The Week’s News in Access Technology
Distributed by Flying Blind, LLC
http://www.flying-blind.com/
For questions and comments regarding Tidbits, please e-mail Dean Martineau at dean@topdotenterprises.com. Dean Martineau provides adaptive technology training by phone, online, and in person, with flexible arrangements, and at affordable prices.
News
1.) Personal Power: Michael Feir’s Free Computing Guide
For several years, Michael Feir edited Audyssey Game magazine. Now he has created a free 50,000-word guide to computing for the blind called Personal Power. His goal is to help people use computers and the Internet for leisure and personal growth, and says it’s more of a traveller’s gazette than a manual. Personal Power is available in an .rtf file, and it is accompanied by three “fireside chat” lectures on mp3.
http://www.blind-planet.com/content/personal-power
2.) National Braille Press Office 2007 Keyboard Shortcut Guides
National Braille Press has again come through with needed Keyboard Shortcut Guides, this time for Office 2007 programs. Each is available in paper or electronic format, and each costs $5, with the package costing $16. Guides are available for Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word 2007.
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/OFF07-WORD.html
3.) Creating Futures Program Offers Free Tech Training
For US residents: The Creating Futures Program may be able to offer free training toward an entry-level job in the tech field to returning veterans, disabled veterans, others receiving disability benefits, at-risk youth, and displaced workers.
http://www.creatingfutures.us
4.) New Accessibility Reviews at AccessWatch
Accessibility reviews of VIP MUD version 1.0, AVG Internet Security version 8.0 Truecrypt Data Encryption version 5.1a and Avast Home Anti Virus version 4.8 have been added to the collection at AccessWatch and the review of AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition version 8.0.1 build 100 has been updated:
http://www.accesswatch.info
5.) Meeting the Challenge of Finding Employment
Fred’s Head Companion has put together a resource-filled posting called Meeting the Challenge of Finding Employment.
http://www.fredshead.info/2006/07/meeting-challenge-of-finding.html
6.) Howjsay Pronunciation Dictionary
While we’re lifting information from their page, how about a pronunciation dictionary where you can type in a word or saying for your choice of American or British English pronunciation. Pronunciations are all pre-recorded by humans:
http://www.howjsay.com/
7.) A Reader’s Blog of Technology News Feeds
A Tidbits reader has started a blog where he gathers RSS feeds to news articles related to technology in general and also adaptive technology.
http://www.jamesscholes.com/rssblog
8.) Gizmo’s Best-Ever Freeware Utilities Site Revamped
Gizmo has revampted his Best-Ever Freeware Utilities site. You can get updates via RSS or e-mail, and the listing is very complete. I’ve found a couple gems and have barely begun to test the programs.
http://www.techsupportalert.com/
9.) Duxbury 10.7 Translates MathType Equations into Braille
Duxbury Systems and Design Science have jointly announced that version 10.7 of the Duxbury Braille Translator incorporates the ability to translate mathematical equations created in Microsoft Word using versions 5 or 6 of MathType.
http://www.dessci.com/en/company/press/releases/080623.htm
10.) BlindBargains Mobile Site
J.J. Meddaugh has created a mobile phone version of the BlindBargains site, which is also simpler to navigate for anyone using a computer with a screen reader.
http://m.blindbargains.com
11.) Tek Talk Mini-Course on GoldWave with Windows Vista
Tek Talk will provide a mini-course in using the Goldwave Audio Editor with windows Vista on GMT Tuesday 1 July at 00:00.
http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2
12.) Graduate Student Study on Audio CAPTCHA
A graduate student is researching audio CAPTCHA, the workaround that tries to allow the blind to get around the unusable visual verification placed on many web sites. The study is said to take fifteen minutes.
http://webinsight.cs.washington.edu/webeval/captchas/
13.) Window-Eyes 7.0 Beta 1 Available
Window-Eyes 7.0 Beta 1 is here for all to test, with improved web browsing features, a powerful and accessible scripting feature and other enhancements.
http://www.gwmicro.com/beta
14.) Window-Eyes Moves to a New EloQuence Version
As of the release of this beta, Window-Eyes will use a new version of the EloQuence speech synthesizer.
http://www.gwmicro.com/Support/Knowledge_Base/?kbnumber=GWKB1088
15.) Skype 4.0 Beta Not Yet Advised for JAWS Users
Skype beta version 4.0 is out, but those using the JAWS scripts are not advised to upgrade to it as of yet; efforts are definitely under way to make Skype version 4 accessible, but it hasn’t happened yet.
16.) QuotesDaddy Quotable Quotes
Fred’s Head Companion found for us a site full of quotable quotes for when you need some inspiration or advice.
http://www.quotesdaddy.com/
17.) RedKaraoke: Record and Share Your Own Songs
They also unearthed RedKaraoke, which is an entertaining site that allows you to search for your favorite songs and then record and share your own versions with the rest of the community.
http://www.redkaraoke.com/
18.) Soungle.com Sound Search
And to conclude: Soungle.com is a site where users can search for sounds. Search for the sounds of melodious birds such as the thrush bird or blue jay. Or users can download sound effects such as door bells and rushing water.
http://www.soungle.com/
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