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.

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

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

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

Check out the services available from the Lutheran Braille Workers

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

Embossing all sorts of things with Enableing Technologies

Jamie tags in Braille Design

Find your way with GuideLights & Gadgets

We open the program with one of our SPN Summer Show sponsors to talk jewlery, charms and those wonderful Elegant Insights

Books are their business at the national Library Service

Serotek, through iBlink Radio, is happy to be a long time supporter of IAAIS

Jamie goes on a quest with EnVision America

Wagging tails and Guiding Eyes

Jamie goes back to class with the Hadley School for the Blind

Not to far away from nevada, here’s what’s going on with the Missouri Council Of The Blind

New help coming to those suffering with Non 24 Sleep Disorder with Hetlioz

Mr. Lakey stops by to discuss all the new changes at Freedom Scientific

Jamie goes for a walk with Leader Dogs

Custom products from Navajo Jewlery

Join Jamie, Ricky and Buddy for this week’s episode of the podcast as they discuss the top news stories of the week. After the news, Jamie talks with Joshua Loya and Mario Schapp about the San Diego Blind Community Center’s Tekio Jutsu martial arts program designed with the visually impaired student in mind. Stories covered in this podcast include:

Feds to distribute “currency readers” for visually impaired people

NEW! VarioUltra

2014 National Convention Exhibitors

Slate & Stylish: What NOT to Wear: Convention Edition

Uber and service animals controversy

Fire phone Accessibility

What’s right (and wrong) with the Amazon Fire Phone

Amazon Fire Phone vs. Samsung Galaxy S5: Specs Compared

What iOS 8 tells us about the next iPhones and iPads

Why the time for an iWatch is finally almost here

It’s impossible to upgrade the entry-level iMac’s 8GB of RAM

Apple settles ebook case, agrees to pay consumers over price-fixing

Roundabout

75 Years of AFB and Talking Books

APH: The History of the American Printing House for the Blind: A Chronology

THE WAR OF THE DOTS

RIP Greg Brayton

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

Last December, Serotek’s own Buddy Brannan had the opportunity to join HIMS Inc. in New York City where they took part in the dedication of the very first UN Accessibility Center. While Buddy was in the neighborhood, he paid a visit to The Seeing Eye. He brought back a lot of audio from that trip, and we are pleased to bring you the second installment. Buddy had the opportunity to record a tour of the school. This is a high-quality stereo recording, so a good pair of headphones are recommended.

We would like to thank Jim Kutsch, the president of the school along with other members of the staff for making this tour one that our listeners will never forget.

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they discuss this week’s news of interest. Then, Jamie visits with Jeremy Curry about the recent merger of AI Squared and GW Micro. Topics discussed in this week’s podcast include:

A T Talk

Assistive Technology Leaders Merge to Expand Opportunities

Ai Squared and GW Micro Merge: Two Old Friends Join Forces

The Penguin Random House/Bookshare Partnership

The popular TapTapSee App is now available for Android

Quick Take: TapTapSee for Android Works Just like the iPhone Version, But Should It?

VoiceOver users: Journey towards accessibility, we are home: Our iOS Fleksy update is now fully accessible.

64 Ounce Games Has Reached it’s Goal

A Review of Chicken Nugget from Accessible Apps

TW Blue. Another accessible Twitter client based on The Qube.

Mainstream Matters

Are we starting to fall out of love with tablets?

Sprint partners with Spotify for music streaming

Sprint introduces its exclusive HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon

Hackers find first post-retirement Windows XP-related vulnerability

Hands-on with Firefox 29: More “customizable,” more Chrome-y

Are You Ready for a Driver’s License for the Internet?

Google’s self-driving cars hit 700,000 miles, learn city navigation

Blind Leading The Blind

Roundabout

How long should adults nap?

The 72 Worst Internet Sayings, Ranked

Listen to the fake sounds that could keep electric vehicles from hitting people

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.

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

Colorado Center For The Blind

Perkins Products

Freedom Scientific

Braille Design

HIMS Inc.

Enabling Technologies

Independent Living Aids

National Braille Press

Philmore Productions

Guiding Eyes

Duxbury Systems

Seeing Eye

The NFB13 agenda is now available online! Start planning your convention schedule now

Screen Readers at a Crossroads

Huawei Vision with Ray

There has been a significant update to TapTapSee

Introducing the new Socializer from Serotek

A brief tour of the Samnet Socializer

Developer suspects Facebook app is behind iPhone battery drain

Why you should always read the small print from Facebook

Fired Zynga Staff Hits Reddit to Talk Life Before the Massacre

WWDC 2013 Rumor Roundup: iOS 7, OS X 10.9, iRadio, and New Macs

New iRadio Ad Details Surface Ahead of Expected Launch Next Week

Eight changes I want to see in iOS 7 | iPhone

Apple vs. Samsung: It’s Thermonuclear War

HTC bleeding continues: Operations chief reportedly steps down

Microsoft goes public with Windows 8.1 upgrade policies

Amazon plans big expansion of online grocery business

Bose Reveals SoundLink Mini Bluetooth Speaker And QuietComfort 20 In-Ear Headphones With “Aware Mode”

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

Mailbag

Thanks guys for the shout out. Here’s some info from the guide dog training perspective on taking your dog to an amusement park.

