If only my 81-ear-old husband with background in graphic arts and electronics
was 40 years younger and was in proximity to Richard or Chuck. He'd be
innovative and loving making it work. Now, his health would prevent that. Of
course, it is about what is, not what if.
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On ;
Behalf Of David
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2020 7:03 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; dan.tevelde@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Hi, Optaconers
Google, Apple, Microsoft? Or, for that matter, whoever else. Well...?
Are you sure you want them to run your Optacon? What happened the day when one
of them decided to discontinue their operativ system? Thousands of people will
have to run and buy new hardware. No criticism here, just want to point your
attention to the facts. Go something like 30 years back. Everyone was happily
working their DOS-based computers. Sure, we did dream. Dream of the day when
the computer would let us play music, movies and store our whole bookshelf. The
day when all of that could be done, simultaneously. And yes, the day came. That
is, for those who decided they had enough money, and who was all OK in learning
a totally new way of operating their computer. Was all due to the manufacturer
of the Operativ system, changing their platform completely. IBM, went for their
OS/2 - Microsoft got their Windows; and the rest of us got a new unit on our
desk.
Let's for a moment build the new Optacon, and base it on Android. Fine.
Until Google either make some change in their technology, disappear altogether
from the marketplace - or, simply update their licensing policy. All the
sudden, the Optacon cannot be used anymore, or is under some kind of
restriction, deeply dug into that licensing. What will ever happen to your
cellphone, the day Apple or Google pull the plug? Not sure if the user will
enjoy that to be the case of his Optacon. If the Optacon plug is to be pulled,
how about the user bending over and doing that pulling himself. Jokey smiles.
Another thing is, why do we need a new Optacon at all? Android is already on
our Google phone and tablet. The device already holds a camera. What's more, it
has a USB socket. Get a display invented, and hook it up on your phone. Chunk
up a piece of an app, and see what you can get out of that. There we could have
all the whistles and bells for our playtime. Only missing here is, we want an
Optacon. A stand-alone product, released from the rush of modern streams of
"new updates every week" product lines.
Android has all the programming capabilities. Facebook has the business ware.
And along with things like Instagram they have an over-developed line of image
recognition facilities. It's all there, quite ready to be used. You just have
to subscribe, you've just gotta pay. And, most certainly, you'll just have to
invent an Optacon that is just about close to the design of a modern mobil
device.
First you want to base it on mainstream platforms, and want them free, why pay
Google? What is wrong with Linux, or any other ones that won't cost you a cent?
All said with a smile. Nothing's wrong with either, of course. I get your
point, just not sure if it is all what we would be looking for.
Keep in mind, Android is a full-sized operativ system. Using such for a simple
product like the Optacon, might be way over-complicating things.
You do not carry your laptop to the shop, do you - simply because you need sum
up the three milks and two breads your mom asked you to bring home. And you
don't start your Jet plane, just to run to the convenience-store, picking up an
Ice cream cone.
Python, would be another programming language, which is totally free of charge,
and holds numerous building blocks already made up, ready to be used. NVDA is
built on that platform. And see what happened to that. One day a new version of
Python was released, and now NVDA has been in the transmission process for a
couple of years. The new version is not fully backward compatible, meaning that
the screen reader might have to be more or less written all up again, in the
new environment. Again, not sure if that is what we are looking for, with our
Optacon.
True enough, I might have explained myself rather complicated, in my initial
message. I was not dealing with the operativ system or anything near it. I just
wanted a feature or two. And no matter which operativ system, or software you
base the next Optacon on, my point was that a couple of tiny features would
have assisted the users who expressed their wish for better readability. Even
if we go for a jet helicopter like Android, you still would need some hardware
buttons to control such features, why I gave some example of how that could be
done in a smooth way. Or, are we looking for an Optacon that is all controlled
by a touch-screen like every other modern product these days? If so, I'll back
out of the line of Optacon users. LOL.
Please take all the above with a smile. No need to cook a meal, until the fish
has been caught. First we would need someone who would want to follow up on
even getting started in developing the new Optacon. And my thought is that
their real head-ache would be to design the new display.
Not until that is done, they would need much of a software. And basically, the
features described, do not need a piece of software - the way you think of
software. Technically, you would need a couple of algorithms, and you then
would burn them into what is known as an EPROM.
