Kelly,

My own very recent experience in subscribing to the list was that I had to
add my name immediately after the 'subscribe vicug-l' message.

Bill Carroll, Toronto


-----Original Message-----
From: Kelly Pierce <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Saturday, August 22, 1998 11:46 AM
Subject: computer user network news #17


>      The following is the seventeenth newsletter of Digit-Eyes:
>the Chicago Blind computer Users' Network.  The initiative is
>built on the principles of self-development, mutual aid,
>cooperative learning and peer mentoring.  For back issues and to
>learn more about us, check out our home page at
>http://homepage.interaccess.com/~b_b
>to join us online, subscribe to the visually Impaired computer
>User group List at [log in to unmask]  In the body
>of the message, simply type "subscribe vicug-l" without the
>quotations.
>
>Kelly
>
>
>                   COMPUTER USERS NETWORK NEWS
>
>                       Adaptive Technology
>               for the Blind and Visually-Impaired
>
>
>          Vol. IV  no. 1      January-February, 1998
>
>
>                     Published bimonthly by
>                           Digit-Eyes
>                    Blind Service Association
>                      22 West Monroe Street
>                     Chicago, Illinois 60603
>                    voice-mail: 312-458-9006
>
>                         Copyright 1998
>
>                       Editor: Cindy Brown
>
>                        MISSION STATEMENT
>     Our mission is to provide a vehicle for our consumers to
>share information with each other.  This is accomplished by
>stimulating the pro-active involvement of our readers.
>                            CONTENTS
>
>TITLE                                                  PAGE
>
>SUBSCRIPTION/MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION .................  3
>
>CHECK US OUT ........................................  3
>
>NETWORK NEWS ........................................  3
>
>IS TECHNOLOGY RUNNING FASTER THAN YOU ARE?
>     by Dave Porter .................................  3
>
>SUPPOSE EDGAR ALLAN POE USED A COMPUTER
>     Author Unknown .................................  7
>
>LIST: A FILE VIEWING AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
>     by Steve Zielinski .............................  8
>
>PERSONAL PROFILE: STEVE ZIELINSKI
>     by Nate Branson ................................ 12
>
>TEAMWORK ............................................ 13
>
>GO WRITE! ........................................... 15
>
>FYI ................................................. 15
>
>DATES TO REMEMBER! .................................. 16
>
>               SUBSCRIPTION/MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
>
>     A subscription for  the Computer Users Network News is
>included in the Digit-Eyes annual membership donation of fifteen
>dollars or more. The newsletter is available on cassette tape or
>in  print. It is also accessible on-line. Each annual membership
>entitles you to all six issues for that particular calendar year.
>
>     To begin or renew your membership in our network, please
>send your contribution, along with your name and address,  to
>BLind Service Association, indicating your intention to join
>Digit-Eyes, and specifying in which of the above formats you wish
>to receive your newsletters.  Checks are to be made payable to
>Blind Service Association.
>                            --------
>                          CHECK US OUT
>
>   You can check us out on the web page made available to us
>through Vipace.  You'll find current and back issues of this
>newsletter.  That's at
>http://www.city-net.com/vipace/friends/chicago.
>
>     You can also check out our upcoming events by listening to
>the message on our voice-mail line: 312-458-9006.
>                            --------
>                          NETWORK NEWS
>                         by Cindy Brown
>
>     Minutes for December and January Cognoscetae meetings should
>be included in the envelope if you get the print copy of this
>newsletter, and will be read on the end of the taped version.
>
>     Items of significance from the February meeting are as
>follows:
>
>     In order to accommodate suburban train schedules, and in
>order to leave more of Saturday afternoons free for other fun-
>having, the Saturday seminars are being moved to a half-hour
>earlier--9:30-noon--starting immediately.
>
>     Due to low attendance, it has been decided to eliminate the
>monthly new-members openhouses.  Persons interested in joining
>will be encouraged to show up a half-hour earlier than starting
>time for the monthly Saturday seminars, or to stay afterward to
>get their questions answered about Digit-Eyes.
>
>     Due to lack of adequate interest, the Posse is defunct.
>                      --------
>           IS TECHNOLOGY RUNNING FASTER THAN YOU ARE?
>                         by Dave Porter
>
>     Technology is a continuum.  The more you know, the more you
>know you need to know.  The more you need to know the fewer
>resources you have to help you get answers.  The fewer answers
>you get, the more questions you have.  Have you noticed that
>we've all been a bit testy lately?