First off, the parks aren’t obligated to watch your dog while you go on the rougher rides so if you want to ride things like roller coasters, you may want to take along a person to serve as the dog holder while you ride. Know your dog before you go is really the key to going to any type of tourist attraction. If you’re going with people who can do sighted guide or if you want to ride a lot of rides and so do the rest of your party, making use of the amusement park kennels is a really sound alternative. Most kennels will require a health certificate which you can get from your vet at home prior to your trip.

So, what rides are safe for dogs? This really depends on your dog and if there’s anything that bothers him or her. Simple rides that just involve a sort of train car moving through things may be fine but there may be loud noises, deep booms, things flying around over your head, virtually or in reality, that can set some dogs off.

As dogs get older they tend to get more sensitized to loud noises and may shake, pant or even try to escape.

Of course any ride you need to wear a restraint on isn’t one that’s safe for your dog. Most general amusement park rides like trains, monorails, trams and such are fine and don’t require seatbelts. They have enough floor space for the dogs to lie down comfortably. This was certainly the case with the Disney World Frontier Land train, the Monorail, the boats on It’s A Small World and the tram on the energy Ride.

Some of the other rides like the dinosaur ride in Animal Kingdom might be a little rough for some dogs as the car simulates movement but again, that’s an individual dog decision.

I was told that if we did visit Animal Kingdom and did the Safari train, the dogs must be lying down and could not sit up and watch the animals. That’s fair as these animals might be distracted by the dogs.

One of my dogs hated anything that looked or smelled like a horse and would go into a barking, growling jag upon seeing one. I didn’t test it but suspected that it went for things like elephants and hippos too.

Back to the park trip, you want to make sure your dog is well hydrated. We found many water stations for people and dogs in Disney.

Then there’s the relief issue. Disney has set places for service animals to relieve. They are scattered throughout the parks and any cast member can tell you where the nearest one is. We found several with no problems at all. We also found misting stations for people that sprayed a fine mist of water. We let the dogs walk under these as well and it helped to keep them both cool.

Finally, remember that your dog is going to be working very hard if guiding you through an amusement park. There are people going every direction, most of whom are oblivious to your presence. The dog will be doing a lot of weaving, dodging and stopping. Be sure to praise a lot during the day.

If you’re at a park for multiple days, give your dog a break in the kennels for a half day or so to keep from exhausting him or her.

We were worried about burnt paws too but whatever they pave the Disney grounds with stayed fairly cool. Then of course it rained and that was a moot point. Check your dog’s feet throughout the day to make sure they haven’t gotten burned while standing in line. Now there’s a good excuse to take the short line route.

If you don’t know about the accommodations for a particular park, ask. Most major parks and park chains do have information about service animals and kenneling. Your guide dog school will also most likely have some information or know who to call to get it. If you have questions about your particular dog’s abilities to handle things in an amusement park environment, by all means call your school and talk with the training staff.

I’ve had my dogs in a number of parks and other tourist venues over the years, including a jeep ride in sedona, Arizona that rivaled some roller coasters. Looking back, I might not have taken my then older dog on that one but he faired well, better then me actually.

Just use common sense, don’t get so caught up in the experience that you forget the other living being with you, your dog, and have fun!

Jenine Stanley

Roundabout

Domino’s Pizza testing pizza-delivering drones

Pepsi vending machine takes Facebook love, not money

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

This week’s show presents yet another guycast with Jamie, Buddy and Joe. As you might expect, there is no shortage of opinions on all the stories discussed below. Send us an email, leave an iReport via iBlink Radio, or leave a comment on www.serotalk.com to give us yours.

New Sendero 2013 line up

VoiceOver saved in Apple, Samsung patent battle

An Update on the Seeing Eye app Being Developed by the Sendero Group

Blind Vets Warn Against VA Funding Guide Dogs

A keyboard that rises up from flat touch screens

White House: You have a right to unlock your cell phone

Rumor: T-Mobile to move to no-contract model soon

Smartphones to outsell feature phones in 2013 for first time

Twitter Killing TweetDeck for iPhone and Android

Facebook unveils redesigned, cleaner News Feed coming to iPhone, iPad & Web

Google at work Amazon Prime competitor

Get ready for used digital goods stores from Amazon & Apple. patents.

Samsung’s Galaxy S4 rumored to use eye-tracking software

Minor security flaw found in Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2

Talkback v3.0 released

How to Prevent Accidental Spending on In-App Purchases on Your iPhone

Apple’s iPhone might have been a ‘Mobi’

Apple reportedly cutting back on iPad 9.7 orders

iPhone 5S rumored to launch in August, new iPads in April

Apple’s iWatch may be unveiled this year, Bloomberg says

Mailbag

From Snowbunny

Hey, guys, great podcast!  You asked who doesn’t have Dropbox these days.  Well, Yours Truly, for one.  I’ve never been comfortable with the premise of Dropbox, you can walk a fine line regarding legality pertaining to what you have and send people on Dropbox.  Seems to me this was mentioned on a long-ago Serotalk podcast.  Copyright issues need to be taken seriously here.  Thanks too for the upcoming CSUN shows, can’t wait!  Beth

Roundabout

Pet Peves of the blind and visually impaired

Eat a Banana to Remedy Over-Caffeination

Seeking your opinion: should Serotek Start a newsletter?

