Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday, February 2, 2012 – Volume 338

The Week’s News in Access Technology

A Flying Blind, LLC Publication
http://www.flying-blind.com/

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Greetings,

News

1.) NVDA 2012.1beta1 Released

The makers of the free screen reader NVDA announce that 2012.1beta1 has been released. This version promises a better experience for Braille users, much more access to format information in Word, and access to the iTunes store.
http://www.nvda-project.org/blog/NVDA2012.1beta1Released
Keep up with news about NvDA by joining the nvda-announce mailing list:
http://lists.nvaccess.org/listinfo/nvda-announce

2.) Accessibility Improvements in Firefox 10

Here is lots of technical information about access improvements in version 10 of Firefox:
http://www.marcozehe.de/2012/01/31/new-in-accessibility-in-firefox-10/

3.) Among podcasts from the Applevis site for i-devices, we have

Three Weather Apps Go Head-To-Head:
http://www.applevis.com/node/2277
NVDA and iTunes:
http://www.applevis.com/node/2276
A Demonstration of the Improved Accessibility Coming Soon to the Hokusai Audio Editor for iOS:
http://www.applevis.com/node/2275
An In-Depth Demonstration of the Tascam iM2 Stereo Microphone Adapter
http://www.applevis.com/node/2274
Turn Your iPhone into a Motion Detector with VM Alert:
http://www.applevis.com/node/2234

4.) Tutorial for King of Dragon Pass

A contributor to AppleVis offers us a written tutorial for the game King of Dragon Pass:
http://www.applevis.com/node/2284

5.) Tek Talk on Migrating from Windows XP to Windows 7

Learn about migrating from Windows XP to windows 7 on Tek Talk on GMT Tuesday, 7 February at 01:00.
http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2

6.) Humorous J-Say Video Demonstrations

Here are a couple of humorous video demonstrations of using J-Say, the package that leverages JAWS and Dragon for speech input, to get the job done:
http://www.ehealth.va.gov/ehealth/508/sw/video/outlook_at_video.html

7.) NFB Video Description Training

The NFB anticipates some employment opportunities will result from new regulations requiring video description of more TV shows. They are offering a training, 14-18 May, expenses paid, to gain the necessary skills.
http://www.nfb.org/vdrdc

8.) I Am a Blind Electrical Engineer

From the February, 2012 Braille Monitor come two articles: I Am a Blind Electrical Engineer:
http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm12/bm1202/bm120204.htm
Mainstream Access to E-Books: My Perspective
http://www.nfb.org/images/nfb/Publications/bm/bm12/bm1202/bm120208.htm

9.) Podcast on the Women of CSUN12

From the web accessibility podcast and blog we glean both a podcast and its transcript introducing the Women of CSUN12, as that conference comes up at the end of the month.
http://webaxe.blogspot.com/2012/01/podcast-94-women-of-csun12.html

10.) Nomensa’s Accessible Media Player 2.0

Nomensa’s accessible media player 2.0 is now a free open-source download!
http://www.nomensa.com/about/news-items/nomensas-accessible-media-player-20-now-free-download

11.) An Accessible Internet Speed Test Site

In response to a question, this is said to be an Internet speed test site which is accessible.
http://testmy.net/

16.) AssistiveTechnologyRadio.com Launched

I didn’t proofread too well last week, hence this item was not well covered. The INDATA Project at Easter Seals Crossroads has launched AssistiveTechnologyRadio.com, which streams podcasts, conference recordings and other material all the time.
http://www.assistivetechnologyradio.com/

17.) Inform Interactive Fiction System

Inform is a design system for interactive fiction based on natural language. Interactive fiction lets the player explore worlds and stories through text. Write adventure games, historical simulations, gripping stories or experimental digital art. The system is said to work well with screen readers.
http://inform7.com/

18.) Sodbeans Version 2.5

Sodbeans, an accessible programming and editing environment, has been upgraded to version 2.5:
https://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/sodbeans/wiki/Sodbeans/ReleaseNotes

19.) Microsoft Research Survey on Social Networking

Microsoft Research and the University of Rochester are conducting a brief survey on the use of social networking technologies by members of the blind and visually impaired communities. They are interested in learning more about how blind and visually-impaired people use social networks, so that they can build tools that leverage existing social networking sites to improve accessibility.
http://go.madmimi.com/redirects/640644521f869eaa74cadaa5b18bb1e6?pa=7381136608

20.) Window-Eyes Scripts for Station Playlist Studio

Window-Eyes scripts for Station Playlist Studio scripts have been updated to version 3.5.3:
http://www.gwmicro.com/App_Central/Apps/App_Details/?scriptid=1268

21.) HIMS Version 6.2 for the BrailleSense and VoiceSense

Hims, Inc. has released version 6.2 for their BrailleSense and VoiceSense line of Notetakers. This version adds support for content from the national Library Service, the ability to read and write Spanish documents, and support for the optional “Sense Dictionary”.
http://www.hims-inc.com/news/new-upgrade-v62-firmware-upgrade-release-braille-sense-and-voice-sense

22.) Nine iPhone Apps to Get You Out of Bad Situations

We offer you via Lockergnome, Nine iPhone Apps to Get You out of Bad Situations
http://www.lockergnome.com/ios/2012/01/25/nine-iphone-apps-to-get-you-out-of-bad-situations

23.) Learning Ally Audiobook Manager Tutorials

Learning ally has created tutorials on how to use their vastly improved audiobook Manager:
http://www.learningally.org/Training-Support/Learning-Ally-BookShelf-and-Audiobook-Manager/Learning-Ally-Audiobook-Manager-screen-reader-audio-instructions/959/

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