Dear Catherine, What a wonderful and thorough report, and such good work accomplished. I have a question about Optacon repairs - is Leo Drell in S. California still doing repairs (he may have retired)? All tech stuff was transferred in the original tech transfer in the sale of the blindness products, but I can check with Jim Bliss if he has anything that might be of interest. I don't know who has the patent, but I suppose that was transfered in the Telesensory blindness products sale. There are a number of Optacon films that I've seen on the web about the development at SRI by Jim and John Linvil, and I have a VHS of my introduction of the Optacon II in the Czech republic. I didn't keep any software for the training materials for the Optacon II - went with the tech transfer (Blazie, originally, I think). It has been wonderful hearing from folks on the Optacon user list. I remember your training in Palo Alto, and doing some stuff together after-hours. I may have some of the Optacon training manuals (print), but it sounds like the group has that covered. Go Optacon! Thanks, Judy Adams ----- Original Message --------------- Subject: [optacon-l] The Optacon User List Activities From: Catherine Thomas <braille@xxxxxxxxx> Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 04:11:13 -0500 (EST) To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx >Hi, Everyone, >Judy and the other new members of the Optacon User list might be pleased >to know that the Optacon is still very much alive and well. Beginning in >April of 2006 the Optacon User list launched its own Optacon preservation >project. These are the things which we have accomplished so far. If I >leave out anything I hope other members will fill in the gaps. > >We Optacon users launched a campaign to let everyone know that Optacons >could still be repaired. There are authorized repairers in the U.S., >England, Canada, and Australia. We also asked for dead or non-working >Optacons which we called corpses to be used for parts or, if possible to >be repaired and returned to the hands of active users. As a result of our >efforts quite a few people who thought they would never use Optacon again >have been reunited with their machines or with new, actually >re-conditioned machines, both Optacon r series and Optacon II's. > >Oehm Electronics in San Jose California, one of our authorized repairers, >fabricated a new retina calbe which can be substituted for those cables >badly broken or damaged. > >The Optacon Users prepared a survey which was revised to add a couple of >extra questions. The object was to find out just what current Optacon >users were doing with their Optacons. The five most common uses of the >Optacon are: reading mail, signing checks and other legal correspondence, >verification that labels and other printed material had lined up >correctly, reading of private documents, and used in conjunction with a >scanner to determine what and where to scan. There are other common uses >but these recurred the most in the surveys. We have close to 200 surveys >at this time. We are expecting more. > >We also wanted to isolate those uses of the Optacon that are uniques and >have never been replicated by any other device. Among the unique uses that >have been described in detail by list members or takers of our survey are: >reading of print music; reading documents that are written in more than >one language, reading the surfaces of appliances to find out which buttons >do what; reading schematics and diagrams; using fat books such as phone >books or dictionaries or large computer manuals; reading bottles, cans, >jars, prescription information; Etc. > >Some of our members have placed articles in various braille magazines to >let people know that Optacons can still be repaired and that we are also >looking for them. Each time an article has appeared, we have gotten a >burst of emails. > >Two of our list members have worked hard to supply as much of the original >Optacon documentation as possible electronically. If anyone needs the >manuals for any of the Optacon units or for the CRT lens they have only to >ask. Also, on the Freedom Scientific web site, apparently the current >owners of the TeleSensory rights, one of our list members arranged for the >original training manual to be placed there as a .pdf file. We explain to >anyone interested that this document is meant to be printed out before >use. > >In addition to all of this, we are working to possibly re-develop the >Optacon at a future time. There have been several efforts made in this >direction but most of them have been glorified scanners. The object of any >device developed by our users would be a device that retains the Optacon's >biggest advantage which is the ability to see uninterpreted print in real >time. Two examples for instance are the ability of the Optacon to know >that information did in fact fit on a label and did not accidentally land >partially on another label or, the ability of the Optacon to show what >sort of margins a document has. This can be very handy if pages need to be >photocopied. > >We have the talent right here on this list to design a new Optacon that >might be able to read let's say the displays on CD and DVD players or the >menus on cell phones or TV screens. We are in search of certain schematics >and some source code which is among the missing. Those on our list who are >engineers woule really love to have these things, particularly those >relating to the software which turned the Optacon II into a screen-reader. > >Ww have accomplished these things without spending a dime. That in itself >is praiseworthy. Eventually of course, to develop a new Optacon, even a >prototype, we will need money. For now we continue to collect data which >will support our search for funds when the time comes. One of the >interesting issues whcih keeps coming up is the mention by people who are >not Optacon users that they wish they had been. > >We do have several list members who are new Optacon users. Every so often >they let us know how they are doing. Many on the list have been more than >willing to partner with a new user to help get them started. > >If any list member wants to read some of the itneresting stories posted to >this list over the years, visit the list archives. Perhaps someone can >once again post the address of the archives. I never have it when I need >it. > >In summary, the Optacon is alive and well. Currently, due to donated >units, our repairers have enough Optacons for anybody who wants one. >However, our search goes on for more broken units or stashes of parts. So, >once again we urge all list members to dig trough those agency closets and >storerooms and to speak to anyone you ever knew who used an Optacon or >might have had a friend who did. > >Our list moderator can confirm this for sure but I believe that since we >began our initiative in 2006 the Optacon list membership must have >doubled. > >Optacon lenses and accessories have also been bought and sold on this >list. If anyone has a CRT lens, typewriter lens, calculator lens, small >print lens, etc. that they no longer use, someboedy else will be >delighted. > >Lastly, we also have complied a few tip sheets to help Optacon users. >These are composed of suggestions that users have made on how to perform >certain tasks. We have a tip sheet on signing documents, and another on >using the Optacon to help with scanning. We also have a wish list which >mentions many of the fetaures that we might like in a new Optacon. If >anyone would like any of these or a copy of the survey, please write to me >privately. > >Speaking of surveys, we also tried to find out how people who don't use >Optacons manage certain tasks. We didn't pursue this very far but the >replies we got to the urvey we created were very enlightening. > >There is most definitely still a need for an Optacon. We have met with >great success in our efferts to preserve it and, we hope with the aid of >our group of engineers and instructors and trainers as well as our users >to develop a device that will be very useful to the next generation. > >Please feel free to add anything I left out. > >Catherine > > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------ >-Catherine Thomas >braille@xxxxxxxxx / > >------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to: > >optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the >quotes) in the message subject. > >Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to: > >optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) >in the message subject. > To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject.