Dave Williams joins J.J. and Joe on a raucous journey through the stories not covered yet by BBQ due to our massive amount of audio coverage from the 2015 summer convention season. This might just be the most info-packed non-U.S.-centric show we have ever done. Of course, we still have our regular bits such as a tip, "Sound Off" and the "Last Word" to round things out.
Sponsor: Blind Alive, don't just live, be alive
We'd like to thank this week's sponsor, BlindAlive for providing us the motivation and support needed to create this episode. No matter your level of health or fitness, there is an exercise program out there for you. To learn more about these fitness products, and subscribe to BlindAlive's podcasts, visit their website. And remember "Don't just live, be alive"!
In The News:
Duxbury 11.3 Will Let you Convert Old Braille Files to UEB
Meet the brains behind a powerful new tool makes images more accessible for visually impaired
A platform for blind users to request image descriptions from sighted volunteers
From @kellylford My Accessibility Journey with Quicken 2015
Check out the new free iOS VisionConnect app to find services for the blind and visually impaired
Dave informed us that the UK has RNIB Sightline for UK users looking for resources
Introducing Tappy Menu, a Restaurant Menu app for the Visually Impaired
New GPS app on the App Store, Via Opta Nav
From @gonz_blinko New blog article, Deque Opens Up
The WebAIM Screen Reader Survey is Back, Accepting Responses through Friday July 24th 2015
Here are a few links from the "Followup" Department...
Uber, Lyft Face Disability Access Questions From Massachusetts
BUSINESS TRAVELERS ARE USING UBERS MORE THAN TAXIS
Uber Drivers Are Freelancers, Not Employees, New York City Official Says
From @LFLegal New from U.S. DOJ @CivilRights: Frequently Asked Questions re Service Animals and ADA
2015 NBBA World Series of Beep Baseball Schedule of events
I'm a legally blind photographer. Here's how technology makes that happen
Note: This is the story Joe mentioned at the end of the news portion of the show. Nike's latest shoe will change the lives of people with disabilities
Review: Jet.com Aims to Change How you Think about Online Shopping
Discussion Topic: Site Village And More With Dave Williams
Dave, a former host of Main Menu before he spent almost ten years at Dolphin Computer Access, is no stranger to Sight Village or Assistive Technology in general. We spoke to him about his recent trip to Birmingham, the origin site for Sight Village, and gathered his thoughts on what he found to be interesting at the 2015 exhibition. Here are just some of the subjects we covered during our conversation.
New iPod Touch s A8 CPU running at 1.1GHz, includes 1GB of RAM
iPod Touch performance preview: 500% better CPU, 900% faster graphics
iFixit: New iPod Touch battery is kind-of-sort-of easier to replace
#SightVillage Audio: Dine And Think In Braille At Dens Le Noir
#SightVillage Audio: UEB, Improved Math Support and More from Humanware
#SightVillage Audio: Dolphin Computer Access Readies For Windows 10 With A Supernova
#SightVillage Audio: The Cane Is The Perfect Fashion Accessory For Queen Alexandra College
#SightVillage Audio: Tiger Tiger Brailling Bright With Sight And Sound
#SightVillage Audio: Thunderous applause for Georgie, Enhancing your Android Phone
#SightVillage Audio: Cooking And Color Identification With Cobolt Systems
#SightVillage Audio: Talking Baum Braille With the Brothers Bradburn
#SightVillage Audio: Six Legs, 14 cells, Sight and Sound Show Off The Smart Beetle
#SightVillage Audio: England and Wales Blind Golfers At The Top Of Their Game
#SightVillage Audio: Productivity, Training And More With Blazie UK
#SightVillage Audio: The Beautiful Sanata Continues With The British Wireless for the Blind Fund
#SightVillage Audio: Setting A Beacon With Barclay's Bank
#SightVillage Audio: Recording Remotely With voice Guidance And Olympus
RNIB powers up extra-accessible Fujitsu desktop and laptop PCs
Off topic links....
Coronation Street to broadcast live episode to mark 60 years of ITV
Audio, 1992 Bally Doctor Who Pinball
Sound Off:
We're still playing a little catchup in reviewing and responding to your feedback from episodes 21, 22 and 23. First up, Joe was very touched by this comment from John. Even more so as he read john's remarks on his birthday no less.
"Hey, guys, I'm still confused about whether to reserve my copy of Windows 10. I have a Windows 7 machine, and I use Window-Eyes. I'd prefer to wait a while to see how accessibility issues work themselves out before actually making the switch to Windows 10. Can I get Windows 10 by July 29th and wait until later to activate it? Joe, I'm sorry to hear about your father's passing. My dad, who is still living, took me to numerous eye doctor appointments in my younger years, while my mom worked during the day. We had an hour's drive to get to Omaha for each visit. He wasn't quite as supportive of my broadcasting ventures as your dad was for you, but he did take me to the FCC office in Kansas City, MO, in the summer of 1977 so I could take the commercial radio license test. We got up at 4:00 in the morning to be there by the time the office opened. I passed the test, but by the time I finally made it into radio in 1982, the license was no longer necessary. Keep up the good work--all of you--on BBQ. John Wesley Smith"
Joe mentioned in episode 22 the scenarios he has heard from others on how they listen to the show. kevin tossed us a comment on where he listens to BBQ.
"Greetings; I, for one, enjoy the back and forth banter among the hosts. And, as for sarcasm, at this point in my life I think in sarcasm so I appreciate and enjoy it. Separately, Joe mentioned how he wants to know the locations where people listen to the podcast. Well, I am an American, born and raised in New York, who now lives permenantly in the Philippines. Still, your voice doesn't usually echo off the walls as I almost always use headphones. You don't find many blind x-pats here but I wonder if there might be interest among the blind community in such things. If you think there might be I'd love the opportunity to speak of what I have learned. Keep up the great work and I'll think of you here in the islands of paradise. Kevin Barry
From episode 23, Greg fills in some of the blanks we had on the Braille Plus 18.
"Hello everyone, Yes the BP18 has been discontinued. We found out a few weeks ago on the email list. They have said we will still get some software updates though. However this really upsets me because I shelled out $3600 of my own money for it. Right now we cannot even connect it to a computer to use as a display. If I had the money I would buy myself a dedicated braille display to use instead of a note taker. One issue I have is that with all the concern about braille there is no affordable way to use it. They keep promising cheaper displays but they never materialize. I am at the point where I am about to give up on braille at all because I just cannot afford to use it. Regards, Greg Wocher"
In addition to comments and emails about episode 23, check out these tweet.
rt @mandojanny: @blindbargains Outstanding conversation with lots of braille, so good!
rt @Chrisn98: Catching up on @BlindBargains #NFB15 & #ACB15 coverage while at work. Gotta love bluetooth headphones! #ssh #ReallyI'mWorking
We disavow any and all knowledge of this action. nor do we take responsibility for those who choose to do things like this at their place of employment. Ahem, thank you for listening.
rt @mehgcap: Hey @BlindBargains, have you braced your servers for the flood of iPod Touch 5 classifieds that is about to hit? :P
yes... yes we have. It is always funny to see an increase of classifieds right before, or right after, any new product releases on various popular brands.
Last Word:
Food, language and technology. Yep, it must be the links that best fit the last segment of the episode all right.
Why isn t American a language?
There Is Now Nutrient-Rich Algae That Tastes Just Like Bacon, Because Science
ARBY'S CREATES VEGETARIAN SUPPORT HOTLINE FOR THOSE TEMPTED BY BROWN SUGAR BACON
Next week, for those of us crazy early adopters, a look at Windows 10. Set your restore discs to the upright and ready positions gang. It might just be a bumpy ride!
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Category: ShowsHello everyone, I wanted to make a quick comment about browsers. When it comes to supporting HTML5 accessibility features Chrome is actually at the top of the list, FireFox comes in second and Safari third. Now guess which one comes in last? You guessed it IE. Here is a site which details information about this: http://www.html5accessibility.com/ Where the rub comes in is that FireFox and IE still are the most accessible when it comes to their menus and settings screens. I would like to use Chrome as my default browser but the menu structure and the settings screens are enough to make a person pull their hair out.
Kblackbn Friday, 24-Jul-2015 12:48 PM ET:
I am writing to comment on a couple of the things that flew by in Qast 24. 1. When I used Duxbury for the Mac in the mid-1990's, it was great at one thing: turning what should have been a half-hour task into a half-day ordeal. I read directions. I subscribed to the DuxUser list and asked questions. I was ever so glad when the state agency I worked for made the change to Windows. 2. Joe mentioned something about grocery store apps. I wanted to report that the latest update of the H-E-B app for IOS opens with a splash screen that there is no way to get past using VoiceOver, at least that I can find. The reviews in the app store are telling: last time I looked, not many people liked it. And I did submit a review. I think I tweeted H-E-B, too. Kathy Blackburn kblackbn@austin.rr.com
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Joe Steinkamp is no stranger to the world of technology, having been a user of video magnification and blindness related electronic devices since 1979. Joe has worked in radio, retail management and Vocational Rehabilitation for blind and low vision individuals in Texas. He has been writing about the A.T. Industry for 15 years and podcasting about it for almost a decade.
