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

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 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

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

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

The aftermath of the reason Apple event, a musical mailbag and much more awaits you on this week’s episode of the podcast as Jamie, Ricky and Joe talk about the top news stories of the week. After the news, Pratik Patel joins Jamie to discuss the state of accessibility with regard to Windows Phone. All that plus your feedback makes for a jam-packed episode of the SeroTalk Podcast.

A T Talk

Jaws 16 Public Beta 1

Coming Soon: iOS Access for All Update for iOS 8

Find out more about how Drive and the Docs editors are now a lot friendlier for blind and low-vision users

Google Voice and Hangouts learn to play nice together

2-Hour Refund Window For Paid Apps And Games On The Play Store Is Officially Official

RNIB audio logo competition

Uber sued for allegedly refusing rides to the blind and putting a dog in the trunk

Apple Aftermath

Between Google and Apple, the smartwatch wars are over before they’ve even begun

Some future model of the Apple Watch will probably have more sensors

iPhone 6 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Which one should you buy?

Update: iPhone 6 Plus shipping estimates slip to 3-4 weeks

But what if I didn’t want a bigger iPhone?

Hands on with Apple Pay: NFC, barcode scan, on online purchases!

On Death and iPods: A Requiem

Apple puts up support page to get U2 album out of your iTunes

Mailbag

Hello SeroTalk Team, I have some comments For episode 210. First when you guys were talking about drones and indoor mapping early in the podcast all I could think about was seeing eye drones. Its the wave of the future. Next I was watching the most recent episode of Windows Weekly and they had a Microsoft add promoting Kortana on there I think you guys need to listen to. It will have you rolling on the ground laughing, unless your a big Apple fan. One more thing I want to mention. At the end Jamie and Buddy were talking a little about the Apple watch. When I heard the name on the announcement all I could think was “WOW now we have an A-Watch”. Have a good one and keep up the good work.

Greg Wocher(Your friendly neighborhood BlindMan)

Dear Serotalk staff, my name is Tamer Zaid and I’m from Houston Texas and I’m contacting you’all regarding podcast 209 and I want to comment on what Joe had talked about how people that have short term memory don’t have an idea of there spacial surroundings. Never the less, I’m a person that has a slight short term memory issue and I’m just 21 years old and I had accepted that I have this issue and I rely on my parents too take me places like college and volunteer work. I do suffer from walking with the cane just because I just don’t remember a rout from the first time when I do it. I need practice and practice until I finally get how to do it. I do utilize many tools during my day that can help me with remembering things and one tool that I just love is the iPhone. Also, I do really suggest that wearable technology should be around just because it will help me and might help many people that suffer from memory problems. The way I suffer from that dumb short term memory issue is by not remembering a place that you go to the first time. I’m great at using and knowing how to hold the cane, but I lack at traveling. Also, I’m not a multi-tasker and that makes it even worse. So, I just try to udilize my family and public transportation like Metro Lift here in Houston to go places like volunteer work. I just love being independent. Also, I love tactle maps just because I had vision before and I do still remember from my long term memory how things look like. Also, I do remember things that happened to me before I became blind. I do still remember colors and how things look like and I really thing that a person has to have a visual idea about what their touching like a 3d object to understand what it is. See, I don’t have that problem just because I have seen 3d objects and I do understand how they work. Also, I think that this topic should be widely known and discussed among various blind groups. It doesn’t mean I know it that everybody knows it. So, I think that it is a great topic to talk about. Well, thank you for the great work and I thank you’all for the great work that you’all do. You’all are awesome!

Regards, Tamer Zaid

Roundabout

How Social Media Affects Your Brain and Body

The history of Hold Music

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they discuss all the top news stories of the week except one. Jamie and Buddy will discuss the big story at the end of the podcast. All other stories covered in this episode include:

A T Talk

NVDA 2014.3 now Available

BlindSquare now supports @transitapp, and this podcast shows how it works

Transit App ~ Now with Citi Bike, Divvy & Capital Bikeshare! on the App Store on iTunes

For blind bus riders, a new app boosts independence

Voiceover Easy Home Page

New iBooks Textbook Helps Visually Impaired Visit the Stars Through Touch and Sound

Low-Cost Refreshable Braille Device Available in 2016

Unachievable or Unwanted: Why Is ACE Opposed to Accessibility Guidelines?

Mainstream Matters

Google Unveils The Cartographer, Its Indoor Mapping Backpack

The Smart Home Is Going To Be A Huge Boon To Accessibility

Samsung announces the Galaxy Note 4 and new Galaxy Note Edge

Twitter CFO says a Facebook-style filtered feed is coming, whether you like it or not

Tim Cook Says Apple to Add Security Alerts for iCloud Users

9 Awesome Features Smartphones Still Don’t Have

Cortana vs. Siri vs. Google Now: An early look at how Cortana stacks up (hands-on)

Roundabout

The never-ending story of FXRadio where only your imagination limits what happens

Read lost Charlie and the Chocolate Factory chapter deemed ‘too wild’ to publish

Google’s latest object recognition tech can spot everything in your living room

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

Buddy Brannan joins Jamie Pauls and Ricky Enger for this episode of the podcast. Along with the top news of the week including an announcement from Serotek, jamie demonstrates our newly-released version of iBlink Radio for the Mac. Stories covered in this podcast include:

Serotek Announces iBlink Radio for the Mac

Why is Skype forcing a software upgrade on all of us?

GWConnect ends August 4

Free Online Training – Using Skype for Windows Desktop with Window-Eyes

Short Skype course from CAVI

Orbit Research and the Transforming Braille Group Announce Agreement to Produce Low-Cost Refreshable Braille Display

NV Access | Speech Synthesizer Survey 1

Mosen Consulting eBook, “iOS 8 Without the Eye”

Announcing: ChAPPters

Redbox agrees to provide better access for blind customers

Revisiting the “Switch to Android full-time” experiment

Microsoft is finally killing support for old versions of Internet Explorer

4 Reasons Microsoft’s Surface Might Bite the Dust

Windows ‘Threshold’ to drop charms, add virtual desktop

BlackBerry still on shaky ground, but it continues to secure lucrative security clearances

Dial-Up Still a Cash Cow for AOL

Apple, Samsung Agree to End Patent Suits Outside U.S.

Report: Sprint to Drop T-Mobile Bid, CEO | News & Opinion

Roundabout

70 Years of Smokey: The Story of America’s Firefighting Bear

Toddler squeezes through White House fence

With an All-Deaf Wait Staff, New Restaurant Asks Guests to Order in Sign Language

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.

The news of the week, a wayward mailbag and elocution lessons are all a part of this week’s podcast, and our interview with The National Federation of the Blind’s Curtis Chong is the icing on the cake. Topics covered in this week’s episode include:

A T Talk

Walgreens Now Offers Talking Prescription Labels for Blind Customers

Assistive Technology Design for People Who are Blind or Visually Impaired Survey

CiscoVision Wiki | Main / 2014 Semester 2 Course Offerings

iOS Access for All | Your comprehensive guide to accessibility for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. by Shelly Brisbin

Learn to Use the Mac with VoiceOver (MAC)

Knowing What Is Good About the iPhone and What Is Not

My comments on the Braille Monitor Article concerning the iPhone | Thoughts from David Goldfield

GWKB2058 – McAfee Found to Block Important Functionality in Window-Eyes

Unexpected loss of ZoomText activation

Mainstream Matters

Apple’s HealthKit Is a Huge Headache for One Startup

iOS 8 will let you scan credit cards via the camera

What Android 4.4.3 could mean about the future of Android updates

Microsoft stock price hits 52-week high, suggests market approves of Nadella

Why an Amazon Phone Makes Sense

Roundabout

Blind? Listen to this 9-year-old: ‘Accept it and live life as is’

No Barriers Grand Canyon Expedition 2014 Jamie mentioned that he plans to read Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther than the Eye Can See: My Story by Erik Weihenmayer.

19 Rare Recordings of Famous Authors

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.

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 to view training subscription options and make your contribution to EZFire’s A11YTV funding campaign.

