Karen Reminds You all to Listen to The Desert Cafe on Friday!

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Karen reminds all of you to listen to the debut of The Desert Cafe tomorrow morning on ACB Radio Interactive from 15:00 to 18:00 Universal time.

Today, August 4,

Fun is in store.

OnA C B R I,

Why don’t you Join us and say hi.

From 15 to 18 UTC,

Is where the fun will be!

The DesertCafe ,

Is where the music will play.

This is Darrell’s Debut,

He will play cool music and have tech news too!

At 8 o’clock,

The music will rock.

So, go ahead and lis en,

8 to 11 Pacific is when!

A variety of music will play,

So come, stay!

What do you say?

and have a great day!

The Desert Cafe Will Be On The Air Friday Morning – Don’t Miss It!

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It is confirmed! The debut of the Desert Cafe will happen on Friday morning, August 4, starting at 15:00 Universal Time (8:00 AM Pacific, 9:00 AM Mountain, 10:00 AM Central and 11:00 Eastern) and running for three hours. I hope all who read this blog and listen to the podcast will join me Friday morning on ACB Radio Interactive for some fun music and stimulating talk. While listening, you will be invited to send me your requests and dedications via e-mail or MSN / Windows Live Messenger. See you all there! This is only a cover slot, not a permanent show time. Please stay tuned to the ACBRI schedule for future show times as I cover for other members of the broadcasting team.

Our Arrival on ACB Radio Interactive!

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I am now a member of the ACB Radio Interactive team of broadcasters. After an audition last Thursday evening, my acceptance was confirmed yesterday. The name of the show will be The Desert Cafe. In the beginning, this show will cover for other broadcasters as needed, but I hope to have a permanent time slot in the near future. Review the show description, Stay tuned to Blind Access Journal and the ACB Radio Interactive schedule for show times and, of course, listen to the show!

Take a seat at the Desert Cafe. Enjoy POP and R&B music from the 1960’s through today along with talk about accessibility advocacy, blindness issues, arts, entertainment, hobbies, recreation and, of course, the latest technology news.

Visual Verification: eBay May Have Implemented Audio CAPTCHA

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We have received a report that eBay may have recently implemented an audio playback alternative to their CAPTCHA for use by blind and visually impaired customers. The characters are spoken with background audio to prevent recognition by scripts and other automated processes that may employ speech recognition. Blind and visually impaired eBay customers are asked to confirm this positive accessibility move on the company’s part and provide any additional information they may have on the reliability and usability of the new audio playback CAPTCHA.

Try Google Accessible Search

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Google Labs has just released an experimental application of its search technology known as Google Accessible Search to provide the blind and visually impaired with a way to find the most accessible content. Like Google’s standard search engine, Accessible Search provides the most relevant results for the words typed in to its edit box. Unlike the standard search, however, Accessible Search further prioritizes the results by placing those from the most accessible web sites at the top. My initial impression of this new project is quite positive. I urge everyone to try Google Accessible Search and comment on its effectiveness for you.

Microsoft Adds Yahoo! Messenger Users to Windows Live Messenger, Makes Instant Messaging Even More Accessible

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We already know how the accessibility of Windows Live Messenger allows blind and visually impaired people to communicate instantaneously with millions of other computer users around the world. Now, Microsoft and Yahoo! have expanded this capability to include users of Yahoo! Messenger. That’s right! Windows Live Messenger users may now communicate seemlessly with users of Yahoo! Messenger. This development represents an unexpected improvement in the overall accessibility of instant messaging applications for the blind. As compared with AOL Instant Messenger and MSN Messenger, the Yahoo! Messenger has always represented a less accessible instant messaging path for blind users. When it was necessary to communicate with Yahoo Messenger users, the blind had to cope with an inadequately supported application or ask the Yahoo! users to switch to a more accessible instant messaging client. This problem is now firmly in the past! Simply add Yahoo! Messenger users to your Windows Live Messenger contact list and start communicating with them in an accessible environment! See Talk to your Yahoo! friends from Windows Live Messenger for more information, sign up for the beta, restart Windows Live Messenger and start chatting with your long lost Yahoo! Messenger pals today.