[Blindmath] Announcing SVGExplore01 from the creatorof SVGDraw01

Fri Oct 28 20:28:03 UTC 2011

Hey Dick,

Do you know if the data from these touchpads can be programatically 
collected?

I'd like to be able to do a drawing by hand and then have all of the x/y 
data in a text file.  Do you know if this would be possible?

Best,
David

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Richard Baldwin" <baldwin at dickbaldwin.com>
To: "Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics" 
<blindmath at nfbnet.org>
Cc: <accessibleimage at freelists.org>
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2011 11:29 AM
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Announcing SVGExplore01 from the creatorof 
SVGDraw01

> One of the companies that sells touchpads is named Wacom. Their Bamboo 
> line
> ranges in price from about $80.00 to $200.00 depending on size and 
> features.
> Typically the newer ones respond either to a finger touch or a stylus.
>
> I have an older, rather small Wacom pad that only responds to a stylus. I
> will need to purchase a newer one for the continued development of the
> SVGExplore01 program.
>
> The ViewPlus IVEO system also uses a touchpad, but from an entirely
> different viewpoint. As I understand it, with the IVEO system, you must
> first emboss the drawing. Then when you clamp the embossed drawing to the
> touchpad and explore it with your finger, the program provides spoken
> information about the part of the drawing that you are touching.
>
> The IVEO system is probably the better solution. However, even if you have 
> a
> Tiger and an IVEO system, a "quick look" capability that doesn't require 
> an
> embossed copy of a new drawing might be useful.
>
> Dick Baldwin
>
> On Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 12:58 PM, Edward <personal.edward at gmail.com> 
> wrote:
>
>> Interesting, I'm going to have to check this out.
>> Thanks
>> Edward
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On
>> Behalf Of Ken Perry
>> Sent: Friday, October 28, 2011 1:55 PM
>> To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'
>> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Announcing SVGExplore01 from the creatorof
>> SVGDraw01
>>
>> You can buy a unit like a mouse that is like the touch pads on a laptop
>> that
>> is what he is talking about this would be great with a larger touch pad.
>>
>> Ken
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On
>> Behalf Of Edward
>> Sent: Friday, October 28, 2011 1:48 PM
>> To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'
>> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Announcing SVGExplore01 from the creator of
>> SVGDraw01
>>
>> Hello
>>
>> What do you mean by a touchpad?
>> Thanks
>> Edward
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org]
>> On
>> Behalf Of Richard Baldwin
>> Sent: Friday, October 28, 2011 1:46 PM
>> To: BlindMath Mailing List; accessibleimage at freelists.org
>> Subject: [Blindmath] Announcing SVGExplore01 from the creator of 
>> SVGDraw01
>>
>> SVGExplore01 is a program designed to allow blind users to explore 
>> drawings
>> created using SVGDraw01 by using sound in conjunction with an embossed 
>> grid
>> system on a computer touchpad. This message describes a prototype "mouse"
>> version of the program.
>>
>> Version 0.0.1 20111028
>> Table of contents
>>
>>    Welcome to the prototype version of SVGExplore01
>>    This is a mouse version of the program
>>    User instructions
>>    This is not an SVG drawing
>>    Packaging
>>    Downloading and running the program
>>    Please provide feedback
>>
>>
>> Welcome to the prototype version of SVGExplore01
>>
>> This is a prototype version of the program.
>>
>> The program is posted at
>> http://www.austincc.edu/baldwin/SWT-SVG/SVGDraw01.zip and is available 
>> for
>> immediate downloading.
>>
>> This program makes it possible for blind users to trace out the shapes in 
>> a
>> drawing by moving a finger on an embossed grid system while listening to
>> stereo sounds emitted by the program.
>>
>> Audio hints are provided to help the user acquire the different shapes in 
>> a
>> drawing. Once the user has touched a location on the touchpad that
>> corresponds to the border of a shape, a series of stereo audio pulses 
>> makes
>> it possible for the user to trace out the shape with the finger on the
>> embossed grid.
>>
>> My hope is that this will provide an economical "quick look" alternative 
>> to
>> the use of fully embossed drawings for the purpose of allowing the user 
>> to
>> form a mental image of the shapes in the drawing.
>>
