[Electronics-talk] Color Identification Technology

Sat Dec 19 14:24:04 UTC 2015

Hi Ben.
That sounds like a good solution, though a safety pin seems simpler to me.
They're fine in the wash, in my experience. I believe I've seen a kind of
safety pin meant especially to go through the laundry, too, maybe at
BlindMiceMart.
I guess I don't have so many labelled clothes to put in the wash at one time
that I can't keep track of which goes where.  I look at the label and the
garment, then toss it in the wash, and put it back with its label when it's
clean.  The only exception would be plain, colored T-shirts that look the
same except for the color, but my color detector does OK with plain colors,
so I could use it to re-identify them.
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 10:13 AM
To: Discussion of accessible electronics and appliances
Cc: Benjamin Vercellone
Subject: Re: [Electronics-talk] Color Identification Technology

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 d  ryer 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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