September 2010
4 posts
Sticking with Posterous for now, I've given Tumblr...
I’ve gone back and forth about whether to use Posterous or Tumblr. I’ve decided, for now, to stick with Posterous. OK, it’s not as stylistic as Tumblr, but it does offer an accessible way to play audio and other media content and that’s something Tumblr doesn’t seem willing to do. If you follow my blog via Twitter, or Facebook, there’s nothing you need to do as Posterous is posting to both...
1 tag
Big River by Johnny Cash →
I absolutely love this song.
Apple releases iOS 4.1 and in terms of...
Earlier today, Apple released iOS 4.1 for iPhone and iPod touch devices. According to Apple, the major features in this update include:
Game center,
iTunes TV show rentals,
iTunes Ping,
HDR Photography,
HD Video uploads.
Nothing is mentioned about VoiceOver and accessibility, but that doesn’t mean Apple hasn’t focused on it as well. Indeed, Apple *has* focused on VoiceOver and...
And the school year is off to a great start
Download now or listen on posterous Memo.m4a (308 KB) Posted via email from Steve’s posterous | Comment »
What exactly was a 'Telex' number? [ →
I used to have a telex number and was wondering what had become of the network and the many phone numbers reserved for it. I came across the above article which, if you’re interested in telex or communications in general, makes for some real interesting reading.
August 2010
14 posts
BNO News to discontinue iPhone app →
A real shame as this was one of my favorite apps. Pity they didn’t opt to offer a subscription based service to end users, I, and I’m sure many others would have definitely paid up.
Top 10 Facebook Fixes →
OREO & Fudge Ice Cream Cake recipe →
Yep, this would be mighty tasty right about now.
10 Useful iPhone Keyboard Shortcuts,
via mashable.com Unfortunately, many of these do not seem to be accessible. Good to know they exist though as they’re not discussed in Apple’s manual, time to start bugging the Apple accessibility folks. Posted via email from Steve’s posterous | Comment »
Whistling Languages in Kuskoy, Turkey →
Absolutely fascinating, I had no idea such languages existed.
1 tag
Pandora and screen reader support →
Pandora leaves a lot to be desired in terms of accessibility. Indeed, I can’t even log into the service from my Mac and am not sure if Windows users can interact with their vast Flash content. Interestingly enough though, Pandora does address accessibility in this FAQ page providing hot links to pages that allow a user to create new stations and change the currently playing station. ...
7 ways to listen to Pandora without a web browser →
Since discovering that the Pandora music service is very accessible on the iStuff earlier today, I’m now curious how to bring an accessible experience to both the Mac and Windows. Sadly, my understanding is that the Pandora web site leaves a lot to be desired in terms of accessibility. So, just what is Pandora anyway? Well, in a nutshell, you can create a station based on an artist, group...
Papers, Please! →
An absolutely fascinating blog discussing privacy issues and legislation.
Angry JetBlue attendant exits plane on slide «... →
I think this would have been pretty funny to see. OK, maybe a bit scary, but wow, talk about a serious and dramatic way to leave a job.
1 tag
What do you find to be the most difficult thing in...
The misconceptions of others concerning what I, as a blind person, am capable of. I encounter such misconceptions in just about all aspects of life.
Ask me anything
1 tag
how mini kids do you have, and what are there...
I have two, Markus is 10 and Gabby is 7.
Ask me anything
A foreigner’s guide to traditional Hindu weddings →
I love guides like this, informative, yet very humorous.
Digital Mail Survey →
A service to scan and digitize mail could be fantastic for many of us who depend on others to read our mail. In many respects, this service reminds me of Paytrust which can scan forwarded invoices. Even if the service isn’t of interest to you, please check out the survey.
July 2010
21 posts
Senator: 6000 graves at Arlington could be wrong →
I’ve heard of messing up, but seriously?
1 tag
1 tag
1 tag
1 tag
1 tag
1 tag
Some observations made concerning people in the...
1 tag
1 tag
Tumblr vs Posterous: quick blogging showdown →
A fantastic comparison for anyone like me who is trying to decide between Tumblr and Posterous for a blogging platform. The article also does a great job comparing the two services. Of course they’re both free, so if you’re even thinking of getting into blogging, I’d recommend giving them both a try and then deciding if either platform works for you. Of course if neither does,...