That is, a tiny electronic component, generally speaking being the hard disk of
the Optacon. An EPROM - though being hardware and fixed inside the Optacon -
could still be updated over the net or via a USB connection, which would be
desirable. Thing is that you don't need an operativ system here, simply just
the very piece of software that gets your job done. An EPROM you already own,
and likely you are the happy owner of several of them.
Your Microwave has several programs. At least it has different effect levels.
Unless it is such designed that you have a manual turning switch for choosing
effects, which is all mechanical, you will be the owner of an EPROM based unit.
The EPROM holds the information telling the microwave how long to cook your
potatoes, depending on the weight you set by the buttons on the panel. Likewise
your washing machine, dish washer and tumble drier. They all hold some kind of
programming, telling them how to operate. It is stored on an EPROM. And your
DVD player? Oh yes, and your CD player as well. Your MP3 player, your old
answering machine for the landline phone. Yeah, even the very landline phone
itself. Some models had a memory function, again being stored on an EPROM.
Modern radios and TVs, they hold an EPROM as well. Otherwise, they would not
know what to do, when you turn them on. Even if they are based on Apple or
Android, that only means that operativ system has been placed on an EPROM. And
guess what makes your phone, tablet or computer even boot? If you now answer:
EPROM,
you are ready for a piece of chocolate, or go get yourself a brownie.
That is, unless you live in Canada, and have the chance of running to Tim
Hortens for a donut. Smile.
Even your keyboard of the computer. Press a key, and a signal is sent to an
EPROM, which will send a message (also known as the scancode) to your computer.
This in turn is picked up by your computers software, and interpretted into a
keystroke. The piece of software on the EPROM, tells the actual key that has
been pressed, and maybe even the physical location. Like number 5 has been
pressed, but it was the 5 of the numeric, and not the main keyboard. Or, if it
was the right or left shift-key. It's all in there, on that small electronic
chip.
See why we might not even need a full-sized operativ system? Most dishwashers,
laundry machines and DVD players as of current, work just fine without. The
manufacturer has developed the tiny piece of software needed to carry out the
requested functionality. Put it on an EPROM, and chucked it inside the
appliance. They never bothered asking licensing permissions from anyone, and if
they desire, they still can have the appliance hook up over the net, and
download updated information when released. You've just gotta include that kind
of feature in your software.
On 3/26/2020 8:47 PM, dan.tevelde@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
Steve,to view the list archives, go to:
That is true about iOS usage but it would be easier to design a potential
optacon device and develop and update the software using Android. Android
phones are cheaper and the Android screenreader TalkBack is becoming more
accessible. Android devices are not locked down like iOS. As far as I know
the only place to get iOS devices is Apple. An Android device could be sold
by anyone as long as it was certified in the google Play Store.
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
On Behalf Of Steve
Sent: Thursday, March 26, 2020 2:13 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Hi, Optaconers
Dan,
The problem with using Google is well beyond 80% of blind cell phone users
are still using IOS.
----- Original Message -----
From: <dan.tevelde@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 9:44 PM
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Hi, Optaconers
I think you might be overcomplicating things. Any new optacon wouldto view the list archives, go to:
probably have to have zoom features just like the ones you find on
phones and are used in computer magnification software. NO doubt the
best platform for a new optacon would be Android mobile. A mobile
device is very portable and easy to update. Android is the most open
software platform for development. App updates don't need to be approved by
Google.
The only certification would be the initial certification of the
optacon as a trusted device to Google.
Having the optacon be a mobile device would offer the most flexibility.
It's also the type of device most people are familiar with.
Dan
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
On Behalf Of David
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 3:03 PM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; Carolyn <4carolyna@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Hi, Optaconers
Eh, do we see one of the few cases, where we could wish for an
electronic feature of the next generation Optacon?
We have been talking of the benefit of the Optacon leaving all the
interpretation to the human brain. And yet, what if you got a new Optacon.
you sit down and do your reading, and come across a part of the text
in thick print. You now press a button on the Optacon, and a tiny
piece of software kicks in. It does no interpretation, no reshaping, no
nothing.
What it is all about, is that it will scan the picture of the
character, and rip off all the thickness. What is left for you to
feel, is a true copy of the character, but with thinner lines.
The basics of the technology could be described as follows.
Scan the image;
Look for continuous lines in the image, where three or more needles
next to each others are active; Cut off one of the needles in such cases.