Welcome to the 200th episode of the SeroTalk podcast. Our thanks go out to Andre Louis and Patrick Purdue of PD Audio Productions for the new theme music that you will hear on the SeroTalk Podcast from this point forward. Jamie, Ricky and Joe reflect on how far the SeroTalk Podcast and SPN have come over the years. We also discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Lisa Salinger reviews Status Report, an iOS app that lets you read the most recent 100 status updates from your favorite social media services. Finally, Jamie Pauls, Patrick Purdue and Buddy Brannan take a look at the Bradley timepiece. Stories discussed in this episode of the podcast include:

48 billion bucks later, ATnT buys Directtv

Google takes Twitch for YouTube

Peace in our time, Apple V Google

Apple Releases OS X Mavericks 10.9.3

Seven Unsung Built-In Gems of Mac OS X

Apple’s iCloud punishes you for being a good customer

Why high bit-rate and HD audio are all about marketing, not music

iPhone Calls Sound Weird? Try Turning Off Phone Noise Cancelation in iOS

New update to BlindSquare.

Back In The Game

New Access World for may

My Initial Thoughts on the RNIB Navigator App

Foursquare’s Swarm And The Rise Of The Invisible App

Pay for Google Play stuff with PayPal around the world

Psst! Wearable Devices Could Make Big Tech Leaps, Into Your Ear

The Next Big Thing You Missed: One Day, You’ll Google the Physical World With a Scanner Like This

The Trick That Makes Google’s Self-Driving Cars Work

New Urgency for Tighter Drone Rules After Near Crash

a nod to the past, Robot Guide Dogs?

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

Windows Phone 8.1 Launching June 24

Microsoft sticking to its guns so far, leaving XP unpatched and exploited

Roundabout

Got Gas? It Could Mean You’ve Got Healthy Gut Microbes

The Utopian Origins of Restroom Symbols

After 32 years, town lifts arcade game ban

A visit to Galloping Ghost, the largest video game arcade in the USA

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!

There is a lot to talk about on this week’s podcast. Jamie, Ricky and Joe break it all down for you. Then, Lisa interviews one of the developers of the incredibly popular iOS app DiceWorld As always, your feedback brings it all together, so sit back and enjoy the ride!

The Big Story

Heartbleed: How It Works

The 5 Things To Do About the New Heartbleed Bug

The Heartbleed Hit List: The Passwords You Need to Change Right Now

The Programmer Behind Heartbleed Speaks Out: It Was an Accident

Why is Heartbleed called Heartbleed?

Heartbleed’s lesson: Passwords must die

Welcome to the Post-XP world, but how on earth did we get here?

Microsoft is Still Making Security Updates for Windows XP, But You Can’t Have Them

A T Talk

CSUN: Is It Still the Definitive Access Technology Conference?

SPN Special: Maximizing Potential with Mainstream and Assistive Technologies

CSUN 2014 HIMS Special – Notetaker or iPad: Is It The Wrong Question?

From Applevis: Comparing iOS Devices with Braille Notetakers

From The Tech Doctor: Comparing iOS Devices and Notetakers

Fedora Outlier Announces The Mac Master Series

The popular TapTapSee App is now available for Android

Mainstream Matters

Zombies, Run! | New in Season 3: Player Choice!

Skype TX: Microsoft Targets Broadcasters

Google making Glass available to the masses for one day only

Mailbag

From Kelley Armstrong

Hi, my name is Kelley Armstrong and I live in Texas. First I just want to say I look forward to hearing the serotalk podcast and the three of you do a good job. Now I liked the operating system of windows XP but I have learned windows 8 and games are something I enjoy too. I play all the blind gamers games on my windows 8 laptop without any trouble at all. I do have a windows vista laptop I don’t use it I let my dad have it. I don’t think any of you will believe it but I recently just chunked an old desktop computer that ran windows XP and I have still in my possession a year 2009 dell net book running XP and to be frank I am fearful of turning it on and I am not even sure it can be upgraded to either vista or seven or eight. On a net book everything is external that’s why I don’t think it can be upgraded and no love lost too many security risks. I use an ipad two as my main computer I send and recieve email and do facebook. I go online and shop and check prices and read newspapers, listen to pandora radio and I play games and I like to listen to I blink radio and look at blind bargains. I like my windows eight laptop but if Mack computers weren’t so expensive I wouldn’t mind being a Mack user I built my life in IOS and I love it. I could live with or without a windows computer but if my ipad two were to quit on me I think I would go crazy. I am seeing hiccups in voice over and touch screen issues as my ipad is aging. I am finding my ipad not as snappy as it was when I got it and it was new. It’s a bit sluggish and I don’t know if it’s normal or not. I just think it’s amazing how far computers and technology have come and revolutionized the lives of blind people in general. In the education of blind children and the what use to be hard can and hopefully is easier to teach blind children. I was just starting out in elementary school in the year 1993 and the school really didn’t know what to do with me so they stuck me in the life skills class where mentally impaired and the kids in wheelchairs who cannot talk or comprehend what’s going on. I was neglected by the teachers because at first I didn’t learn abc’s and 123’s like every other five year old kid. Nope I was being told to feel of feathers and button buttons and zipping zippers until my dad threw a walleyed fit and it took a lot of badgering and griping but finally they got the technology and the resources to teach me braille.

From Kelsey Trevett:

Hi SeroTalk gang, I was listening to podcast 194 and had to input my thoughts into a couple of discussions you had on that episode. In particular, your chat about Windows 8,1 (update 1) and the Amazon Fire TV. Windows 8,1 update 1 has been anticipated by techie people for a while now… I mean a long while. Personally, I’ve been a user of Windows 8,0 from day 1 (literally) and so have seen it’s growth and development since October 2012. Windows 8,1 was a welcome update to Windows 8; many of my personal complaints were dealt with and some features were added (AKA put back). Update 1 (or spring update, etc) didn’t bring a huge change to the OS.
Yes, the search and power options controls came to the Start Screen – something Windows’ users have been begging for since it’s launch in 2012 – but apart from that and some minor changes, it seems a rather insignificant update. Sure, there are plenty of small fixes and changes which I’m not complaining about but I can’t see much (as a JAWS user) that really caught my eye (excuse the pun). As you rightly said, I think this is Microsoft’s attempt to back-pedal furiously into what they hope are the open arms of consumers. Unfortunately, I feel that it is too little, far too late. Windows 8 has got itself a reputation and it’s going to be pretty much impossible for Microsoft to shift it. As for the Amazon Fire TV (does it burst your TV into flames?) I have other thoughts. It is great that Amazon have come into the streaming market via the TV; they’ve had very similar services on their Kindle Fire line of products for quite some time now. What I did notice is the inability to access Amazon Music services from the device which is quite a big flunk on Amazon’s part. If you live in the Amazon eco system, you want it all, not just bits and pieces of the world you live in, right? Additionally, I read several articles from Twitter verifying my own fears – the device scores a 0 when it comes to accessibility.
There is no screen reader built-in to the system. This doesn’t leave me without hope; I’m sure that if we petition for long enough (as we did for iOS and Android app accessibility and Fire tablet access too), access to Fire TV will come. I’m not a person who believe wholly in fighting my way to the end; a peaceful approach is more my style. The missing accessibility is possibly for the reason I’ve come up with: “blind people don’t watch TV, do they? Really, they can’t see it!” I loved the April Fools edition of SeroTalk, Triple Click Home and That Android Show; I thought they were great fun and that a great laugh was had by all. Thanks for reading and bring on podcast 200!!!

Kelsey London, England, UK

And another from Kelsey:

Hi SeroTalkers, It’s Kelsey again – remember me? I was the one with the new Nexus 7 and I was diving in from iOS to Android. Well, after a few more months, I thought I’d send another email letting you know how it’s been going with the Nexus 7. I’ve now had the Nexus 7 for four months and am thoroughly enjoying the experience. Surprisingly, I’m finding it strangely easy to live in the Apple, Android and Windows universes all at once! It is easy to know when to use what for checking Twitter, reading emails, etc. The Nexus 7 is my desk device – the device that primarily lives on my desk and occasionally ventures out and about with me. I have done a lot more exploration of Android; I’ve tried some new apps, launchers and other such things. The Nexus 7, for me in any case, has become easier to use the more I get used to Android and the way it works. I’ve changed Talkback to single-tap selection, finding this method easier and more productive. Additionally, I’ve changed more Talkback settings to make it more of the experience that I desire and want from Android. My thoughts on Android haven’t changed although some new ones have come to me during these last months. I’ve found my own way of looking at Android – whatever you want from it, it can provide. You do have to put the effort in though – look for the apps / launchers / keyboards etc; do the research to find out how to perform a task; work out all the sneaky cheats with Talkback and other such things you may want to know. The operating system has a great interface; no customisation is required if the user doesn’t want to. The UI is simple and easy to use and so I feel Android is a good option for pretty much anybody, however good or bad their computer skills may be. My other thought with Android (as I have said before) is to remember that it isn’t going to explode in your hand. This mental advice has been ringing in my head quite a lot recently when fiddling with settings and the like. The device isn’t just going to explode, or fall apart, or whip out an evil hand and hit you round the face for pressing the wrong button. People need to be adventurous IF THEY WANT TO BE. There was no legal document that came with the tablet when you bought it that said: I agree that I have to change ten settings every day or else the evil NexusBot will come and kill me. No, no such obligation was agreed to. Therefore, you can change as much or as little as you choose. Thanks for reading and I hope my new experiences and thoughts will help new users of Android and people thinking of taking the plunge; it is well worth it.

