[optacon-l] Re: Optacon List Archives
- From: "David" <elephant@xxxxxxxx>
- To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 4 Nov 2012 19:15:36 +0100
Hmm, Well. Puts things in a bit of a perspective. Ecconomically, if there
was 12000 units manufactured, and I bet quite a few of them have retired,
there might not be more than maybe a thousand left with active users.
Something I really regret, since I have been an active user for 25 years,
these days. And what's more, I have used the Optacon for quite a few things
more than what it normally would have been used for. It thrills me to see,
that several other users here, have been using their units for extended
activities as well.
Getting hold of "stashed-away" units, might prove a bit of a challenge.
Specially so, due to the fact that the manufacturing was discontinued about
15 years ago. Locally here, it was the authorities that paid for the
Optacon, and all training programs. That meant, that whenever you no longer
did need your Optacon, or did not want it anymore, you had to return it to
the authorities. And what did they do with the units returned? Last time I
called them (about 10 years ago), they told me that they simply through the
units in the trassh bin. My question was why, and they told me, they had no
program for refurbishing the units, did not want to send them out of the
country for repairs, and had no money set aside for the purpose. Legally, I
am not even allowed to send my unit out of the country for repair, although
I doubt they even will have it filed any longer, due to them reckon the
Optacon as an obsolete assisting technology. Well, I won't be speaking for
all other countries, but I know of a couple of places where similar
situations will have to be dealt with. In fact, even if I did not want my
Optacon any longer, I am legally not permitted to sell or give it away, even
to other users locally, that could have benefitted. I am, by the power of
the local laws, obliged to return it to the authorities - only to see them
drop it in the trash bin. Well, that is the hard side of the story.
Now, for the dreamy side of the world, it is quite interesting that the
discussion came up right now. Only a couple of days ago, it crossed my mind,
why we haven't seen more activity lately, when comes to re-invent the
Optacon. For one thing, there is the matter of time. Many of the old users
who firstly embraced the technologic break-through of the Optacon - way back
in the early 70's - will not be among us any longer. And even if they are,
they will be quite grown-up people by now, meaning that they hardly will be
too active users any longer. Forgive me, list members, if anyone of you fall
into this category, and feel that I am a bit off-tracked here. But I just
know a few cases personally, where this is the case.
The fact of main-stream products becoming quite cheap and accessible, is
another factor that plays its role in here. Many a user of the Optacon in
the 70's and 80's, never got anything further but to read their phone bills,
a letter or two every month, and maybe a few recipes. All of this, they can
quickly, effortlessly and easily do by means of their computer and scanner,
these days. I doubt we will have an easy task in convincing them, that they
need to do the interpretation themselves, and even do their reading with
"yet another unit".
Well, then there is the change in the flow of information. I do hold, that
today there is a fair amount of information, for which we did use our
Optacons back in the 80's - but for which we hardly would bother bringing
out the unit today. How many of you, do actually sit down and read fliers
and newspaper advertisments with the Optacon, since most of it will be
available on your computer, directly from the net. Or, what about the phone
directory, that we used to get from the phone company, every once a year.
Over here, they haven't even bothered to distribute it, the last few years.
Why? sSimply because it is all there, right on the net. And honestly, why
would I use half an hour on fooling around with small print in the phone
directory, when I can get my friends three phone numbers from the net, in
thirty seconds?
So, to convince the authorities to even consider paying for any new
Optacon-like technology, I would have to come up with pretty good arguments.
And, even in places where the authorities do not pay, my guess is, that it
often would have been cherity organizations, who paid for the Optacon. And
they likely, will demand a certain kind of reasons, again to start giving
out units.
Am I saying all of this to discourage further development? Absolutely NO!
All I want to point out, is that likely there will be quite a few challenges
in getting these units paid for. This fact, added on to the fact of very few
users, will call for any new technology to be reasonably priced. Taking into
consideration, the low prices on electronic equipment these days - when you
can get an MP3-player for something under ten US dollars on places like
EBay, there might just exist a reasonable chance for an affordable price on
a new Optacon-model. Reality, though, has taught me a fairly different
story. Even the more recent attempts to come up with hand-held - or
stand-alone - readers for the blind, have dearly failed in being offered for
affordable prices. A few years ago, I read about a hand-held equipment,
which supposedly is not much bigger than a computer mouse, and which would
be used for reading of plain text. It is called TopBraille. I got
inthusiastic about the idea, and contacted the local dealer. They were quite
helpful, in informing me that the price was - ONLY 3000 US Dollars. Sorry,
guys, but forget about asking this - out of a plain normal household budget.
