As you requested, attached is my newsletter, Opportunity Knocks. This publication is free and represents my company's
efforts to keep you up to date with advances in adaptive technology, to pass on helpful hints, and to carry one or two
articles of general interest.
As not all readers have the capacity to handle zip files, I have adopted the practice of putting the text of the newsletter
below in the body of the
message and attaching a zip file for those who can use it.
The zip file contains an ASCII, and a Microsoft Word copy of the newsletter. As the original was written in Microsoft
Word, formatting may suffer in the ASCII version.
I attempt to release this publication quarterly. Past issues can be found on my homepage.
Please enjoy this material and feel free to send me email with any comments, questions or requests to be removed from
this mailing list.
Theodore (Ted) young
464 Sylvania Avenue, Glenside, PA 19038-3629
Phone: (215) 572-5882 Fax: (215) 572-6045
[log in to unmask]
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS
September, 2000
It is September and the days fly swiftly to the - equinox. To your technology Prosateur the month is a reminder that
it is time for another newsletter. There is much to cover so let's get started!
New and Improved Web Page
It occurs to your imaginative scribe that Puff the Magic Dragon would have been a fitting dirge for the passing of
that old dinosaur, the Young Opportunities web page.
We are pleased to announce the existence of a new and improved web page that is both visually pleasing and fully
accessible. One can still peruse such learned tomes as these newsletters, and link to interesting sites. New features
include an up to date catalog, the ability to order on line, and a voice chat area. It is my hope to eventually use the
voice chat area for on line presentations and technical support.
Credit for the development of this web page goes to Bob Leland at Perspectives, a company specializing in the
development of accessible web pages. Anyone interested in having a web page developed by perspectives should
contact Bob at ---
[log in to unmask]
TECHNOLOGY UPDATES
AI SQUARED
The latest version of ZoomText is 7.04 and you can get the upgrade from the company home page at
www.aisquared.com.
The big news of the quarter is "Bigshot 2.0." As stated by the company BIGSHOT is a natural outgrowth of our
ZoomText line of low-vision products. With BIGSHOT, we have adapted our screen magnification technology to meet
the viewing needs of the typical computer user. "With nearly 60 million people in this country suffering from
computer-related vision problems, BIGSHOT will fill an immediate need."
In describing the product John Mason, director of Marketing writes: "The company's new product introduces a
dramatic improvement in the screen magnification. BIGSHOT is the first product to provide magnification levels between
1x and 2x, with 20 sizes within that range." This breakthrough technology, named vMag (variable magnification), also
provides all-color smoothing and uses significantly less system resources than previous methods."
This is not a product designed for the low vision market. ZoomText with magnification above 2x is designed to meet
that need. As indicated above, this product is for the general public needing a quick and easy magnification of the
screen.
ALVA ACCESS GROUP
Alva has recently announced the release of outSPOKEN 9 for Macintosh. Here is information about the product.
outSPOKEN for Macintosh, recipient of the prestigious Smithsonian Award, is a screen reader that enables blind and
visually impaired individuals to use the innovated family of Macintosh computers, including the iMac and iBook.
outSPOKEN 9 for Macintosh is compatible with the latest version of the Macintosh operating system, Mac OS 9. With
improved icon recognition, new CD installer and easier to access documentation, users will find this latest version of
outSPOKEN a great means to access and utilize the Macintosh - the most popular computer to come along in years.
Pricing*
outSPOKEN 9 for Macintosh $695.00
Upgrade from outSPOKEN 8.0 to 9.0 $145.00**
Upgrade from outSPOKEN 1.x to 9.0 $295.00
* Plus shipping and handling and applicable sales tax.
**If you purchased your copy of outSPOKEN 8.0 for Macintosh on or after
March 1, 2000, we will send you the new release free of charge upon request.
FREEDOM SCIENTIFIC
This newly merged company is busily releasing, and/or planning to release upgrades to its product line.
Jaws for Windows is now up to version 3.7. Following is a quoted and abbreviated list of new features. It is not
complete, and it tends to reflect the changes your humble author finds most significant.
Repeat Current or Advance To Next Unit During Say All: A great enhanced feature of Say All allows you to reread the
current element or advance to the next element during the reading of a Say All. The choices include Line, Sentence, or
Paragraph. The default unit at installation is line. Whether you repeat or advance, JAWS continues the Say All from the
new location. To repeat the current unit press LEFT SHIFT. To advance to the next unit press RIGHT SHIFT.
Voice Settings Changes: Several important changes have been made to voice settings in this version of JAWS,
including:
ú Change voice rate on the fly--a long requested feature, allowing the JAWS 3.7 user to change the rate of speech
on the fly.
ú Application specific or default voice settings-- You can now select whether the changes you are about to make
should only apply to the application you are currently using or whether it should be applied as a default setting via dialog
box settings.
ú Restore to default added-- The Restore to Default button is another new feature that returns the original voice
parameters to what has been set up in the default file.
ú Combined Character and Word Typing Echo: A new feature in the User Options Dialog in Configuration Manager
allows you to have JAWS echo both the characters being typed and the full word when the SPACEBAR is pressed (the
space itself is not echoed).
JAWS Installer: In just a few steps, the installation is completed in a series of dialogs requiring little to no information from
the person doing the installation. It is only necessary to select the Next Button to move ahead.
ú Also included are choices for automatic, guided, or advanced installation, or the ability to modify an existing install.
ú Dr. JAWS Retires: New technology used by Henter-Joyce alleviates the need for Dr. JAWS during installation.
ú JAWS Merge Utility: The Merge Settings option looks for your customized JAWS files, such as dictionary,
configuration, and graphics files. If you have them Simply manually run the Merge Utility to merge configuration
information from previous versions of JAWS in with this latest installation.
ú Online Registration: You can now send your registration for JAWS by either e-mail or traditional mail, via a prompt in
the installation program.
ú Additionally, JAWS will detect if we already have your information on file, or if you are running an NT version, in
which case the registration prompt will not appear. To make registration changes, go to the JAWS help menu to update.
Also new features include:
ú User Definable Verbosity Levels: Verbosity refers to the amount of information spoken as you work in the Windows
environment. JAWS now allows you to define how much information you want to hear at each of the three verbosity
levels (beginner, intermediate, and advanced).
ú Windows Millennium Support: JAWS 3.7 supports the brand new operating system from Microsoft called Windows
Millennium!
ú Graphics List: You can now bring up a list of labeled toolbar graphics using a short keystroke combination.
ú Braille Key Interrupt Setting: You can now navigate freely with the Braille Display without interrupting the speech in
progress. For instance, you can use Say All with Speech, and read the status bar with your Braille Display.
ú True 6-Dot Grade Two Braille: JAWS now displays Grade 2 Braille as 6-Dot Braille instead of 8-Dot Braille. When
the Expand Current Word Option is checked, the word under the cursor is displayed in 8-dot computer Braille. When the
Expand Current Word Option is not checked, all Braille will be displayed in 6-dot. This option is checked by default if
grade two Braille is turned on.
ú Edit Spin Boxes Recognized by JAWS: JAWS now recognizes Edit Spin Boxes, which are controls found in
Windows. When a control is recognized as an Edit Spin Box, you can either type in a new value or press the UP and
DOWN ARROWS to change the value incrementally.
ú Tether JAWS to PC: This new feature tethers the JAWS cursor (mouse pointer) to the PC Cursor.
ú Triple Talk added to JAWS Setup: JAWS supports the new Triple Talk hardware synthesizer made by Access
Solutions. This support can be installed in a guided or advanced format.
ú Home Row Keystrokes: Home Row keystrokes are utilized by advanced JAWS users to customize JAWS to work
with specialized applications. Select Custom Highlight: You can now assign application specific custom highlight colors.
You can enable or disable these highlights as a group, or choose to use only Windows highlights, custom highlights, all
highlights together, or multiple highlights.
ú Colors List View: Contains all of the defined color highlights. To delete items from the list just press delete.
In addition to supporting windows Millennium, JFW now supports: Anytime Deluxe 7.0/6.0, a calendar and personal
organizer program; Quicken 7.0; Family Tree Maker 7.0; Internet Explorer 5.0, 5.01 and 5.5; both Visual Basic 6.0
Integrated Development Environment and
Visual Basic for Applications 6.0 editor; Omni Page Pro 10; Sound Forge 4.5; Microsoft Project 2000; Gravity 2.20; and
WinZip 8.0.
Jaws for Windows 3.7 also improves support for: Microsoft Excel; Microsoft word; Corel WordPerfect; Microsoft
Power Point; AOL Instant Messenger; Sun Microsystems Java Accessibility Bridge: and Netscape Navigator.
The next release of Magic, Magic 8.0, will be a totally rewritten program with a new interface and the option to add
speech. Ah Yes, most astute reader, there is a big jump in version numbers which represents the big improvements to the
product.
Open Book 5.0 is in public Beta as I write. The beta can be obtained from the Freedom Scientific web page under
the Arkenstone link. The final version will hopefully be released within the next several months. Below are some new
features as extracted from the web page.
OPEN Book Email
OPEN Book now has email!
OPEN Book's new email system is a full-featured email package that will allow you to:
ú Send and receive email
ú Read email and create new messages
ú Setup contact names and group distribution lists
ú Organize your email by creating new folders to store your emails
ú Sort you messages in a variety of ways for easy review
ú Use the OPEN Book editor using the same keystrokes as in any other document
ú Note: To use email, you will need to establish a link to the Internet using an Internet Service Provider.
Page Layout Description
ú One new OPEN Book feature, Page Layout, answers two very important needs: the need to have the page
described, and the need to navigate based on the description.
ú Page Layout provides information on the original printed page layout. It lists such elements as:
ú How many columns there are
ú Whether there are headers and footers
ú How many pictures there are
ú Whether there are captions for the pictures
ú OPEN Book can collect that information and report it to you when you ask for it. Page layout includes analysis of
the following elements: columns, headings, text blocks, graphics, captions, tables, headers, and footers. Page layout
description tells you how many of each element are on the page and what order they are in. Page layout navigation
allows you to move from element to element so you can find the items you need more quickly.
Tactile Mouse Support
ú In addition, you can navigate from element to element. If you have the Logitech WingManƒ Force Feedback
Mouse connected, you can also get tactile feedback about each page element. (Logitech WingMan Force Feedback
Mouse sold separately.
ú The mouse is integrated with Page Layout description, so that you can get unique tactile feedback for each
element on the page. For example, as you move through a text block, you will feel a washboard effect, as though the
tactile mouse were bumping over the lines of text. As you move from one column to another, you will feel resistance at
the edge of the column.
OCR Engine Selection
ú You can now select from three different OCR engines: Caere MTX, Recognita, and FineReader. This gives each
user more control over how documents are scanned and recognized.
ú Save Range of Pages
ú You can now save just the current page or a range of pages in your document. If you scan many pages of mail, but
only want to keep one of them, you can use this feature.
Low Vision Menu: We have added a new menu item called Low Vision. Its selections take you to a Low Vision dialog, a
pane at the bottom of the screen that has buttons to instantly change:
ú Size
ú Color
ú Font
ú Spacing in the document
ú You can cycle through the settings for each item by clicking the mouse or pressing the spacebar. A Customize
button takes you to the Visual Settings property sheet if you want to fine-tune all of these items in the Visual Settings
Dialog.
ú Pronunciation Dictionary, Use the Pronunciation Dictionary to change the pronunciation of any word or
combination of letters." . "Using OPEN Book's Pronunciation Dictionary, you can change the pronunciation of any text
string.
ú From the Tools menu, select Pronunciation Dictionary (ALT+T, then N).
ú OPEN Book will bring up the Pronunciation Dictionary dialog box and will place your cursor in the field where you
can enter the word your synthesizer is mispronouncing.
ú OCR Correction
ú If the OCR engine doesn't correctly recognize a letter or word, you can use
ú OPEN Book's new OCR correction feature to correct it and store it for future reference. These corrections will be
used in all future scans. There are hotkeys from the Spell Check and Find/Replace dialogs to automatically add OCR
corrections.
ú Read Word in Context
ú This is a new command, available in Spell Check and in Find and replace.
GW Micro
In my last quarterly newsletter I quoted an article from the Voice of Vision stating all of the new features one can
expect in Window-eyes 4.0. The product is now in public beta 4, with one more beta expected before the final release.
The company hopes to release version 4 before the Closing the Gap conference in October.
This anxious writer has been using the Betas and finds them to be full of the features and responsiveness we have
come to expect from this company.
Techie Tidbit
If any of you folks are unfortunate enough to type like your humble author, you tend to omit capitals or to leave the
caps lock key on for a few words. I haven't figured out whether this is due to typing speed or a weak little finger.
Fortunately Microsoft word provides a fix for much of this problem. Select Tools, AutoCorrect, and make sure you are on
the
AutoCorrect tab. As you use the tab key make sure that the boxes for "capitalize first letter of sentences," "capitalize
names of days" and "correct accidental usage of caps lock key" are checked.
What Is wordWeb?
Old WordPerfect for dos users will recall dictionary programs that popped up in the word processor when needed.
No, we are not talking about the spell check dictionary, we are talking about a dictionary with definitions and synonyms.
Your word hungry scribe has recently discovered wordWeb a dictionary with 120,000 root words, and 100,000
synonyms that can be used as a stand alone program or as a pop-up dictionary in Microsoft word. It is relatively speech
friendly.
To use the program in Microsoft Word you need to choose the option when installing wordWeb. Once installed
WordWeb is a choice in the tools menu right after spelling and grammar. To use it put your cursor on a word, choose
WordWeb from the tools menu and you land on a screen with the word, definitions and synonyms. Tab takes you to the
definition which can be read with up and down arrows, and another two tabs takes you to the synonym list box. If you
want to substitute a synonym for your original word arrow to it and hit alt-c. you find yourself back in the document with
the substitution made.
The program comes in two flavors; a free version, and WordWeb Pro which costs $18.00 if you download it from the
Web and $25.00 if you also want a CD of the program. The Pro version includes anagrams and a cross word puzzle
compiler not available in the free version.
To get either version of the program go to
http://www.x-word.com/thesaurus/
Techie Tidbit
Ok, I know every one is familiar with the control-z combination, that life saving undo key in Microsoft word.
Accidentally delete the most brilliant paragraph you have ever written and you will sing the praises of that awesome
combination.
Did you know that this combination will also work to undo an accidental selection of a word from the correction list
in the spell checker? Press it and you will return to your original word.
Putting Your Cassette Collection onto CDs
It has been quite a while since this amiable audiophile ahs written anything concerning .mp3 files and/or making
CDs. Recently I decided to begin the arduous task of putting my large cassette collection onto Cds. To do this I used the
Spin Doctor feature of EZ CD creator version 4, and I will take this opportunity to talk about how it works and share
some comments about it.
Plug your Cassette machine into the input jack of your sound card, make sure the windows volume controls for
recording are correct and you are ready to go. Choose kEZ CD Creator and you will land on a menu choice of
"features." As with most pull down menus hit enter and use the up and down arrow keys. One of the choices is "Spin
Doctor."
The initial screen can be read with the Window-eyes or Jaws cursor and will show you what the program is set to record
from and where it will record to. The menu bar contains a select choice that will allow you to change these settings and
one of the choices under "new source" is tape through the sound card. You can choose the hard drive or a cd burner
as the destination, although I have had much better luck choosing the hard drive.
Next you may want to visit the Option choice on the menu bar. There are a number of choices here many of which
are obvious. One of the most convenient choices is the "split into tracks" choice which you can check if you are
copying a music cassette. However, if you are recording poetry, or a tape with a lot of pauses that should not be
separate tracks on a cd,. Don't check this choice. The program seems to see any pause as a separate track and It can
create a huge number of tracks, one for every pause in conversations.
After you make your choices of source and destination you are ready to go. Move your mouse pointer to the record
button, click it, turn on your cassette and let it play.
IMPORTANT! If you want to record selections from more than one cassette look around the screen with your
mouse keys and choose pause. Don't choose stop as the program will assume you are finished recording. I know, you
are saying "who wouldn't know that?" Well, blushing and feeling chagrin I confess to making that mistake.
When finished the program should let you take the tracks you have recorded, or the entire cassette and by changing the
source and destination options put it on a blank cd in your burner. I have not had luck with this. For some reason I get a
CD with a lot of tape noise. However, if I go to the create a CD option in the features menu and record from there I get a
good sounding Cd.
In my next issue I will discuss the process of creating a CD!
MY ONLY COMMERCIAL
Don't complain. You knew it was going to happen sooner or later, and I did wait until you got through all of the great
information above before I did it.
So let me remind you that Young Opportunities Inc. provides computers, peripherals, and adaptive technology at
reduced prices. 0ur discounts on all product prices and our occasional sales can add to your savings. In addition to
other products, we carry all the products listed in technology updates, and we invite you to call for further information.
CLOSING TIME
Time, cost, and postage tell me that it is time to end this newsletter. Please address any comments to me at the address
on the front page, or contact me by email at [log in to unmask] Also, please feel free to visit my website at: http:
//www.youngopp.com
Ted Young
Young Opportunities Inc.
464 Sylvania Avenue
Glenside, PA 19038
Phone: (215) 572-5882
fax: (215) 572-6045
email: [log in to unmask]
Home page: www.youngopp.com
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