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Date:         Sat, 15 Aug 1992 02:00:04 EDT
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From:         Bill McGarry <wtm@sheldev.shel.isc-br.com>
Subject:      Handicap Digest # 2876
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                             THE HANDICAP DIGEST

                                 Issue # 2876

                          Thursday, August 13, 1992

Today's Topics:


                                ******

                           Blink Talk Digest # 687

                                 Nls And Nfb
                                   Spanish
                                  Megadots
                             TBT & BBR textfiles
                               Displaywrite 4
                           Re: low cost ocr system
                       Speech and Punctuation pausing
                             Low cost ocr system
                                 Re: CD_ROM
                           Re: low cost ocr system


                                ******


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Subject: Nls And Nfb
From: Warren.Figueiredo@f6.n3800.z1.fidonet.org (Warren Figueiredo)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3800/6 - CompuChurch (tm) IH, Baton Rouge LA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

BK>For my part, they could add at least a whole bunch of books on
BK>metaphysics and alternative lifestyles and thinking processes.

Write to the selection committee. Have you used RFB's collection? I
would think that there would be more stuff there.

At the NFB convention there was a guy from the Right to Know Press.
(Perhaps I have the incorrect name.) The group was advertising
alternative materials. Have you ever heard of this group?

Warren

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Subject: Spanish
From: Warren.Figueiredo@f6.n3800.z1.fidonet.org (Warren Figueiredo)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3800/6 - CompuChurch (tm) IH, Baton Rouge LA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

World Braille Usage is an NLS/UNESCO publication. I feel certain that
the Braille Development Section would give you a copy.

Warren

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Subject: Megadots
From: Warren.Figueiredo@f6.n3800.z1.fidonet.org (Warren Figueiredo)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:3800/6 - CompuChurch (tm) IH, Baton Rouge LA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

KB>Hello Susan, in case Tandy hasn't seen your message, Mega Dots is a
new KB>braille translator sold by Raised Dot Computing.  Hope this
helps. KB>Keith Bucher

I have used MegaDots for several months. As a braille producer I find
it easy to apply the rules of both literary and textbook braille to
files I receive from many other word processors. Outlines and tables are
now a snap. Editing is much easier and coding is simple. I particularly
like the instant translation. Touch F5 and there is the braille version
just as it will appear on the page. If I need to make a correction or a
format change, no problem. I can do it in either the print or braille
version.

>From my experience with the program. I feel that it will be a popular
one with transcribers. I am particularly pleased with it because it
incorporates many of the suggestions that many of us braille producers
have put in the suggestion box.

Warren

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Subject: TBT & BBR textfiles
From: Edward.Delgrosso@f140.n150.z1.fidonet.org (Edward Delgrosso)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:150/140 - Black Bag BBS, Newark DE


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

In a msg on <Jul 28 20:23>, Warren Figueiredo of 1:2610/12 writes:

 WF> Would anyone like to get TALKING BOOK TOPICS and BRAILLE BOOK
 WF> REVIEW online? Before I ask NLS I want to see if there would be
 WF> any demand.

   There would be here..... great idea!!!

ED

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Subject: Displaywrite 4
From: Susan.Wimberly@f5.n382.z1.fidonet.org (Susan Wimberly)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:382/5 - Health-Link, Austin TX


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

Is anyone here using Displaywrite 4 with the Vert system?  If so what
sort of luck have you had and can you give me any hints as to how to
work with the program and its windows well?  Thanks in advance.
          Susan

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Subject: Re: low cost ocr system
From: David.Tanner@f168.n129.z1.fidonet.org (David Tanner)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/168 - Braille Bank BBS, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

I have used Recognita quite a bit.  We have it at work and I have
used it now with three scanners, HP Scan Jet Plus - Panasonic 506 -
and the Mitsubishi hand scanner.  This is a really nice software
and works very nicely with speech. The recognition is decent, and
supports a wide range of scanners. However, inspite of the
excellent quality of its' recognition it has one big problem.  If
you are scanning a document with columns such as in a magazine,
phlone book, or newspaper the majority of the time it does not
decolumnize the information which makes reading the file very
difficult to imposible.

