Brian,

What you are asking for is not possible. The government can't play favorites just because an individual thinks they have particular skills to offer as a beta tester. Companies have insider programs because it saves them money when they are developing new products. Companies are in the business of selling products and services so they provide incentives for people to test their products so they will buy them. The government doesn't have any incentives to sell products or services. I wanted to be a beta tester of the Braille e-reader but Illinois was not selected to participate in the pilot program. This may not seem fair but that's the way life is. I will be happy when I get a device even if it doesn't work exactly as I expected.

I think one reason you aren't getting any response from NLS or mailing lists for that matter is your whining tone. You make inflated claims for yourself and can't be bothered to check your spelling or word usage. I would say for starters learn how to present yourself in a way which would elicit a positive response from someone else. I was tempted to ignore your e-mail on this list but responded because you keep sending e-mails to various lists writing like a broken record. This is a real pet peeve of mine when blind people have unrealistic expectations of sighted people and then can't be bothered to make an effort to communicate correctly or present themselves in a way to receive a positive response. People might be willing to consider your ideas but if you can't be bothered to proofread your writing then why should anyone care.

Dan

-----Original Message-----
From: Visually Impaired Computer Users' Group List <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Brian
Sent: Saturday, November 20, 2021 2:05 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [VICUG-L] How many of you would join an Nls insider program if there was one?

I posted this on the bard talk list but did not get very many responses.  What I have in mind is a program similar to the Microsoft windows insider program.  We would bada test al up comming products and report back to Nls by email.  I think that this would give Nls a greater cross section of the Nls user base instead of the very limited way that they are doing things right now.  There are people on the bard talk list that would like to test the Nls reader but like me they can't because Nls is way to restrictive in the way that they select bada testers.  If I could have tested the dtbm I would have given them sugestions on how they could have improved the dtbm machine.  Things like the ability to remove books from thumb drives when they are pluged in to the dtbm.  The ability to hear the percentages of thumb drives when they are loading in the player.  The ability to eject thumb drives from the dtbm.  The ability for the dtbm to connect to the internet to directly down load bard content to the dtbm no need for a pc.  This would make it more easier for more users of bard to use the service as the down load process would be less complicated and less steps to go through to down load bard content to the dtbm.  The ability to play more audio formats. The dtbm is so out dated it's so 20th century because it's the only player that does not have internet capabilities.  I sure don't know what they were thing but obviously they were not thinking very much. Every user would not need to use all of the fetures of the new dtbm but not having them because lots of users don't want them is just a big cop out and an excuse not to make the dtbm better.  I really feel that I could be a great asset to Nls by providing them with feedback on new products and my ideas would be enjoyed by more users of up comming products.  The current dtbm is just a glorified tape player with a few advanced features on it.  It might be years before we here in Michigan get our hands on an Nls ereader and how good will it really be?  What if I discover thing that should have been added or improved to make it better?  Well it will just be to late by then as it will be available for everyone by then so many very good ideas and sugestions for improvments will not be done or even concitered.  My point is that I have been disapointed with the dtbm and will the same hold true for the Nls ereader when I finally get to try it.  Nls should open up the testing faze to many more users to gain a more quality device for all of us.  I an others may have ideas and sugestions that the current testers may not even think of so our input should be seriously concitered because we all are the end users of any new devices that Nls brings out to us.  They should not limit the testng to only certain states like they do now we are very unlucky enough to be able to particapate in the testing faze.  I did email Nls for the record and told them that if they ever do come up with an Nls insider program then sign me up.  Maybe if more users of Nls do likewise they just might conciter having an Nls insideer program.  It would be opend to any and all Nls users no matter whear they live  None of this certain state crap that they are now doing.   This program would greatly improve the quality of future Nls products and it would be a win win situation for all of usWe all be much happier instead of being disapointed with the end product.

Brian Sackrider

73

N8mnx

Port Huron Michigan


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