Accessible World

Our book for February 3 is my own first novel, An Involuntary King: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England. It's along book, so I hope you have had a chance to start reading it! I promise if you have not you will still enjoy the conversation and have that many more insights when you do get to reading.
I welcome suggestions of what you would like to discuss about the book. I plan to
ask for thoughts on individual characters, the plot, and the storytelling. I also
would like to hear any ideas you have for where to take this story on the web site

Many computer users are finding it necessary to upload and download larger
files than most email clients will allow. Fortunately, several free services
are available. During this week's Accessible World Tek Talk online
training, one of the more popular services, Sendspace
http://www.sendspace.com
), will be reviewed.
Rick Harmon, an extremely knowledgeable computer trainer, will provide
information about the various accounts or levels of service and the features
of each. He will then demonstrate how to download, install and set up the

The new historical novels discussion group is launched.
Commenting on the scope of the group, Hawthorne states, "Every yesterday has
a story, and that story is what we call history. Historical novelists love
to take history and recreate it with vivid characters, vibrant settings, and
tantalizing connections to the great people and events of the past. Whether
a novel takes place in the court of Solomon, in a village on the icy shore
of Viking Greenland, in a dark and foreboding castle in Italy, on a
battlefield about to erupt into Napoleonic gun fire, or in a modest cabin on

Kurzweil 1000 Tech Tips

Have you heard about the latest portable solid-state digital audio recording
device for blind or sighted users from Plextor designed? It's the Plextalk
Pocket and it will be demonstrated during this week's Accessible World Tek
Talk online training.
The product is unbelievably feature rich. For starters, it makes it possible
to play and Record in a wide range of DAISY MP3 formats for voice or high
quality music applications. You can use the Pocket as an audio note taker
and enter audio navigation markers while in record or playback mode and it

I am so very pleased to announce that Brad mills, the Bench Coach of the Boston Red
Sox will be our guest on Sports Talk this coming Friday January 16, 2009, at 8 pm
EST, 5 pm PST. Brad played in the major leagues in the 1980's with montreal. A knee
injury forced him to retire as a player. he is currently the bench coach for the
Boston Red Sox. Come by and find out how the Red Sox are going to take on the moneyed
new york yankees this coming season.

Bio: Brad Mills
2008 marks Mills 5th season as Red Sox bench coach...Was named to the post on January

When preparing to read an eBook on your computer or portable digital player,
do you frequently wish you could change to a different voice than your
screen reader or other text editor such as the smooth easy listening voices
used by Kurzweil?
Assistive Technology Trainer Ann K. Parsons has been invited by the
Accessible World to answer this question. During this week's Tek Talk online
training session, she will demonstrate how to convert eText into mp3 files
using Kurzweil 1000 reading software.
(Ann K. Parsons
Email: akp@portaltutoring.info or akp@samobile.net
Skype: Putertutor)

Tutorial on how to convert notes using the Victor Reader Stream (VR Stream)
(Contact: Don Barrett
donter@verizon.net
202-453-7320)

Using a computer program to read, write, and send email is probably the most
repetitive task any computer user performs on a daily basis. It is,
therefore, extremely desirable to choose a good email client or program and
learn its many features thoroughly. During this week's Tek Talk event, the
Accessible World has invited Denny Huff of Gateway for the Blind, L.L.C. to
take a close look at Microsoft Outlook 2007 and 2003.
Contact: Denny Huff, Gateway For The Blind LLC.
Email: Denny@GatewayForTheBlind.Com
Phone Number: 636-262-1383 or 888-362-1382
Web: http://WWW.GatewayForTheBlind.Com

Most agree that every person should have the opportunity to fully access the world around them and have the freedom to build lasting friendships and a happy and productive life regardless of physical disabiliy. Making it happen for the deaf-blind has been a long and frustrating journey. However, those attending this week's Tek Talk online event will learn from highly qualified presenter and trainer Greg Stilson, Humanware Product and Support Specialist, how his company has used its technological expertise to design a product that significantly opens their lines of communication.