>> Each shape in the drawing emits pulses with a different audio frequency.
>> This is the mechanism by which the user can distinguish one shape in the
>> drawing from the other shapes in the drawing.
>>
>>
>> This is a mouse version of the program
>>
>> A fully operational touchpad version of the program is still in
>> development.
>> I am providing a mouse version at this time to allow potential users of 
>> the
>> program to get a taste of how it works. I am hopeful that those users 
>> will
>> try it out and provide feedback and suggestions for improvement.
>>
>>
>> User instructions
>>
>> I will explain how to download and run the program later in this 
>> document.
>>
>> In addition to a Windows computer with stereo speakers or headphones, you
>> will need a mouse and (optionally) a sheet of paper embossed with a
>> rectangular grid system. Emboss horizontal and vertical grid lines on the
>> paper at approximately one-half-inch intervals. If you don't have an
>> embosser, use a tracing wheel, a straight edge and an ice pick, or 
>> whatever
>> works for you to create tactile grid lines. It will probably work best if
>> you tape the grid paper to the tabletop to keep it from moving.
>>
>> Start the program running using the instructions provided later in this
>> document.
>>
>> Grasp the mouse in your right hand with your thumb touching the 
>> upper-left
>> corner of the grid. Try to hold the mouse so that the front-to-back axis 
>> of
>> the mouse is parallel to the left edge of the grid.
>>
>> Press the 'h' key with your left hand. That will position the mouse 
>> pointer
>> in the upper-left corner of the drawing. Any time you feel lost you can
>> repeat that procedure to reposition the mouse pointer in the upper-left
>> corner to get your bearings again.
>>
>> If you move the mouse to the right while dragging your thumb along the 
>> top
>> edge of the grid (or along any horizontal grid line), you will 
>> (sometimes)
>> hear a deep rumble in both ears similar to a motorcycle idling. Whenever
>> you
>> hear that sound, it means that there is a shape somewhere along a 
>> vertical
>> line that is parallel to the left edge of the grid and below (or above) 
>> the
>> mouse pointer. Note that you will only hear sounds when the mouse pointer
>> is
>> moving.
>>
>> To acquire a shape with the mouse pointer (when you hear the motorcycle),
>> slowly move the mouse in a zig-zag pattern from the top of the grid 
>> towards
>> the bottom of the grid. Pay attention to the position of your thumb in 
>> the
>> grid system in order to identify the location of the shape.
>>
>> When you have acquired the boundary of a shape with the mouse pointer, 
>> you
>> will hear a series of pulses with a frequency or pitch that is higher 
>> than
>> the motorcycle sound.
>>
>> There are three pitches associated with each shape. In addition, the 
>> three
>> pitches associated with one shape are readily distinguishable from the
>> three
>> pitches associated with each of the other shapes.
>>
>> When you have placed the mouse pointer squarely on the center line of the
>> boundary of a shape, you will hear a series of pulses at a pitch that I
>> will
>> refer to as the center pitch. When the mouse pointer is slightly below 
>> the
>> center line, you will hear a slightly higher pitch. This means that you
>> should slowly move the mouse toward the top of the grid to place the 
>> mouse
>> pointer on the center line. When the mouse pointer is slightly above the
>> center line, you will hear a pitch that is slightly below the center 
>> pitch.
>> This means that you should slowly move the mouse toward the bottom of the
>> grid to put the pointer on the center line.
>>
>> You will also hear the pulses in your left ear, your right ear, and 
>> evenly
>> in both ears. When the mouse pointer is positioned squarely on the center
>> line, you should hear the pulses with equal intensity at the center pitch
>> in
>> both ears. If you hear the sound in your left ear only, you need to move
>> the
>> mouse slowly to the left in order to place the mouse pointer on the 
>> center
>> line. Similarly, if you hear the pulses in your right ear only, you need 
>> to
>> move the mouse slowly to the right to acquire the center line.
>>
>> Once you acquire the center line of the boundary of a shape with the 
>> mouse
>> pointer, your task is to move the mouse on the grid in such a way as to
>> follow the boundary of the shape that you have acquired, while feeling 
>> the
>> embossed grid with your thumb to form a mental image of the geometry of 
>> the
>> shape. As you move along the boundary, use the pitch variations and 
>> stereo