>
>     Technology is  a headache!  Maybe it's because the work we
>are doing, the offices we work in, the utilities, and the service
>companies we have become so dependent on are constantly being
>bottled up by technological prowess gone amuck.  Each time I make
>a phone call and become ensnared in a loop of recorded messages,
>wave a card at a machine that winks and beeps at me instead of
>doing what I instructed it to do, throw a switch and get no
>response, or schedule and reschedule a service call because this
>or that doesn't work, I am reminded of how engulfed in the
>technological quagmire we really are.
>
>     As infuriating as that all is, it leaps out at us as just
>another reminder of the price we are all paying for "progress."
> In the late 1980's I began my computer journey on an Apple 2E. I
>was an enthusiastic convert to DOS even though, like W95, it was
>intimidating, expensive, and clumsy.  I tinkered with several
>adaptive technology packages until I settled on the ones I found
>most useful to my navigating this DOS terrain.
>
>     When I learned DOS I thought I was set for life.  I went to
>school, got credentials, and was set with a job which provided
>health insurance.  The adaptive technology worked well enough
>that I could plod along and function competitively in what I knew
>to be a changing society.
>
>     When Microsoft shifted gears and dragged the population into
>Windows, I bitched and kicked and screamed (like I had done just
>a few years before with the Apple 2E) because DOS worked just
>fine for me.
>
>     But work, play, politics, and my personal desire  to accept
>any challenge placed in front of me made me reluctantly resign
>myself to make the Windows switch.
>
>     Now here I am--the rollercoaster ride called computer
>technology forcing me to step up my learning even more, to the
>point where I now am in the process of trying to master even
>another complex operating system--one Microsoft intentionally
>designed to be an intuitive interface; and one I have been forced
>to learn by rote.  W95 is so rich with commands for different
>ways to do things, even the best of memory is not able to store
>them all.  That's why they made it intuitive.  The computers may
>be increasing in capacity for memory and storage space,  but I am
>not.  I find it increasingly difficult to remember the sequences
>of keyboard commands needed to enact a particular function.  I
>know what has to be done to accomplish basic tasks, but in the
>heat of the moment with tasks at hand, I can't remember the
>myriad of ways to accomplish them.
>
>     Documentation is so critical.  When I learned DOS, several
>commands were apparent, most were close to that.  If, with
>windows 95, I don't have the documentation, I am  in immediate
>danger of being swept under by its awesome interface.  This is,
>of course, assuming that the equipment works as it is promised to
>do.
>
>     I also note that I have very few sighted colleagues whom I
>can  call on because they all use a mouse.
>
>     Ah yes--the mouse ...
>
>   A sighted person explaining to me how he uses a mouse to enact
>what I am struggling to accomplish with a keyboard, is the
>functional equivalent of his placing his hands on my shoulders,
>and pushing me in a direction, and then silently going on his
>way.  I may be closer to where I am trying to get to, but I have
>no real idea how I got there, and probably will have to work out
>another strategy, should I attempt to get there again; and I may
>have soured my relationship with that person in the process.
>
>     I need to know what that screen is saying, the path by which
>it got where it is, and I need control of where that screen has
>gone.  It's hard enough to grasp what's happening without having
>it move indiscriminately.
>
>     When your adaptive technology makes all the keyboard
>functions speak, and  Microsoft says its software is all keyboard
>accessible, if you know your Windows and you're unable to do it
>without a mouse, it probably can't be done at all.
>
>     It is critical that they understand it as we do.  No level
>of frustration will override that ability to absorb knowledge and
>incorporate it into the vat of experience.
>
>     What are the criteria on which the next generations of
>adaptive-technology users will be judged?  Our value to society
>as an employable commodity will be based on our experience
>derived from the many different opportunities we position
>ourselves to partake of.
>
>     So now comes the "promise" part.  Here is the place where
>technology and marketing team up to tell us what is going to
>remedy this situation.
>
>     The current wisdom is "voice activation."  I could issue
>verbal commands to a computer like, "Get Microsoft Word file,"
>and assume it goes there.  Then I would type the  desired text.
>But use of the keyboard yields slow input.
