[Blindmath] Calculus, Mathematica, and the Macintosh

Sun Jan 26 12:27:16 UTC 2014

@Sean

In case you get this book, please keep us updated! :)

@sina

I agree that we should have a more organized place to retrieve all the
good information that we get on this list... the  access2science.com,
I think, does not have anything related to matematica accessibility,
does it?

2014-01-24, Sina Bahram <sbahram at nc.rr.com>:
> Cool. This is pretty helpful. Have folks collected these various Mathematica
> tips somewhere centralized online. I know this list gets archived, but a
> little bit more friendlier than that?
>
> Take care,
> Sina
>
> Twitter: @SinaBahram
> Website: http://www.SinaBahram.com
> Blog: http://blog.SinaBahram.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Theodor
> Loots
> Sent: Friday, January 24, 2014 5:09 AM
> To: sina at sinabahram.com; 'Blind Math list for those interested in
> mathematics'
> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Calculus, Mathematica, and the Macintosh
>
> Hi!
>
> Thanks Kyle for your response, and Sina for your comments!
>
> As a University Lecturer, I use Mathematica quite often in my work, with
> great success.  The key (like Kyle pointed out) is to use the kernel.  I
> have added the path to this in my environment path variable (in windows -
> sorry I know the original message concerned Mac) so that I can easily call
> this in a batch file.  My batch file (in the same location as the .m file)
> would contain something like:
>
> math.exe -script MatrixMinMax.m
>
> and the contents of my .m file would be:
>
> MyFile = OpenWrite["MatrixMinMax.tex"]
> OutputFile = OpenWrite["log.txt"]
> $Messages = {OutputFile}
>
> SetOptions[MyFile, FormatType -> OutputForm];
> SetOptions[OutputFile, FormatType -> InputForm];
>
> A1 = {{1, 0, 0, 0}, {0, 1, 0, 0}, {0, 0, 0, 2*I}, {0, 0, 2*I, 0}};
> A = A1*A1;
> V1 = Eigenvectors[A][[1]];
> lambda1 = Eigenvalues[A][[1]];
> V2 = Eigenvectors[A][[2]];
> lambda2 = Eigenvalues[A][[2]];
> V3 = Eigenvectors[A][[3]];
> lambda3 = Eigenvalues[A][[3]];
> V4 = Eigenvectors[A][[4]];
> lambda4 = Eigenvalues[A][[4]];
>
> Write[MyFile, TeXForm[A]];
> Write[MyFile, TeXForm[V1]];
> Write[MyFile, TeXForm[lambda1]];
> Write[MyFile, TeXForm[V2]];
> Write[MyFile, TeXForm[lambda2]];
> Write[MyFile, TeXForm[V3]];
> Write[MyFile, TeXForm[lambda3]];
> Write[MyFile, TeXForm[V4]];
> Write[MyFile, TeXForm[lambda4]];
>
> Close[MyFile]
> Quit[]
>
> This ensures that any errors is written to a text file "log.txt" in the same
> folder, and any output is written to a .tex file (commands wrapped in a
> "Write" command), which makes it easy to read, or use in other documents.  I
> prefer the TeXForm for this reason to the InputForm Kyle mentioned below,
> but both will work.  I paste the contents of the .tex file below as an
> illustration:
>
> \left(
> \begin{array}{cccc}
>  1 & 0 & 0 & 0 \\
>  0 & 1 & 0 & 0 \\
>  0 & 0 & 0 & -4 \\
>  0 & 0 & -4 & 0 \\
> \end{array}
> \right)
> \{0,0,1,1\}
> -4
> \{0,0,1,-1\}
> 4
> \{0,1,0,0\}
> 1
> \{1,0,0,0\}
> 1
>
> Hope it helps someone...
>
> Best,
> t
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Sina
> Bahram
> Sent: 24 January 2014 04:46 AM
> To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'
> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Calculus, Mathematica, and the Macintosh
>
> Kyle,
>
> I just wanted to thank you for your kind feedback on this list and for the
> efforts that at least some of us know you are undertaking to improve
> accessibility from within. Try not to let rants like the below that
> reference a decade's old complaint discourage you from the accessibility
> work you undertake regularly.
>
> This is not to say that said complaint is either illigitamet or inaccurate,
> but simply that some of us recognize the difference between a helpful
> individual with "research Programmer" in their title and an individual, say
> Stephen Wolfram, who the company is named after, and who the below rant
> might be better served at being addressed to.
>
> Since the food for thought was already offered, and quite bitter, we'll call
> this one dessert for 2014:
>
> To affect change, it might behoove us not to attack programmers and
> researchers who already agree with us and are in the process of offering
> what help they can, but instead address our valid complaints towards those
> who are able to bring about the strategic and comprehensive change necessary
> to facilitate a universally designed focus.
>
> Take care,
> Sina
>
> Twitter: @SinaBahram
> Website: http://www.SinaBahram.com
> Blog: http://blog.SinaBahram.com
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ron
> Stewart
> Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2014 9:15 PM
> To: 'Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics'
> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Calculus, Mathematica, and the Macintosh
>
> Good evening Kyle, I appreciate your hard work and am not meaning to
> criticize your personal efforts but enough is enough.
>
> The issues of accessibility in your company's products were brought to their
> attention over a decade ago, and for the most part they have done nothing to
> address them.  I know the student you wrote it for and he is extremely
> technologically proficient, the typical student is not. This is reflective
> of the ongoing issues with the major vendors in this space in regard to
> accessibility. How does this kluge allow for equivalent access. The typical
> student in higher education does not know how to work from the command line
> most don�t even know what that is.
>
> Just some food for thought in 2014. To  be commercial viable your company's
> products as well as that of all the major vendors need to be equivalently
> accessible for all users. It should not have to be documented through your
> support channels it just needs to happen.
>
> Ron Stewart
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Blindmath [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Kyle
> Keane
> Sent: Thursday, January 23, 2014 6:15 PM
> To: blindmath at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Blindmath] Calculus, Mathematica, and the Macintosh
>
> Hi Andrew,
>
> I work at Wolfram Research, makers of Mathematica. Please email or call the
> company to let them know that you are blind and want to use the product,
> this needs to be documented through mainstream support channels. There is a
> contact form at http://www.wolfram.com/support/contact/email/ or you can
> call them at 1-800-wolfram (1-800-965-3726).
>
> There is a command line interface to Mathematica (also known as a kernel),
> here is a link with information. If the contents of the output seems strange
> try wrapping your code in the function InputForm[], e.g.
> InputForm[Integrate[x^3],x]. You can also run the following code before
> doing anything else "$Post=InputForm", which will apply the function
> InputForm to all outputs before displaying them.
> http://reference.wolfram.com/mathematica/tutorial/UsingATextBasedInterface.html
>
> I also have a program that I wrote that allows Mathematica to be used from
> any accessible text editor. I wrote it for a physics grad student at Harvard
> who is blind. Email me at kylek at wolfram.com and I'll send the program to you
> with instructions. I'll make sure that you get the resources that you need.
>
> Sincerely,
> Kyle Keane, PhD
> Research Programmer
> Education Software Technology
> Wolfram Research Incorporated
> 217-398-0700 ext. 5220
> -----
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>
>
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