Born: August 20, 1928
Died: February 1, 2009

In Pat’s Own Words

She had experienced perfect sight, deaf-blindness, severe hearing loss, low vision, and total blindness for many years. Pat once commented that she has learned first-hand that information provides hope and empowerment. For those reasons she has felt compelled to focus her attention on providing not only relevant and timely information on all aspects of life, but also providing it in all accessible formats.

During this week's Tek Talk event, Jim Gashel, Vice President of Business Development
for knfb Reading Technology, Inc. and Michael Hingson, Director of National Sales
for the National Federation of the Blind will demonstrate their superior Mobile Reader
product line for the blind and learning disabled - featuring the first cell phone
that reads and translates.
The knfb Reader Mobile is a major advancement in print access for the blind. The
software, delivered on a multifunction cell phone, allows the user to snap pictures

Our book for February is “George Washington's Secret Navy: How the American Revolution
Went to Sea” (DB 67398). Not only is it a real page turner of a sea story, but it
all really happened.
The author utilizes previously overlooked sources to vividly describe the significant
historical characters, their political and military machinations and the sea battles
which occurred between 1775 and 1776 after Bunker Hill and before the declaration
of Independence. The Continental Congress had belatedly appointed George Washington

the Tek Talk Planning Team with co-hosts Joann Becker and Rick Harmon will be conducting a Computer Forum where you can present your questions dealing with all aspects of using the computer.

Presenters:
Greg Stilson, HumanWare Product and Support Specialist
Phone; 800-722-3393
Greg.stilson@humanware.com
Dave Wilkinson, HumanWare US Western Region Blindness Product Specialist
Phone; 800-7-22-3393, ext. 241
Dave.wilkinson@humanware.com

Greg Stillson and Dave Wilkinson travel throughout the United States providing product
trainings and presentations and getting customer feedback for product functionality
and improvement. Greg and Dave work closely with the Technical Support staff and
are involved in product research. Both have been BrailleNote users since its inception.

Innovative Rehabilitation Technology Inc. (IRTI) is presenting two new low cost reading
systems enabling non computer users to scan and read books and documents and create
portable DAISY books for personal use.
Presented by Peter Proscia, IRTI President and CEO

Learn about the newest innovations to the Stream Companion program version 3.0 soon to be released by HumanWare. Yes, this handy little Windows program that thousands of Stream users enjoy already will soon be even better with new features and a completely new interface.

THE GREAT INFLUENZA is a bestseller and winner of the 2005 Keck Communications Award from the United States National Academies of Science for the year's outstanding book on science or medicine. In 2005 he also won the "September 11th Award" from the Center for Biodiesel and Emerging Pathogens at Brown University is He has received twenty other awards.

First, I'd like to say a big "thank you" to all who joined us on the evening of Thursday
February 19! To give a short recap of this meeting, we each gave short introductions,
and we also gave our thoughts and suggestions of what we'd enjoy reading in the future.
We would love for this community to grow, and we would love to see you and your friends
on March 19 as we discuss "Redemption" by Karen Kingsbury.
Redemption is the first in a series that introduces readers to the Baxter family.
The Baxters and their friends are loved and cherished by many who read Karen's books!

We are so pleased to have as our guest on Sports Talk, the great defensive shortstop for the Boston Red Sox for seven years, mr. Rick Burleson. Rick played for seven wonderful years from 1974/1980 for the Red Sox. he later played for the California angels.

Rick, "The Rooster, a nickname given to him by Don Zimmer is regarded as one of the greatest defensive shortstops to wear a Boston Red Sox uniform. His intensity was unmatched, and the fans loved him for it. "It was the way I always played and its reflective of my personality," said Burleson.

HumanWare has just announced Stream 3.0 at the CSUN conference in Los Angeles and Gerry will tell us more about it. Version 3.0 includes many new features requested by happy Stream users. Learn how your Stream has been enhanced with optional multi-level bookshelf navigation, text file search, bookmark alerts, music playlist innovations, usability improvements, and more. The Victor Reader Stream now enjoyed by tens of thousands worldwide is better than ever.