I really hate to tell you that since the software really is very
good with speech, is very easy to learn and use, and has a
reasonable price.  Once they get that problem solved it certainly
will be just the right solution for a lot of people.  I also forgot
to mention that Recognita is very quick to start recognizing the
information scanned, faster than Arkenstone, if you have a 386
33MHZ or better.

Willie and the people at our local users group here in Pittsburgh
got to see it demonstrated being used with the hand scanner at a
recent users group meeting and I think there were a lot of
surprised people at how well it did in a 20 MHZ 386 SX laptop
equipped with only 1 meg of memory.  Put the hand scanner,
Recognita and a laptop that has 1 8 bit half slot or better and it
sure would make a nice package for taking to the local college
library to do research etc.  Our laptop had the scanner card in one
half slot and a DoubleTalk in the other half slot and it worked
like a charm.  So, keep an eye out for Recognita it just might
improve enough in the very near future to solve it's only real
problem.

        D. T.

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Subject: Speech and Punctuation pausing
From: David.Tanner@f168.n129.z1.fidonet.org (David Tanner)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/168 - Braille Bank BBS, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

David, I believe you were the one who originally asked about
pausing for punctuation without saying it and you mentioned Dectalk
and Jaws.  I took a few minutes today and experimented with setting
Jaws 2.2 for MultiVoice up so that there was a pause of 2 for
commas and a pause of 6 for periods.  I then turned off all
punctuation being pronounced and it sounded really good.  I tried
reading several text files using Ralph the Reader and it was so
nice I think it could easily be used that way for reading talking
books for RFB, and probably would be more interesting than some of
the live readers on some of their tapes.

I have not had time to try this with other speech programs, but I
am sure that there has to be at least one or two others that would
do equally as well.

        D. T.

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Subject: Low cost ocr system
From: David.Tanner@f168.n129.z1.fidonet.org (David Tanner)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/168 - Braille Bank BBS, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

The Scan Jet scanner is pretty easy to install.  You will need to
install a half-length interface card and put a line in your
config.sys file that loads the Scan Jet driver into memory.  The
Scan Jet sjdriver.sys file is on a disk of utilities that comes
with the interface card and you will need to copy it to a utilities
directory on your hard disk.

The Discover 386 software is available at most software stores or
they can order it in for you.  Since it is a Xerox product you can
also purchase it from any store that sells Xerox products, usually
at a higher price than from other software vendors.  I would be
surprised if Comp USA cannot get it for you.  They probably can get
it for you at about as cheap a price as anywhere you could find
it.

        D. T.

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Subject: Re: CD_ROM
From: David.Tanner@f168.n129.z1.fidonet.org (David Tanner)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/168 - Braille Bank BBS, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

You and others who do not already know, may want to know about the
cd-rom being released in January by Raised Dot Computing.  The disk
will be the history of access technology for the blind and visually
impaired.  The disk will contain information about hardware and
software released for blind and visually impaired since the 70's up
to today.  The disk is also going to containe resource lists of
producers of access technology and disk based manuals for a great
many of the access technologies that have been around for our use.
It sounds like it should be a great resource.

Price if ordered before Janualry is $50 and $100 if after Janyuary
1 1993.

Raised Dot Computing has a 800 number if you want more
information.

        D. T.

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Subject: Re: low cost ocr system
From: David.Tanner@f168.n129.z1.fidonet.org (David Tanner)
Organization: FidoNet node 1:129/168 - Braille Bank BBS, Pittsburgh PA


[This is from the Blink Talk Conference]

I have not used the Discover 386 software, but Larry Skutchan of
ASAP fame and a regular reader of this echo reports that he really
likes it and hopefully he will get into this conversation and give
more details of what he likes and doesn't like about it.

As for software based OSCAR I will tell you to hang tite for a
month or there abouts and we will have it at the Guild.  We sent
our order in for the new OSCAR 3.0 this past friday so we would get
ours with the first shipping.  I am told that it is looking like
the first release will be around the 15th to 30th of August.

Yet another thought, you could buy Calera Word Scan and use it with
Window Bridge.  Reviews of Word Scan have been excellent and it
also is in the price range of $300 TO $500 DEPENDING UPON WHERE YOU
BUY IT.

        D. T.

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                                ******

                  End of Issue # 2876 of the Handicap Digest

                                ******
Comments: Gated by NETNEWS@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU