Hey Simon, yeah, I think braille has a place and is very valuable. I am going to check around because I believe APH is also selling a display for a pretty reasonable price that would work with Leopard or SL from what I recall. On Jul 4, 2009, at 6:35 PM, Simon Cavendish wrote:
> > SCott, > > Braille is very important to me too. There are some small displays > which perfectly adequate. Blazie have some small displays of 18 to 20 > cells and they are quite adequate. You use a button or bar to advance > the display but you can still read very fast. I think braille displays > are just a must for braille blind readers. I would not be without > them. Brlnote has a 32 cell display but it is a kind of computer as > well - a bit too bulky. I have sen advertised some smaller and lighter > almost pocket size braille displays which I crave. I do hope that we > will always have Braille displays for those of us who just have to > feel the letters with their finger tips. I know I do. > > Best wishes, Simon > On 4 Jul 2009, at 20:25, Scott Howell wrote: > >> >> You know Eric you got a good point. I want a braille display very >> badly. I have a long commute, but headphones on the train is not an >> option and I'd love to have a small and compact display I could use >> to >> do some reading. Actually f anyone knows of a good display that would >> of course work with Leopard and is reasonably priced (subjective I >> know), please advise or at least let me know what you have used. I >> might just dig into my pocket and stimulate some ones economy. :) A >> really big question for me is I think there are some very small >> displays out there and how do folks handle reading with these. I >> think >> they are wide enough to have maybe two or three words displayed at a >> time? I assume you just learn to scroll right and read with one hand? >> I know it sounds like a silly question, but I have only read braille >> books and the like, so a display is kind of foreign to me. >> >> tnx, >> On Jul 4, 2009, at 2:04 PM, erik burggraaf wrote: >> >>> >>> No, you're dead on, smiles. I'm a lazy boy myself, and generally >>> speaking I'm just as happy to be read to. There's something about >>> braille though. Listening is fine, especially if you have a good >>> book >>> with a really great narrater. Reading with a speech engine is OK. >>> It >>> would let me take care of odd chores while I'm listening and still >>> get >>> access to that book that I can't find in audiobook format. I like >>> reading a book in braille once in a while though, and I'm especially >>> going to like it if I don't have to be tied down to my computer by a >>> usb cable to do it. Reading complements listening and helps keep >>> spelling and grammer skills sharp as well as just providing an >>> alternative to listening to cheesie speech synthesizers. I can't >>> stand the thought of paper braille but there's definitely an >>> attraction for me in pulling out my braille connect and going to >>> town >>> on a book. I have to run around the city all the time for work and >>> the transit system takes a while to get anywhere. So, I can plan to >>> be on the road anywere from one hour to 2 or three to get where I >>> need >>> to be on any given day. Braille books are really handy for that. I >>> can take my braille display and read my book and still pay strict >>> attention to stop announcements and such. I can even stand on a bus >>> or a train with my arm around a pole and the other hand scrubbing >>> the >>> display. Kind'a makes me feel like any other guy with a paperback >>> or >>> a news paper. >>> >>> Best, >>> >>> erik burggraaf >>> A+ sertified technician and user support consultant. >>> Phone: 888-255-5194 >>> Email: e...@erik-burggraaf.com >>> >>> On 4-Jul-09, at 1:15 PM, Jenny Kennedy wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> Ah Eric, I think I see your point? >>>> It looks as if the CNIB has what the NLS calls web braille. You >>>> just >>>> want to grab the books that come in the web braille brf format and >>>> read them in braille from your mac like people do when they put >>>> them >>>> on something like a braille note? That's fair enough, some people >>>> like reading braille over listening to spoken word. Pointless or >>>> not, >>>> brf seems to be the file of choice by groups who provide electronic >>>> access to their libries for braille content. There's nothing wrong >>>> with wanting to read a book in braille via a braille display, note >>>> taker or whatever. >>>> Having said this though, I've gotta say I'm with Josh and find it >>>> faster and just more enjoyable to have whatever it is read to me >>>> and >>>> wish that the different programs who offer etexts to us would >>>> offer a >>>> HTML or TXT version along with the BRF version. But then you run >>>> into >>>> all that copyright stuff so I guess you deal with things as they >>>> are. >>>> : smile : >>>> >>>> Am I kind of right? Or have I missed the mark altogether? >>>> >>>> Best regards >>>> Jenny >>>> >>>> On 7/4/09, Josh de Lioncourt <overl...@lioncourt.