Shownotes
The number of this show is appropriate as my job will soon be nothing more than a code 86 and a part of my tortured history of dealing with inaccessible technology. Economics are never a reason to justify exclusion of the blind or anyone else from participation in society! Not much else to say here in the shownotes. This is a rant cast. You have been warned.
This just in — As of Feb. 28, I will be laid off due to the implementation of inaccessible Siebel technology and the lack of an available position anywhere else in the company! Stay tuned for future details.
We thank Susan Kuchinskas of InternetNews.com for her publication of the article entitled Google’s Doors Still Shut to Blind. It is certainly worthy of exposure on sites like Digg and Slashdot. Several attempts have been made to obtain Slashdot coverage without success, and Digg submission is impossible due to another instance of visual verification without accessibility. All assistance to increase the media coverage of the Google Word Verification Accessibility Petition will be greatly appreciated.
Shownotes
Have a little Friday fun with us as we update you on the Google Word Verification Accessibility Petition, play with the Morse Runner amateur radio contest simulator, continue our accessibility inquiry into SalesForce.com, chat about the potential illegality of Apple’s new, probably inaccessible, iTunes U service delivering online educational content. Please also check out Todd Cochrane’s Podcaster News Network and give your feedback on this innovative service.
Are you an amateur radio operator? Do you enjoy Morse Code contesting or pine for the good old days when you had HF capability? Well, thanks to technology, you may find you can recapture most of those memories by downloading, installing and launching Morse Runner, a free program that simulates a real contest right down to band conditions, interference, pile ups and more. Just be careful; you might get hooked!
Shownotes
Thanks again to Shane Jackson for making the promo available. I discuss it on this episode of the podcast. Enjoy.
We thank Shane Jackson of the Blind World Podcast for providing an amazing promo for the Google Word Verification Accessibility Petition! This promo effectively captures the meaning of inaccessible CAPTCHA for the blind, promotes the petition and urges everyone to sign it immediately. Let’s all run out and distribute this promo to podcasters and others in the media to gain the highest possible exposure for this important cause.
Shownotes
There is a possible new job opportunity on the horizon for me along with a related software accessibility query, help is still being sought for the Google petition, NFB sues Target for web site inaccessibility, CastBlaster becomes more accessible, there are some concerns about the accessibility of Podshow’s upcoming products and services, PodcasterNews.com makes the grade, I rant about the need for more assistive technology industry innovation, and much more. Listen to the podcast and follow the links for more details.
Please contact Blind Access Journal using one of the following methods:
Shownotes
The Milestone 311 accessible MP3 player is manufactured by Bones GmbH and will soon be sold by Independent Living Aids in the United States for $369. It was recently presented by Stephen Guerra on VIP Conduit’s Accessible Devices online voice conference.
At this time, in the opinion of this blind technology consumer, the Milestone 311 is overpriced for the feature set being offered. Here is a list of must-have features:
Check out these nice-to-have features:
Though this device is surely not going to be well suited to blind podcasters or others interested in making high quality digital audio recordings, it does have great potential for the typical blind technology consumer who simply wants an accessible way to listen to their audio. With its current feature set, I estimate the Milestone 311 should be worth a price tag of between $200 and $250. While we must understand that the price of specialized assistive technology such as this device is naturally going to be higher than similar units for the mainstream sighted market, we must also expect a similar amount of features, flexibility, functionality and reliability as is currently enjoyed by sighted users of products such as Apple’s largely inaccessible iPod lines.
Thanks go to Stephen Guerra for his featuring this podcast during the Accessible Devices presentation. Absolutely no offense in this reporting is intended toward the manufacturer, Independent Living Aids, Stephen Guerra or anyone else.
Shownotes
Listen as I experiment with CastBlaster and play a promo for Todd Cochrane’s new Podcaster News Network service. Thanks go to CastBlaster Mike for his willingness to work with the blind community, striving toward CastBlaster accessibility.