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Top Tech Tidbits - Volume 153

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.

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1) When using Word, macros have been created that allow you to mark a spot, navigate in the usual ways to a destination in your document, then hit a second key, automatically selecting the text between those two positions. These macros work in any version from Word 2000 to 2007. Directions for installing them on your system have been updated to include Word 2007 keystrokes. You can grab the macros and instructions here:
http://topdotenterprises.com/Macros for Easy Text Selection in Word.doc

2) EASI recently held a webinar concerning the plans of the National Library Service for the Blind in the U.S. to transition to a digital collection. Here's the recording:
http://easi.cc/archive/nls/lib.mp3

3) OPAL will present A Casual Conversation with Marshall Breeding on Friday, 28 March at 18:00 GMT. Marshall is the Director for Innovative Technologies and Research at the Jean and Alexander Heard Library at Vanderbilt University and the Executive Director of the Vanderbilt Television News Archive
http://www.conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs1641902f62b4

Podcasts of this and other programs put on by Online Programming for All Libraries are available.
http://opalpodcast.blogspot.com/

4) An alternative male voice for the Victor Reader Stream for U.S. English is now available, as are voices in French, German, Swedish, Norwegian, danish and Dutch.
http://www.humanware.com/en-usa/support/victor_reader_stream

5) Here is an explanation, courtesy of the Windows Secrets newsletter, of how you can buy a system with Windows XP until January, 2009:
http://windowssecrets.com/2008/03/20/03-You-have-another-few-months-to-acquire-XP

6) Fred's Head Companion informs us about yet another source for electronic books: Bookhabit. This is a site where authors, mostly unpublished ones, can get their books known and make a little money. You can usually read the first chapter of each book for free, books cost $2.50 to purchase unless they become more popular, and are presented in unprotected PDF format.
http://www.bookhabit.com/

7) AMIS is an open-source Daisy book reader. Version 3 of the program will be entering beta test soon, and they're looking for testers.
http://daisy.org/news/newsletters/planet-2008-03.shtml#a2

8) NVDA, the open-source screen reader, is still being developed. The developers attended the CSUN conference, showing version 0.61, with particular emphasis on its support for Firefox. Serious work is also underway to create a Japanese version of this free screen reader.
http://www.nvda-project.org/blog

9) Richard McKinley has produced a $35.00 program called Tweaker, which he claims makes computer maintenance easier.
http://www.geocities.com/r_mckinley2000/products.html

10) Mike Calvo, President and CEO of Serotek, was recently a guest on Blind Like Me. Here's a link to the audio file of the interview:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/okh24v

11) Tek Talk for GMT Tuesday, 1 April at 00:00 will be entitled "Maestro and Trekker, the world in the palm of your hand".
http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2

12) Accessibility reviews of Talking Communities Web Conferencing version 7.5, zodler.com, windows live mail, and Auslogics Disk Defrag version 1.4 have been added to the AccessWatch database.
http://www.accesswatch.info

13) Thanks to the Blind Bargains mailing list, we learn about Mobile Space, a blog oriented toward users of accessible cell phones, particularly those using the Symbian operating system.
http://mobilespace.wordpress.com/

14) EASI will present a four-part fee-based clinic, What You See Is What You Get: Web Designed, beginning on 8 April at 18:00 GMT.
http://easi.cc/workshop.htm

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Tidbits is intentionally concise, but I know a lot of people don't understand many of the items because little explanation is given. If a Tidbit brings up a question in your mind, feel free to ask, and I'll answer as time, knowledge and inclination permit.

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