The SPN team has a lot to be proud of–hundreds of hours of content, some great interviews–but most of all, we value you, our listeners. We take this special opportunity to recognize the love you have shown to us and try to return that love and appreciation in a very small way. This SPN special salutes you, our listeners. Thank you all for everything you have done for us!

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.

Join Jamie, Ricky and Joe as they discuss the top stories of the week. Topics included in this episode include:

News in A T

National Federation of the Blind Applauds Landmark Ruling in Authors Guild v. Google

2013 Holiday Gift Ideas for Children and Adults with Vision Loss

NVDA 2013.3rc1 released for testing!

The new release of the Voice Dream app is out! Now supporting DAISY 2.02 audiobooks, zipped mp3 files, better PDF text extraction and large library

Sendero GPS LookAround for iOS gets a nice update and goes free:

iTunes Store Now Accepting Donations for Philippine Typhoon Relief

Mainstream Matters

BlackBerry interim CEO: It’s time to reclaim our success, not dwelling on the past

Internet Explorer chief is stepping aside for ‘something new.’ IE will now be run by Windows Phone lead Joe Belfiore

Best Buy halts all HP Chromebook 11 sales, other retailers ‘out of stock’

Facebook Pushes Password Resets After Adobe Hack

Apple releases iOS 7.0.4 with fix for FaceTime call drops

Amazon to Offer Sunday Delivery Via USPS for Prime Members

Nexus 5 Review: The Best Android Can Offer Especially For the Price

Android 4.4 KitKat review: designed by Google, for Google

An iPhone user’s guide to experimenting with a Nexus 5

Mailbag

Blog comment from Dave (

I for one wasn’t surprised by the clamour about Taptapsee going subscription. Many of the common accusations are right on. Yes, it should have been subscription from the start. Simply saying no one knew how popular it would become doesn’t wash. No one knew how popular Jaws would become, and it’s always been a commercial product. I’ll grant that this trick is somewhat new to the tech world, but it isn’t new especially to the blind world. I’ve lost count of the various small startup phone access solutions that have been popularised over the years simply because they were free. All of them have followed the free gaging popularity model before going subscription, after which, of course, popularity dropped precipitously to nonexistence. No, sighted people don’t have to pay, but then again, they wouldn’t even bother with it in the first place because they have no need for it. Yes, disabilities are expensive, so it’s equally true there ain’t no free lunch. I can remember my first experience
downloading Jaws. It was 15 Megs in size and took two hours to download with a dialup connection. I will eventually subscribe to taptapsee both because I need it and because it’s the right thing to do. But would be entreprenewers should take notice also, that simply using the free model to promote a product will only work until people feel they’ve been burned too many times by effectively falling into a trap that they made. For me, it is easier and more justifiable to afford taptapsee than it is a Netflix subscription that offers no audio description.

From Pam Francis

Hi folks,
I would like to take issue with Ricky & her statement of being blind is more expensive.
Serotek as a company has championed accessibility on all levels.
You have your own subscription service that has been subscription based from its inception. I have no issue with it being subscription based. You had the foresight of what it would cost to maintain servers etc. I only wish I could use it. As a mac user, to my knowledge, you don’t support Macs. However, back to my initial comments.
Philanthropy is nice, yet, for a company to develop a service that could be very essential to a blind person’s independence, making it free, then per there own lack of foresight having to charge a subscription is truly disingenuous to those who have grown to depend on the service.
I can’t imagine there isn’t some sort of grant available for this service’s maintenance in order to maintain the service as a free service for the sake of equality.
We all make choices as to what we pay for per month for our given lifestyle. However, with the advent of technology, we are able to buy or subscribe to most anything our sighted counterparts have access to. By the grace of God, I don’t need it for general pictures per the little vision I have. However, I can see a use for reading appliance screens etc.
It hasn’t been that long ago we as blind people were dependent on state agencies to fork over thousands of dollars for equipment related solely to employment. For those who chose to stay home & raise a family, for the most part, mainline accessibility was a dream.
I continue to support your podcasts & appreciate all of your hard work.

