Top Tech Tidbits - Volume 154

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) The e-mail version of last week's newsletter contained an incorrect link for the Word macros which many of us love. Those who asked for it got the corrected link already, but in case you still want it, here is a link that will get you the macros:
http://topdotenterprises.com/Macros_for_Easy_Text_Selection_in_Word.doc

2) Mine will be the primary voice you will hear on Tek Talk on GMT Tuesday, 8 April at 00:00. We will discuss Windows Vista Speech Recognition: Microsoft's Half-buried Treasure. There will be something here for users of all the major screen readers, as I will discuss and demonstrate the pros and cons of using Speech Recognition with JAWS, Window-Eyes, and System Access. As always, the two-hour program will consist of a presentation/demonstration with plenty of time for questions and discussion afterwards.
http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2

3) During the 90's, a lot of us came to know and love Wordperfect for DOS. Apparently, there are a good number of people out there who still believe that that was the best word processor ever written. Here is a Fred's Head Companion posting offering resources for those who might still want to use it:
http://fredsheadcompanion.blogspot.com/2005/09/wordperfect-for-dos-updated.html

4) One good discovery from Fred's Head Companion usually deserves another, so here are three more: This post is entitled Free and Open-Source Assistive Technology for Colleges:
http://fredsheadcompanion.blogspot.com/2008/03/free-and-open-source-assistive.html

5) This ambitious site is seeking to compile a compendium of all the world's words with their correct pronunciations. The hope is that people will request the proper pronunciations of words, and that native speakers will then provide them.
http://www.forvo.com/

6) Finally, we learn about an audio book site to promote reading among children, Audible for Kids:
http://www.audiblekids.com/

7) Magic Jack is an intriguing way to make low-cost phone calls throughout the world. We mentioned the music site jango.com here a couple weeks ago. Now, we can listen to demonstrations of both these systems, provided by Reginald George of the Real-Eyes Blind Computer Users Group.
http://www.shellworld.net/~jimkc/jack.mp3

8) Significant upgrades for the Level star Icon and Braille Plus PDAs are now available. Besides other enhancements, these upgrades allow users of these devices to listen to protected content from audible.com, the System Access Mobile Network, and the National Library Service for the Blind.
http://tech.aph.org/mm

9) Here is a free program, recommended by one user, called Acccessible PDF, which purports to make the reading of PDF documents easier for users of screen readers and screen magnifiers.
http://www.accessiblepdf.com/

10) Jamal Mazrui is experimenting with his Homer scripts for JAWS, trying to implement them with Microsoft Word. If you are a JAWS user who likes the Homer interface from using it with another program, or who is looking for a simpler interface to Word, this set of scripts, which features many keystrokes, might be for you.
http://EmpowermentZone.com/kitsetup.exe

11) The next Hadley Seminar will be entitled Bookshare.org, Hadley's Virtual Library, and will take place on Saturday, 5 April, at 16:00 GMT. Preregistration is required, and an audio archive will be available.
http://www.hadley.edu/seminar/

12) A while back, we mentioned SpokenText. This site allows people to turn their personal text, blogs, and web sites into audio content. They have now introduced an enhanced version, so that for a $30.00 contribution, the size of the audio file you create can be much larger.
http://www.spokentext.net

13) T & T Consultancy has upgraded its J-Tunes program, which provides a JAWS-friendly interface to Apple iTunes, version 3.2, offering various enhancements.
http://www.tandt-consultancy.com

14) J.J. Meddaugh is now a dealer for the Mobile Speak and Mobile Magnifier line of products for cell phones from Code Factory. He seems to be offering some good introductory prices.
https://www.atguys.com

15) ATC offers two more online trainings during April. Each costs $50.00 and lasts 2 hours. Those who can't take part in person can purchase a CD. On Thursday, 17 April, the topic will be Burn Baby, Burn, concerning burning CDs and DVDs. On Thursday, 24 April, the topic will be Internet Security. Both programs begin at 21:00 GMT. Registration by phone is required at 888-723-5011 Ext. 3

16) A new book available from National Braille Press for $10.00 in electronic and hardcopy format is Label It! Braille & Audio Strategies for Identifying Items at Home & Work:
http://www.nbp.org/ic/nbp/LABELIT.html

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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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