Complete Serotek’s survey for your chance to win an iPad Mini

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

In Podcast 140, Ricky Enger, Lisa Salinger and Joe Steinkamp discuss the top news stories of the week. Topics covered include:

BlackBerry Z10 review: a new life, or life support?

U.S. Carriers Rally Around BlackBerry 10

Ticketmaster dumps ‘hated’ Captcha verification system

Microsoft Office 2013 review: Designed for tablets, but great for everyone

Windows Weekly 297 discussing Office 2013

Is Windows 8 a bad OS for tablets? It’s time to decide…

Microsoft Surface Pro 64GB comes with only 23GB of available storage space

Apple iPad jumps to 128GB, starting at $799

Apple releases iOS 6.1 with more LTE carrier support, Siri/Fandango movie ticket purchasing, iTunes Match song downloading

★ AppleTV 5.2 Update Brings Accessibility Changes

Barnes & Noble Plans to Eliminate 30% of Stores Over Next 10 Years

Serotek has a shiny new Web site

Triple-click Home Episode 14: “Now Peter”

SPN Special: 2012 Outtakes

New BookShare Tools Announced at ATIA 2013

Announcing the release of BookSense 3.0.

Braille Sense U2 and U2 QWERTY are available at a promotional price of $5,595 (plus $45 shipping) through June 30th.

HumanWare – The all new Victor Reader Stream

AFB’s AccessNote for iOS has been released.

BrailleTouch has been released

Facebook Accessibility is now on Twitter

White House Announces Audio Descriptions for Public Tours

Detailed image descriptions now available

Mailbag

From Mike Arrigo:

I’m not sure how many consumers actually attempt to unlock their phones. Most people do not know what an unlocked phone is when I mention it. People should do their research more, as I have mentioned previously, the benefits of unlocked phones are many. I think making unlocking cell phones other than through your carrier gives carriers too much power. There are no laws that require carriers to unlock their phones, so if they decide they don’t want to do this, you are stuck.

All the more reason to purchase unlocked phones in the first place.

Many countries have laws requiring carriers to unlock your phone once your contract is complete, unfortunately the United States is not one of them.

I agree with Ricky about Google’s NFC thing. I don’t like the idea of replacing my passwords with some kind of chip.

Blog comment from Sue:

Hello. Love the podcasts as usual. Jamie, you mentioned that you have a drawer filled with floppy disks, and so do I, Well a few months back I got a windows7 computer and love it. Well I do have a lot of stuff on floppy disk about 40 of them. I needed an external one and I got one on Amazon the HDE external floppy disk drive was I think around 10 dollars or so. I just installed it and it is quite easy to use. It comes with a small disk and some paper instructions, but for me I plugged it in to one of the usb ports on the computer and it just works. So thought I would recommend it it for anyone who still has a bunch of floppy disks around and still use them.

Roundabout

Kids See Through the Challenges of Blindness

The Experiences of a Guide Dog owner and his dog on their first cruise

Staying in touch with the home front: Technology in the midst of war

Here is a link to the Blinded Veterans Association Web site

Here is a Wikipedia article on Paradigm Shift

Please take this screen reader user survey and help spread the word about System Access.

Welcome back to another episode of the SeroTalk Podcast. This week, Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp once again discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Jamie Pauls visits with laura Legendary of Elegant Insights Jewelry. Stories covered in this week’s podcast include:

Apple v Android: the winner is… the disabled community

Blind Community Raises Awareness with ‘Flash Mob’ Dance

Home Readers  | The gateway to shopping for the blind and visually impaired

Braille Plus 18 User Guide

Window-Eyes 8.0 Public Beta

OptiGuide

An Evaluation of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Using the Nexus 7

Newsweek turns to digital-only publication

Amazon launches Whispercast service to help schools, workplaces manage Kindle devices

Apple iPad Mini: The ultimate rumor roundup

5 Ways to Increase Your iPhone 5 Battery Life

Elop: a Surface phone would stimulate the Windows Phone ecosystem

Microsoft Office 365: More new packages and prices coming in November

Only 6% of Fans Engage With a Brand’s Facebook Page [STUDY]

Facebook partners with Panda Security

Mailbag

Blog comment from Sue

Great podcast as usual. About that article where it talks about blind people not being connected to the net for me I have been pretty lucky. I have been on the net since I was 21 years old which was in 96 which really opened up the door and that is how my husband and I met been married for nine years and loving it. As far as Lee there has got to be some blindness organization where they do something at least twice a month so he can get out and do stuff. I know when I grew up in PA there were two camps I went to during the summer. Also if he got a PC with either NVDA or System access he could at least keep up with what is going on in the world. Not everyone needs or wants a smart phone. I know they are awesome, for me I am mainly here at home and on the PC. My cell phone is a basic one. One of these days am going to get an Ipod touch.

From Christine Diller In Maryland

Good Evening Folks,

I just finished listening to Podcast 128. As always, a most informative presentation, a great job done by all!