Sincerely,
Pam Francis

From Mike Arrigo

Well, I am glad I have found favor with the mail bag and that my messages do appear regularly on the show, smile.
I have actually purchased the swype keyboard, it’s well worth the $3.99. For the android users on the show, I guess that would be Ricky and Joe, I’m curious if you have experienced the issue with the default google keyboard where you find a letter, you lift your finger and that letter is not typed. The google keyboard is very picky about having your finger in exactly the right spot. The swype keyboard is much better about that, I have set it as my default keyboard and have not looked back. The speech recognition also works very well. Find the option to switch to voice input and lift your finger to dictate, then double tap the bottom part of the screen when you are done. It also announces when the keyboard is opening and closing. Also, if you have the suggestion feature enabled, you can slide your finger above the letters and move in a circle to read the suggestions, when you lift your finger, that word is inserted. It’s well worth the purchase in my opinion, I really cannot think of anything bad to say about it.
I was also disappointed at some of the comments on the email lists about tap tap see becoming subscription based. Come on people, it’s not like they are charging several hundred dollars, what they are charging is very reasonable, it drives me nuts when people expect to have everything handed to them for free. I agree with being treated like everyone else, and I don’t think we should have to pay extra to make a product accessible. But this is a bit different, Tap Tap See is providing a service, it’s not required to use the device, but something extra. The people that develop and make the service work need to make a living too. I think these people who are making a big deal out of this need to step back and look at the big picture for what it is.

Roundabout

Driverless Cars Are Further Away Than You Think

Why It’s So Hard To Crack Down On Distracted Driving

Terminally ill boy, whose hometown celebrated an early Christmas to fulfill his last wish, has died

San Francisco to call on ‘Batkid’ to fight crime

Batkid saves the day in San Francisco

In this podcast, Serotek’s own Matt Campbell drops by for his regular visit to the show. Did you know there was a pattern to his appearances? You’ll have to listen to the podcast to see what it is. In addition to referencing several stories, Jamie, Ricky and matt mention quite a number of books and authors. There are too many to mention here, so you’ll want to take notes as you listen. After the news, Lisa Salinger tells us about The Serotek Ambassadors’ Club and how you can become a member. Stories discussed in this podcast include:

NLS BARD Site Back Online Despite Government Shutdown

Is Congress catastrophically broken, or is it doing exactly what it was designed to do?

Zoom H6 Recorder Review

The New iPhone 5c and Walk-Through of the Initial Setup Process for VoiceOver Users

The Journey Toward Braille: Potential and Limitations of using Braille with iDevices

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

The technological terrors of Tom Clancy

Valve Steam Machines, Steam Controller, and SteamOS: Visionary or Vapor?

Valve details specs for Linux-based Steam Machine prototype gaming PCs

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

Why the blue screen of death no longer plagues Windows users

Facebook makes statuses editable… but is this open to abuse?

Facebook Pushes Passwords One Step Closer to Death

iOS 7 nausea and cybersickness: What causes it, and why it’s a sign of things to come

Mailbag

From Mike Arrigo

Thought you might be interested in this. It’s an interview with Susan Bennett who is definitely the voice of Samantha. I actually emailed her from her site, told her who I was and mentioned that her voice is used in a lot of products for blind people. She actually wrote back, she had no idea that her voice was so well known to blind people. She was actually very happy that her voice had made such a difference for us, regardless of whether you like Samantha’s voice, the person who created it sounds like a really nice person. http://tube.majestyc.net/?v=fL5s3pNJECk

From Aaron Linson

Hey guys, I’ve been a faithful listener to all of the Serotek podcasts. I have a point to make on the button issue with portable reading devices. As a college student I find my book port plus to be invaluable to me. I can jump through a book as fast if not faster than a sighted college student. I also find that I’m faster with the book player than a touch screen., pushing a button is faster than swiping and the kickback is instantaneous where as a flick takes a millisecond longer. Just my thoughts and opinions.
Thanks, Aaron Linson My vision is good, it’s just my eyes that are not

From Timothy Hornig

Greetings,

I appreciate the information and stances you all took with regards to visually impaired owning and using firearms. As long as the 2nd Amendment stands in it current interpretation and regulatory stances, we as a demographic should be allowed the ability to receive training, licensure, and ability to legally use them. Earlier this year, I received the chance to go turkey hunting, where my guide and I scored two birds. The ability to do this comes in large part due to the iPhone and a system called iScope (http://www.iscope.com)./ Before actually heading out, it took a little bit of time to work out our communications preferences with targeting.

Likewise, those who wish to own personal handguns should go through the most thorough set of training possible. However, I strongly concede to the point that these individuals, regardless of their personal abilities, should really look at the difference between owning for personal safety/defense and owning to own. A handgun in the hands of an ill-trained or familiarized individual is more dangerous to that person then in the hands of an highly trained person. As a reminder, it is perfectly fine to ask your local police department, firearm store, or shooting range to potentially store your weapon if you have concerns of home storage.

As for the iPhone 5S, one thought comes to mind, vid for I’ve Got a Golden Ticket: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29_uSlEEPSk

Enjoy, Tim

Roundabout

In new TV role, Michael J. Fox a pioneer

Fake Service Dogs, Real Problem

‘I’m the original voice of Siri’

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

Global internet slows after ‘biggest attack in history’

Wells Fargo’s website was hit by denial-of-service attack yesterday

Thousands of accounts found to host unsecured passwords, photos, and other files on Amazon’s cloud

MacBreak Weekly 343

Mike Calvo appears on the Wall Street Journal’s Lunch Break Live

The Court of Public Opinion is Not the Last Resort

Nokia Screen Reader  V1.50 is now available  on Nokia Store with full support for Whatsapp v2.9.6

A makeup course for the visually impaired.

The Old Hat Guide to iPhone Accessibility

iPhone and iPod basics with Lisa Salinger

Looking for an accessible RSS feed reader? Introducing QFeed:

An Immersion into Internet Explorer 10 with JFW 14

The passing of Mark Marvel

‘Speed of light’ fibre optic breakthrough hints at faster internet

Windows Blue confirmed as Microsoft hints at yearly updates

RIM founder Mike Lazaridis leaves BlackBerry

Is Windows Phone ready to replace your iPhone or Android?

Some iOS 6.1.3 users hit by battery drain and Wi-Fi issues

Apple lands in Chinese court in Siri patent battle

Sick of manually updating apps on your iPhone? This jailbreak tweak takes care of it automatically

Apple patents gesture control with touchscreen off, for iWatch?

What, exactly, WiFiSLAM is, and why Apple acquired it

Mailbag

From Mary Emerson

Hi,

I enjoyed your discussion of Braille displays. I’ve been using them for decades. At work I used Braille and never used speech. I did this partly because I worked in programming, technical writing, and system support, and Braille provided a great deal of information about formatting and code syntax. As a tech writer, I could proofread my books before they went out for final edits. My main reason for continuing to use Braille is that I am deaf on one side, and although I keep speech in the background, some of it is hard to understand, especially the new voices that sound like the words are chopped up and the phonemes are thrown together with random pitches and tones. I’m glad that Braille devices running Android are coming on the scene; I plan to get one later this year.

Mary

Roundabout

One Day, You’re Going to Die. Here’s How to Prepare for It

Virtual games help the blind navigate unknown territory.

Recommended Reading

Here are links to the Daniel Suarez books Freedom and Daemon, both of which have been frequently mentioned on the podcast.

Once again, Jamie Pauls, Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp tackle the news of the week. Stories talked about in this episode include:

Windows

Microsoft’s Windows 8 Release Preview: What’s in and what’s out

Why flatten Windows 8? Because Aero won’t run on a phone

Apple

Apple’s Cook right about PC-tablet fusion fantasy

Video clips of Cook’s interview at this year’s D10 conference are now online.

Apple’s Cook pours cold water on iPhone 5 with 4-inch screen

Do these blueprints show the iPhone 5?

Apple now selling Nest Learning Thermostat

iPhone officially goes prepaid in the US via Cricket

Facebook

Is Facebook building an iTunes/Google Play competitor?

If Facebook dies (and it might), its killer will be born mobile

General Tech

Israel: Don’t blame the Flame cyberattack on us

Privacy Group Wants Google’s Driverless Cars Kept off the Road

The numbers behind RIM’s impending collapse

AT

Screen Reader User Survey #4 Results

Jim Denham’s first impression of the Braille EDGE display

Kevin Reeves Audio Boo: Blue Collar Jobs for the Blind

using iphone with a braille display as a notetaker

JAWS 13.0.924 May update is released.

J-Say 10 is released!

New BrailleSense Update is Released

Roundabout

Doc Watson, Blind Guitar Wizard Who Influenced Generations, Dies at 89

Listen to A Community Tribute to Steve Jobs

The SeroTalk Podcast network asked our listeners to send us commentary on the passing of Steve Jobs. It is clear that Steve had a tremendous impact on many lives, and we’ve compiled stories submitted to us in remembrance of him from listeners around the world.

Our tribute opens with a never-aired commercial narrated by Steve Jobs called Never Think Different. We then hear from Brad Hodges from The American Foundation For The Blind AFBTech, followed by Rick Harmon of the Blind Geek Zone podcast and web site. Next, Wade Wingler from Easter Seals Crossroads and the Indata Project shares his thoughts about Steve. Then we hear from Randy Rusnak of Accessible Devices followed by Rodney and Erin Edgar of the Tech Access Weekly podcast.