>
>     Enter Architecture 2000!  This bold new architecture will
>feature computers as small as a paperback book.  With an
>illuminated screen, a writing notepad, and a microphone,
>we will use a pen to write on the pad, and the microphone to
>speak the commands.  Software will be able to analyze our
>handwriting, and not respond unless it's ours.  That might serve
>as a right-protect or password.
>
>     Given a verbal command, it will do its thing.  We then work
>with the open files.
>
>     If we had a pad that would speak what we wrote, might the
>next generation of blind people have to learn penmanship?  But
>looking on the bright side--this architecture would be a direct
>way to correct our penmanship by responding to what we write with
>a pen as it now does when we mis-type.  The machine would
>understand handwriting, know it to be ours, be smart enough to
>figure out what we meant, provide speech to echo what we wrote--
>all as standard technology that's conventional except that it's
>talking back.
>
>     If the hallmark of the current age is job security, that of
>the next age will be networking.
>
>     Today the corporation is no longer loyal to its charges.
>The most effective managers are those who marshall their
>experiences and convey a sense of autonomy to their peers.
>
>  How do we pool the experiences we have?  How do we thread our
>experiences, knowhow, and knowledge in a way that conveys the
>word of our good work, while pooling our time with people who are
>doing things critical to our work so we can learn more from those
>who share experiences from a different perspective?
>
>     This past week I have worked with a family planning
>counsellor, a real estate agent, a satellite engineer, a human
>resources person in a big downtown firm, and a point-of-sales
>person in a software company.  I help them to better do what they
>do.  They spread the word of what I've done, and eventually, I
>meet and work with their colleagues.  Meanwhile, I learn what
>they do.  Two years from now, maybe two of them will become
>management; they remember my work.  In time--they refer more work
>to me.  We both do better; we move on; the process continues.
>
>     For most of you I am a gurgle from your speakers, or a
>sprawl of words on a glistening screen, or words dancing off a
>page--a casual insertion into your everyday humdrum.  But I am
>seriously concerned about how all the dollars, promises, hypes,
>and grumbling of the technologically elite are affecting the
>members of this network.  If we are moving into an information
>age where changing technology will stir our every move; if our
>lives, work, play, and politics are going to be based on
>information management, then we need to come to terms with what's
>actually happening-- and what our own consciences say should be,
>could be, or would be happening if only ...
>
>    Is W95 a viable option for us?
>
>     If it is viable, with what? and how?
>
>     Might we be better served by focusing on what's ahead?
>Should a shroud be placed over those glowing claims that
>illuminate what has not been done on our behalf?  Should this
>network be surveyed on this topic?  Do  we need to become a
>unified voice on services and products provided?  Who should
>provide them?  How should they be provided?
>
>     We need to articulate what's going on for us now.
>
>     (Dave Porter is president of Comp-Unique, an adaptive
>technology development and consulting firm.  He is coordinator of
>Digit-Eyes.)--------
>          *** SUPPOSE EDGAR ALLAN POE USED A COMPUTER ***
>                     submitted by Anna Byrne
>
>Once upon a midnight dreary, fingers cramped and vision bleary,
>System manuals piled high and wasted paper on the floor,
>Longing for the warmth of bedsheets,
>Still I sat there, doing spreadsheets...
>Having reached the bottom line, I took a floppy from the drawer.
>Typing with a steady hand, I then invoked the SAVE command
>And waited for the disk to store,
>Only this and nothing more.
>Deep into the monitor peering, long I sat there wond'ring,
>fearing, Doubting, while the disk kept churning, turning yet to
>churn some      more.
>"Save!" I said, "You cursed mother! Save my data from before!"
>One thing did the phosphors answer, only this and nothing more,
>Just, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
>
>Was this some occult illusion? Some maniacal intrusion?
>These were choices undesired, ones I'd never faced before.
>Carefully, I weighed the choices as the disk made monstrous
>noises. The cursor flashed, insistent, waiting, baiting me to
>type some      more.
>
>Clearly I must press a key, choosing one and nothing more,
>>>From " Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
>
> With my fingers pale and trembling, Slowly toward the keyboard
>  bending,
>Longing for a happy ending, hoping all would be restored,
>Praying for some guarantee Timidly I pressed a key.
>But on the screen there still persisted, words appearing as
>before. Ghastly grim they blinked and taunted, haunted, as my
>patience      wore,
>Saying, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
>
>I tried to catch the chips off-guard - I pressed again, but twice
>    as hard.