Kelsey London, England, UK

Blog Comment From Dominique

Hey guys, just listened to the April Fools podcast, and also podcast 194. Good job guys, that was awesome. Just a thought, to see how it would sound, you guys should do the next one in complete 8k AM radio form. Deric, and Patric would be good at making a small segment sounding like that, reminds me of the guy that Deric made sing on that one beat and got played on the AM radio station, all by axidant that one time… Keep it up guys! Pease!

Roundabout

Jamie: No Laptops, No Wi-Fi: How One Cafe Fired Up Sales

Cops Found Stolen Laptop After Thief Called Apple Tech Support

‘It’s a Small World’ turns 50 with sing-along

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 week’s episode of the SeroTalk Podcast, Facebook breaks stuff, Twitter resets stuff, Apple releases new stuff, and blind people complain about stuff. If that isn’t enough to keep us busy, Mailbag gets itself into a real mess! After all that, it’s time for …

Roundabout

Wedding photographer Chris Thornton captures Mr and Mrs Potato Head’s marriage

1 in 10 in a survey think HTML is an STD

Toilet stolen from hotel room, Cops have nothing to go on

Make music from junk with Mogees and your smartphone

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

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Jamie and Buddy sit down to talk about the release of iOS 7.1. Stories disccussed in this week’s podcast include:

A T Talk

29th Annual CSUN Conference on Disability news and info

Blind Bargains: The Updated Blind Bargains Guide to Attending #csun14 on a Budget

Blind Bargains: Meet the Visually Impaired Athletes of the 2014 Winter Paralympics

Blind Bargains: Solo DX Announces That They’re Closing Their Doors

Blind Bargains: Google Updates Text-to-Speech App with New Voices

Screen Magnification Survey

My Initial Thoughts On NBC’s Growing Up Fisher

Mainstream Matters

Weeks before expiration date, Windows XP still has 29% OS market share

Microsoft’s Attempt To Convert Users From Windows XP Backfires

Microsoft Security Essentials to nag Windows XP users

Target tech chief resigns as it overhauls security

Twitter error blamed for mass user password reset

Verizon has most reliable cellular network in test, AT&T has the fastest

Opinion: Does CarPlay go far enough, or should car manufacturers let Apple do more?

Apple Could Soon Make Siri Much Smarter, More Like ‘Her’

Mailbag

From Mike Arrigo:

Hi there. First, a slight correction. For the mac, Leopard which was 10.5 was actually the last version of the operating system to work on power pc computers. Starting with snow leopard 10.6, it was Intel only. It’s not too surprising that Apple dropped support for Snow Leopard, it came out in August of 2009, so it’s over 4 years old. Regarding the question of screen reader detection, ideally this should not be needed. Rather, the issues should be addressed at the heart of the matter. All major screen readers support features such as navigating by headings, reading tables, etc. What needs to happen is that the web sites need to use best practices such as putting headings in the right place, labeling their links, etc. Similarly, the screen readers need to keep up with an support the web standards as they evolve. If these things are done, there should be no need for a site to have to detect whether someone is using a screen reader. I’m also not a fan of the separate but equal approach. More often than not, what we get is not equal, it’s not as good. And again, if best practices are followed, there is no need for that in the first place.

From Eugene:

Hi Team,

I’ve been thinking about the topic of screen reader detection, as I’ve read both the survey and Marco’s article on the subject. My comments follow, but I’m quite opposed to the idea, and here’s why.

First, there’s the matter of employment. If a job-hunting organization like DICE can put screen reader detection into their websites, the info that somebody is using a screen reader may be sent to possible employers, and your chances of nabbing a job may be shrunk to near zero. Certainly, a screener in a company may not even bother passing the resume on if they see the addendum about screen reader detection on it. This alone should stop any consideration of this kind of detection, but there is a much more sinister reason.

A screen reader is inherently viral. It must have access to all the processes of the computer in order to grab the information requested by the user. It is also a key logger since this is crucial to its function. A web author can use screen reader detection to not only gain access to the screen reader, but may also (and, I suspect, rather easily) gain access to its functions and turn the computer into a constant source of reportage for the author. He could, with relatively little trouble, plant a bomb in the computer that may do something when a series of keystrokes is pressed by the user. When it comes to the Internet, I am paranoid, and although I know nobody is out to get me personally, they are out to get me impersonally, so this would be a very good way to gain control of a computer system.

The best way for accessibility on the Web to happen is for Web authors to follow the rules which are being sent out. If they do so, and use the Java accessibility protocols and tools, accessibility can almost be built into any application that is written. (The only glaring weakness to this argument is the QT model, which is notoriously inaccessible.)

The tools are out there. They’re easy to use. I know. I’ve done a bit of programming, and it’s very easy for a program to be accessible if you follow the rules. It’s the same way for web pages. Now, it’s time for the developers to wake up, hear the piper and follow his song.

Thanks for the podcasts, and keep the good info coming.

Yours, Eugene A. Hetzer Jr.

From shuiyee

Hi,

I am totally blind and listen to every of your podcast. I am from Malaysia. Sometimes when I listen to all the benefits you guys have in America I wish it would be the same here in Malaysia. We don’t have guide dogs here. I love dogs but because of my country being a multiracial and one is Muslim which they are very afraid of dogs. So its taking a very long time to even implement a guide dog here. It won’t be useful if we train our own dogs because it won’t be allowed in the shops or public transport. I am an adult blind facing chance of losing my job because I was training as a pharmacist when I lost my sight gradually through side effects of chemotherapy. I love reading books too and how I wish we have BARD app to read books. Even kindle app is not available here. Some ebooks that you guys can download for free we are not allowed to download here. I am just commenting that Americans are very lucky to be in America. However, I don’t complain much because I know there are countries that are far worse than Malaysia such as China or India, where there are many cases whereby the eye condition can be treated but due to poverty or lack of medical staff they can’t get it. I’m not even sure if I got the email address correct. So bye for now. Thank you for reading my email.

regards: shuiyee

Sent from my iPod

Another email from shuiyee

hi,

Since I’ve got the correct email I just want to ad my comments about the TapTapSee. I was sad when they started charging too. For us 1 us dollar is about 3.8 ringgit malaysia. So if you guys are paying ten dollars it would be about 40 ringgit for us. So I’ve decided not to use the app then. I wish to use audible too but everything is so expensive as we have to multiply US dollars by 3.8. Also I love your podcast, keep up the good work and hopefully there are many many episodes to come!

shuiyee

Roundabout

Bad brains: some people are physically incapable of enjoying music

What Happens in the Brain When Blind People Learn to See With Sound

Kids attempt to use rotary phone, confusion ensues

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. Once again, Jamie, Ricky and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Buddy Brannan talks with the developer of the RiVO Keyboard, an innovative new input system for iOS devices.

A T Talk

Blind Bargains: Results of the 5th Screen Reader Survey from WebAIM Released

Why screen reader detection on the web is a bad thing

Thoughts on screen reader detection

Assistive Technology Detection: It can be done right

Apple ends security updates for Snow Leopard

Apple Releases OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 with Security, VoiceOver, and Other Improvements

New audio game from the Papa Sangre team looking for Kickstarter funding

Beta testers wanted for new audio zombie game. Fill out this form to apply

New album just released: Andre’s Idea Factory volume i

A rugged talking phone: how good is the Convoy 3?

Google’s Project Tango cuts the rug at Mobile World Congress

Mainstream Matters

Everything You Didn’t Know You Could Do with Google’s Voice Commands

Microsoft’s Cortana Described As A Mix Between Siri and Google Now

Microsoft experimenting with free version of Windows 8.1

Mac and iOS users, here’s how to install that major security fix

Apple preparing software update to enhance functionality of iPhone 5s Touch ID

Apple Patents Solar Charging System for Laptops

Apple TV sales topped $1 bilion in 2013, becoming Apple’s fastest growing hardware

For a few days, Apple TV comes with a $25 iTunes bonus

Tim Cook Soundly Rejects Politics of the NCPPR, Suggests Group Sell Apple’s Stock

10 questions successful wearable device makers will have to address

Everything’s Amazing And Nobody’s Happy

Mailbag

Blog Comment from Luis:

Hi SeroTalk podcasters,

I would like to comment in a couple of stories. Well, The first is a question about Fleksy as an alternative keyboard or default for iOS apps. Although I think it is a good thing for this to happen. To be honest, I have not read any of the stories talking about Fleksy as an alternative keyboard. But since a couple of apps have adapted this, I’m just curious as to which Fleksy keyboard is being used? For example, I believe Fleksy was introduced to BlindSquare before the whole controversy of Fleksy Happy Typing and Fleksy VO came up. Does this mean, that BlindSquare has an old version of Fleksy Happy Typing, or did it switch over to Fleksy VO? And if so, when or if Fleksy Happy Typing becomes accessible again, Will all of the adapted apps switch from VO to Happy Typing? I understand that maybe VO is an earlier version of Happy Typing, and if so, then why aren’t the users up in arms with this fact as they were when the people of Fleksy announced the 2 versions. Main Stream and Blind friendly version of the keyboard?

And my comment is related to RoundAbout. When Mrs. Enger and Ms. Salinger were sharing how great of athletes they were 5 years ago when they were in there early 20s. That took me back, when I was in college and played pool with my brother. Back then, I had some sight. But wasn’t a great player. Every time we’d played. At least once, I somehow hit the cue ball too low and at just the right angle. That instead of the cue ball rolling toward a pocket to sink a ball. It took flight and twice just missed a window and the door. Which at one point, someone had just came into the play area and if they would have been standing for a second longer. The ball would have gone between their eyes. So I can relate.

Roundabout

Blind Film Critic Hears Oscar Picks

Steve Jobs to Be Honored With Commemorative Postage Stamp in 2015

A $30,000 Waterbed That Vibrates With Music

Welcome to this week’s episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. Jamie Pauls and Ricky Enger are joined by Lisa Salinger to discuss the news of the week. Then, Lisa interviews Jamie about his work as a music therapist.

A T Talk

Blind Bargains: NVDA 14.1 Beta Release is Now Available with Powerpoint 2013 Support, More

ZoomText Mac 1.0.7 is Released

More Accessibility enhancements coming to A Dark Room for iOS in March

Blind Bargains: Fedora Outlier Starts a New Weekly Series Called There’s An App For That

AppleVisPodcast audio Digitize Your Vinyl Records With Amadeus Pro for the Mac

AFB: Take our quick survey & be eligible to win an iPad mini!

SPN Special: An Interview with Jim Kutsch

VIP Talk: Microsoft is not Last in Accessibility

Mainstream Matters

WhatsApp: the Bomb That Hit Silicon Valley

Google offered to buy WhatsApp for $10 billion

WhatsApp CEO Is Against Whatever Facebook Is For

OneDrive branding rolls out with new clients and new features

Windows XP is at death’s door and users need to move on

Apple eyes smart magnets to attach accessories to your iPad

Third-party SDK for iOS lets you replace Apple’s keyboard with Fleksy’s

Amazon’s long-rumored Apple TV competitor to launch next month?

Roundabout

New York company says it can beam free OUTERNET Wi-fi to every person on Earth

Blind man wins free McDonalds for a year after sinking three-pointer

Listen to the sound of a public street in 1928

Bernie Krause: The voice of the natural world

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

Join us for another guycast as Jamie, Buddy and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week. Topics covered in this episode include:

A T Talk

HIMS Releases E-bot Portable Video Magnifier Compatible with Tablets and PC’s

The Intro to the Raspberry Pi course from Cavi

Blind Bargains: AI Squared Releases SiteCues: A Simple Way to Add Accessibility To Your Website

Blind Bargains: Review: Chicken Nugget, An Accessible Twitter Interface for the Next Generation

Microsoft’s Super Bowl ad reminds the world why its software matters

Microsoft disability scholarship

Mainstream Matters

Report: Satya Nadella To Be Named Microsoft CEO

Microsoft faces new brand dispute over OneDrive name

UK government plans switch from Microsoft Office to open source | Technology

5 Takeaways From Apple’s First-Quarter Earnings

Apple’s iBeacons hitting a Grand Slam in 2014 with Major League Baseball

iOS 7.0.5 is here… but only for iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in China?!

Angry Birds website defaced following reports it enables government spying

Google warns of bug that might have deleted some of your Gmail messages by mistake

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

Samsung ‘Galaxy Glass’ wearable reportedly set for September reveal

Facebook’s Toying With A Radical New Idea: Letting You Be Anonymous

A Facebook Campaign Simulated Alzheimer’s, and It Will Stop You in Your Tracks

Ready or not, here come the new Internet top-level domain names

Mailbag

From Lyndon Dunbar:

Hi, Here is my response to your request for information for those of us who have taken online course exams with locked down browsers.

I completed my bachelor’s degree online through Western Governors University, an online university based on competency based learning.

When completing exams for online courses through WGU, the testing browser would be locked down, and we would have a separate webcam with a proctor watching us take the exam. If the proctor felt that we were looking away from the screen, possibly at notes, the exam would be shut down until the concern could be resolved.

As a visually impaired student, the accessibility issues that I had with online tests was the small text size of the tests, which could not be enlarged much.

Hope my experience with online testing helps.

Thanks for your time! Lyndon Dunbar

From Ali Moosa

Hello, I enjoy listening to the Serotalk podcasts. You guys do a great job, and you guys provide a good perspective. The topic of digital book players, such as the Book Sense, the Stream, and Plextalk Pocket has been coming up a lot on the podcasts recently. As you guys say, preferences change all the time. My personal opinion is, there are a lot of things I prefer the Book Sense and the Stream for. In the event that you want to create your own folders, and simply copy and paste the files without importing them into iTunes. I like iDevices for applications. You can subscribe to podcast feeds with the Plextalk Pocket. I find it makes it easier to carry a dedicated device to listen to podcasts, books, and music in an event that you need to save battery on your phone. Thank you, Ali Moosa

Blog comment from Jake:

Hello to the Serotalk team. I really enjoyed episode 185. I would like to talk Apple. I am typing this comment on the Mac Book Air that I got on the 27th of December of last year. This is my first experience with Apple products, aside from the AppleIIE back in the day. I also got to borrow a sister’s iPod for not quite half a day while having a tooth pulled. But anyway, I love my Mac Book Air. I think the things which probably influenced me the most here were the 4-part Mac Book Air review done by Mike Calvo some time ago, and hearing Voiceover being put through its paces on a number of podcasts. I applaud Apple for including Voiceover at no additional charge to the customer in all their products. It is an excellent screen reader, and I trust it will only improve over time. I am still learning things, but I’d have to count myself as a satisfied Apple customer. In addition, my 2 experiences at the Apple store in my area were very pleasant. The first time there was of course to try out some of their computers, and then to take this one home. I then went back for a one-on-one session with a very helpful trainer. I haven’t yet had time to look through the stuff on here about Apple’s history due to outside commitments, but I will definitely check it out.

From Pam Francis:

Hello, I heard your interview with the developers of Fleksy. I think you guys let them off the hook. I realize as interviewers of guests, you have to be professional. Yet, there should have been enough of us that were upset enough with their creation of a separate app that it should have come out more so within your interview. I do believe they made their money on the backs of the blind community. Granted, I agree when an app is more widely used it’s price can come down, yet those of us who paid full price for it, should be refunded given the fact that now we no longer can take advantage of the original app we paid for. As I stated in my original email, why should there SDK issues BR problem? Also, per your interview, & per their answer, they specifically stated they made a different prediction engine for those of us who use voiceover. Is our language any different because we’re blind? Does that not segregate us? This was the part where I thought your interview basically said “” it’s okay “”. We are different because we are blind. Doesn’t the Ceretec mission statement talk about unifying us within society by creating adaptive tools that will allow us to integrate successfully within society? If in fact that is the case, you have contradicted your own mission statement. I took their app off of my phone. I will ask them for a refund. I will not patronize a company who claims to be Integral for everyone yet separates the very people they charged the most for their app. They also had the gall on their blog to say their new Fleksy VO app would be free forever. I do think, their initial intentions were good. I also think they figured out that we as a blind community would except something different than what they would create for a sighted community. We as a blind community have had to “” settle “” for whatever we could get for many many years. Most recently, we have made great strides integrating with technology out-of-the-box. I also think Ceretec as a company, given the way the original Fleksy was revered by your team who is in a small way a representative of us as a blind community should forward any email you get To them.