While it’s nice having Ricky back, lending her expertise on various points of conversation, I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed Podcast 127, starring Buddy, Jamie, and Joe! I’ve never laughed so hard in all my life! You guys were awesome, even if my husband found me totally insane, sitting with my earphones in my ears, laughing hysterically over something of which he was totally unaware! Thanks for the hilarious show! Oh yes, much knowledge was gained as well.

Now if I may, a few comments from Podcast 128:

I’m a staunch advocate in educating the general public about blindness and low vision, leaving a positive impression. That’s not to say however, that I haven’t experienced situations where I wanted to scream, tearing my hair out! For example, I was once asked whether my dog cooked for me. Before replying, I had to take a deep breath, biting my tongue! It was so hard not to laugh! My dog and I, along with the individual in question, walked away, both feeling good about how I handled the situation, I think!

Now onto sounds that make one cry. The “fork against a plate” is one which causes me to cringe. Two others though, which drive me up the wall are “listening to someone crunching on an apple,” along with “hearing a person rubbing a page between their fingers, or rubbing pages together while they read.”

Wishing everyone a great week, and Joe, stay away from those emery boards!

From Pam Francis

Hi folks,

Thanks again for another informative podcast.

At the end you asked for sounds that made us cringe or react in any given way.

When I was young, I remember watching a test pattern on a black & white TV & hearing, “This is a test of the Emergency broadcast system.” The subsequent tone used to totally freek me out. To this day, I have schoolmates who have told me of my reaction. I had a very high pitched scream & ran in to a closet. By the grace of God, that menacing tone was replaced when the Emergency Alert system was activated. I still don’t like it; but do not run from the room or mute the channel be it TV or radio.

If I may, I would also like to ask another couple of questions & make another comment.

I have seen several articles posted by you & others regarding windows accessibility without a 3rd party screen reader. Per the surface tablet, if there is minimal accessibility to no accessibility, do you think Windows will have conceded to Apple with reference to tablet accessibility?

Also, if one is not familiar with Android as a platform, What is the learning curve with a Nexus 7 versus an Ipad other than accessibility gestures? I ask this because we are the launch city for Google fiber. Within our installation, we are given a Nexus 7, supposedly to be used as a remote. I also understand they have a conventional remote.

However I hope to use this opportunity to try to familiarize myself with some sort of Android, if for no other reason than to broaden my horizons.

You also made comments referencing wireless carriers having accessibility departments. Though I am a Verizon customer, I have yet to find a dependable link or contact number to get direct accessibility support. I know it exists with AT&T. I have been a Verizon customer for almost 15 years. Through the years, I have seen various phones attempt at accessibility be it gimmicky or intended. Their version of the Talks screen reader was a joke. I am forever disturbed by the customer service reps doubling as tech support reading data base answers from a computer screen rather than having raw knowledge.

I also made a futile attempt at contacting an accessibility team within google. They offer a feedback form with no means of communicating with anyone directly responsible for accessibility.

I am trying to make them aware of the needs of those of us who have such needs that are willing to subscribe to their service.

Apple does have a dedicated team with a dedicated number.

the number is, for your listeners benefit 866-204-3930 Keep up your tireless work for all of us. It does not go unnoticed.

Roundabout

Police use Taser on blind man, thinking his cane was samurai sword

Joe Steinkamp and Richard Wells recently had the honor of representing Serotek at the 2012 convention of the Blinded Veterans Association in Galveston, Texas..

We are pleased to bring you the final series of interviews conducted by Richard as he visited with many of the vendors who were present at the convention. Please feel free to visit the Web sites of the companies featured in this special.

Guiding Eyes

Logic Mark

Guide Dogs for the Blind

Fidelco

AbiSee

VA Loans

VA Adaptive Housing Grants

Daylight

Our thanks go out to the Blinded Veterans Association for allowing us to bring this content to you.

Please take this screen reader user survey and help spread the word about System Access.

Joe Steinkamp and Richard Wells recently had the honor of representing Serotek at the 2012 convention of the Blinded Veterans Association in Dallas, Texas..

While there, Joe and Richard interviewed several of the exhibitors who were present at the convention. We are pleased to bring you the first of three specials featuring those interviews. Please follow the links below to visit the Web sites of the respective companies and learn more about them.

Visit Spokane

Chicago Lighthouse

Seattle Lighthouse

National Industries for the Blind

IRIE AT

National Library Service

HIMS

America’s Vet Dogs

The Lighthouse of Houston

The World ATM Company

Vet Link

Freedom Scientific

Envision America

VA Vocational Rehabilitation Employment

Our thanks go out to the Blinded Veterans Association for allowing us to bring this content to you.

Please take this screen reader user survey and help spread the word about System Access.

Welcome to the final episode of our three 2012 ACB and NFB convention interview specials. We trust that you have enjoyed listening to all of the interviews from this year’s summer convention season as much as we enjoyed bringing them to you. Once again, we urge you to visit the links below to learn more about all of the wonderful companies featured in this episode.

Digit-Eyes

Irie-AT

Seeing Eye

Scentsy Flameless Candles

Travel One

Vanda Pharmaceuticals

Freedom Scientific

Welcome to the second of three specials featuring all of the exciting interviews we brought back from the 2012 ACB and NFB conventions. Please follow the links below to learn more about all of the fascinating companies featured in this show.

