thank you enough for the great coverage from the exhibit halls of both conventions!

I loved it, because both conventions had different exhibiters, and you got’um all!

I sure look forward to ATIA in January, 2013!

You all take care,

Sincerely,

Harry Brown”

Roundabout

About Emma: our response – RNIB

Twitter Algorithm Predicts When You’ll Get Sick (8 Days In Advance, With 90% Accuracy) [STUDY]

“Odor menu” lets blind patrons order food by smell, not braille

Welcome back to another episode of the SeroTalk podcast. In this week’s episode, Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp discuss all the news of the week. Following the news, Lisa Salinger demonstrates Voice Book VO, the new Facebook app discussed on last week’s podcast.

Microsoft

Attention all Windows users: patch your systems now

Nokia Maps to replace Bing Maps in Windows Phone 8, report says

Microsoft offers glimpse of Office 2013 on Windows RT tablet

General Tech

Verizon offers buckets of data with the Share Everything plan

Amazon Cloud Player

Facebook plugs in WordPress for social sharing

Now in Skype: Advertisements

Reality check: the self-driving car

‘MasterChef’ Blind Chef Contestant: The Judges Discuss Christine’s Unique Advantage

AT

Tech Sessions at the 2012 American Council of the Blind Conference and Convention

AppleVis:  Welcome our New Team Member!

Jamie and Joe appear on ACB Radio’s Main Menu show.

Android (Still) Not Very Accessible

direct Download for 30-day trial of Kurzweil K1000 13.01

NVDA 2012.2.1 Released   

Networks Set To Launch Video Descriptions

Apple

Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display  

Apple CEO says Mac Pro update to come ‘next year’

Here Are The Services, Businesses, And Markets Apple Just Shook Up 

Apple’s WWDC keynote: What we didn’t get

What iOS 6 tells us about the next iPhone

Apple selects TomTom as primary iOS 6 maps provider (update: confirmed)

Upcoming iOS 6 To Have Upgraded Accessibility Features

Apple could still strike Android, Windows Phone with iOS 6 zinger

How Garmin Failed to See the iPhone Threat

Roundabout

Blind Olympic torch bearer runs unguided, assisted only by smartphone

To enter the contest, send your story to resources@serotalk.com. Please also include your name, email address, and telephone contact info. We must receive your submission no later than July 9, 2012. The SeroTalk team will choose the best story and announce the results on the SeroTalk blog during the week of July 16.

What do you get if you win? The package includes:

One Bradley BS611 Smoker

One iGrill meat thermometer from iDevices

One griller package from Omaha steaks, including:

• Two (5 oz.) Bacon-Wrapped Filets
• Four (5 oz.) Bacon-Wrapped Filets of Top Sirloin
• Two (4 oz.) Boneless Pork Chops
• Four Boneless Chicken Breasts (1 lb. package)
• Four (4 oz.) Omaha Steaks Burgers
• Four Old World Beef Franks

We look forward to hearing your stories!

Listen to Mike Calvo’s interview with Chris Allen of iDevices

Let it never be said that I don’t enjoy smoking something every now and again … pork, beef, chicken, I like them all. Just like many other blind people, I love to get together with my family and a few of my friends, hang out in the back yard, and drive everyone crazy with the delicious smell of cooking meat. In an effort to do this right, I went on a quest to find devices that were built with quality in mind, and were easy and accessible to use by a blind person.

Today, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Chris Allan, founder and CEO of a company called iDevices. I first discovered iDevices when I was looking for an accessible way to test my meat temperature when cooking with the Bradley Smoker. Before I share my own thoughts about the iGrill and other devices made by the company, I give Chris an opportunity to shamelessly promote himself and his products.

Chris explains that iDevices was born from the concept of app-enabled devices, meaning that the hardware is only the first step in making a product the best it can be. Through patented Bluetooth technology with a range of up to 200 feet, iDevices products can be controlled from an app on iOS, and Android support is coming soon. With an app, functionality can easily be added to a device in a matter of days rather than designing an entirely new model of hardware just to implement requested features. It also opens up the possibility of incorporating things like social networking, so you can make everyone on Facebook envious with pictures of the meat you’ve cooked. Not only that, but with a device that pairs via Bluetooth, you don’t have to be right beside the product in order to control it. This will come in especially handy with the new product coming soon from iDevices, called the iShower. With this product, you won’t have to take your Bluetooth-enabled device in to the bathroom with you in order to enjoy music while you’re showering. You just pair the iShower with your device of choice, including PC, MAC, Android, iOS or any other Bluetooth-enabled device, and stream the audio to the speaker in your shower.

