Ciao Cate,
You sure can contact me of list at
mallard@xxxxxxxxx.
It's wonderful to know you're also an "Optacon survivor"!
And, by the way guys, I wouldn't dream of saying that we should only use
the Optacon and throw away all other assistive and adaptive
technologies... I have a smartphone too (Android, not IOS), and I use a
display braille, I have a scanner, I use Windows and, to some extent,
Linux... I love technology; I have a guide dog, but I'm a sat nav
junkie, so I have about 10 gps apps on my phone... and I have OCR apps
for when I'm out of the house and need to scan something quickly.
But I don't like using apps where I need to have third persons read
things to me. Very, very personal thought. Plus, I don't even think AIRA
is available here, but we have assistance at train stations and
airports, and dedicated apps to book it...
Ciao,
Ollie
Il 19/02/2019 10:09, Caterina Avoledo (Redacted sender catery81 for
DMARC) ha scritto:
Hi Ollie and all,to view the list archives, go to:
Ollie don't feel alone... I am another Italian Optacon user :) Many people
think I'm fool, but none of them have never told me how to access a math book
with formula and graphs or a sudoku scheme using a scanner or an iPhone...
I really hope that a new Optacon could be produced soon!
PS Ollie, can I contact you off list?
Caterina
--------------------------------------------
Lun 18/2/19, Mallard <mallard@xxxxxxxxx> ha scritto:
Oggetto: [optacon-l] Re: Hi, listers
A: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, "David Moore" <jesusloves1966@xxxxxxxxx>
Data: Lunedì 18 febbraio 2019, 10:17
Hello Dave,
Yes, life is funny indeed!
Here in Italy
I think I'm one of the few people still using an Optacon
regularly.
In the '70's and
'80's, IBM and otehr companies had founded an
organisation that trained blind programmers,
who used Optacons to do
their job.
This would
make you think that those people understood the value of an
Optacon over all other, subsequent, less
direct solutions to access
anything. But
no! They keep telling me that the Optacon is obsolete,
just because the technology is a few decades
old!
And
they maintained it was too expensive, which is probably true
here,
given the unfavourable exchange
between US Dollar and Italian lira at
the
time.
But
then they went and paid just as much, or even more, to buy a
computer, screen reader, speech synth,
scanner and OCR software (all of
which,a
few years ago, wasn't all that cheap). So they would
have needed
a van to transport all that
equipment, while an Optacon was (and is)
superportable!
I use my Optacon for different
languages, including Hebrew and Russian,
for reading printed books, but also ebooks in a
commercial E-reader, to
read my computer
screen when necessary, and any possible packages,
labels, mail... Maps, of course... You name
it...
I've re-discovered the pleasure of reading
with an Optacon with
batteries after I got
my Optacon II back from England, where Dave
Godfrey repaired, and my husband rebuilt my
battery packs.
I don't trust apps that have volunteers to
help. Not even things like Be
My Eyes, for
example. When I need to find things I misplace or that fall
and I can't get my dog to retrieve
them, I make a videocall to my
husband or a
friend, and get help from them.
I wouldn't dream of paying
hundreds of Euros for services that intrude
my privacy...
Ciao,
Ollie
Il 18/02/2019
02:07, David Moore ha scritto:
> Hey
Bob!
> I use my Optacon as well, just to
practice!
> I have the same trouble you
do with different types of formatting. Straight up regular
text is best by far!
> Just the other
day, I read a pill bottle and read something on my TV
screen, when the cable went out.
> People
are paying $200.00 for services like AIRA,
> Where they use their phone, and the camera
on the phone, and pay all of that money, just to ask them
over an app what something says that we can read with our
Optacon!
> Life is pretty funny!
> David Moore
>
                                     Â
                        Â
Sent from Mail for Windows 10
>
> From: harlynn@xxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2019 5:46 PM
> To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [optacon-l] Hi, listers
>
> Hi, Optaconers:
it's Bob in NY.
>
> I have been using my optacon on a
regular
> basis to keep up my skills.
I
> find if I don't I lose a great
deal. right now, I'm reading information
> about our paratransit system, and I'm
doing pretty well. I find if I know
>
the subject, I do better. I often anticipate words, but
sometimes get
> them wrong.
>
> I still have trouble
with fl, fi, tr, the letter s and the number 5 in
> certain contexts. Italics is very hard
for me. but straight, good print
> I
really do pretty well. Very bold print is hard.
>
> Warmly,
> Bob
>
>
> to view the list
archives, go to:
>
>
www.freelists.org/archives/optacon-l
>
> To unsubscribe at any time, just send a
message to:
>
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with the word "unsubscribe" (without the quotes)
in the message subject.
>
> Tell your friends about the list. They
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>
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>
>
>
>
to view the list archives, go to:
>
> www.freelists.org/archives/optacon-l
>
> To unsubscribe at any
time, just send a message to:
>
> optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
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>
> Tell your friends about the list. They
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>
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>
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To unsubscribe at any time,
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