1 tag
Brief audio intro to Schloss Marienburg
Download now or listen on posterous
Memo.m4a (1087 KB)
Earlier today, we visited a near-by castle, the Schloss Marienburg. I had Jenn read a brief pamphlet describing a brief history of the castle. I’ll post more photos and commentary later, but suffice it to say that we all had a wonderful time and got a lot out of the experience.
Steve
Posted via email from Steve’s...
1 tag
Markus jumps off the high dive
Download now or watch on posterous
IMG_0007.MOV (545 KB)
Not a long video, but today while swimming, markus again jumps off the high dive.
Posted via email from Steve’s posterous | Comment »
1 tag
Pic of me in front of house
Posted via email from Steve’s posterous | Comment »
1 tag
Live from Germany
The best gifts are those least expected. For those unaware, I was an exchange student to Germany in 1992, the first blind Rotary exchange student. Over the years, I’ve kept in contact with my host family and many former classmates in Germany. You can imagine my surprise when, for his 60TH birthday, my host father requested that in lieu of gifts, he would rather people donate money which...
Mike Freeman, Pres. WA, sings National Anthem
Download now or listen on posterous Memo.m4a (609 KB) I missed the beginning of this as, well, I wasn’t expecting it. Still, he did a great job. Posted via email from Steve’s posterous | Comment »
Walking into #NFB10 General session
Download now or listen on posterous Memo.m4a (545 KB) I’m not sure this will actually post — if not, I’ll send later when I have access to actual WIFI. It’s amazing how many people are here in this room and how much excitement is generated. Posted via email from Steve’s posterous | Comment »
A brief demo of Perl
Recording conditions are far from optimal, but in this very impressive demo, the PERL is used to recognize the page of a paperback book. The book is not lined up with the PERL’s guide and the light was off on the Perl’s camera, a great simulation of scanning conditions especially when needing to scan in a hurry. If nothing else, the speed between when the picture is taken and the...
Testing the accessibility of audio playback yet...
June 2010
18 posts
Stand My Ground (Album Version) by Within... →
If this can’t drive that last song out of my head, I doubt anything can.
Say My Name by Within Temptation →
I haven’t been able to get this song out of my head all day. There’s a word for songs like this, you know, the kind you just keep hearing over and over in your mind, the German translation is ear worm. Anyway, this is my “ear worm” of the day as it were.
1 tag
New Heart Device Allows Cheney To Experience Love... →
What is Fast App Switching? | TidBITS →
For all those confused about multitasking and task switching in Apple’s iOS4, this article provides a fantastic explanation of how it all works. Many thanks to @dhsdarcy for originally tweeting about this.
1 tag
Congress, 1924: Rep. Demands Horses Wear Dresses... →
I truly don’t know what I’d do without the Onion for a daily chuckle.
1 tag
Increasing Number Of Americans Unable To Point Out... →
Digit-Eyes Audio Labeling System →
An iPhone labeling app for only $29? This is far less expensive than similar products even though it’s of course assumed that one has the iPhone. I wonder how well the system works?
Google Adds OCR for PDF Files and Images →
Although accuracy can undoubtedly be improved, a free online, platform independent OCR solution could make a difference for many folks. For those who are wondering what the heck OCR actually is, it’s a process by which an image is analyzed in order to determine what text appears in the image. This text can then be read with assistive technologies such as screen readers, can be easily...
Gary Shapiro, President, Consumer Electronics... →
I’m very surprised by Gary’s comments given that the legislation won’t inhibit innovation, or dictate in any way what electronics manufacturers must do. In deed, I would think H.R.3101 would be appealing to electronics manufacturers who could have input into the process VS facing potential lawsuits down the road.
Gabby reads an Easter poem, part II
Download now or listen on posterous 20100613 205217.m4a (365 KB) I tried posting this earlier and, well, forgot to attach the actual audio file. Let’s see if this one actually gets through. Posted via email from Steve’s posterous | Comment »