And, definitely so, since it was an "interpretting unit", meaning that it
held a piece of OCR built-in. This way, it cannot be used for diagrams,
drawings, shape recognition - and all the other fun we have with our dear
Optacon units. Yet another "helpful" piece of technology for assisting blind
people in their reading activity, was recently introduced on the market. At
the moment, I don't recall its exact name, but wonder if it was something
like EasyReader. Again, the blind community was asking the price, and ended
up shocked - when learning it to cost something like 2500 dollars. And,
again, it was an "interpretting unit".
If we want a replacement for the Optacon, I would say, let us at least
demand it to be like the Optacon. With modern technology and electronics,
maybe even with a new invention for a more quiet operation. But let us stick
to a none-interpretting piece of equipment - leaving all interpretation to
the human brain. No electronics or software, will ever be able to out-range
that master-piece of creation, after all.
Now, we could have wished for the good old Optacon to simply be put back
into production. After all, it has had 4 decades on proving its durability.
And its functionality. I wonder, though, if there is certain patents, that
will block such a dream. Besides, modern technology, might be a good thing.
Just imagine if your Optacon could be running for 50 hours, on one charge.
Or, if the vibrating display could please be made less noisy. That would
even mean, that you can sit in the living room, doing your reading, without
disturbing the rest of the household, in their TV watching. And, what if it
could be made half the size and weight. I don't think any of this is
unrealistic ideas, long as you make full use of modern technology. Just look
at a cell phone, or a computer, developing through the same 4 decades - or
even less.
The ideas of making the project open-sourced, and maybe even partially run
it on an idealistic basis - I really embrace. Unfortunately, none of the
attempts seen inside the blind world, has been applying any such ideas. As
shown above, we over and over again, are presented with nice products, that
are way over-priced. What I could have thought of, as a solution here, is if
we could have got some university students interested. Maybe they could do
the invention as a project, being part of their graduation. That way, we
would have low costs, in developing and testing the model. As with many
other projects, it is the developing of a product, that is the real hungry
ecconomic Caterpillar. Looking on all the other more or less useless stuff
students are trying to develop, this would at least make some real sense.
Besides, it would bring those students a far way into the thinking proces of
making things and technologies accessible. Anyone know a group of students,
looking for an engineering progject? Just make sure, they are prepared to
work with test-persons, even overseas. Likely you will need that, so as to
get enough users, and test the equipment in use with as many activities as
possible.
OK, a few thoughts, more wil have to come later.
----- Original Message -----
From: "cpond" <cpond@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2012 5:01 PM
Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Optacon List Archives
> About twelve thousand optacons were manufactured.
>
> Charles
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Natalie
> Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2012 10:22 AM
> To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Optacon List Archives
>
> As someone pointed out, with the economy the way it is, the probability of
> new research and development is pretty limited, but I wonder if there's a
> way of finding other Optacons that people have just stashed away and
> forgotten. Does anybody know how many of both versions were originally
> produced? Maybe we could find some way of advertising for the ones that
> still exist. I remember I found five that were just hanging around in the
> background and were given to me. At least they could be used for parts if
> they no longer
> work. The people repairing them for us can certainly find a use for them.
>
> Natalie
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Catherine Thomas" <braille@xxxxxxxxx>
> To: "optacon list" <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Sunday, November 04, 2012 10:09 AM
> Subject: [optacon-l] Optacon List Archives
>
>
>> The optacon-l list has an archives of all previous posts. Those new to
>> the list might enjoy browsing. You will find the answers to many
>> questions, many ideas for uses of the Optacon, and also information on
>> research and many other topics. Here is the archive site.
>> to view the list archives, go to:
>>
>> www.freelists.org/archives/optacon-l
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> -Catherine Thomas
>> braille@xxxxxxxxx /
>>
>> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> to view the list archives, go to:
>>
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>>
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