Say-MAGic - An Exciting New Product Launched at CSUN 2009

Pete has been working at Adobe as a Quality Engineer for almost 5 years dealing with
Accessibility of PDF documents and the use of
Adobe Acrobat and Reader. In this tech talk, he’ll explain exactly what PDF means, then will take you through the process of downloading and installing
Adobe Reader, the free software Adobe provides for reading PDF documents.
When you start Adobe Reader for the first time after installation, Adobe Reader will discover if you have a screen reader like JAWS or

An Overview of an Accessible Leopard by Jim Denham
The latest version of the Macintosh operating system, OS X 10.5, includes some incredible
accessibility features.
For users who are blind, the built-in VoiceOver screen review software offers a whole
new way to use the Mac.
This powerful tool offers features such as refreshable Braille support, an extensive
help system and reliable access to many popular Macintosh applications.
For the past several years, all Macintosh computers have shipped with an Intel based
processor.

I was captivated by Dee's innate ability to combine romance, faith, and suspense in a powerful way. I couldn't put this book down!

From the Book Jacket:
Failure is _not an _option...
FBI special agent Dave Richman has spent his life protecting people; failure is not in
his vocabulary. He'll figure out a way to protect Kate even if she is determined
to make it difficult.
__Failure means somebody _dies ...

We will be discussing Sentimental Journey a novel of the life of a young woman's
experiences on the home front during World War II. What impactdoes war have on those
left behind? When the war is over, how do young women return to life as it was before?
Is it possible to find new challenges? How does a woman deal with the losses war
inevitably brings?

Below is a short summary of Sentimental Journey. Join us for a discussion of the impact of war on life and love. Sentimental Journey can be found on bookshare.org.
THE YEAR IS 1943

Did you know that 10% of the population have a learning disability? Come and find
out more information about this "hidden" disability.
A focused presentation on learning disabilities around understanding the benefits
of the ClassMate Reader that has been created by HumanWare. The presenter will be
Brenda McBride, Product Manager for the ClassMate Reader. We will also take a look
at on line resources and valuable information about accessing content.
Topics discussed will include:
* What is a learning disability?
* A few simulation activities

The first meeting of Creative Writing is next Tuesday, April 21.
To get you ready for our first meeting here are a couple assignments!
The core of any good storytelling is your character development.
You start with characters you know through and through and then let them tell you
the story once you drop them into a situation.
So you are going to concentrate on developing a set of characters and then adding
them to an existing storyline on a group called Ghostletters.
First, create your main character, your protagonist.

Gary Klein, Sports Writer, los angeles Times covering USC Trojans. April 24, 2009.

We will be discussing The Black Echo by Michael Connelly. You can find it on Bookshare at:

http://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/7855

Ann Parsons, Group Facilitator.
Email: akp@portaltutoring.info
Skype: Putertutor

Rick Harmon will be showing us the as yet to be released Windows 7 operating system from Microsoft that currently is in Beta and expected to be released by the company next month as a release candidate for general public testing.

A tour of Windows 7 will show how similar to Vista it is yet how different. Rick will discuss the reasons why one might want to try this exciting new operating system out even though it's not officially released yet. He shows how Windows 7 is almost 100 percent compatible already with Jaws and other screen readers on the market.

Accessible World's Tek Talk is pleased to present George Abbott and Amy Salmon from
the Hadley School for the Blind. George is currently Vice President of Development
and Communications for the Hadley School. Amy Salmon's is an instructor at Hadley;
her current classes include several technology-based courses. George and Amy will
provide a brief overview of the Hadley school and its mission. Also they will describe
how Hadley and its students are currently using assistive technology, Such as with
email assignments, online courses, online office hours, etc.

“Beyond Surviving to Thriving,” Lessons from 9/11 with Michael Hingson

Far from being an increasingly distant event from our collective history, the lessons of 9/11 are vital for successfully coping with the chaos of today’s economic climate.

Richard M. nixon presented by Edwin Cooney

Accessible World's Tek Talk Training for Monday May 18th 2009 introduces the latest easy to use financial software. Accomplish CashManager Financial Software is designed by accountants for small to medium size businesses.

CashManager Home is the new simplified version that is ideal for managing your home accounts.
During Tek Talks presentation you will learn how to do the following:
" Entering Transactions
" Creating and Editing Budgets
" Reconciling to your bank statement
" Creating reports
" Creating new companies

Accessible World's Tek Talk Training for Monday June first, 2009 is all about Twitter. With the ever-growing popularity of social networking, Accessible World is delighted to have Rich Cavallaro a student from Hofstra University, as our guest on Tek Talk. He will guide us through the many features of this ever-growing social networking site. Rich will discuss how to set up an account, how to follow people, how to send the different types of messages, ways to tweet and more.