AT Guys

Newsreel Magazine

Ebay

Dolphin

Electronic Brailler

Braulio Worldwide

Aroga, Braille Pen

Dots and Dogs

Fleksy

Envision America

Hotel Imporium

Humanware

Welcome to the first of three shows featuring all of the great interviews from the ACB and NFB 2012 conventions. You heard them first on SPN Radio. Now you can listen at your leisure. We trust that you will enjoy hearing them as much as we enjoyed bringing them to you. Follow the links below to learn more about all of the companies featured in this episode.

Bookshare

American Printing House for the Blind

Kurzweil 1000

Triumph Technology

National Braille Press

NLS

LookTel

Kapten GPS

This week, Buddy Brannan sits in for Joe Steinkamp and joins Jamie Pauls and Ricky Enger in a lively discussion of the week’s news.

General Tech

Jury verdict: Android doesn’t infringe Oracle’s patents

IBM worries iPhone’s Siri has loose lips

SpokenLayer Helps You Listen to the Web

 Jonathan Ive: Apple’s current work is ‘most important’ yet

Jonathan Ive’s Design Studio: Off Limits at Apple

 Over-reliance on technology is undermining spelling skills

AT

In a Digital Age, Braille Is Still Important

The Power of Braille by Jamie Pauls

Code Factory Releases Mobile Accessibility for Android V1.9 with Braille Support

Apple, Please Bring Back Braille Access | Joe Orozco

Freedom Scientific Announces New Compact Braille Displays

New iOS app, Blindsquare, uses Foursquare to help blind people find places.

GWConnect 2.0

Indoor Navigation System Gives Guide Dogs A Rest

Meet the PLEXTALK Linio DAISY Player: A New Name and New Features

New version of Baker & Taylor’s digital media platform helps libraries serve visually-impaired

BlindSide – The Audio Adventure Game

Roundabout

Peter Cooper On Music: Blind picker Rory Hoffman does it ‘all wrong,’ but he’s doing something right

Eugene Polley, inventor of the TV remote, dies aged 96

April Fools Day

This week, Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp return with the top news stories of the week which include:

Introducing Gmail Tap

The Amazing Race to CSUN

The Biggest Note Taker Just Got Larger

Last year’s original G.T.O. Announcement

LSocial Media

Twitter gets an A+ in kindergarten classroom

3 Twitter Rumors and What They Could Mean for Brands

Twitter and Facebook degrade humanity, says Skype

Apple

Steve Jobs movie starring Ashton Kutcher is not a joke

Apple should dump the iPod Touch

New iPad ranked top tablet by Consumer Reports

6 Tips to Improve Typing on the iPad

AT

Effects Of Gesture Patents On Accessible Devices.

iTunes Hotkeys 1.0.0.0

Download the Braille version of the iPhone user guide here

Zello Brings Real-Time Group Chat to Your iOS Device

Say Zello To The World!                                                           

Hadley School for the Blind podcasts

Assistive Technology Movie Review – The Hunger Games

American Cancer Society Continues Information Accessibility Initiative

General Tech

Windows XP won’t give up top spot without a fight

Google Nexus tablet images leaked?

Dropbox doubles referral rewards, offers up to 32GB for those dripping in charisma

Mailbag

Hi Jamie et al. Just wanted to write in and say awesome job on Shows 100 and 101. I’ve been pretty busy and had some computer issues but I think those are all sorted out. It was great to re-live some of Serotalk’s early days. The podcasts have certainly changed quite a bit, and I thoroughly enjoy them all. I also want to tell you that I actually met Fred Rogers and got to sit in his lap. He was indeed a fantastic man with a very good way of speaking to children and families. He is certainly missed by all. Anyway, I look forward to many more of your excellent shows. I think SPN Radio is truly wonderful. Keep up the nice work!

Kind regards,

Jake Joehl, Illinois

Hi all,

I finally got into the 20th century and started listening to podcasts and one of the first was your 101st broadcast. Great job.

I first wanted to address the article you all mentioned about the boy getting a guide dog as he loses his sight.

I can’t talk directly about the GDB program to allow this to happen, but I do work for a guide dog school, Guide Dog Foundation, and I can say generally that all of the schools are looking for ways to expand their services because, let’s face it, funding is hard to find these days and whatever works, works. You can argue that this could, and I say could, not will, hurt the average blind guide dog handler, but whether it’s veterans, service dogs, dogs for kids with autism or whatever the program is, if it brings in money to support the entire program, that’s good. Believe it or not, some of these additional programs do benefit the average handler in that instructors learn new skills that can make guide dog use a better experience for all of us. That’s not just the company line either as GDF does have a program, America’s VetDogs, that trains service dogs and from that we’ve learned a lot about how to help people who are encountering additional disabilities to blindness.