Listeners submitted their thoughts via the iReport feature of iBlink Radio, and we play several of those. Following that, we play the inspiring speech given by Steve Jobs to Stanford graduates in 2005.

Members of the SeroTalk Podcast network share their feelings about Steve. We hear from the hosts of Triple Click Home, and then from Mike Calvo, Michael Lauf, Ricky Enger and Joe Steinkamp of the SeroTalk podcast. You can read Mike Calvo’s blog post thanking Steve Jobs and Ricky Enger’s blog post remembering Steve Jobs.

Email Commentary

We received a number of emails from listeners as well. Here they are.

When Steve Jobs helped launch the Apple II, it created the computer accessibility revolution.  Today, the Apple iMac, iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch represent the best of built-in accessibility.  It’s very appropriate to celebrate these two landmarks and the seminal contribution of Steve Jobs in ensuring that computers were a tool usable by everyone!

Jim Fruchterman

***

Steve Jobs was an amazing man with an unforgettable story. His ability to develop Apple from a home project in to one of the most valuable companies in the world and constantly revolutionizing one industry after another was nothing short of miraculous. He had a way of enriching lives through his love of science and art. I owe Steve my utmost gratitude for so much of what I have today: my job, my ability to communicate with the digital world, and my appreciation of science and art as a mutual concept. I am truly saddened at his passing.

Hai Nguyen Ly

***

From universal access thru Voiceover to the blind girl in the iPhone 4S video. First we were helped, now we’re target consumers. RIP Steve.

Damon Rose

***

Hello,

Here are a few thoughts about Steve Jobs. As I mentioned this morning, I’m working on an extended blog post that should go up sometime tonight. In the mean time, …

In the past, when asked about my personal heros, I’ve always refused to pick one-half flippantly, half seriously-because I thought I never needed one.

After all, there are so many people from whom I could learn. But the personal turmoil and the sadness of the past 24 hours after Steve Jobs’

death have made me realize how wrong  I have actually been. It is true that, like all blind people, I owe a great personal debt to Steve Jobs for believing in my abilities. That is only incidental however. More important is the fact that, perhaps for the first time ever in this land of technological renaissance, the model that Steve Jobs put together allows a whole community of disabled people to ask all companies to be better -all this without shame and in open-haarted defiance of the conventional wisdom.

Pratik Patel

***

Dear SeroTalk,

I have been listening to your podcasts for the past few months already and must say that it’s great!

I am a visually impaired student who has learnt the code of Braille and live up in the cold province of Manitoba, Canada and have thought that I could contribute some insight of how a blind and visually impaired individual can benifit from using the Apple iPad.

A year ago I was not an Apple fan. I stuck with my Zoom Text and that was that, but have purchased an iPad last year and have found it to be better for a visually impaired person such as my self to use than a laptop or desktop PC.

This is because of VoiceOver. I’m aware that some people arn’t that familiar or used to using VoiceOver, but I have done many presentations and have tutored many students of how to do so. I actually got the Manitoba Education Department purchasing iPad’s for their students who are blind and visually impaired!

 As a fond user of the Apple iPad and the VoiceOver and Zoom feature of Apple products, I just wanted to give a shout out for the next 2 podcasts about the iPad, as I know that 2 other podcasts talked about the MacBook Air.

From Michael Mielniczek

***

I’ve been using Apple products since I was very young. My parents were teachers, so Apple computers were what I grew up with. I remember being so proud of the fact that we had an Apple2gs which had color. I played so many games on that 2gs. Then in the 90’s we got a Macintosh Performa followed by my purple IMac which I took to college. When my vision got bad enough to need a screen reader I abandoned my mac for a PC, but I always hoped I would be able to be a mac user again someday. I got my white macbook in 2009, and my iPhone 3gs in 2010. Apple is the leader in accessibility because they include it in all their products at no extra charge to those of us with disabilities. I think that Steve had a great role in making accessibility a priority, and it seems like with every new product, the accessibility only gets better. Steve Jobs plays a part in my independence, and his contributions to Apple will be missed. I think he led a great life, and I thank him for making a positive impact on the blind community.

Alena Roberts

***

Hello,

My name is Rammaditya from Indonesia. I am a totally blind, and right now I am working as a journalist, book author, trainer, and private teacher. My website is www.ramaditya.com.

It is probably too late for me to send my condolences to Mr. Steve Jobs, but I believe that this message will reach him and all of you soon.

Just to let people know that living in a developing country like mine is rather difficult compared to others, especially when we talk about assistive technology which is considered to be expensive.

I just want to say thank you to Mr. Steve Jobs that has developed such an awesome accessibility features built into the Apple product.

It is, currently, my best option to cover my assistive technology needs, and it sure cuts down the cost I need to provide myself with helping tools.

Again, it is probably easy for people in America for instance, to be provided with assistive technology, but that condition is not the same over here. Well, Mr. Steve Jobs, I just want to let you know that you have become one of the helping hands for me, and I hope, other blind folks around here can take benefit from what you have done.

To all my new blind friends, this is my first hello, and I hope we can keep in touch.

Regards,

Ramaditya

***

I am cross-posting this. I did not know Steve Jobs personally. However, I send my heartfelt condolences to his family and friends, both at Apple and elsewhere. My introduction to Apple came in the early 80’s when my parents purchased an AppleII computer for use by anyone and everyone living at home at the time. For those of us who could not see the screen, there was a speech option. Although it didn’t have quite the variety of features contained in today’s speech synthesizers, the Echo speech synthesizer was very good and we enjoyed using it. We had a little program called Textalker, which spoke text that we wrote. We enjoyed showing it off to family and friends who came to visit. There were 3 of us who used it. When my family and I moved to Illinois, an AppleIIGS computer was purchased by the school district. It had an external Cricket speech synthesizer, which sounded almost identical to Echo if not exactly the same. I have since heard the VoiceOver screen reader for the Macintosh demonstrated on a number of occasions, and my former roommate grew up on the Mac. He is legally blind and is now a very satisfied VO user. Although there are those who perhaps didn’t agree with Steve Jobs, he was a very forward-thinking man and will be missed. Thank you.

Best wishes,

Jake Joehl, IL 

By Ricky Enger

My life was first affected by Steve Jobs when I was nine years old, and  got my hands on an Apple II-E. I had no real insight about the situation at the time. I wasn’t profoundly grateful. I didn’t recognize Jobs as an innovative force whose vision would change the world. I didn’t stop to consider that a speech synthesizer might never have been made for the computer. The only thing I knew was that there were three kids in my fourth-grade class who were cool enough to have access to the cutting-edge technology of a personal computer, and I was one of them. I was able to ditch the loud electric typewriter and use the computer to do my schoolwork, and when I was finished I could play classic games like Blackjack, Lunar Lander, and Oregon Trail. I accepted these things as the natural course, and why shouldn’t i? Though I didn’t know it at the time, that first experience would shape the way I  viewed technology and accessibility from then on. Because of that initial positive experience, I approached each new technology with a sense of optimism, and a conviction                                                      that my ability to use that technology was a right, not a privillege.

By 2008, I had come to understand just how rare it was to find out-of-the-box accessibility in mainstream technology. That’s not to say I understood why technology without built-in accessibility was so prevalent. I didn’t, and still don’t for that matter. I continued to expect to get my hands on a brand-new device and be able to use it without much fuss, and I was often  disappointed in that regard. Then, Apple released the 4^th generation iPod Nano with spoken menus. Finally! Here was a device that was tiny, sleek, sophisticated, accessible, and it even came in purple. Who could ask for more? I no longer had to carry around some bulky and unattractive  device that no one else had ever heard of just to play my music. I didn’t have to feel left out every time someone mentioned the word “iPod”, because I had one too. I was finally seeing accessibility implemented the way it should be, seamlessly and without additional cost or complexity. This time, I did know enough to be thankful.

I’m not going to trace out Apple’s entire history of accessibility, beginning with Voiceover in OS X Tiger and continuing today with Voiceover on Mac, iPhones, iPods, iPads and Apple TV, but suffice it to say that Steve Jobs and his company have remained committed to providing out-of-the-box accessibility. This has profoundly affected my life in ways I can’t even begin to describe. I can walk to a restaurant in a new neighborhood by using the GPS on my phone. I can communicate with my family at home when I’m on the road, and even show them video of the hotel room I’m staying in. I can identify the cans in my cabinet with an app. I can play word games on my phone while waiting at the doctor’s office, and I can hand that same phone to my sighted son so he can play Angry Birds. All these things may sound like simple things that anyone should be able to do without much thought, and thanks to one man’s vision, I can.

Thank you Steve, for understanding that technology belongs in the hands of everyone, not just the geek, or the business guru, or the person with eyesight. Thank you for being such an inspiration through your willingness to take risks that no one else would, and your refusal to accept anything less than the best from yourself and those around you. Thank you for making accessibility as important a part of your vision  as style and ease of use. And thank you for sharing your vision with the world. There will never be another quite like you, but your legacy will continue to give all of us the inspiration to take something ordinary in our lives and make it magical.

Rest in peace.