Accessible World's Tek Talk is pleased to present Louis Herrera and the Eye-PAL, and Eye-PAL SOLO. The EYE-PAL is a stand-alone, computer driven scanner. It is a one-pound portable USB device. The foldable stand, designed specifically for the blind, holds a digital camera over the printed material to be scanned. The camera is always at the exact distance needed to create a clear image. There is no need to adjust the camera. Louis will describe how Eye-Pal's patented motion detector can scan 20 pages per minute.

Accessible World Tek Talk is very pleased to present Judy Dixon, Consumer Relations Officer, National Library Service for the Blind and Physically handicapped.

Judy Dixon will demonstrate and discuss the new NLS Digital Talking Book player that will be arriving in libraries later this summer.

Judy will also speak to us about accessing and using Web Braille as well as the NLS Downloadable services. If time permits, she will discuss any future programs contemplated by NLS.

Contact information for Judith M. Dixon: Consumer Relations officer,

BookSense enriches your life by giving you access to books, music and
information to educate, inform and entertain you. Two models are offered
– BookSense and BookSense XT. Both models play DAISY content, Audio
Files and Digital Books such as National Library Service (NLS). They
include a Secure Digital (SD) Memory card slot and built-in recorder.
Wherever you go, enjoy listening to your favorite books and music.

Features of the BookSense which will be demonstrated follow.

DATE AND TIME
Press the button on the front and hear the day of the week, date

On Monday, June 29, Larry Lewis, President, Flying Blind LLC, will take the Tek Talk audience on a virtual tour of Mobile Geo, the world's first accessible GPS solution developed for Windows Mobile, and Windows Smartphone devices. This software, developed by Code Factory, can be installed on a number of off-the-shelf Windows Mobile devices. Mobile Geo gives the user the ability to: *Determine a specific location; *explore surroundings; *create and save specific routes from a point of origin to a desired location.

In September 2008, Apple released a talking iPod Nano. This was followed up in March by the release of a talking iPod Shuffle. You may wonder how accessible these players really are, or you may have one and wonder how to get the most out of it. Anna Dresner's new book, Using the Accessible iPod (available from National Braille Press at www.nbp.org ), answers these questions and helps both new and experienced users get the most out of these exciting players.

During the July 13, 2009 installment of the Accessible World Tek Talk Room, Bernard Maldonado, Founder of Solona.net, the Free Captcha Solution Service for visually impaired people, talks about all aspects of Captcha. While this tool limits spam registrations, and spam blog posts, it also affects the way visually impaired people surf the internet. Some sites offer usable audio captchas; most sites do not. In any case, people with both visual and hearing difficulties are affected even more.

On Monday July 20th, JoAnn Becker will present an introduction to Facebook, one of the world's largest social networks. She will discuss the myriad ways in which people are using this social utility to communicate with one another. Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with people. They can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to inform friends about themselves.

Do you long to enter the world of accessible cell phones, or to change to a different phone or provider, but find yourself mystified by the ever-changing array of choices and the scant available information? Whether you're an uncertain beginner or a current user of an accessible phone who wonders how you might improve your situation, the Tek Talk panel on July 27 will make your next move clearer by giving you up-to-date informationabout the various accessible phone options and sharing a wealth of experience concerning different phones.

Special event

Bay Area Digital LLC is an adaptive technology company working in
the fields of health care and superior quality technology for the
blind and visually impaired. We create our own products as well
as carry superior products from other companies such as the Royal
National Institute of Blind People. The company publishes a
quarterly newsletter, Pulses, which is available free to anybody
requesting it. Bay Area Digital is majority-owned by the blind
and visually impaired. We invite you to visit us on the web at

Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe by Laurenc e Bergreen. DB59786 A really great summer read, a sea story that's a real page turner, but with lots of new historical material to satisfy the most demanding history buff.
This month's author, Laurence

Wicab, Inc. in Middleton, WI is developing a new technology that has the potential to provide assistive benefits to blind individuals by enabling greater independence. As an assistive tool, the BrainPort vision device may enhance important functions as mobility, orientation, reading, object recognition, employment, and recreation. The BrainPort system presents information to the brain via electrical stimulation of the tongue, augmenting normal sensory channels. The device consists of an electrode array for the tongue, a video camera, and a control system.

