[Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?

Sun Jul 31 00:18:28 UTC 2011

Our unprotected books when placed onto an NLS drive will play without any issues. We tested such here and with our users in the United States. We have provided our book loading software to several U.S. regional libraries for them to use. It is simply another option. The firmware you speak of is used to lock or unlock the drive but does not change the function of the drive in the player itself. 

Sent from my iPhone

Greg Kearney
Association for the Blind of Western Australia

On 31/07/2011, at 2:28 AM, "Lynn Evans" <evans-lynn at comcast.net> wrote:

> I would think NLS has a few more patrons then you do Down Under.
> 
> Also you have a central location and NLS has regional libraries spread throughout the 50 states.
> 
> Not only are the cartridges right protected, according to my library here in Florida each cartridge with a book has the firmware on it for the NLS player.
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg Kearney" <gkearney at gmail.com>
> To: "Discussion of Digital Talking Books" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, July 30, 2011 12:05 AM
> Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?
> 
> 
>> Well as I said we went a different rout here. We assigned the cartridge to the user and not the book. We then developed software that reads the unique serial number tied to each cartridge and then erases and lads that users next set of books.
>> 
>> This achieves several things:
>> 
>> 1. No book is ever "put of stock" as we do not store copies on a self but rather on a server.
>> 2. We need only about 2 cartridges per user this reducing the number of cartridge required.
>> 3. We reduce the number of packages that go out in the mails by putting several books on a drive.
>> 4. We no longer need a big room filled up with shelves for books.
>> 
>> As a result our drives are not write protected and as of yet that has never been an issue for us.
>> 
>> Gregory Kearney | Manager Accessible Media
>> Association for the Blind of WA - Guide Dogs WA
>> PO Box 101, Victoria Park WA 6979 | 61 Kitchener Ave, Victoria Park WA 6100
>> Tel: 08 9311 8246 | Fax: 08 9361 8696 | www.guidedogswa.com.au
>> Tel: 307-224-4022 (North America)
>> Email: greg.kearney at guidedogswa.com.au
>> Email: gkearney at gmail.com
>> 
>> On 30/07/2011, at 11:50 AM, Lynn Evans wrote:
>> 
>>> Please allow me to chime or clang in on this subject.
>>> 
>>> The cartridges are indeed flash drives in a different form that is in a cartridge with a big finger hole on one end and the USB connector on the other end.
>>> 
>>> The cable used to connect a blank cartridge to the computer is a standard USB extension cable. The cable will be able to connect one end to the other end like a necklace. I have been told these cables can be found in the Dollar Store for you guessed it a dollar.
>>> 
>>> NLS did not choose to use flash drives or even smaller flash cards because of the dexterity issues that some patrons would have with working with small objects.
>>> 
>>> The use of a flash card reader along with a flash card is problematic at best. NLS has recommended during the BARD pilot phrase that flash cards not be used with the NLS digital players. Some may have reported some success in their use. Others have reported slow access of data transfer from card to player causing the player to loose its place in the book.
>>> 
>>> It is a waist of human resources and librarian's time for them to sit at a computer all day erasing cartridges and then replacing the files with newly requested books from NLS patrons.   NLS has contracted with a company to load books, mass produce books and ship them out to our regional libraries. Like the audio cassettes the cartridges are kept in their blue shipping boxes ready to be pulled off the library shelves, affixed with the patron's address card and mailed out.   What would be the point of fixing the cartridges so they can not be erased only to have the librarians replace the books with other books on the same cartridge?
>>> 
>>> 
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Greg Kearney" <gkearney at gmail.com>
>>> To: "Discussion of Digital Talking Books" <dtb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Friday, July 29, 2011 3:18 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Dtb-talk] The Physical Cartridges themselves?
>>> 
>>> 
>>>> It would be possible to build an SD card reader into the housing of a NSL Drive. We have considered building such a thing but right now the drives are less expensive and you have to have a really BIG order to justify all the plastic production work.
>>>> 
>>>> Gregory Kearney | Manager Accessible Media
>>>> Association for the Blind of WA - Guide Dogs WA
>>>> PO Box 101, Victoria Park WA 6979 | 61 Kitchener Ave, Victoria Park WA 6100
>>>> Tel: 08 9311 8246 | Fax: 08 9361 8696 | www.guidedogswa.com.au
>>>> Tel: 307-224-4022 (North America)
>>>> Email: greg.kearney at guidedogswa.com.au
>>>> Email: gkearney at gmail.com
>>>> 
>>>> On 30/07/2011, at 1:31 AM, Eric SS wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> Paul, good question. It would be interesting.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I was just wondering why the blank cartridges we can buy are limited to 1 or
>>>>> 2GB. Also, why couldn't there be an empty cartridge so that we could insert
>>>>> an SD card of whatever capacity.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Curious minds keep us from getting work done...
>>>>> 
>>>>> Eric SS
>>>>> 
>>>>> 
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