>I pleaded with the cursed machine: I begged and cried and then I
>   swore.
>Then I tried in desperation, sev'ral random combinations,
>Still there came the incantation, just as senseless as before.
>Cursor blinking, mocking, winking, flashing nonsense as before.
>Reading, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
>
>There I sat, distraught, exhausted; by my own machine accosted
>Getting up I turned away and paced across the office floor. And
>then I saw a dreadful sight: a lightning bolt cut through the
>night.
>A gasp of horror overtook me, shook me to my very core.
>The lightning zapped my previous data, lost and gone forevermore.
>Not even, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
>
>To this day I do not know The place to which lost data goes. What
>demonic nether world is wrought where data will be stored, Beyond
>the reach of mortal souls, beyond the ether, in black holes? But
>sure as there's C, Pascal, Lotus, Ashton-Tate and more, You will
>one day be left to wander, lost on some Plutonian shore,
>Pleading, "Abort, Retry, Ignore?"
>--Author Unknown
>                            --------
>           LIST: A FILE VIEWING AND MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
>by Steve Zielinski
>
>     While I am in the slow process of beginning to learn and
>function with Windows, I still use DOS quite a lot.  One of the
>DOS programs I keep finding myself using is List, Written by
>Vernon D. Buerg.  The latest shareware archive I have been able
>to locate is version 9.3A, archived as list93a.zip.  It can be
>found at:
>ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/simtelnet/msdos/txtutl/list93a.zip.
>
>     List comes in three forms, list.com, a full featured
>version, sometimes called List Plus, listr.com, the "regular"
>version which does not have all the file management facilities,
>and lists.com, the "small" version, which among other limitations
>cannot handle files larger than 600 kilobytes.  The regular and
>Plus versions can handle files as large as 16 megabytes.  Buerg
>even offers a special version that handles files up to 500
>megabytes.  I will be writing specifically about the features
>found in List Plus.
>
>     With List, you can read any ASCII file and most other
>formatted files such as those in WordPerfect, WordStar, .wri
>files and binary files.  List incorporates a variety of filters,
>which when set, usually do not need further manipulation.
>Programmers will find the ease of reading 16 bit hexidecimal code
>to be an asset in List Plus.
>                      Viewing Files in List
>
>     Many editors on the market these days create very long
>lines, only having new lines start at the beginning of
>paragraphs.  They depend on the editors themselves to insert line
>breaks on the screen for a natural look, though the code itself
>is in long lines.  List will automatically break up these lines
>into 80-character lines, so you do not have to manipulate these
>files yourself to read them comfortably.
>
>     While viewing a file in List, you can search for text
>forward and backward.  You can even automatically continue the
>search into other documents in your current directory.  For
>example, let's say you've been collecting a variety of newspaper
>articles about computer assistive technology.  You keep these
>articles in the c:\newsart directory and you recall that you read
>an article months back about windows access for the blind, which
>you saved.  You recall the article in question has the phrase
>"windows for the blind."  To find that specific article you
>change to the c:\newsart directory.  Start List and load all
>files in the directory by typing "list *.*".  Hit the "f" key,
>(Find), type in "windows for the blind", and follow this by the
>Enter key. When the phrase is found, it will be highlighted and
>placed on line number nine, the default setting, unless you've
>changed it. The name of the file will show on the status line.
>If this is not the correct file, or article, or if the phrase
>wasn't found in the first file you searched, press the alt-A key
>to continue the search.  List will go through all the files in
>the c:\newsart directory until the correct file is found,
>highlighting any hits on line number nine.  You can even start
>this search process from the DOS command line.
>
>     You may also load up to 32 different files into list at the
>same time.  When this is done, simply press the "Q" key or ctrl-
>pgup, to move to the next file and the "Z" key or ctrl-pgdn, to
>move to the previous one.
>
>     You may also block text from a file and then save that
>blocked text to another file.  If you want you can append new
>sections of blocked text to that second file.  This is a great
>way to cut out notes and information you want to keep and
>consolidate into one file for future reference.
>
>     List can even dial your telephone! If you have a telephone
>number written into a file you are viewing you can press the
>ctrl-t key, then using your arrow keys, place your cursor on the
>first digit of the telephone number and hit Enter.  Voila! Though
>it can be argued this feature is of limited use, nevertheless it
>is available for those who find themselves writing lots of phone
>numbers into a file and needing to call people from time to time
>while reading these files.
>
>                   Viewing Directories in List
>     You can view a directory structure with List Plus by simply
>typing "List" from the command line.  The top line of your screen
>will show something like the following:
>
>     list file selection 1 of 244     path c:\netscape\*.*
>The bottom line of your screen will show how many total files are
>in the c:\netscape directory and how many bytes they take up.  It
>also shows how much available free disc space you still have on
>your drive.  The other lines of the screen will display the names
>of subdirectories and files in your current directory.  One of
>these names will be highlighted.
>
>     In this example, you are viewing the netscape directory on
>drive c, and *.* means you are displaying all the files in that
>directory.  The phrase "1 of 244" means you're highlighting the
>first file in that directory.  Pressing the up or down arrow keys
>will move the highlighted file name and change the "1 of 244" to
>some other value.  You may press Enter to view the highlighted
>file at this point.  If you are highlighting a subdirectory,
>pressing Enter will change to that directory.
>
>     Many options are available to you while viewing file names
>and directories.  You can press the letter "f" to change the file
>specifications.  For example, type *.txt after pressing the
>letter "f", and only files with .txt extensions will be listed.
>Press the letter "p" to manually type in a new drive or path to
>change to.  By pressing the letter "s", you can change the sorted
>order of the listing of files.  Options include sorting by
>alphabetical name, extension, date, and size.  You can precede
>the option with the dash key to reverse the order.
>
>     One very nice feature is List's ability to display lots of
>file names on one screen.  You can display as few as one file per
>line on the screen or as many as six on a line, with an 80-column
>monitor.  An 80-column monitor can display up to 138 file names
>on the screen at once.  A 132-column monitor can display as many
>as nine files across, or a total of 207 file names.  When List is
>set up for 43 or 50 line display mode you greatly increase the
>amount of displayed file names.  When displaying one file across,
>List shows the file name with extension, size, date and time of
>creation, and current file attributes: Archive, System, Hidden,
>or Read-Only file.  2-across lists eliminate the attribute
>display. Increasing the number of files displayed on a line
>gradually removes more file information until you are left with
>just the file name and extension for a specific file.  List
>allows you to copy files to different directories and drives,
>move files, rename files, delete them or change their file
>attributes.  You can even highlight a file name and hit the
>letter "e" to invoke your favorite editor to start editing the
>file rather than just viewing it.  List will even let you run a
>program by highlighting the program name and hitting the letter
>"i" to run it.  "i" stands for "invoke" in this case.
>
>     Another feature of List, which I use all the time, is the
>ability to view an archived file.  An archived file is a file
>which contains within it, one or many separate files.  These
>files are then compressed or squeezed down, so that the total
>package is actually smaller than the original.  Having all these
>files placed in one archive means that an entire program and all
>its
>documentation can be distributed more efficiently.  All files
>placed in that particular archive remain together for you to
>unpack.  It's like giving a friend an entire book on microfilm
>instead of giving him a single chapter at a time on paper.   Of
>course, working with these archived files on a computer is much
>easier than messing with a microfiche.  List can allow you to
>view archive files with extensions of arc, arj, zip, pak, dwc,
>lzh, zoo, and lbr.  List can also view most self-extracting files
>with .exe and .com extensions.  This facility of List means you
>don't need to unpack the archive in order to read the files
>within, making the process of reading archived files much quicker
>and easier.  Just highlight an archive file name and hit the
>letter "v".  You will then see a listing of files within that
>archive.  If the list is extensive, press the pgdn key to view
>the rest of the list.  When you see the file you want to view,
>hit the letter "i" and use your arrow keys to highlight the file
>and press Enter to actually see the file within the archive. It's
>really quick and simple.
>
>                 Getting List to Work with Speech
>
>     As I am a Vocal-Eyes user, I can only speak specifically to
>that program's settings for List.  In general, it was a matter of
>making sure I had lines 2 through 24 set up as a speak window.  I
>then made the pgup and pgdn keys hot keys to read the speak
>window.  I then set up Vocal-Eyes to look at certain color
>attributes and then speak the lines in that color.  This is to
>allow Vocal-Eyes to read highlighted text which was found by
>using the search commands or block commands.  Automatic bar track
>set to On made following the highlighted file names in the
>directory listing a snap.  Setting it up with the VersaBraille II
>Plus Braille display was even easier, I didn't have to do
>anything.