In today's world access to information on the go is key and highly related to the ability to communicate via portable mobile solution. The constant evolution of mass-market electronics has been providing more portability than ever before and smartphones are quickly becoming the predominant way that business professionals, individual consumers and students stay in touch with their friends, family and information while on the go. Unfortunately this mobile technology creates accessibility challenges for people who are blind and visually impaired.

For this Tek Talk, Steve Landau will be discussing recent work by Touch Graphics,
Inc. to develop a variety of innovative products, such as:
a talking digital "pen" that announces place names as you touch its tip to the surface
of specially printed tactile graphic sheets;
talking, touchable models that describe themselves as they are touched by visitors
to museums or users of
public information kiosks;
wiiCane, a new interactive training system for teaching correct use of the two-point
touch method for cane use to young children,

Accessible World Tek Talk presents the latest GPS Sendero 6.0 upgrade, September
21, 2009
from field
News Wire listservice@accessibleworld.org
to field
reply to
message
News Wire:
Mr. Charles M.LaPierre, the CTO For The Sendero Group will presents the latest upgrade
for the excellent GPS Software program.
Announcing Sendero GPS 6.0 for BrailleNote Products
Raising independent travel to a whole new level
Version 6.0 is Sendero's eleventh version since our laptop GPS in 2000. It has been
14 years since we began working on the first prototypes. There are 25 improvements

Windows 7 is available to the public on October 22nd. Tune into a presentation from
Kelly Ford from Microsoft to learn about what’s new in Windows 7 that may interest
computer users who are blind and find out all about Windows 7 and what it has to
offer for you.
About Kelly Ford
Kelly Ford is a test Manager with the Internet Explorer team at Microsoft and has
been with the company for just under nine years. Ford has worked in the accessibility
industry for more than 20 years with stops at Microsoft, Mt. Hood Community College

Victor Reader Stream Bookshelf and Bookmarking
Join us for an interactive session on the Victor Reader Stream with Gerry Chevalier,
Product Manager from HumanWare. Gerry will begin with an overview of two of the Stream's
most powerful features: its bookshelf and its bookmarking capability. You are then
welcome to ask questions to Gerry about those features or any aspect of using the
Stream. Unlike previous Tek Talk sessions where Gerry focused on new software features
this session is for you, the Stream user. You are encouraged to share your experiences

An interview with professional baseball and football player Carroll hardy by john Beaulieu.

As web pages have become more complicated, screen reader manufacturers have added more and more features to help users navigate them. Some of these features are fantastic and make complicated pages easy to navigate. The problem, though, is that it's hard for users to keep up with the new features and to understand how to use them effectively.

Eric Damery Vice President of Software Management unveils Jaws 11.
On Monday, October 19th , Eric Damery will take the Tek Talk audience on a tour of Jaws 11. For the first time, this exciting software release will be distributed on a DVD providing the user with additional helpful materials, as well as a free DAISY player; FS Reader. You won't want to miss Eric's demonstration of the new robust features included in the release of Jaws 11 as well as his discussion of several important enhancements. Here are a few examples of these powerful new features.

Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world by Weatherford, J. McIver.
DB62418
This book revises the historically negative view of Genghis Kahn (Temüjin) and the impact of the 13th century Empire he created. It not only fills in missing gaps in the life of Genghis Khan, but claims his policies resulted in the European Renaissance and foreshadowed the modern world.

cooking with ken and Cindy on 10/25/2009

Tek Talk is very honored to present Mr. Stephen Baum, Vice President of Engineering of Kurzweil Educational Systems.
Mr. Baum will be talking about the latest release of Kurzweil 1000, version 12, which is scheduled to ship on October 22 nd.
He will assume that everyone knows about Kurzweil 1000, and launch into a discussion of the new features. These include:
Updated OCR Engines.
Full Text Translation.
Access to Recorded Pronunciations for each Word found in the Dictionary.
Enhanced Functionality for Low Vision Users.
PDF Improvements.
A New User Wizard.
A Separate OCR Utility.