All that said, is this idea of giving blind children dogs, either as pets or as guides, a good idea? I won’t professionally berate my colleagues at GDB, but honestly, no, it’s not, as guides anyway. Pets are a great idea, but why not just a pet dog? Pilot dogs did an experiment in the 1970’s with blind children getting dogs at age 11. The kids raised a litter of puppies donated by someone who demanded that the dogs be given to kids. The dogs were then matched, not necessarily with the kids who raised them, and all were trained to use them as guides. This worked only in a few cases where the parents were supportive. Only 2 of the kids, and I want to say there were around 6 kids involved, remained guide dog handlers after the first dog retired.

Any time you have people under age receiving guide dogs, you have that third factor of parents and other family members, not that this doesn’t happen with legal adults too, but we’re talking legal control with parents.

GDF does accept people who are 16 and in rare cases we make exceptions to that, but those applicants have to be mature and able to direct the dog. And yes, guys, you really do need to have the orientation part of O&M down before getting a dog because, and I wish I knew who said this, “You can get lost faster with a dog than with a cane.”

Enough about dogs. As you see I can go on and on forever about that subject.

Thanks for the tip about changing categories of people on Facebook. It is somewhat accessible but as with so many things on facebook, it’s clunky and not accessible from the mobile site. I did relegate many of those unfortunately chosen “friends” to “acquaintances” and make my viewing of Facebook much more pleasant. So giant thanks for that tip.

Love the podcast!

Jenine Stanley

Thanks guys and gals for that wonderful piece of comedy.  I always enjoy the content that comes from your company.  Keep up the great work!

Thanks,

Steven Whiteker

Comments on “The Biggest Note Taker Just Got Larger” ‹ SeroTalk — WordPress

Sue Ward

Wow have we come a long way in speech synthesizers. When I heard that how in the world could you understand that? It reminded me of keynote gold, and that old computer in the background with the loud fan, sounds like the kind of system I worked with in school in the 80s back in the days of MS dos. Windows is so much better along with NVDA and Window Eyes, along with the other screen readers that are out in the market, glad we have choices.

John Herzog

I purchased a GTO last year, and I love it! It is the best computer I’ve ever used. What’s most  impressive is that when it broke two days after I ordered it, Serotek was able to return the unit to me in an impressively short ten month time frame. I love the highly customized parts that cannot  be replaced anywhere else other than Serotek’s top secret headquarters. These last two months have been the most productive of my life. I owe it to Rusty Metals and Hew Morris who convinced me last year to purchase this product. I cannot wait to purchase the S.U.C.K.E.r, and I am pleased Serotek 

is continuing to innovate with the government money spent on this gadget. Now my only question is, when are you selling the speech upgrade you demonstrated as the GTO read its press release?

I’m familiar with various discussions you’ve had regarding braille in previous podcasts but haven’t had availability to respond.  I would argue that with the advancement of computer technology and the improvements in accessibility braille is more important than ever and cheaper to obtain long-term with the advent of electronic braille displays.  As I’m constructing this email I’m able to focus in on conversation without being distracted by speech because of my ability to read braille and make use of a display.  In a business meeting I can see many scenarios where braille will allow me to multitask more efficiently because I will be able to contribute to conversations while reading power points, checking emails, and performing other essential tasks as it relates to my occupation. 

It will be far less expensive to provide textbooks in braille as electronic displays are slowly becoming compatible with more devices. 

Finally, there are some real social advantages to making use of braille.  Students are becoming more mobile and completing their studies with multiple devices in varies places.  I think it would be fantastic if students were able to use a braille display as an avenue to keep up with their peers while in social situations like when watching televisions or movies in a non-intrusive way.

These are just my thoughts.

Thanks,

Greg Rogers

Roundabout

10 Things Kids Today Never Have To Worry About

This week, Buddy Brannan joins Jamie Pauls and Ricky Enger to discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Mike Calvo talks with Jamie Pauls about Apple’s new iPad.

Privacy

Facebook alters privacy policy: Is your personal data now ‘fair game’?

Thank you, Facebook: A way to demote annoying ‘friends’ on the sly

ACLU: Employers demanding Facebook passwords is privacy invasion

What Happens to My Gmail Account When I Die?

Internet

New Internet Explorer will come in two flavors

Building a ‘Blind-Friendly’ Internet

Gaming

Microsoft patent points to head-mounted, laser-based display technology

Blizzard ‘looking into’ World of Warcraft on iPhone

More moms turn to video games to relax

AT

Is NVDA Strictly a Web Accessibility Screen Reader?

Windows 8 Narrator overview

 VoiceOver features in iOS 6: a pronunciation editor

VoiceOver features in iOS 6: Reference apps and a new reading mode for HTML content

iOS VoiceOver Gesture, Keyboard & Braille Shortcuts | AxS Lab

Audacity 2.0 Guide

Opportunity lost with Nokia Maps audio direction

$300 Refreshable Braille Display

A video demonstration of THE NATESAN REFRESHABLE BRAILLE DISPLAY

A T Guys has released a free iOS app for BlindBargains. An Android app is also out.
 Blind Bargains: Audio: A Makeover for Accessible Event

iOS

The New iPad is Hot. Literally

iPads keep charging for “up to” an hour after display shows 100%

iOS 5.1 code hints new iPhone could have 4G LTE

Roundabout

Sweden Moving Towards Cashless Economy

 Zach Thibodeaux, 9-Year-Old Boy, Gets Guide Dog Before Going Blind – The Huffington Post

This week, Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger, and Joe Steinkamp discuss the top news stories of the week. Then, Jamie Pauls and Mike Calvo discuss three Christmas gift ideas for the holiday season. Items reviewed by Mike include:

Twelve South PlugBug All-in-One Dual Charger for MacBook and iPad, iPhone, or iPod

Price: $34.99

Nespresso Pixie Espresso Maker

List Price: $249.00

Price: $149.40

50 NESPRESSO Capsules Varieties COFFEE NEW

Price: $53.89

The news stories covered in this week’s podcast include the following:

Holidays and Shopping

Having a Secret Santa gift exchange at work? These gifts, all under $20, are useful, memorable, and just plain cool

Why you should avoid cheap tablets

Amazon Kindle Fire owners are reporting a Wi-Fi bug

Hackers hit supermarket self-checkout lanes, steal money from shoppers

More people were affected by a Lucky Supermarkets credit card scam than initially thought

U.S. smartphone owners gravitate towards mobile shopping (survey)

Apple

Apple’s secret code names for iOS revealed

Do you miss Snow Leopard? Lion Secrets can help take you back

The iPad is not a PC, and neither are Windows 8 tablets

System Access: The Alternative Commitment

Apple interested in improving noise cancellation via voice recognition: Apple is investigating the use of user-s…

Downcast v2.5 is now available with iCloud sync support, revamped video player, many bug fixes and much more.

Behringer Announces 700 Pound, 10,000 Watt, $30,000 iPhone Dock..

Browsing

Facebook Accessibility feedback form

Facebook to launch a Subscribe button for websites

Gowalla confirms: Facebook acquires location-based social network

How Google can deal a death blow to Firefox

Avoiding Common Website Accessibility Mistakes

Symantec: Spam is at its lowest level in almost three years

Mailbag

Once again we present emails, BLAB line calls, and iReports from our listeners.

Round About

Vet fights for mobility iBOT has given him

Voice controls let blind gamer ‘hang’ with friends online

Can sitting all day make your butt bigger?

View the Accessible Event presentation of SeroSpectives for November 17: Deck the Dogs … and the Canes Too!

View show notes for SeroSpectives for November 17: Deck the Dogs…and the Canes too!

This week, Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger, and Joe Steinkamp discuss the top news stories of the week. Stories covered in this episode include:

Browsing

AOL still has 3.5 million dial-up subscribers

Adobe Stops Development of Mobile Browser Flash [REPORT]

Will there be a Silverlight 6 and does it matter?

The end of plug ins?

Firefox 8.0 released

New extension for Liber and Open Office

What’s new in accessibility in the Firefox 8 update?

Kindle Cloud Reader Comes to Firefox

Microsoft Internet Explorer 10 to add spell checking, auto-correct

Which of the big five Web Browsers is the Best? (Review)

General Tech

RIM can’t catch a break. New troubles push PlayBook OS 2.0 to February.   

Google to end support for Gmail on Blackberries

Apple

Oregon Puts iPad Voting on the Map

Apple App Store Hack Makes Good Apps Go Bad

Unlike iPhone 4, Consumer Reports recommends iPhone 4S | The Digital Home – CNET News –

iPhone 4S speakers don’t play stereo correctly, tests show

TA Daily Tip 330: iOS 5.0.1 Over the Air Update

Five other fixes I want in iOS 5.0.1 | iPhone Atlas – CNET Reviews –

SiriSpective

Apple confirms Siri isn’t coming to any other devices as of now

Want To Use Siri To Control Your Mac? Now You Can!

How to Quickly Launch Apps With Siri

Braille

Type in Braille on your iOS device – EveryWare Technologies:

If you use Braille with your iPhone, iPad or iPod, there’s a Braille User Group on AppleVis to connect with others:

Top Braille

More information on Top Braille

The UK adopts standard for English Braille

AT

Why We’re All Wrong About the Future of User Interfaces

blastbay: audio demo of our upcoming game, Perilous Hearts!

OCR plugin for NVDA:

NEW FAQ on Code Factory’s Noke Screen Reader

Amazon buys a voice recognition company to add Siri functions to Kindle?

Mailbag

iReport from Edward Alonzo on GW Micro OCR device and the Blind iPhone

From Michael Bryant, we are promoting the show notes at serotalk.com here.

Hello all,

I am interested in the free download of the Jaws 12 and the Windows 7 downloads.  Both by Kathy Ann Mertha.

  It has be difficult to find it.  Would you forward me thelinks?

My name is michael Bryant

Thanks so much

Best regards and love your podcasts.

From Ben King

Dear serotalk team,

You did an excellent job with the show.  My question is to you.  Is the windows seven book using system access going to be in Braille?  Please let me know.

  Keep up the great work!  Look forward to the next show.

Blessings,

Ben

From Gary, no last name given on the Twitter and iPhone

Hey all. Great podcast. Another good twitter app for the iPhone is twitterific. I use that one.

Another one from Dan about NLS

Hello,

Thank you for your interest in what we are thinking about!

