Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday, November 21, 2013 - Volume 432
The Week's News in Access Technology

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

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Greetings,

1) Two state agencies for the blind are looking to hire Adaptive Technology trainers.

A.) Oregon:
http://agency.governmentjobs.com/oregon/default.cfm?action=viewJob&jobID=74735

B.) New Mexico:
http://www.spo.state.nm.us

2) MovieReading from Solo-Dx is an iOS app that will let you get audio description for some first-run movies that may not otherwise be described. You buy the description track for the movie you want to watch, then sync your phone to the movie in the theater to get the description. Subtitles in different languages are also available. One new movie debuts with audio description this week, so we'll see how many movies end up being available:
http://blindbargains.com/bargains.php?m=9923

3) BCAB is selling two webinars on using Skype on Saturday, 30 November. Skype with NVDA starts at 13:00 GMT, and Using Skype with GW Connect starts at 15:00 GMT. Each webinar costs 15 pounds, or both cost 25:
http://bcab.org.uk/training-events/using-skype-webinars

4) Staying in the UK, the RNIB has declared November "Switch on to Technology Month", and besides holding various live free "Technology Taster" events throughout the country, they have three guides, probably of use outside the UK as well, downloadable in various formats including Word, and available from RNIB itself in yet other formats: "Making sense of mobile phones", "Getting online with computers and tablets", and "eBooks and download audio books":
http://www.rnib.org.uk/livingwithsightloss/computersphones/Pages/switch_on_to_technology_month.aspx?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social_media&utm_content=guides-computers&utm_campaign=switch-on2013

5) And lastly from across the pond, the RNIB has produced three videos demonstrating access to the newly-accessible Kindle Fire HD:
http://www.blindbargains.com/bargains.php?m=9914

6) Jonathan Mosen elaborates as to why Voice Dream Reader is Truly a Dream App for those who like to read audio or text-based reading material:
http://mosen.org/index.php/voice-dream-reader-truly-a-dream-app/

7) Learn about all the upcoming ZoomText-related webinars provided by AI Squared:
http://www.aisquared.com/learning/more/webinars/

8) NVDA 2013.3rc1 has just been released. This is a release candidate, which means that unless any critical issues are found, this will be identical to the final 2013.3 release. The new release will offer access to Word form fields and Track Changes in Word, access to several Excel features and more options for customizing the program:
http://community.nvda-project.org/blog/NVDA2013.3rc1Released

9) DoItWrite is a clever $1.99 iOS app that helps blind users Learn to draw lowercase letters, uppercase letters, and numbers for use with iOS 7's VoiceOver handwriting feature. Once shapes are learned, users can practice speed and accuracy with a fun game to blast characters as they tumble down the screen. This is the App Store link:
https://search.itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZContentLink.woa/wa/link?mt=8&path=apps%2fdoitwrite

10) Access Technology Institute announces their latest textbook, "Excel 2013 with JAWS for Windows 14-15," available for $90 as a download:
http://www.blindtraining.com/shop/Excel13-JFW14-15.htm

11) The developer of Papa Sangre II has posted great tips and feedback for VoiceOver users on playing the game:
http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/games/papa-sangre-ii#comment-19036

12) Looking at a diverse week of audio material:

A.) In AccessTalk Podcast 20: Learn about Jaws 15, Kindle HDX, Power Boards, the Google Cab Co., and more:
http://accesstalk.co.uk/podcast-20/

B.) Episode 7 of NVAccess provides details about the upcoming NVDA 2013.3 release, as well as some exciting news about OpenOffice accessibility:
http://www.nvaccess.org/post/podcast-episode-7/

C.) Learn about DoItWrite from The Blind Educator:
http://sndup.net/8bf

D.) If you aren't a subscriber to the Serotalk podcast feed, you might want to make a practice of checking the site. These days, Tidbits is getting prepared by Wednesday morning, and their podcasts often come out later that day, so we can never announce the current one. When one of the next ones appears, there will be an interview about the new audio described movie system from Solo-DX we mentioned earlier:
http://serotalk.com/

E.) The latest Tech Doctor podcast features an interview with successful professional Sue Martin about her memoir and a look at the Mavericks operating system for the Mac:
http://www.dr-carter.com/?p=268

F.) This week's collection from AppleVis includes Setting Up and Using Touch ID on the iPhone 5s:
http://applevis.com/podcast/episodes/setting-and-using-touch-id-iphone-5s

G.) Quick Tip: How To Disable Frequent Location Tracking In iOS 7 For Enhanced Privacy:
http://applevis.com/podcast/episodes/quick-tip-how-disable-frequent-location-tracking-ios-7-enhanced-privacy

H.) Jailbreaking: A Quick Overview and a Call for Jailbreak Topics for Future Podcasts:
http://applevis.com/podcast/episodes/jailbreaking-quick-overview-and-call-jailbreak-topics-future-podcasts

I.) Scanner Radio Deluxe for iOS: Listen to Police and Fire Scanners, Weather Radios, and Amateur Radio Repeaters from Around the World:
http://applevis.com/podcast/episodes/scanner-radio-deluxe-ios-listen-police-and-fire-scanners-weather-radios-and-amateur

J.) AppleVis Podcast #500:
http://applevis.com/podcast/episodes/applevis-podcast-500

K.) And Google Voice Search vs Siri: With the latest updates:
http://applevis.com/podcast/episodes/google-voice-search-vs-siri-latest-updates

L.) And Eyes on Success Podcast #1347 deals with Ultra Extreme Sports "Running and Biking":
http://www.eyesonsuccess.net/eos_1347_podcast.mp3

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