Accessible World Special Program Series
We are honored to inform you that Ira Fistelle, noted radio talk show host will be
presenting a special lecture on Tuesday October 27, 2009,
He will speak to us on the topic: “Generals of the Civil War.” He will concentrate
on those famous generals who shouldn’t have been and those generals who should have
been famous but were not.
Ira is truly an expert on the Civil War and we know that you will enjoy him. Of course,
we shall take questions from the audience.

Accessible World is pleased to welcome you to the first part of our two part-series of Stocking Stuffers for Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanza.

We shall be presenting several vendors who will be discussing gift ideas for the holidays.

We shall start our 2009 Stocking Stuffers program with a presentation by Diane Croft, Vice President of Publishing, National Braille Press. She will commence her presentation at 8:00 PM EST to be concluded at 9:00 PM. We shall allow time for questions from our worldwide audience.
Contact information:
Email: orders@nbp.org
Web Site: www.nbp.org.

Like most radio fanatics, you have been looking for that ultimate receiver for years.
Maybe your whole life. You've tried many different rigs, all with their charms, but
you still haven't found it. You know what the perfect radio has - or at least you
think you do, and you just know that your life won't be complete until you find it.
We've all been there. So exactly what is it that we're trying to find?
And what radios did we think were it, but turned out not to be?
For the November edition of Radio Waves, we're going to swap receiver stories:
What radio did you lust after as a kid?

Accessible World cordially invites you to our second part of Stocking Stuffers on November 9. This is an opportunity for you to shop for all of the holidays you celebrate.
In part II, we feature Bob Crane, the President of Ccrane who will talk to us about his innovative products for sale. His contact information is as follows:
Phone 1-800-522-8863
Web Site: www.ccrane.com

Michael McCarty, Social Network Coordinator, American Printing House for the Blind will then speak to us about their many products for the holidays and year round for that matter.

HumanWare Launches the BrailleNote Apex
HumanWare has just launched the newest member of the BrailleNote family, the BrailleNote Apex, the thinnest and lightest of note takers. Powerful, but slim at just 2 cm (0.78?) and weighing only 812 grams (1.8 lbs), the BrailleNote Apex is designed for on the go portability and high functionality. The advanced technology features the acclaimed KeySoft Version 9, a comprehensive suite of productivity applications with feature-rich content.

Can volunteer work contribute to a career? Indeed it can! Nan Hawthorne, for years a trainer, writer and consultant in volunteering and management of volunteer resources and author of dozens of articles on disabilities and employment will share how to choose a volunteer project that will help you build the skills and resume you need to make yourself a competitive candidate for gainful work. She will also offer advice on how to find the project you need for this, how to present yourself to the organization offering the position, and how to document your experience for your resume.

Team of Rivals by Doris kerns Goodwin part one. It discusses the political genius of Abraham lincoln.

During our next meeting of the romance discussion group, we will discuss one of the loveliest novels written by Luanne Rice. Eventually turned in to a television movie for Hallmark, Follow The Stars Home takes us in to the life of a single mother and her disabled daughter, Julia. Like most mothers, Dianne Robbins can’t wait for the birth of her first child. In love with handsome Tim McIntosh, her life is filled with the hopes and dreams all mothers share.

We will be discussing Limitations by Scott Turow. Unfortunately this book is not
currently available on Bookshare, however, for those who like to read their books
in Braille, it is available on Web Braille as BR 17358. If the book becomes available
on Bookshare, we will send out an announcement. It can also be found on the BARD
site by searching for DB 63880. This is also its RC number and you can request it
from your regional library on cassette.
We look forward to having you share your opinions and your knowledge of mysteries with us.
Ann Parsons, Group Facilitator

Hello to all our friends of Cooking with Ken and Cindy.
For our next program, next Sunday, November 22, 2009, we will have a great holiday show for you. However, to do this we would like to have as many of you on line with us in the Accessible Kitchen Conference Room as we talk turkey. We’ll also talk ham and perhaps prime rib. We might even talk about cooking a goose.