Your shape-lines of the character, now will be one needle thinner. If
you press the button once again, the software will go one step
further, taking the shape-lines down to one needle - the thinnest and
most crisp you could get.
Of course, there are the moments, when you find yourself wishing
there would be a chance to thicken some text. That could specially
be, when a font type has very thin lines in the top and bottom of the
characters.
In such cases, there could be a second button, leaving you the chance
to activate extra needles on the thinner parts of the image.
What do you think. This would be no interpretation, but more a bit of
assistance in "seeing" the shape more clearly, leaving you the better
chance to perform the recognition of the characters. Promise you,
when dealing with things like electronic diagrams, I've been wishing
for some kind of ways to make the lines thicker, just as frequently
as I wish there would be ways to make shapes thinner.
As a bit of a sidenote here, which goes along the same line of ideas,
how about when you read text that vary between bold (emphasized)
text, and plain characters. Or, where you would have a mix of fonts,
some more outstanding than others. Great if you are eager to know the
outlook of the page. And necessary whenever you are to deal with
certain features of the material you read, like recognizing and
distinguish the very number, in a mathematical formula. But it often
leads to extensive thumbling with the knobs of the Optacon, raising
and lowering the intensity and thickness of the displayed image. What
if the next Gen Optacon had a feature, that could be turned on, which
would attempt to give some mild equalization through out the text. It
would attempt to reduce the boldness of the boldest print, somehow
making it close to the rest of the text. A trained user would still
feel a slight boldness to the print, but it would be no more than
what still would be readable, without any furth er adjustment. Kind of a
"This is my reading level"-setting.
This level of adjustment could be saved, and brought up, whenever the
user wants to do a plain reading of text. You then can go for the raw
reading, like we have to day, if you need all the whistles and bells
of the text layout. But in most daily activities, when you do not
care much about the layout, only want to get to the info, the
levelled-reading could be activated.
And yes, of course any such settings should be divided into as small
steps as possible in practical terms. Having only one or two steps of
adjusting, may prove unacceptable. Again, blowing the Optacon with
129 steps for adjusting, will likely be little practically
beneficial, and rather prove frustrating. Something between 8 and 12
steps, either direction, might be useful. You then could go from
minus 12, to plus 12
- 0 being the standard, or Raw mode. Raw mode, would be what we
already have on our current Optacon models.
Technically, these features are possible, and not too difficult to
implement in the software - I would conclude. It is all about
algorithms, and is being done in photo handling in dedicated
applications on your computer and cellphone already. Without me
having checked it up, I am ready to think there might be some
freeware algorithms available on the net already, that could be used
for such up and down scaling of the thickness and boldness of scannings of
the printed text.
Lastly, one more thing that I find myself often wishing for, is the
chance of bi-derectional scaling of the image. You all are familiar
with the slider on top of the camera, leaving you the chance of
adjusting the magnification of the character a bit. But it seem to
only change the hight of the character. I wish there would be ways,
to adjust the magnification either direction. Sometimes it would have
been nice to widen the character a bit, other times it is nice to lower the
hight.
And there would even be times when you need do a bit of adjustment to
both the hight and width of the character, to have the best reading
experience.
Specially this comes true, when you deal with symbols, icons and
things like diagrams of different sorts. If the slider had been
replaced with a four way button, like the arrow-button on some
old-style cellphones and remote controls, you could have stepped up
and down in either hight or width. Press Up-arrow to raise the hight,
Down-arrow to lower it. Press Right-arrow to increase the width, and
left-Arrow to decrease. Even some users might find that they would
read better, if the character could be centered more to the point on
their finger, where they hold the highest sensitivity.
Don't know, what the rest of you think. Got a few more ideas here,
but we'll save them for later.
On 3/25/2020 6:34 PM, Carolyn wrote:
I agree about thick print, as opposed to thin and sharp print.the quotes) in the message subject.
-----Original Message-----
From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of ;
harlynn@xxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, March 25, 2020 3:18 AM
To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [optacon-l] Hi, Optaconers
This is Bob from Brooklyn, NY. I have been using my optacon to go
over
mail: I read part with the optacon, and part with my Sara.
I like how they work together. I find that my main problem is still
that I often think I know the next word in a sentence, and then
realize I guessed wrong, and have to go back and figure it out.
Very thick print is challenging for me. But regular print, I can do
pretty well.
I hope all of you are safe, and perhaps using some down time to use
your optacons!
Kind regards,
Bob
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