<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#0563C1;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:#954F72;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>BREAKING NEWS ON THE AUDIBLE BALL PROJECT<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Saturday, March 3, 2017<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For those of you who follow the audible game ball project, we have news, but first, a little background.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The goal of the audible ball project is to create an audible game ball for people who are blind so they can play the same games as their sighted friends. The ball will have the same weight and bounce as an off-the-shelf ball that everyone else plays with. Four Square, Horse and volleyball are all games that become possible, the same games that sighted kids the world over play but that blind kids currently don't.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>On Wednesday we tested our most recent prototype of the ball and for a glorious twenty-five minutes (who’s counting), it worked! We could hear the ball, pass it to one another, hear our shots as they arced toward the basket. Pretty cool and then snap!! Yes, the tiny speaker snapped off and the electronics dropped lazily into the ball, never to be seen again until I cut the ball open. The ball is now resting comfortably, awaiting further research or burial.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>But wait, there's more. Thanks to the brave work of Ardrian Newell, a Masters Degree student from The New York Film Academy in Burbank California, who traveled cross country in this recent miserable storm, we are documenting our work on the audible ball. She will be publishing her video documentary in the coming months. Stay tuned.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We couldn't have done any of this without the willing assistance of Dr. Michael Bina and the staff at the Maryland School for the Blind who have been there at every call, helping with set-up, scheduling, examples of other game balls and their extensive knowledge of blind sports throughout the world. Connecting with sports-minded blind folks will be a key to success and the Maryland School for the Blind is a leader.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Special thanks also go out to volunteers Pete Accosta, engineers Dan Hedges and Rod Boudreaux from V-Linc, and Gary Williams who brings real basketball coaching knowledge and out-of-the-box ideas to the project.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> if you didn't think all of this was enough, this week, the Spalding Corporation agreed to assist with the project. Spalding has been a leader in the development of electronics in game balls. This partnership is truly a game-changer for us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Hopefully within a year, your blind child will be able to play four-square or horse along with the neighbor kids down the street. When the ball bounces off the rim and lands in the bushes she can take her turn at finding it, just like everyone else.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If you want to be on the email update list about this project, send an email to me at: bullis.michael@gmail.com<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>