On Monday, November 23 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard time, Larry Lewis, President, Flying Blind LLC www.flying-blind.com will be demonstrating netECHO, an accessible, phone-based web application that enables individuals who are vision impaired to perform a number of tasks using the world wide web.

Demonstrating Send Space Wizard and my Drop Box.

Dear Friends,
Our wonderful host, Natalie J. Nnankin has returned from vacation at looks forward to speaking with all of you. We want to thank Dave Bond for doing a truly stellar job as substitute host in October.
Natalie will continue the topic: “Controlling our Eating during the Holidays with Diabetes.”
Natalie J. Nankin is a visually impaired practicing Dietitian.
Natalie J. Nankin, Group Facilitator
Email: njnankin@aol.com

Tek Talk is very proud to feature Brian R. Albriton, Senior Reader Advisor Coordinator, Braille Institute Library to demonstrate and discuss both the basic and the advanced NLS players.
Brian will talk about how to download from the BARD web site into your player. He will answer all questions about the players. He will talk about using thumb drives, flash drive and the blank cartridges.
Brian Albriton
Email: brian@braillelibrary.org

This is a celebration and discussion of the 80-year history of The Seeing Eye, the first dog guide school in the United States.

Anna Dresner has written many books concerned with the subject of
technology. On our show tonight, she will discuss social networking, the
subject of the book she is writing presently in which she explains twitter,
facebook, and linked in. How can we use Ipods and mp3 players more
effectively? Is it possible for a visually impaired person to use something
with a flat screen? What are her plans for the future? In the world of
computers and technical information, an author's job is never done. Progress

takes place so quickly that updates to previous books are often needed very

Dan Thompson will be speaking to the Tek Talk audience tonight 12-07-09 about his
Tech Tips. Please find below a link to his vast resource guide.

On january 9, we honored the200th birthday of louis Braille who developed a revolutionary reading system for blind persons. It is only appropriate at the end of 2009 to listen to a Books and Beyond program in which Bonnie Blose interviews Mr. Michael mellor, the former Editor of The matilda Ziegler magazine. Mr. mellor has written a book on the life of louis Braille which is available on NLS.

Are the holidays always happy times for everyone all the time? What about for those who live alone with no family or close friends nearby?
It's been said that this is the time of year when depression is worse and there are more suicides than at other times of the year. How do lonely and isolated people get through such times?
On this week's Books and Beyond, we'll speak with Debbie Hazelton, a mental health counselor and minister, about these and other pertanent issues.

Monday December 14th, 2009
,Tek Talk presents Larry Lewis, President Flying Blind LLC and Darryl Sherwood, founder
of Povidi NZ LTD who will demonstrate the SoundPost Orientation System. SoundPost
picks up where other GPS and Mobility aids leave off by providing a fundamental level
of orientation to a variety of objects throughout one's environment. Consisting of
a base station and a hand controller, SoundPost enables users to independently and
efficiently navigate to doorways, staircases escalators, etc, traveling across complex

Mid to late December is the time of many holiday traditions from ancient times to
the present. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice, or just
want to learn about them, come for this free-for-all holiday party online. Bring
your own eggnog and cookies, and share your family traditions!
See you there!
Nan Hawthorne, Group Facilitator
Email: hawthorne@nanhawthorne.com

Review Part Two of "A Team OF Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln: by Doris Kearns Goodwin (DB61162). We will listen to another interview with the author focusing on Part Two of her book.

romance discussion featuring author Joan Wester Anderson. Often called
the angel lady, she has been writing books about them for many years. Why does she
believe they exist? Have they ever helped her through a difficult time? What type
of help do they give to those who truly believe? Is it possible for them to come
to those who don't think they exist?
Joan Wester Anderson believes in them and that they truly change lives profoundly.
Author of the Where Angels Walk column, she will tell us stories of angels who have
made a difference.

How does a blind person work in television news? Are there any special difficulties with this?
Tonight our guest is John Weidlich, former program director of Mind's Eye and former news reporter for KPLR channel 11 here in St. Louis.
What is happening with radio reading services these days? With the availability of more modern technology, do such services even have a place in our world today?
We'll answer these questions and many more.

L.J. Ganser, & Bonnie Blose