>
>     If you are looking for a versatile and feature-packed file
>viewer and manager, I believe List will do the trick for you.  I
>started using it because I once obtained a DOS database program
>which had a massive 800K documentation file.  It wouldn't
>completely load into my ASCII text editor and it took forever to
>load into WordPerfect 5.1.  Now any huge file I obtain loads very
>quickly with List.  Its real power lies in its versatility and
>ability to handle all kinds of file viewing tasks.
>
>     (See PERSONAL PROFILE: STEVE ZIELINSKI for further
>information about the author.)
>                            --------
>                PERSONAL PROFILE: STEVE ZIELINSKI
>                         by Nate Branson
>
>     It may take some time for Michigan native Steve Zielinski to
>become re-adjusted to Midwest winters.  After spending four years
>in Orlando, Florida, he is back in the Midwest. Though it is
>Chicago, and not the more northern Detroit, he's heard that
>Chicago's winters are notorious--especially when the wind blows
>from Lake Michigan.
>
>     Having attended his first Digit-Eyes meeting in August, he
>has recently taken over leadership of our Lynx Squad.
>
>     Steve moved to Orlando in 1993 searching for a change of
>pace.  While there, he did volunteer work with the schools and a
>ham radio club.  A Russian Language and Literature major at the
>University of Michigan in the late seventies, Steve, totally
>blind since birth, encountered problems with early adaptive
>technology.  In his computer class he worked with a speech
>synthesizer connected to a mainframe.  But in those days, there
>were no PC's, so individuals worked from a terminal connected to
>the mainframe.  Since
>screenreaders were not readily available, his early version of
>the DEC-TALK "either read the whole blankity-blank screen or
>nothing at all.  So there was no way to check punctuation or
>spelling, etc.  I became very discouraged by this." In the years
>to come, he became very comfortable with the VersaBraille Braille
>display.
>
>     Now 40, Steve said his first experience with more modern
>adaptive technology for computers was in the early '90s. He had
>access to a computer in his weekly visits to an agency in
>Detroit.  "I tried to learn DOS with speech in an unstructured
>way by fooling around on the computer."  But this was
>unsuccessful.  He reports having really learned it in 1994, after
>moving to Orlando, when he got his first computer, and was able
>to hook up his VersaBraille to it so that he worked with a
>Braille display, but no speech.  Only since he moved to Chicago
>did he begin to learn to use speech programs in earnest.
>
>     He became acquainted with the Internet through friends in
>Orlando. As secretary of the ham radio club there in 1996, he
>volunteered to initiate a Webpage for the group.  He felt that
>this group of more than 400 members, which sponsored and hosted
>probably the largest annual hamfest in the Southeastern United
>States, should be represented on the Web.  But he did not have
>Windows, let alone access to Web-design software.  So he wrote it
>out in HTML programming language.  He worked alone on this
>project, and he found it to be a work-and-learn situation.
>
>     Commenting on the Internet, he looks forward to the Net's
>being increasingly available to him for learning, research, and
>commerce.
>
>     Steve's hobbies include reading, travel, classical music,
>and ham radio.
>
>
>     He first became acquainted with Digit-Eyes through e-mail
>correspondence with Kelly Pierce.  A friend of Steve's in Orlando
>suggested he contact Kelly when he was searching for a worthy
>organization where he might donate some plastic mailing
>containers for cassette tapes.  When Kelly heard he was moving to
>Chicago, he urged Steve to be in touch with Digit-Eyes.  Steve
>followed through, and the rest is history.
>
>     (A graduate of Roosevelt University, Nate Branson has worked
>for The Chicago Tribune and for the Chicago Sun Times.  He is a
>freelance writer.)
>                            --------
>                            TEAMWORK
>                         By Cindy Brown
>             (with updates gathered by Nate Branson)
>
>   Digit-Eyes is a network made up of teams.  The word network,
>for most of us connotes a system of interactive parts.
>Interaction among peers is meant to be the fuel that keeps this
>network alive. The teams are the parts of the Network which
>address specific tasks.  Become involved by joining one of the
>teams described below. Check the voice-mail calendar line
>(312-458-9006) for specifics about times and dates of meetings.
>For more information about how to participate in a given team,
>leave word on the voice-mail line: 312-458-9006, and be sure to
>designate which chairperson you wish to speak to.
>
>     Outreach.  "You-all come!" is the motto of this team.  Its
>job is to spread the word to youth and adults in the community-
>at-large about our activities--Jim Ferneborg, Chairperson.
>
>     Outreach Update.  Jim and six cognoscentae members
>participated in the recent Senior Tech Expo (see Senior Team,
>below).  He said that statistics indicate that about two-thirds
>of the blind and visually-impaired population in America are in
>the sixty-five-and-older age range.  Most of them are not aware
>of technological assistance that is available to enrich their
>lives.  Therefore, it makes sense for the Outreach team to put
>forth a focused effort to inform them.
>
>   Membership. Welcoming, orienting, and hooking in new members
>is this team's raison d'etre.--Tom Jones, Chairperson.
>
>     Membership Update.    We're looking to reorganize and
>revitalize this very important team, and Tom Jones has stepped
>forward to lead this effort.  He plans to greet and help orient
>new members to the network and to get them involved.  He also
>plans to help existing members get their needs met. To contact
>Tom, leave word for him on the voice-mail line (312-458-9006), or
>ask for him before or after the Saturday-seminar meetings.
>
>    Preview Crew. "What's new?"  That's what these computer
>veterans are asking, as they are eager to beta-test new
>technology products.--Dan TeVelde, chairperson.
>
>     Preview Crew Update.  Dan is currently beta-testing the new
>Aria notetaker, and plans to write about it in an upcoming issue
>of this newsletter.
>
>    Lynx Squad. It seems the whole world is talking about the
>Internet, the World Wide Web, and e-mail.  To join in, sign up
>with this team.  Reasonable word processing and typing skills are
>helpful.  Meetings are held the second Thursday evening of each
>month.--Steve Zielinski, Chairperson.
>
>     Lynx Squad Update.  Steve is the new facilitator of this
>group, and is anxious to help us navigate the Internet.  (See
>PERSONAL PROFILE: STEVE ZIELINSKI, to become more acquainted with
>Steve.
>
>     Peer Training.  "Each one teach one." Planning and executing
>monthly seminars for novices and the advanced is the focus of
>this team.  Ideas for events as well as volunteers to help are
>welcome. --Dave Porter, Chairperson.
>
>     Peer Training Update.  Though the New Year's holiday
>interfered with the scheduling of the usual monthly network
>seminar on the first weekend of the month, Dave demonstrated
>technology at the senior event on January 15th.  He also
>coordinated the
>presentation by Bob Greenberg at the February 7th Saturday
>seminar, covering the topics: Satellite Up links and down links,
>ISDN, and Sophisticated Telecommunications, particularly as they
>relate to radio programming.
>
>     Senior Team.  "Live and learn!"  Seniors often think that
>the Computer Technology Express is passing them by.  But on the
>third Thursday morning of every month, there's an open invitation
>to "Come aboard!"  Each meeting will offer opportunities to learn
>about hardware, software, and how to use it.--Doris Berry,
>Chairperson.
>
>     Senior Team Update.  At the Senior Tech Expo on January
>15th, nineteen seniors attended.  They were exposed to such
>devices as scanners, closed-circuit TV's, and personal data
>assistants.  Doris Berry commented, "We were pleased with the
>number that came in."
>   All-Write! "All I know is what I read in the newsletter."  We
>think this is a cop-out!  We hope you will add what you know to
>the pages of future newsletters by contributing technology-
>related articles.  You can join the newsletter team by attending
>our bimonthly meetings held on the first Wednesday evening of
>every other month.  (See DATES TO REMEMBER for specific dates,
>and see GO WRITE NOW! for directions on how to submit articles.)-
>-Cindy Brown, Editor.
>                            --------
>                            GO WRITE!
>
>     There's no time like the present!  Procrastination does not
>get the job done.
>
>     Do you have a favorite software program or favorite piece of
>adaptive equipment you'd like to tell others about?  Have you
>read a good technology-related book or used a helpful tutorial
>you'd like to steer others to?
>
>     Write about it.  We're here to absorb.  You don't have to be
>a Hemingway or a Danielle Steele.  If you feel you're not a great
>writer, commit your thoughts (in as coherent a manner as
>possible) to a 3.5-in.disk (WP5.1 or ASCII), Braille, or cassette
>tape.  We'll do our best to help you out.  And if you're a great
>writer, we want to hear from you too.