I’m really excited to take the iShower for a spin and review it once it’s released, but for now, let’s talk about the iGrill. When I first heard about the iGrill, I had to get one immediately. I had tested several other meat thermometers and found that the quality was just not that impressive. When I got the iGrill, everything went perfectly until I tried to actually monitor what I was cooking. At that point, Voiceover crashed, and I was understandably pretty disappointed. I’m sure you all know by now that I’m not one to give up so easily when something doesn’t work for me. Rather than taking the unit back, I decided to engage in a little advocacy. After all, I can’t possibly be the only blind person looking for a high quality, accessible solution to test the temperature of my meat, right?

I contacted the folks at iDevices and politely explained my situation. Their response was incredibly gratifying! Like many developers, they hadn’t really even considered the blind population as a viable market, but once they understood that we could use the device with a few modifications to the code in the app, they were happy to do it. Believe me. A little advocacy can go a long way. It’s not surprising that companies who develop apps for mobile devices don’t initially consider us as a viable market. After all, I myself was pretty skeptical about using a flat piece of glass to do anything productive, so I can’t fault anyone else for not immediately thinking of blind people when they develop for iOS or Android.

In any case, all it takes is to start that initial dialogue, and I think you’ll be surprised at just how often developers are willing to work with you. I was thoroughly impressed by the corporate environment that Chris has created. I first spoke to Livia in customer service, and from there began working with a developer. With every interaction, the folks at iDevices were enthusiastic about helping me to get the most out of the product, just as they would be for any other customer. Soon, the app was doing almost everything I needed it to do. There are still a couple of minor accessibility quirks to work out, but overall the device and the app are both quite usable.

There’s a whole lot to like about the iGrill. Unlike other thermometers I’ve tested, like the Oregon Scientific thermometer, the iGrill has two probes. One tests the temperature inside the meat, and the other reports the ambient temperature inside the smoker or other cooking environment. You could also use the second probe for monitoring meat temperature if you’re cooking more than one type of meat. The app allows you to choose the meat you’re cooking, and from the label in the app you can determine which probe is monitoring which cut of meat. Also, iGrill provides a comprehensive list of foods and their suggested temps, which is nice since most of us don’t carry that sort of knowledge in our heads. You can use the device inside the oven as easily as you can use it with the smoker. Just place the thermometer in the oven and shut the door on the wire, and the device monitors your meat in the same way as when you’re cooking outside. When you first bring up the application, a very accessible web page containing product videos is displayed. The videos are quite helpful, even if you’re only listening to them. The learning curve is very simple, and best of all, you can’t beat the price. The unit can be found on Amazon for $79. I encourage every blind person with a love of cooking to go out and get this device. With it’s well-designed products, excellent customer service, unbeatable prices, and commitment to accessibility, iDevices deserves every bit of support and gratitude that we can give them.

Before we close, Chris gives us some contact info for the company, and encourages your feedback. In fact, at the time of this writing, if you post an iGrill review on the app store or on Amazon and send iDevices a copy of the review, they’ll send you a free apron to protect your iGrill. To contact the company, you can send them an email, visit their Facebook page, or follow them on Twitter.

Our thanks go out to Chris for taking a few minutes to visit with us, and to the entire iDevices team for making such a fantastic and accessible product!

I think everyone knows by now that I’m a gadget geek with an irrepressible enthusiasm for new technology. Still, I can’t be fed by electronics alone. Every now and again, I like to eat, and to feed my family too. I’m always looking for new and interesting ways to do that.

I recently hung out at my friend Stan’s house, and he was smoking a brisket. I examined the method he was using to smoke his meat, and to me it seemed cumbersome, messy, and above all, not safe for a blind person. He had a traditional smoker with a firebox, and he chopped the wood which was later placed in the box. I mentioned I like feeding my family, but wielding an axe to do so is a little more intense than I want to be. Once the wood has been chopped, you have to monitor the fire, throw in  more wood as necessary, and wash the soot from the box when you’re done. I don’t know about you, but this doesn’t sound like a particularly safe or pleasant experience.

