[Electronics-talk] Color Identification Technology

Fri Dec 18 15:13:19 UTC 2015

Hello Tracy.
Thank you for your advice. I especially like the method you described that involves Braille, twist ties, etc. My only question was how you keep track of your clothing when it is in the washer and dryer? How do you know that you're putting each garment back on the correct hanger or pairing it with the right label if you don't hang a particular garment? I had one idea after I read your message. I was thinking that I could write my own short code at the end of the Braille description. The code could be anything I come up with. Maybe I would start with K1, for example. I would write this at the end of the Braille description. The next garment, according to this system, would have K2 at the end. Anyway, I could take a 3 by 5 inch plastic card which I got from the NFB Independence Market. I could cut it into strips, write the same codes on the strips, punch a whole in one end of each strip, and find a way to attach the strips to the garment just for the duration of the washer and dryer cycles. I was thinking I could use a binding clip or something to attach each strip to any point on the garment. This connection point would probably be the tag in most cases. I would undo one side of the binding clip, put this wire part through the personal Braille tag as well as the tag of the garment, reattach the whire part to it's intended position in the binding clip, and then throw the garment in the laundry.
These are my thoughts at this point. Please let me know what you think.
Ben

> On Dec 18, 2015, at 7:49 AM, Tracy Carcione via Electronics-talk <electronics-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> Hi Ben.
> I have the Cobol color identifier, and it does OK.  I hear the Colorino does
> OK, too.  My Cobol works better than the Color ID app on my iPhone, which
> seems to require optimal light conditions for even adequate results.
> The trouble with any of these solutions, IMO, is that they don't tell me
> anything about the pattern.  I have several multi-color skirts, and several
> tops with stripes, checks, or other patterns, and I need to know that.
> Therefore, the best solution for clothes I have figured out is to rope in
> some sighted person whose color sense I trust, and get her to describe the
> item in question.  Then I write a braille label on a piece of braille paper
> (thick plastic would also work), punch a hole in the top of the label,
> attach a twist-tie, and attach the other end of the twist-tie to the hanger
> for the piece of clothing.  If it doesn't go on a hanger, I fold the label
> in with the clothing, or pin it on with a safety pin.  It takes more initial
> investment than zapping something with a color identifier, but, once it's
> done, it's done for years, and is very accurate.
> For example, I could write "blue, purple, brown leaf pattern", or "blue and
> white stripes".
> 
> It would be possible to do something similar with something like the Pen
> Friend--create a recorded label with all the info needed and attach it to
> the clothing.
> HTH.
> Tracy
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Electronics-talk [mailto:electronics-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Benjamin Vercellone via Electronics-talk
> Sent: Friday, December 18, 2015 6:14 AM
> To: electronics-talk at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Benjamin Vercellone
> Subject: [Electronics-talk] Color Identification Technology
> 
>> Hello.
>> I have some questions regarding color identification technology. This
> could include dedicated devices, smart phone apps, etc.
>> I would like to know if anyone on this list has used a color identifier
> and found it to be consistently helpful. I have used several hardware
> solutions up to this point, and have encountered considerable difficulty.
> With each color identification tool I have owned over the years (maybe 2 or
> 3), I have asked sighted family members or friends to tell me if they agree
> or disagree with the answer given by the technology. The problem in my
> experience is that a large percentage of the time, the sighted people
> disagree with the answer given by the technology. I have had people tell me
> all kinds of things, like how everyone interprets colors differently. Some
> people have told me that the human brain doesn't see the actual color
> anyway. I don't know if this is true, but I honestly don't care very much
> personally. I simply want to coordinate my clothing largely according to
> color, and to do this as effectively, independently, and spontaneously as
> possible. I desire to use technology 
> to this end if possible. I therefore care how people interpret the colors
> of my clothing. I want to have technology that agrees with the color
> analysis of sighted people most of the time. If it's not perfect, that's
> fine. But the technology I have tried has given results different from the
> human answers a huge percentage of the time. Even if this has been less than
> half of the time, it still concerns me a lot. Furthermore, most sighted
> people from whom I gather color information give answers that are mostly the
> same. Most people say a garment is a certain color, and if there has been an
> outlier in terms of the answer, it is usually on the part of the technology
> I have tried.
>> Has anyone else experienced this? Also, if anyone has bought a more
> expensive color identifier, I am wondering if this has increased accuracy. I
> am open to suggessions as well as questions.
>> I have also tried using some apps on my iPhone. I have definitely had the
> most success, though still spotty, with Tap Tap See. I am confident that
> others have tried this kind of approach as well. I like Tap Tap see more
> than other solutions I have tried thus far for a couple reasons. Most of
> all, I am pleased that there are humans available on the other end. This
> allows me to get an answer that I feel I can trust somewhat more. Also, when
> this method works its best, I am often told the pattern of my garment as
> well, such as plaid. I am totally blind, by the way. I know that many blind
> people have used various types of low-tech labeling solutions with clothing,
> such as metallic braille tags, various shapes, etc. I am open to using these
> methods as well. However, I want to gather information and perspectives from
> other blind people who have used color identification technology.
>> To summarize my opinions, I believe that color identification technology
> is one of the least reliable technologies I have used for independence up to
> this point. If others have had much better experiences, I would love to hear
> more, and be proven wrong. However, I can say for certain that in my
> experience, I have not had enough success with color identification
> technology to confidently coordinate my clothing by this means alone. Also,
> I went completely blind at age 4, and only know about 10 to 15 colors
> accurately in my head. In other words, I do not desire a color identifier
> that boasts more than 600 colors or whatever. I am able to understand light,
> medium, and dark for many colors. Also, if there is a color that I did not
> have in my vocabulary as a small child, I will need someone to describe it
> in relation to the basic colors. This helps me a fare amount. Still, I
> prefer simpler answers over sophisticated ones. Finally, can anyone give
> advice regarding how to find opti
> mal lighting for apps like Tap Tap See? Any and all advice is appreciated!
>> Thank you,
>> Ben
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