I received my NLS digital Talking Book player about a year ago. In 2009 and 2010, there were quarterly reports about it in the News; I live in Northern California and receive the Talking Book Lending Library News in both print and Braille. I’ll admit not using the player much for NLS reading material. I have received a few cartridges from the library in Sacramento, but more from Christian Record Services library, and I bought a personal 2 gig cartridge from Perkins School for the Blind. I use it mainly for Librivox books and for playing high fidelity music in jam situations and at church, where mp3s and wma files come in handy. 2 Gigs is a lot of space and I only occasionally have to use compression to reduce the size of movie files or larger music files. I have the upgrade for the new player, and I have found it easy when necessary to download the upgrade software and install it from the cartridge.

So I don’t know about the claim that the digital players are not distributed well in Northern California or how accurate it is. I think it might be more fair to say that there may be a yawning disinterest on the part of some of the qualified blind people who could, if they wished, receive it. Many of them seem to think the tapes they want are simply more widely available than good books on cartridges. What good is the player if you can’t get the books or magazines you want to play on it? As books on cartridge and thumb drive become more widely available, the player may become more popular. I would love it if you keep commenting regarding thoughts regarding your use of digital talking book players, distributions, other applications of said technology, and the BARD Web site. Mentioning some of the lesser known libraries would help, too.

Oh, by the way, my friend Sheila in Philadelphia bought a cartridge, too, and she likes having Librivox books and music on it, too, and we have also been reading some recordings from http://www.fcbh.org/

Sincerely,

Dan Shelley

More on NLS, this time from Beth.

Hi, way to go on podcast 84!  Mike’s thoughts about book-writing are great and I have a site which may make future publishing and writing easier, here is the link for more info and you guys can explore the whole site at your leisure and as you prefer:

http://www.hyperink.com/platform

I love my NLS player, the sound is exemplary, hope the Stratus is that good too!  Regarding the new Read Easy Plus:  I see a couple of genuine markets.  Sometimes, blind tech users just want simplicity and, in this case, portability, with just one machine, no lugging around a laptop, camera, plus your material to scan.  Some seniors would also definitely benefit.  You discussed Facebook, a funny thing happened on Skype the other night.  I got one call announcing some kind of I.D. number, what was that?  I also got 2 requests to be added to my contacts from people I never heard of and I blocked those and found the list of status indicators and I now am invisible on Skype, except if I know I have a call scheduled.  How did those people get my Skype name?  Keep up the terrific work, guys!  Beth

From Mike Arigo

Just listened to pod cast 84, a few comments. I like the android shoes idea. Hopefully they would have a speaker, this would allow you to have spoken directions as well. That GW Micro reading thing is silly, I would also like to know who would waste money on that, notice I said waste, not spend, because that’s what it is. You could get a nice computer, scanning software and a scanner or camera for so much less.

Why pay more for a device that only does one thing, even for someone who doesn’t want to do anything else, get a computer and put the scanning software in their start up folder in windows, or log in items on the mac and it will automatically start when you turn on the computer. I cannot think of any reason to get that at all. This new version of keysoft is another example, charging for an update and the main new feature is PDF support. Let’s see, I’ve been able to read PDF files since 2001 when Adobe made acrobat reader accessible in Windows, and on the mac, the preview application which comes with the mac reads PDF files and is very accessible. Another example of how these specialty note takers are way behind the times, cost too much and need to be replaced by main stream products that are now available, again, there’s really no reason to buy one of those when you can get all of that functionality and more much cheaper.

SeroSpectives from October 20^th  Email from Laney

I put up a post about the the U.S. Department of Transportation’s proposed regulations on airline web and check-in kiosk accessibility.  Information on how to comment and areas where I think the regulations need to be strengthened, is included. (Comments due November 25, 2011).

The direct link is: http://lflegal.com/2011/11/dot-proposed-regs-2/

Kickers

Japanese Company Develops Robot Guide Dog

On this edition of SeroSpectives, Lisa Salinger is joined by
Laura Legendary of Elegant Insights Jewelry,, Rox’E Homstad of PawPower Creations, and Jenine Stanley: Consumer Relations
Coordinator for The

Guide Dog Foundation for
the Blind, INC, to discuss all aspects of accessorizing a cane or guide dog.

INTRODUCTIONS

Besides her work with GDF,
Jenine Stanley has been creating and selling jewelry made of stones and natural
materials since 2004. Email her with
inquiries.

Rox’E Homstad co-owns PawPower
Creations with her husband, Bob
Blackner. They sell various hand-made herbal products, as well as nylon
collars, leashes, and harnesses, in a variety of styles and colors. Rox’E blogs about dog training,
Deaf-Blindness, and Disability awareness. To order guide dog gear, you may contact Bob.

Laura Legendary is a writer, speaker, and owner of several
ventures, all under the umbrella of Legendary
Insights. She blogs
about issues surrounding accessibility, advocacy, and assistive technology. Her
latest endeavor has been to design beautiful and unusual Braille jewelry,
charms, and tags. You can contact
her for more information.

Resources

There is little available written information about accessorizing
your guide dog, and even less about your cane. However, this article gives many important
points to keep in mind, not just for Halloween, but for any time you choose to
accessorize.

CONCLUSION

SeroSpectives is made possible through technology from Serotek Corporation.

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