Still, once I tasted the results of Stan’s work, I knew I had to find some way to do it myself. Thus began my search for a blind-friendly smoker, and I’m happy to tell you all that I found one.

Today, Jamie Pauls and I had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Miller, a member of the Bradley Smoker sales team. Mark is a guy who clearly knows his stuff, and if you listen carefully to the audio review, you might just hear our stomachs growl as Mark describes all the things he has cooked in the Bradley smoker. It turns out that smoking isn’t just about meat. You can smoke nuts, cheeses, and you can even dry fruit in the unit. If you can eat it, you can probably smoke it too.

First, let’s talk about what the smoker looks like. The best description I have for the main unit is that it looks a bit like a dorm refrigerator with a magnetic seal. There are racks inside where you place the items you’re smoking. On the side of the unit is a cylindrical tube of sorts, and this is where you place your bisquettes. Bisquettes? What are those? These are round pucks of wood that are used to create the smoky flavor for your food. Mark explains that each bisquette should burn for about 20 minutes, and will then drop in to a strategically placed pan of water in order to safely stop the wood from smoldering. The great thing about having bisquettes, aside from the safety and ease of use factor, is that you can actually flavor your food with more than one type of wood. Mark gives the example of chicken, where he initially smokes it with hickory mesquite, and then finishes it off with a little apple wood.

I’ve tried a number of different bisquettes, and you’d be amazed at just how many flavors there are to choose from. Some of the flavors I’ve tried have been awesome, and some were just not to my taste. But hey, I like experimenting, so I had just as much fun discovering the bisquettes I didn’t like as I did finding the ones that made my mouth water.

So what happens when you do find a bisquette you really like. That smoky flavor is incredible, but can there be too much of a good thing? Mark explains that it isn’t always necessary to smoke your meat for the entire time it’s inside the unit. In fact, you can cook food in the unit without smoking it at all. If you don’t want to impart any smoky flavor to your food, such as when you’re drying fruit, just don’t place any bisquettes in the tube, or smoke generator. If you do want to add some smoky flavor but don’t want to overdo it, that’s ok too. Mark again discusses chicken, and explains that as you’re smoking meat, you’ll eventually get a nice carmelized crust. Once this happens, any additional smoke you add is simply going to bounce off and exit the unit through the flue. It’s not going to go in your meat, so there’s no sense in wasting bisquettes after a certain point. For chicken, Mark will cook it for a total of four hours, but he’ll only smoke it for the first hour or hour and a half. Mark also mentions that smoking can be a rather slow process. While you can cook it for a shorter period at a higher temperature, you’re going to have moister meat if you cook it longer, but at a lower temperature. Combining all these factors to produce the ultimate in tasty food definitely takes some experimentation, but if you’re anything like me, you’ll have a really good time doing it.

We’ve talked about all the great food you can make in your smoker, but how do you go about getting it and setting it up? I should first point out that there are two types of Bradley smokers, the digital and the analog. The digital smoker has features that aren’t usable for a blind person at this time, but the analog unit is great. There are actually two analog units, although one of them, the Bradley BTIS1, will be going away soon. You’ll want to instead get the Bradley BS611, which operates exactly the same but has a slightly modified design. Once you get the unit, you can check out the completely accessible owner’s manual to find out how to set it up. I was able to do this independently without any problem. If you have issues setting up the unit or just have questions once you’ve gotten everything up and running, you’ll find that Bradley Smoker on Twitter is incredibly helpful and responsive. I got my BS611 on Amazon, and they’ve also got a nice selection of bisquettes there.

I could talk all day about just how excited I am to have this high quality, accessible smoker, but I have a set of chicken drumsticks that are demanding to be smoked, and who am I to argue. But before I go, I’d like to thank Mark Miller for taking the time to speak with us, and to thank the entire Bradley team for producing such a fantastic product.

If you want to learn more about Bradley Smokers, you can visit http://www.bradleysmoker/ .com or call (866) 508-7514.