>> variations to keep the mouse pointer centered on the center line of the
>> boundary.
>>
>> In order to help you maintain your orientation, all shapes are forced to 
>> be
>> closed, even if they weren't originally closed when the drawing was 
>> created
>> in SVGDraw01. By this I mean, for example, that if you plot a series of
>> points using the Polyline action in SVGDraw01, a line will be drawn that
>> automatically connects the last point back to the first point in this
>> program. That will help you to identify the ends of a curve and avoid
>> falling off the end of a curve only to search in vain for the rest of the
>> curve.
>>
>> On the other hand, this is not completely without its problems. The 
>> return
>> stroke can sometimes cross the curve and create a crossroads where there 
>> is
>> no difference in the pitch of each of the four directions of travel at 
>> the
>> intersection. (Think of the center of a figure 8.) I'm still thinking 
>> about
>> how to solve this problem and suggestions are welcome.
>>
>>
>> This is not an SVG drawing
>>
>> This prototype version does not make it possible to explore an actual SVG
>> drawing. Instead, this prototype draws the following four hard-coded 
>> shapes
>> for the purpose of giving you an opportunity to evaluate and provide
>> feedback on the process.
>>
>>    A circle with a wide border near the upper-left corner.
>>    A rectangle with a very thin border in the lower-left quadrant.
>>    A clipped and rotated ellipse in the lower-right quadrant.
>>    A cubic Bezier S-shaped curve that begins in the lower-left corner and
>> ends in the upper-right corner. (Note that the return stroke on this 
>> shape
>> is a straight line from the upper-right corner to the lower-left corner
>> that
>> crosses the Bezier curve near the center of the drawing. The curve and 
>> the
>> return stroke will sound the same so make sure to distinguish between
>> them.)
>>
>> The borders on the ellipse and the Bezier curve are thicker than the 
>> border
>> on the rectangle but not as thick as the border on the circle.
>>
>> The overall drawing is a rectangle that is 1000 pixels wide and 700 
>> pixels
>> high. Therefore, it should fit on most modern computer monitors
>>
>> See how many of the shapes you can find and trace out with your mouse. In
>> doing so, try to keep the front-to-back axis of the mouse parallel to the
>> left side of the grid.
>>
>>
>> Packaging
>>
>> As mentioned earlier, the program is posted at
>> http://www.austincc.edu/baldwin/SWT-SVG/SVGDraw01.zip and is available 
>> for
>> immediate downloading. I elected to encapsulate this program in the same
>> zip
>> file with the program named SVGDraw01 in order to share libraries and
>> conserve disk and server space.
>>
>>
>> Downloading and running the program
>>
>> Download and extract all of the material from the zip file into an empty
>> folder being careful to preserve the directory tree structure. Don't
>> extract
>> into the root directory. One user has reported problems accessing the 
>> Help
>> file for the program named SVGDraw01 when the contents of the zip file 
>> were
>> extracted into the root folder.
>>
>> Execute the file named RunSVGExplore01.bat to run the program named
>> SVGExplore01.
>>
>> As before, execute the file named RunSVGDraw01.bat to run the program 
>> named
>> SVGDraw01.
>>
>> As of the date of this writing, this document contains all of the Help
>> information that is available for the prototype version of SVGExplore01.
>>
>>
>> Please provide feedback
>>
>> Please let me know if you find errors in these instructions, or you find
>> areas that deserve a more thorough explanation.
>>
>> I would also like to know if there are features that you would like to 
>> see
>> added to this program, or hear suggestions for better ways to accomplish
>> the
>> existing features.
>>
>> Dick Baldwin
>> baldwin at dickbaldwin.com
>>
>> --
>> Richard G. Baldwin (Dick Baldwin)
>> Home of Baldwin's on-line Java Tutorials http://www.DickBaldwin.com
>>
>> Professor of Computer Information Technology Austin Community College
>> (512) 223-4758
>> mailto:Baldwin at DickBaldwin.com
>> http://www.austincc.edu/baldwin/
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>
>
>
> -- 
> Richard G. Baldwin (Dick Baldwin)
> Home of Baldwin's on-line Java Tutorials
> http://www.DickBaldwin.com
>
> Professor of Computer Information Technology
> Austin Community College
> (512) 223-4758
> mailto:Baldwin at DickBaldwin.com
> http://www.austincc.edu/baldwin/
> _______________________________________________
> Blindmath mailing list
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