>
>     The deadline for the next issue is Wednesday, April 1 at
>noon.  No--this is no April Fool's joke.  And be sure you make it
>to the attention of Cindy Brown, Blind Service Association,
>eleventh floor,  22 West Monroe Street, Chicago, Il 60603.
>
>     Our success depends on you.
>                            --------
>                               FYI
>
>     National Braille Press offers the following publications for
>sale which you're likely to find of interest as you move into the
>world of Windows.  To order, contact National Braille Press at 88
>St. Stephen Street, Boston, Ma 02115; tel: 617-266-6160; toll-
>free: 800-548-7323; fax: 617-437-0456; e-mail: [log in to unmask];
>www: http://www.nbp.org.
>
>THE TEN-MINUTE GUIDE TO WINDOWS 95 (3 volumes)
>     $13.99
>
> WINDOWS 95 EXPLAINED (Braille, disk, or tape) $13.00
>
>WINDOWS 95 EXPLAINED: Tactile Diagrams (Braille only) $10.00
>
>WORD 7 FOR WINDOWS 95: KEYBOARD SHORTCUTS  (Braille reference
>card)      $5.00
>
>     NBP also offers Braille labels for disks (package containing
>102) $10.00.
>
>     The following radio and television shows may be of interest
>to our readers:
>
>Sundays--11:00 AM, "TV.com," ABC, channel 7 in Chicago;
>
>Sundays--3:30 PM, "Life on the Internet," WYCC, Channel 20,
>Chicago;
>
>Sundays--4:00 PM, "Computer Chronicles," WYCC, Channel 20 in
>Chicago;
>Tuesdays--9:00 PM, "Real Computing," WDCB, 90.5-FM, Glen Ellyn;
>
>Fridays--8:30 PM, "Computer Chronicles," WYCC, Channel 20,
>Chicago;
>
>Saturdays--10:00 PM, "WGNradio.com," WGN Radio, 720-AM.
>
>     If you know of other technology-related shows that are not
>included here, please contact Cindy Brown through the voice-mail:
>312-458-9006.
>                            --------
>                       DATES TO REMEMBER!
>
>     The following events take place at Blind Service
>Association, 22 West Monroe Street, Chicago.  For updates on the
>schedule, feel free to check the voice-mail announcement line:
>312-458-9006.
>
>     Note:  Monthly openhouses for the specific purpose of
>orienting new members are no longer on the schedule.  Those
>interested in joining Digit-Eyes are urged to come a half-hour
>early to Saturday seminars, or to stay afterwards to have any
>questions answered.
>
>     Note 2:  The times of Saturdy seminars are moved to a half-
>hour earlier.
>
>     Sat., March 7, 1998, 9:30-noon--Seminar: Audio On the
>Internet; ninth floor; (all are welcome).
>
>     Wed., March 11, 1998, 5:30-7:30 PM--Cognoscentae (governing
>board) meeting; ninth floor; (all are welcome).
>
>     Thurs., March 12, 1998, 6:00-8:00--Lynx Squad; ninth floor;
>(Internet activities).
>
>     Thurs., March 19, 1998, 10:00-noon--Senior Team meeting.
>
>     Thurs., March 26, 1998, 6:00-8:00--Computers for Dummies;
>ninth floor (for beginners).
>
>     Wed., April 1, 1998, noon--DEADLINE FOR NEWSLETTER ARTICLES;
>c/o Cindy Brown, Will-Call Drawer, eleventh floor.
>
>     Wed., April 1, 1998, 5:30-7:30 PM---All-Write meeting; ninth
>floor; (for all who want to help out with the newsletter).
>
>     Sat., April 4, 1998, 9:30-noon--seminar: topic TBA; ninth
>floor; (all are welcome).
>
>     Wed., April 8, 1998, 5:30-7:30 PM--Cognoscentae (governing
>board) meeting; ninth floor; (all are welcome).
>
>     Thurs., April 9, 1998, 6:00-8:00 PM--Lynx Squad; ninth
>floor; (Internet activities).
>[A
>     Thurs., April 16, 1998, 10:00-noon--Senior Team meeting;
>ninth floor.
>
>     Thurs., April 23, 1998, 5:30-7:30 PM--Computers for Dummies;
>ninth floor; (for beginners).
>
>
>
>
>VICUG-L ARCHIVES     http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
>
>
>
>




VICUG-L ARCHIVES     http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html