About our
Presenters…

Maureen Duffy is the Editorial
Director of VisionAware.org. She is a
Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT) and a Low Vision Therapist
(LVT). Maureen is an editor, writer, and former longtime academic who
contributes numerous books, book chapters, and articles in a variety of
professional and academic publications on blindness, vision loss, and aging.

In addition to her work at VisionAware, Maureen is an Associate
Editor of The
Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness and an Adjunct Instructor
and past Director of the Graduate Programs in Vision Rehabilitation
Therapy/Rehabilitation Teaching at Salus University College of Education and
Rehabilitation, where she received three Educator of the Year awards.

She is a recipient of the Bruce
McKenzie Award for lifetime achievement and outstanding contributions to
Vision Rehabilitation Therapy/Rehabilitation Teaching from the Association for the Education and Rehabilitation
of the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Joshua Loya
is an assistant instructor at the Guardian Academy of Martial
Arts in Spring Valley, California. Despite being completely blind since
1996, he has earned 1^st degree black belts in Guardian Jujutsu,
Guardian Karate, and Guardian Kobujutsu. He is scheduled to test for his 2^nd
degree black belts later this year. He also holds a senior blue belt in
Guardian Kempo, the advanced program offered by the Guardian Academy, and is
one of only three students to be given Guardian Kempo rank under the new system
rules. Learn more about Joshua by visiting his website.

Patti Jacobson has been an instructor
with the Hadley School for the Blind for
16 years. She has been totally blind due to Retinopathy of Prematurity. She had
partial sight until age ten, then developed glaucoma and lost her remaining
vision.

She
received her Bachelor’s Degree in Special Education and her Master’s in
Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of
Northern Colorado, Greeley.

She
lives independently in her own home, and participates in church
activities.  At Hadley, she teaches the Food Series, Independent Living,
Using Raised Markers, Braille Reading, and Guide Dogs courses.

RESOURCES

Easy
Ways to Keep Your Portions Healthy

Making
Sense of Serving Sizes

Mindfulness
Key to Losing Weight While Eating Out

Accessible
Nutritional Content Information Websites

Smart Phone Apps

Fast Food Calories Hunter: Free and Paid Databases. Search
for “CHunter” on your phone.

Eat This, Not That is an app based on the popular Men’s
Health Magazine series of books with that name. Find it in the app store by
searching for “Eat This!”

Nosh is an app that provides menu listings and reviews for
local restaurants. You can sometimes find nutrition information, and menu
selections. User feedback can provide information about the quality of the
restaurant and about portion sizes. Search for “Nosh” to find this app.

Conclusion

Thank you for joining us for SeroSpectives. If you’d like to
continue the discussion of this topic, please join us on the SAMNet Tech Chat
Room. If you are not a member, you can obtain a free, seven-day trial by visiting
http://www.satogo.com/.

In this issue of Serospectives host Lisa Salinger is joined by Maureen Duffy, Joshua Loya, and Patti Arnold discuss practical suggestions for making healthy choices while eating out. Whether you have questions about tackling that salad with lettus leaves as large as your face, or how to judge whether that’s one or two portions on your plate, you won’t want to miss this king-sized serving of information.

The event takes place on Thursday, January 12 at 9 PM Eastern.

Activate this link to participate in the live event.

On this week’s podcast, Jamie Pauls interviews three guests. Our first guest is Dan Aranoff, a blind food critic from New York City who began his writing career by blogging about things that frustrated him and eventually turned his writing into a passion for food.

Our second guest is Michael Barnes, a gentleman who was frustrated with the difficulty he was having in playing some old DOS games by Rich De Steno on his Windows 7 computer and ended up co-developing an iOS app that allows the playing of these games on an iOS device.

Our third guest is Russell Rowland, a student who was initially reluctant to go to college but now embraces the experience and encourages others to make their dreams come true.

Finally, Serotek’s own Lisa Salinger explores some of the more confusing aspects of Microsoft Security Essentials available from Ninite.com among other places and demonstrates how to use the program effectively with any screen reader.

What do all of these stories have in common, you may ask? Each of our four guests saw a problem or a a challenge and tackled it head on. They didn’t take no for an answer and they didn’t let obstacles detour them from their goals.

We trust that this podcast will both entertain and inspire you as you listen.