Archive for July, 2012

All About Words With Deborah Kendrick

Sunday, July 22nd, 2012

In this podcast, the Tech Doctor spends time with freelance writer, editor and poet Deborah Kendrick. During her thirty years as a freelance writer, Deborah has published hundreds of articles in newspapers and magazines around the world. Even though Deborah is well-known in the blindness community, as a writer about and advocate for disability concerns, she began her career as a poet and a writer on topics that had nothing to do with disability.

At present, Deborah is the “Senior Features Editor” at
AccessWorld
which is a monthly technology magazine published by The American Foundation for the Blind.

Prior to coming to AccessWorld, Deborah started and edited the first braille magazine devoted to access technology, called Tactic. First published in 1985, long before the internet, Tactic was the primary way that blind people learned about and kept up with accessible technology.

In addition to writing about technology, Deborah writes a bi-weekly newspaper column for the Columbus Dispatch. At the time of this podcast, Deborah’s current column was entitled
Progress, yes, but there’s work ahead

Deborah is currently writing the biography of
Abraham Nemeth
an inventor and the developer of the braille code for mathematics and scientific notation.

In the podcast, Deborah jokingly describes herself as the “accidental techie.” This is a story that you don’t want to miss.

Play

Braille Sense U2 Quadruple the Storage and Double the Speed

Monday, July 16th, 2012

With its crisp 32 cell braille display, silent keyboard, 32 gigs of flash storage, 1GHZ processor, internal GPS receiver, vibration motor and suite of state-of-the-art applications, the Braille Sense U2 moves to the head of the class.

The Tech Doctor does a detailed examination the U2 providing you with both the data and live demonstrations that you need to really understand this product.

Thinking of the Braille Sense U2 as just a note taker is like believing that the iPhone is just a phone. It has the hardware specs of a typical high-end mobile device and Hims is making good progress on the getting the software to take full advantage of the new processor, additional ram and increased storage capacity.

Using refreshable braille to word process, surf the net, work with email, navigate with GPS and participate in social networking is what the U2 is all about. There is of course synthetic speech and improved audio capabilities built-in as well.

Clearly, the Tech Doctor feels that the Braille Sense U2 is a big step forward. At the same time, he acknowledges that no product is perfect and offers some suggestions for improvement.

If you are interested in having the ability to work easily and efficiently in electronic braille, the Braille Sense U2 is worthy of serious consideration.

For more information, check out the
Hims
website.

Play

In Puerto Rico With The Caribbean Blind Man

Thursday, July 12th, 2012

In this podcast, the Tech Doctor visits with a most charming and fascinating man from Puerto Rico named Ricky Gonzalez

You will get to know Ricky and hear the wonderful and relaxing sounds of the Caribbean.

As we talk, you will get an idea of what life is like for people who are blind and living on the island. You will definitely enjoy Ricky telling us about what it was like for him to discover that the iPhone is accessible and what this technology means to him.

Ricky’s warmth and generous spirit is infectious. This is a podcast that just might stick with you for a while.

Play

Talking 2012 Apple MacBooks with Katie Floyd

Sunday, July 1st, 2012

In this podcast, Robert visits with Katie Floyd, the co-host of the excellent
Mac Power Users podcast

Robert and Katie compare and contrast the capabilities and features of the 2012 line of Apple MacBook laptops. They provide the information that you will need when selecting the computer that is right for you. You may be surprised by some of their recommendations.

Play