Pam Francis

Roundabout

Skinny Puppy Billed Government For Torture Songs

Burgers with Chocolate Sauce Coming to Japan

The Science Behind Why Diets Just Don’t Work, and What To Do Instead

Join us for 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 talks with Jeremy Curry of GW Micro about Window-Eyes for Office, the program whereby anyone running Microsoft Office 2010 or later can get a free copy of the Window-Eyes screen reader. Topics discussed in this week’s podcast include:

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

A Toast to GW Micro

CSUN 2014 View Sessions

Comcast Accessibility: More Than Talking TV

New information and picture-taking tips for TapTapSee.

NVDA Add-on for Station Playlist Studio

Blind Bargains: Review of TeleTender: Accessing the Internet Using a Phone for Free

Winamp survives to play for new owner

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

Microsoft to extend Windows XP anti-malware updates one year

Target data breach part of broader organized attack

Starbucks addresses security snafu with update to iOS app

Net neutrality gets a kick in the teeth

TWIT 441 on this subject

Netflix Stock Dives After Net Neutrality Ruling

The battle for the home: Why Nest is really Google’s new smart home division

Apple CEO Tim Cook handing out autographed iPhones at China Mobile launch

Facebook Paper expected to soon deliver news on mobile | Internet & Media

You can now do everything in this Radio Shack 80’s ad on a phone

Mailbag

Blog comment from Beth:

Regarding the article entitled “Why Do We Fear the Blind?” – from the NYTimes.com

What comes to mind when you hear the word “Amish”? Peacefulness, joy, a bucolic setting, good health, right? Well, yes, of course but there is much more than that. Turns out, the above ideas about the Amish are stereotypical. I am reading a very interesting book about the Amish and some intriguing realities about their lives have been imparted to me. This blog post is not meant to be a book review, I will post the book title and BARD number here so you can read it if you wish.

“Amish society” DB 51601

Here are a few things I have learned and, again, these are generalizations. Some of the Amish are rule-bound, with even some innocuous doodad on their horse harnesses being an offense. These strict rules can breed hostility and anger, which are often suppressed, since these emotions are not to be shown. It is now my understanding that mental illness is rather common among the Amish, which surprised me, again, a stereotype on my part. The book also stated that the Amish seem so gentle to tourists because, for a brief time, there can be conversations about the outside world, which interests many Amish and they can relax and converse normally, without having to think about rules. Also, there have been many church splits among the Amish, which make for family and other social upheavals and bitter fighting, which can last for generations. Some Students long to go beyond the eighth grade but can’t readily, which produces turmoil. So, wow, the Amish are just like the rest of us at th e core of things. Stereotypes are surface things, they always have some truth to them but look beyond the surface. Beth

From Greg:

Hello everyone,
I have a quick question, or maybe not so quick, for all you guys and dolls there at SeroTalk. With all the news you cover, how do you keep up with it all? Ok maybe I have a second question here. Where do you guys get all your news that you cover? I know of some sources like Engadget and sites like it but what are some others you guys use?

Thank you,

Greg Wocher(My last name is pronounced like poker with a w. So it is pronounced Woker)

Follow me on Twitter @GWocher

From Pam Francis:

Hi folks,

I think the biggest reason, if there is one for general society to “fear the blind” is lack of education along with the stereotypes portrayed in movies & other media. We are supposed to be musical, as have been Stevie Wunder & Ray Charles.
For those who are old enough to have seen the movie, A patch of blue, the blind girl in that movie was cast as an uneducated helpless imbecile.
Those of us who have been employed, live on our own & function within normal society; though we may need adaptive tools are seen as “amazing.”
Though the ADA has made strides with reference to various means of accessibility, no legislation can force acceptance.
I also think mainstreaming in schools has a double edged sword. Though it allows the person who is blind to interact with sighted piers, it does not offer valuable skills one needs to function in the world without a sighted family member.
I was exposed to both public school & the state school for the blind. I am thankful for both experiences; as it taught me when & how to ask for the help I needed at the time I needed it.
Given today’s technology, I still find people who find it unbelievable that I am able to use a computer & a normal smart phone.
A quick story to validate my point is this.
I did the normal traditional Christmas meal for my daughter & grandkids. My 5 year old grandson asked me to bake him a blueberry pie. While at our Christmas table, he innocently asked, “Grandma, how can you do this if you are blind? I was prepared to answer his question on a level he could understand, however my daughter chastised him for asking such a question.
I only hope the next generation of people who happen to be blind are treated with a little more respect than our generation has been. We all have to earn what we get in this world, be it material or respect for our character.
We shouldn’t have to go uphill to attain the same accolades our sighted piers take for granted.

Pam Francis

Blog comment from Russ Kiehne

After reading “iPad, Not the Most Economical Choice for Blind Consumers” and Testing Android Accessibility: I Give Up”, I’m glad I ended up buying a refurbished ipad mini. It has more volume and better sound than my ipod touch, victor reader stream booksense and plextalk pocket. With being able to lock the screen while playing audio content, I get much more play time than with my specialized players.

With the bard mobile app, I can read nls books on it. Books can be directly downloaded to the ipad mini. This can’t be done on my specialized players.
It’s going to be a while before bard mobile comes to android!

With the audible app, I can read books from audible. Books can be directly downloaded to the ipad mini. I can’t do this with my specialized players.

With the Kindle app, I can read Kindle books from Amazon. I can’t do this with my specialized playrs.

With voice dream reader, I can read books from bookshare, unprotected epub and other file types. I use it to read multi-part mp3 audio books.
What’s nice about voice dream reader, you can download books from both bookshare and Project Gutenberg directly to the ipad mini. I bought the optional neospeech voice to make it sound just like a booksense when reading any text based file. Voice dream reader is supplied with Acapela. I can switch between Acapela and neospeech. I can’t see buying a second generation victor reader stream in order to download books from bookshare to it. With the specialized players I have, I can’t download books from bookshare to them. Is there an app like voice dream reader for android?

With the downcast app, I can download podcasts directly to the ipad mini. I can subscribe and unsubscribe to podcasts on it. With my plextalk pocket, I can’t subscribe and unsubscribe to podcasts on it. With the other two specialized players i have, I can’t download podcasts to them. Is there an app like downcast for android?

My ipad mini is now my favorite device for reading books, downloading and listening to podcasts and old time radio shows.

From Stan:

Your article and discussion about perceptions about those of us that are blind really hit home with me. I was mainstreamed before mainstreaming became in vogue in the 60’s and 70’s in Pittsburg California.
Recently, I decided to touch bases with a former classmate. During the first couple of conversations things went well. The individual even told me that I should keep in touch. I noticed that during our third conversation that things changed abruptly. It was like I was having a conversation with a brick wall. Because I’m facebook friends with the sister of the individual concerned, I asked her what his problem was?
Here was the answer that I received. “I don’t understand Stan’s situation.” He further stated that he hoped that my feelings weren’t hurt. That didn’t exactly make my day. I really hate dealing with fake people.

From Mike Arrigo:

Happy new year!
I found Chris’s article about giving up on android interesting. He was actually on the eyes free list for a while, so many of us responded to his messages when he wanted to know how to do things. I think in some ways that his expectations are not realistic. Sure, 100 percent accessibility would be nice, but, we don’t have that on any platform.
If we go by his logic, than we should give up on windows, unless you use narrator for everything, you have to install and use a third party screen reader to use windows. Also, in many cases, we tweak our windows system, such as disabling some of the animation, or the arrow interface so the screen reader works better. The fact is, on every platform, you will need to use some work arounds to access everything you want. The main question is, on android, are you able to do every major task you could want such as phone calls, text messages, twitter, facebook, listening to music, email, etc. The answer is yes. I don’t think it matters whether you use the built in applications or need to install third party apps, especially when most of the third party apps are free. As Ricky said, that’s one of the great things about android, you can configure a device exactly the way you want it.

Blog comment from Tim Hornik

With regards to the comments from the Eyes Free Google Groups from Chris, I definitely understand his perspective. Android ventured a long way into the land of accessibility for the visually impaired. However, it has a little more to go within its stock set of apps before it will reach a level of ease for those transitioning or first time smart phone users. Yes, I have picked up a Nexus 7 a couple of months ago, and have enjoyed the experience.

However, for Droid to truly become a great competitor against iOS, two things must happen. First, the assistive technologies trainers, professionals, organizations, and similar must adopt Android as an alternative device for mobile computing. In my experience, only a few of these blind rehab specialists have embraced Android and offer it as an option. Secondly, the pool of resources needs to grow a bit more. I understand the difficulties with the various incarnations of Android, Sandroid, etc out there, but compare that to iOS. Maybe later on this year, this gap will shrink tremendously, especially as websites and resources like That Android Show, HTB2.com, Wolfdream De-Mystifying series, and numerous other websites and communities mature.

On a side comment about the security stuff, I could swear that some company called Serotek has this program called Socializer that has users inserting their social network login information for various accounts. Wait, I believe they also have some cloud service for storing OCR’ed documents. BTW, I use both. Anyways, I am weary about the NSA stuff, but care more about private companies who store and monitor my stuff. But this is my digital life, and not my real life. You can take all of this stuff away, and I am still me. Unless, we get to the point with neuro chips and our ghosts get hacked by the puppetmaster.

Roundabout

Why Cold Air Smells Different

Chocolate Braille? 3d printer for Chocolate

Lessons On Blindness, ‘For The Benefit Of Those Who See’ : NPR

For the Benefit of Those Who See: Dispatches from the World of the Blind: Rosemary Mahoney

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?

Welcome to this very spooky edition of the SeroTalk Podcast. Will Jamie, Ricky and Joe be able to pick their way through this week’s maze of stories? Is the mailbag finally over its cold? These and many other intriguing mysteries await you in this week’s episode of the show.

Papa Sangre II (Official Launch Trailer)

End of Line » EOL Extra: Halloween, Ghosts, and the Number 27?

a trip through a haunted maze by Drew Webber

Blind Bargains: Ian Humphreys of Spoonbill Software Has Just Released Six New Games

A Fresh Season of Updates

My experience with an Android product, and my return to the iPhone

Android 4.4 KitKat more for TVs than phones, report says

Samsung patents smartphone-connected ‘sports glasses’ that could compete with Google Glass

Microsoft reportedly testing its own version of Google Glass

Google’s iron grip on Android: Controlling open source by any means necessary

The Rave Reviews For BlackBerry’s BBM App Might Be Fake

Samsung Paid Commenters to Write Negative HTC Reviews

The Decline of Wikipedia: Even As More People Than Ever Rely on It, Fewer People Create It

iPad vs. Galaxy vs. Nexus vs. Kindle vs. Surface: Which tablet should you get?

Why Apple’s A7 Chip Will Really Shine in the iPad Air

Mavericks: The end of Macs in the enterprise?

Microsoft cuts another $100 off first-generation Surface Pro price

Mailbag

Blog comment from Russ Kiehne

Listening to The Kindle Chronicles podcast at http://feeds.feedburner.com/thekindlechronicles/blogListeing to Len Edgerly has a weekly tech tip. One of these tech tips is how to use dropbox with a Kindle fire.

I was wondering, will Serotek be doing An Accessibility Review of The new Amazon Kindle fire hd and hdx with built in accessibility?

From Luis:

Hi guys & lady,

After listening to your episode 174, there are a lot of stuff I would like to reply to. Specially replying to one of your iReports you had. But I rather share something similar that happened in Houston at the beginning of this year.

It relates to your story about the $20, the blind customer. and the good deed. This story, I’m pasting because it also hit home with something that the school I work for has been doing for the past 3 years. That is the campaign of “Spread the Word, to End the Word”. Which relates to the word “Retard”. I won’t bored you with the details. But, with this deed that the employee did towards the blind customer. Here’s a similar news story that a waiter did for a special needs child.

Waiter refuses to serve customers who insulted special needs child Friday, January 18, 2013 Miya Shay

HOUSTON (KTRK) — A waiter at a restaurant near downtown took a stand for a special needs child. Now, support is flowing in from all over, thanking the waiter and the restaurant, Laurenzo’s on Washington. The waiter has been working at the restaurant for about two years, and the family members at the heart of the story have been regular customers about the same length of time. But it’s what took place two days ago that has a lot of people talking. Michael Garcia loves serving his customers. On Wednesday night he greeted two groups of regulars — Kim Castillo and her family, and another group who sat in the adjacent booth. “So we were sitting there and all of a sudden I noticed that the family across from us got up and moved to the back of the restaurant,” Castillo said. “I thought, I wonder if they’re moving because of us?” The Castillo group included five-year-old Milo, who has Down syndrome. But neither Milo’s mom Kim nor Garcia could have imagined why the other family moved. Garcia recalled, “I didn’t think much of it until I heard him say, ‘Special needs children need to be special somewhere else.'” After hearing that, Garcia just reacted. “It was very disturbing,” he said. “My personal feelings just took over and I told this man, ‘I’m sorry, I can’t serve you.'” That family quickly left. But it wasn’t until later in the evening that the Castillo family found out that their waiter had stood up for their son. Kim Castillo said, “What went through my mind was that I was just so impressed and felt so good that somebody would stand up for another human being.” Garcia said, “It upset me because he’s a five-year-old little boy. He’s an angel. He’s precious!” Since then support has poured in, from the Internet and from regular customers. Customer Bill Baker said, “I think he did the right thing — there’s the door.” And most of all, he earned the thanks of a grateful Castillo family. Kim said, “He’s good in our book!” Garcia says if the other customers return, he will serve them just like anyone else. As for the Castillo family, they plan to remain loyal customers.

From Timothy Hornik

Greeting Serotalk Team,


I greatly appreciated the article from Scientific America on why some with visual impairments possess capabilities to understand higher rates of speech. Often people ask me the same questions you all stated if blindness has enhanced my hearing. Instead of entering into a conversation of what happens, the link will help. One thing I have noticed with my ability, it is voice dependent, plus it took a long time to acclimate to the rate. Is this something you all experienced?

When the article mentioned Brain Strokes, it lead me to wonder if they will test for whether neuro-protective or nuero-plasticity factors helps with this phenomenon for those later in life blinded. Some examples of these includes playing music or speaking multiple languages, especially if learned early in life.

To toss in a grey area population, how about those who lose site in their mid 20’s? At this age, the brain has completed its adolescent development. In particular, I am thinking of my fellow war blinded comrades, but will caveat that this depends on the nature of the injury.

Thinking about this population, I am interested in learning your thoughts on the differences between low vision and functionally blind. This topic captivated my attention and have researched it along with talking with a couple of nuero-ophthalmologists at a convention recently.


Thank you for your assistance,
Timothy Hornik

Roundabout

Why We Hate Change

Why you think your phone is vibrating when it is not

Jamie, Ricky and Joe have a lot to discuss in this week’s SeroTalk podcast. Topics covered include:

Blind Bargains: President Obama Declares October 15 Blind Americans Equality Day

HumanWare sees its global development expand through a partnership with Essilor

Lease to Own Option Now available for Adaptive Technology solutions costing over $1,700 from Triumph Technology

Reader’s view: Drive safely, pay attention and watch for the blind

There’s No Such Thing as a “blind Ghetto” Product

Why Can Some Blind People Process Speech Far Faster Than Sighted Persons?: Scientific American

Blind, Yet Now I See

Windows 8.1: What a difference a year makes

Microsoft pulls botched Windows RT 8.1 update, tolerates mediocre Surface 2 review (Updated)

Review: The Kindle Fire HDX Is the Amazon-centric Tablet Finally Done Right

Do I Need to Stop Using Microsoft Security Essentials?

Windows XP users get a year of Chrome support after OS retires

Nexus 5 quietly appears at Google Play for $349

Android 4.4 KitKat tweets hint at Oct. 28 launch

Google Maps for iOS updates with faster navigation, more languages

Tim Cook talks hiring of Angela Ahrendts as Retail chief, says she is ‘best person in the world for this role’

Amazon listing may be hinting at new Apple TV at 22nd Oct event

Mailbag

Jesse writes:

Hey guys. You do a very awesome job with the podcast. I love it! I was just thinking if Ricky did record a voice professionally, Serotek could make it one of the standard voices for system access and it would be your own trademarked voice. Just a thought. Keep doing an awesome job. Jesse

From Mike Arrigo Regarding the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, unless Amazon has changed their position, the device will be fairly locked down. You will not be able to side load apps, which means you could not install braille back or even the google play store. Also, the boot loader is locked with no way to officially unlock it, so installing a different rom would be difficult if not imposible. And, as stated, no access to the google play store. Because of these reasons, it’s not a tablet I would consider. If you want an android tablet, go with the nexus 7. Regarding mobile accessibility on Windows Phone 8, unfortunately this is not a screen reader. It’s a suite of applications, similar to what mobile accessibility is on android. However, on windows phone 8, you don’t have access to the native phone interface or any third party apps. If this is Microsoft’s idea of accessibility on this platform, I suggest they try again. This is not even true accessibility, and considering that IOS and Android provide accessibility for the native interface including third party apps, there’s no reason to go with a platform that only provides this limited functionality. Microsoft needs to do what Google and Apple have done, provide a built in screen reader that works with the native platform interface and built in applications, as well as third party applications that conform to the platform standards.

Here is a link to Windows Weekly episode 333 referenced by Joe

Roundabout

Steve Jobs ‘believed he was a World War II pilot’

19-year-old Dairy Queen manager does good deed for blind man

Thomas Edison’s Talking Dolls Sound Like They’re Possessed By Satan

Recommended Reading

Here is a list of the books which were mentioned in this week’s podcast:

Johnny Carson by Henry Bushkin

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

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

Welcome to SeroTalk Podcast 173, where Jamie, Ricky and Joe discuss the top news stories of the week. Topics covered in this episode include:

Shutdown Slams Blind Merchants

2013 Employment Resources for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired

ReadIt Air Now Shipping Vision Air International

GWSocialEyes Price Change Coming Soon

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

Review of the Kindle Fire HDX

Eye surgeon Anthony Vipin Das has created shoes that see for the blind

Disney invents touchscreen that lets you feel textures

Apps on iPhone 5S more crash-prone than other models

Apple reportedly cutting iPhone 5C production in half

Apple’s iPad event reportedly set for October 22

Twitter to let you watch TV through a tweet

Samsung import ban in effect after President Obama declines to veto ITC order

Leaked Doc Provides More Nexus 5 Details

Android 4.4 KitKat: The seven things we know so far

PayPal Lets You Pay With QR Codes

On Kickstarters and Sandwiches

Mailbag

Hi SeroTalk Podcast Team (whoever you may be this week), My name is Kelsey and I live in England. As a listener to your show for almost a year now (wow!), this is my first time contributing to the show. Whilst sitting on the train earlier last week, a rather interesting thought came to me. Android, as we all know, is skinned by hardware and software developers. For example, HTC phones and Nexus devices, besides their hardware, look completely different. Of course, many blind people know this due to the frustration of inaccessible UIs. Well, I was thinking, do you think creators of Windows 8 tablets may start to introduce this? With the Surfaces (Surfi?) being the equivalent of a Google Nexus with Android and then other manufacturers (Acer, Del etc) skinning Windows to make it unique. With MicroSoft’s cooperation, there is a strong possibility that Windows may start heading this way. How do you think this would effect accessibility? Do you think it would begin to fragment the same way TalkBack does on several Android phones and tablets? Moving a little further into this fantasy Android meets the all-mighty Windows, could the desktop, for want of a better word, die? Could the Windows 8 start screen take over and the desktop vanish? Personally, I believe that laptop/desktop computers should have the desktop and the new start screen however the tablet version of Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT should just have an all-inclusive start screen and scrap the desktop.
This would likely start a we hate MicroSoft uprising in the mainstream community because, as we know, the start screen has not been adopted with the open arms that MicroSoft were obviously hoping for. As a user of Windows 8 for over a year now (I got it the day it came out), I have fallen in love with the new UI and think this is a great plan for the future of desktop computing. Yes, a few tweaks here and there are required for an optimal experience but for those people who are not ready for a fully touch-based experience just yet, Windows 8 is still a lovely operating system. Really, I believe that tablet computing is the future of consumer business and over here, laptops and desktops alike are not yet becoming extinct but they’re not as popular as they were say three or four years back. Many people do have a love hate relationship with Windows 8 and I understand that fully. I’m sure in 2015 – 2016 everyone will find something else to moan about, we’ll all be used to the start screen, MicroSoft will change it again based on the complaints of 2012 – 2013 and we’ll all moan once more! I love your show and hope you keep up the good work for years to come where you can talk about new technologies as it comes along. Thanks, Kelsey

P S: Jo, I can’t wait for the next Apple event (potentially scheduled for October apparently). I’m sure you’re as excited as I am!

Roundabout

Colorado sixth-grader’s beer-making experiment headed for space

My Daughter’s Homework Is Killing Me

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

Welcome to what turned out to be one of the longest SeroTalk podcasts ever. Jamie, Ricky and Joe had a lot to say about this week’s news. Also, Alena Roberts brings us an interview with the developers of the iOS game CodeName Cygnus. Of course, your feedback is the icing on the cake and we have a lot of mail for you to read this month. Let’s get started, shall we?

Blind Bargains: The New Kindle Fire Has New Accessibility Features , Perhaps for Real This Time

Amazon Launches Kindle Fire HDX Tablets, Fire OS 3.0

2013: The Year of Books for Blinks

Sony Walkman Range Updated With New Android 4.1 Equipped Devices

Reading Kindle Books on Your iOS Device: A Quick Reference Guide

Bookshare now available through the CNIB Library!

Please upgrade to FaceBook version 6.5.1 to get notifications read back with VoiceOver on iOS.

Disney tightens up resort disability program

Stevie Wonder Speaks Up For Children With Disabilities

Blind Bargains: NBC Announces Over 100 Hours of Coverage for the 2014 and 2016 Paralympics

Web Engineer: “Help Apple shape the future of UI interaction patterns and accessibility on the Web.”

Talking Windows 7 Pre-installation Environment

Unveiling the Serotek Ambassadors’ Club

Accessible Games

New RPG puts players in the shoes of a blind hero

? Three Monkeys Development Trailer

Three Monkeys – Yoska Monologue

Wewrite

Papa Sangre Sequel To Star None Other Than Famed English Actor Sean Bean

Valve fires up SteamOS, its bid for living room PC gaming

Valve’s Steam Machine prototype to ship early to 300 lucky players

Gaming with the kids is gaining popularity according to new report

T-Mobile dropping BlackBerry from in-store retail selection

BlackBerry Accepts $4.7 Billion Buyout Offer

Unofficial iMessage app for Android appears, likely unsafe

Bill Gates: ‘Control+Alt+Delete’ Was a Mistake

Mailbag

Mike Arrigo writes:

Lots of good stuff covered in this show. I do hope the NLS app comes to android soon as well. I’ve heard rumors that the company they contracted with to develop the app really messed things up, so it could be a while, but I hope that’s not the case, but I do wish they would have released them both at the same time. Since I got my iphone 5 in July, I will not be upgrading. My next phone will probably be a galaxy s 3, the s 4 still costs more than I am willing to pay but the 3 has great hardware specs still. I upgraded to IOS 7 the day it came out, it is working fine on my iphone 5. I agree with Jamie about the new app switcher, it’s much better I think. Really though, if this was an overhall of the platform, I don’t notice anything really major. Itunes radio is nice. Admitedly, I’m disappointed that some of the limitations were not removed. You still cannot change your default keyboard, I was really hoping that would be permitted. You still cannot install other system voices, I will talk more about voices in a minute, and there is still no file management, this is something every other operating system, whether mobile or desktop provides. I’m not saying I want IOS to become Android, but I do want the ability to customize my device the way I want it, and I don’t want a brick wall between me and it’s files. Transferring content to an iphone is still much more difficult than it needs to be. Ok, regarding voices. The reason there are some differences is because IOS 7 is using a new version of the vocalizer TTS engine. Previous versions used what is called vocalizer automotive, IOS 7 uses the newest version, it’s called vocalizer expressive. For some languages, the voices are totally different now, and some users are not happy with the new voices. I read the post of one user who is actually thinking about switching to android because the voice in his language is awful. He likes the acapela voices for his language, but again, you cannot install those as system voices like you can in Android.

From Jordan Gallacher

Hello, A couple of comments about iOS 7 after listening to your most recent podcast. First, I am happy to say there was an update to the Facebook app that fixed the problem of not being able to get to the notifications. Here are the things I don’t like about iOS 7. First, for some strange reason, my e-mail messages are all now starting at the end of iPhone for my signature. I liked it better when it would automatically start at the top on the first blank line. Here is my two biggest problems I have noticed with my bluetooth keyboard. As you mentioned, the Control key does not stop the speech like it used to. My other issue is that my F11 key is not working as it was in iOS 6 to get back to the Home screen and open the App Switcher. Annoyes me that I now really can’t be across the room from my phone and get back to the Home screen using my bluetooth keyboard. Other than those issues, I have been quite happy with iOS 7. Hopefully enough people complain about the things that are not working right that Apple will have to fix them, especially the bluetooth keyboard issues. Regards, Jordan

Jenine Stanley says:

Hey guys,

Thanks so much for the Echo demo. You succeeded in either bringing back memories or inducing PTSD, not sure which at the moment.

I got my first computer back in 1988 and I agree with Ricki about the sheer novelty of having a thing that echoed your keystrokes and that you could actually, in some cases, manipulate faster than a sighted person.

I was fascinated with linguistics at that point in my life and began taking classes at Ohio State with the hope of working on synthetic speech. Of course the Linguistics Department was not exactly aware of synthetic speech back then and directed me toward the computer folks who didn’t know about it either. Ah, once again way ahead of my time.

Then I went to work for a company called Computer Conversations which made the Verbal Operating System VOS. We also worked on a speech synthesizer called the Verbette. Yes, that really was the name and no I did not come up with it.

The speech was based on the same chip set used in most of the synthesizers at that time, I believe the SSI1 chip. What we did that was slightly different was to add controls for articulation and inflection which were soon added to synthesizers like the Artic products. It was also a parallel port device about the size of a pack of cigarettes. I still have one of the first run models in my computer junk museum box.

Part of my job on that project was to go through the pronunciation tables to correct or tweak anything to give the speech a more Midwestern accent as opposed to East Coast or Valley Girl.

From there I was sparked to find more, different and better speech synthesizers. OK, don’t shoot me but I loved the Double Talk and Triple Talk. Yes, they could be annoying but for the time, they offered a much more fluid, natural sounding speech. I don’t speed speech up much but I do mess with pitch and tone.

Then we got to the point where software based speech was not only possible but varied. Yay! I must own a ton of software synthesizer programs from the really good, Ivona and Nuance, to the really scary, too numerous to mention. My current favorite, which has been on my desktop PC for a couple years now, is Ivona’s Kendra. Ivona’s Joey is on my work laptop.

I really like the male Siri voice with the new inflection. Oh how I wish that one was available for Voice Over. I’m using the Irish English Voice Over for now, though I do like the South African voice.

And yes, I too loath Samantha! She sounds way too much like a former coworker at another job whom I could not stand.

I can only imagine the voice actors convention, a bit like running into NLS narrators at national conventions. You stand there in the elevator listening and think, “Hey, that guy sounds familiar. Who is he?”

Then you realize you’re staring at Jack Fox. Oops. Luckily he found it funny.

Then you run into a voice you can’t stand and say so, not knowing said narrator is standing about 3 feet away. Again, oops.

My final foot-in-mouth moment happened when I was browsing the APH booth at a convention a while back and asked one of the people his name. Roy Avers spoke up and I blubbered that he sounded nothing like he did when reading. I got the feeling he heard that a lot because he just sighed and went on processing my order. Gee, even telling him he was the voice of Isaac Asimov didn’t help. Imagine that?

Jenine Stanley

Bob Reid says:

Hi once again. If you look deep into the comments on the Youtube video, it is suggested that Susan C. Bennett is the old voice of Siri and Samantha and not Allison Dufty as so many are assuming. Apparently, Steve Jobs chose her personally. This could very well be the case as Susan’s lower register matches Samantha, “s’s” included. Check out the demos on her website. http://www.susancbennett.com/ Bob.

Wayne Mills writes in to say:

Hi Ricky, Jamie, Patrick and Joe,

I’m not really prone to sending mails (except for my other one) but I felt I should write because I was really worried about you all after this podcast. What has happened ? It seemed like I had entered an IOS twilight zone where I didn’t recognised what you were all saying about IOS7. It felt as though you had all woken up on chrismas day and didn’t get the Christmas present you thought you were going to get!

I thought I should offer a bit of support for IOS7. After reading my own mail though, I realise I sound like an Apple fan boy but I’m not really – just saying what my actual experience was on installing IOS7. I do say that I am a loyal customer though simply because of the huge difference the iPone and Mac has made to my independent lifestyle. It essentially has reached the status of being a personal assistant in many respects.

I’m using the 4S and I’m not really able to say that there is any significant slowing of my phone. Possibly ever so slightly spongy on the odd app but nothing significant. It is certainly not creaking and cracking under the strain of IOS 7. I wonder if almost full memory may be responsible for the slowing that others have reported on their devices.

Having said that, I do wonder if there might be a deliberate attempt to slow the OS slightly as mentioned in order to encourage an upgrade to the 5S. The Os was not a significant installation size and I don’t see anything that I would think would be taxing on the hardware really that ought to result in some people’s reported experience. §.

Patrick, I want to put your mind at ease in relation to Daniel’s voice. That nasty voice that starts on initialising IOS7 is just an initialisation voice. Once configured, you simply choose the high quality voices you want to use. don’t forget, the blind community were asking to be able to choose multiple voices and Apple have provided that. I have chosen the English; Irish; Australian and French high quality voices that all work perfectly well. I have had no stuttering or difficulty. I can change them through the rotor for the material I am reading.

Do remember, the compact voice for IOs 6 was also not pleasant to listen to unless you were using the high quality voice for the region you are in. .

What about the improvements in Siri? The voice recognition is much improved. You can ask Siri to read your mails as a group; by subject or by sender’s name or date received. You can send an e-mail interactively. You can also perform these tasks for messages. Because the voice recognition is much more accurate, it is a much smoother activity and not quite the fight we used to have at times in IOS 6.

Siri will also get information from Widipedia when you want to know about a particular subject and this feature often provides the immediate answer to many questions. You can go to the full article if you need to.

What about the handwriting feature? Of course, many blind people have acquired their sight issues later in life. the handwriting feature allows a person who has difficulty with a touch keyboard to handwrite their pass code; their mail or text message. Even a letter if they wished. The handwriting feature can also teach a blind child about the shapes of print for signature etc. In my case, I have used a mixture of all three input options. the handwriting option is really helpful to input the passcode because it does not announce the key press. Great when I’m in a public place. ll

I am a blind user of the phone so don’t know much about the low vision issues but I believe there are options to increase contrast and boldness in the accessibility settings and that these do offer significant improvement to the standard screen. That may help some people with the visual issues of the screen depending on their eye condition. I’d be interested in knowing if these options do offer any significant improvement generally.

Joe, I do like you and you are a bonnie lad but I think you are developing your very own Android distortion field – it might be the same Apple distortion field that has mutated and infected your space ! I think Apple ring tones seem to bother you a bit but like other devices, you can just download some more if you’d like you know. Just like other mobiles.

I know you like to evangelise about Talkback and how its open source contributions mean that there are advantages in the updating of its software. Of course that is true but only to an extent. The updates you refer to have been developing for some years now and they are still not equal to the OS integration of voiceover. Having said that, I am really pleased that there is competition for its own sake in terms of building our opportunities for mainstream inclusion in design.

I also have to say that it is not quite fair to say that there is closed communication in the Apple environment.I have e-mailed developers and Apple on a number of occasions and have found all to be open and willing to respond to concerns and interest. Apple developers do seem to be keen on responding to accessibility issues when they are made aware of them and an Apple market means that they can direct accessibility to a clearly identified disability group re: their time and intellectual investment..

Anyway, just throwing a thought into the ring just to get Joe to bite …

Thanks to you all for your show, always good to listen to at triple speed on downcast !

Warm regards Wayne

Roundabout

Maybe You Get Bad Customer Service Because You’re a Bad Customer

Audioboo / brief demo of Milton, an electronic memory game

Blind man’s guide dog dies after pushing young boy from path of speeding car

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

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

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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.

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

In this podcast, Jamie pauls, Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp discuss the top news stories of the week including Apple’s WWDC keynote.

Reddit, Mozilla Join Coalition Demanding End to NSA Snooping

Chirpify Goes Beyond PayPal To Bring Direct, In-Stream Payments To Facebook, Twitter And Instagram

Bing’s U.S. search market share continues to climb

Amazon’s New Grocery Service: For $299, You Never Have to Leave the House Again

What I learned about the Xbox One from E3 | E3

Microsoft exec on Xbox One: No Internet? Get an Xbox 360

Download Chicken Nugget twitter client

Qube update available, works with new Twitter API. Start The Qube and auto update, alternatively, have an installer

iOS 7 looks great, but can it lure this Android user?

Editorial: The subtexts of Apple’s WWDC keynote

iFixit finds a plethora of minor tweaks inside the 2013 MacBook Air

Why the MacBook Air didn’t get a Retina display

Apple’s Rising Star: Craig Federighi

Report: Apple Ads Not Working Very Well

As Apple reorients its Maps, Google forges ahead

Our Position on the Posting on AppleVis of Information about Beta Versions of Apple Software

Roundabout

The OrCam: A Portable, Wearable Visual System for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons

Hands-free texting still distracting for drivers

Blind cyclists take to the track in Bristol »

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