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> With the advent of grade 2 translation in screen readers for >>>>> English, >>>>> the point of BRF files is basically non-existent. They only were >>>>> ever >>>>> there because, initially, screen readers didn't translate into >>>>> grade >>>>> 2, so BRF files were a convenient way to read books without the >>>>> painful necessity of reading them in computer Braille, (AKA Grade >>>>> 0). >>>>> >>>>> These days, BRF is convenient on some note taking devices, though >>>>> hardlya necessity. It serves now, or so it seems to me, as a sort >>>>> of >>>>> quasi-DRM. They figure sighted users who might get hold of such >>>>> files >>>>> won't know how to read them, and therefore will not pirate them. >>>>> >>>>> If I was so fortunate to be able to afford a ridiculously >>>>> overpriced >>>>> Braille display, (LOL), I wouldn't bother with BRF at all. I think >>>>> they are far more trouble than they are worth. I have always, and >>>>> expect I always will, back translate BRF files to read them, >>>>> regardless of them method. >>>>> >>>>> The only other use for BRF files, really, is if you plan on >>>>> printing >>>>> to a Braille hard copy. But really, who is going to do that? LOL. >>>>> >>>>> On Jul 4, 2009, at 7:11 AM, erik burggraaf wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> OK ppl. Here's what I'm reading. >>>>>> >>>>>> If I want to grab a fantasy novel from CNIB library in BRF format >>>>>> and >>>>>> read the thing, I first have to back translate it. But if Louis >>>>>> will >>>>>> back translate the thing, won't it just open up nicely and allow >>>>>> me to >>>>>> read without any palaver? And if you have to back translate to >>>>>> ge >>>>>> access to a brf file, then what is the point of having brf files >>>>>> in >>>>>> the first place? >>>>>> >>>>>> Maybe I should just stick to doing this on my phone, but I saw a >>>>>> friend of mine using his braille display on his mac and it looked >>>>>> very >>>>>> inspiring. Especially given that snowleppard will support >>>>>> bluetooth >>>>>> conectivity for braille displays. >>>>>> >>>>>> Best, >>>>>> >>>>>> erik burggraaf >>>>>> A+ sertified technician and user support consultant. >>>>>> Phone: 888-255-5194 >>>>>> Email: e...@erik-burggraaf.com >>>>>> >>>>>> On 3-Jul-09, at 8:19 PM, Josh de Lioncourt wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Back translating is really the best way to go. I mean, if you're >>>>>>> reading with a braille display, TextEdit or any other text >>>>>>> editing >>>>>>> program should do the trick for you. If you want the TTS to read >>>>>>> it, >>>>>>> then what you're looking for is an app to do back translation on >>>>>>> the >>>>>>> fly. Either way, it amounts to the same. Personally, I'd prefer >>>>>>> to >>>>>>> just back translate it and get on with the business of reading >>>>>>> it >>>>>>> normally. That will also allow for easy searching of the text >>>>>>> with >>>>>>> standard find functions, and such. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Louis works great for back translating. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Jul 3, 2009, at 4:06 PM, erik burggraaf wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Well, no, I just want to hit command O on a brf file that I >>>>>>>> download >>>>>>>> from CNIB and read it. Does anything do that? >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I guess if I had to I would back translate them but that seems >>>>>>>> like a >>>>>>>> wasted step. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Best, >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> erik burggraaf >>>>>>>> A+ sertified technician and user support consultant. >>>>>>>> Phone: 888-255-5194 >>>>>>>> Email: e...@erik-burggraaf.com >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On 3-Jul-09, at 6:58 PM, Greg Kearney wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Do you want to back translate brf files to text? If so Louis >>>>>>>>> will >>>>>>>>> do >>>>>>>>> that for you. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Greg Kearney >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Sat, Jul 4, 2009 at 1:37 AM, erik burggraaf<e...@erik- >>>>>>>>> burggraaf.com> wrote: >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Hi friends, I've just sifted a few pages of google results, >>>>>>>>>> but I >>>>>>>>>> haven't been able to find a brf reader for Mac OS. Can some >>>>>>>>>> one >>>>>>>>>> point >>>>>>>>>> me to it please? >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Thanks, >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> erik burggraaf >>>>>>>>>> A+ sertified technician and user support consultant. >>>>>>>>>> Phone: 888-255-5194 >>>>>>>>>> Email: e...@erik-burggraaf.com >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> -- >>>>>>>>> Gregory Kearney >>>>>>>>> Manager Accessible Media >>>>>>>>> Association for the Blind of Western Australia >>>>>>>>> 61 Kitchener Ave. >>>>>>>>> Victoria Park 6100 Western Australia >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>>> >>> >>> >>>> >> >> >>> > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. 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