[Nfbmt] Who uses what?

Fri Feb 26 04:11:48 UTC 2016

Hi guys. So I use my cane every day I take it with me everywhere when I when I leave my home. I have a talking watch it where on my wrist every day that I got from Maxi it's not I just love. I have my Apple iPhone and my Victor reader stream that I have with me at all times. These are the tools that I find very versatile and very functional for me and I use them a lot. I also have a Slayton stylus that I carry in my purse but I rarely use it because it's just easier to record notes on my Victor reader :-)

Becca Strom- Stewart

> On Feb 25, 2016, at 8:38 PM, d m gina via Nfbmt <nfbmt at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> you can take notes with a smart phone,
> As well as gps different gps methods are out there.
> A money identifier different apps to down load on the phone that works well.
> I also have the tape you are speaking about that can be used for taking information you can use on anything.
> The cane is the best sord I have used when I need to do so.
> Glad I know how to do what I know with the phone.
> 
> Original message:
>> Low and high tech solutions:
> 
>> A slate and stylus.  Who uses that any more?  I do, I do.  It doesn't wear
>> out, doesn't need batteries, and isn't too expensive to replace.  I used to
>> take notes on it in college, but that was another era when the dinosaurs
>> roamed.
> 
>> Also a Braille writer.  Not as portable as a notetaker and much too loud to
>> use anywhere but home.  But still mighty functional.  I have had mine since I
>> was ten.  I use it every day.
> 
>> Various notetakers, all of which are so outdated they do not do email or
>> internet any more.  Ah well, maybe some day.
> 
>> A Samsung Haven flip cell phone, which speaks every function to me.  I use it
>> to make phone calls and text.  They don't make them any more so if I want one
>> I have to find it used.
> 
>> Talking clock: Tells the time and the indoor and outdoor temperature on the
>> hour.  Shuts up between eleven p.m. and eight a.m.
> 
>> Braille Watch:  Silently tells me the time.
> 
>> Desktop and Laptop Computer with JAWS (Job Access with Speech) Screen Reader.
>> Pretty much indispensable.  I need to figure out why the laptop computer
>> doesn't connect with Wyfi systems in hotels and other places other than home,
>> though.
> 
>> Printer/scanner/copier/fax machine:  As a scanner, it lets me weed out junk
>> mail and know what my bills and other mail are, as long as they are not
>> handwritten.  We haven't had someone read our mail in over fifteen years now.
>> I love the autonomy and privacy of that.
> 
>> Trekker Breeze:  GPS System.  It doesn't do everything I would like it to do,
>> but it's cheaper than many and better than nothing.
> 
>> Victor Reader Stream:  Love to download books and podcasts with this and
>> listen to internet radio and NFB NewslineR.
> 
>> Talking Thermometer: I have more than one, one for use in the kitchen, which
>> I don't use much but it is handy for checking the internal temperature of
>> meats or poultry, and one for human body temperature use.  They are not
>> interchangeable.
> 
>> I know someone who has a talking microwave.  Now that has to be a cool
>> device.  I have mine marked in Braille.  Same with my gas range, dishwasher,
>> and washer and dryer.
> 
>> I.D. Mate:  A bar code scanner that speaks.  Most of the time it will tell
>> you what item you are scanning, and even give you preparation instructions on
>> some items.
> 
>> Labeling Tape:  It comes on a roll that you can put into a Braille writer and
>> write Braille on it, then peel off the sticker and stick it on a box or can
>> or CD or whatever you want to label.  It comes in two sizes, one is one
>> Braille line, and the other will take three or four. One is probably four
>> inches by 1/2 inch, and the other is probably 4 inches square.
> 
>> Dymo tape:  Another type of peel-and-stick labeling tape that comes in a
>> roll, but is much sturdier.  You can write on it with a Braille writer, a
>> slate and stylus, or a Dymo tape writer.
> 
>> There is another type of Braille labeling that I use in the freezer.  It
>> consists of plastic labels that can hold one or two lines of Braille.  They
>> have a hole at each end that you can put an elastic band into, and then
>> stretch it onto a package or box and put it in the freezer.  They are
>> reusable.  They are easier to read in the cold freezer because they are more
>> sturdy than most other labeling methods, and because they aren't stick-on
>> labels they don't often come off in the freezer.
> 
>> Money Identifier:  I like to carry this with me and slip a bill in it and
>> push a button and it usually tells me the denomination of the bill.  Handy
>> for when no one else is around, which is often the case.
> 
>> Talking Compass: Something I got thinking I would use it a lot, and I don't.
> 
>> White cane or guide dog:  Mobility devices.  One has a wagging tail and sheds
>> and needs to be fed and taken out; the other one doesn't.  But one is so much
>> more cuddly than the other.
> 
>> I have been thinking lately how many of these gadgets could be replaced by a
>> Smart phone.  I could probably open my own gadget store.  Joy
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Nfbmt [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Marks, Jim via
>> Nfbmt
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2016 9:04 PM
>> To: 'NFB of Montana Discussion List'
>> Cc: Marks, Jim
>> Subject: Re: [Nfbmt] Who uses what?
> 
>> Sorry to be so slow in replying and for missing so many Chapter meetings.
>> Seems like life keeps getting the way of participating like I want.  I have
>> to admit that I missed the most recent Chapter meeting because I went to a
>> music concert by Iris Dement.  Iris was wonderful, but so is our collective
>> activity.
> 
>> The device I use the most these days is my Android smart phone.  It's a jack
>> of all trades sort of device.  I use in the usual way for things like making
>> calls and texting.  And there are lots of really good apps for blind people,
>> too.  For example, I use the KNFB Reader app that makes my smart phone a
>> portable reading tool.  It really works well, so much so, I can't figure out
>> how I got along without it.  Another useful app is Nearby Explorer, a way
>> finding tool designed for blind users.  It's accurate enough to walk in
>> unfamiliar places with confidence.  Yet another app is the Ideal Currency
>> Identifier.  It tells me the denomination of bills.  I often use mainstream
>> apps such as Google Maps.  It allows me to navigate from a car.  I simply
>> tell it where I want to go, and it gives step-by-step driving instructions
>> for my drivers and me.  There are far more apps I could mention, but this
>> gives an idea of why I like my smart phone so much.
> 
>> My phone is a Galaxy Note 3, and it's now over two years old.  Newer phones
>> perform even better, but what I have is so good, I'm actually reluctant to
>> give it up.  To help operate the phone, I use a separate Braille Bluetooth
>> keyboard called the Focus 14.  It takes a while to get the knack of using it,
>> and I learn new things almost every time I try to use the device.
> 
>> Now, I know a lot of blind folks really like the Apple phones.  Today,
>> though, the Android option is every bit as good as the Apple.  And I have to
>> admit I like the diversity of Android.  Apple's stuff is elegant and well
>> supported, but Apple takes the philosophy of not caring much about user input
>> and favoring giving us technology the company thinks we need.  Android is
>> more user generated, and, as a consequence, sometimes frustrating to use as
>> frequent app updates require relearning things over and over again.  Still, I
>> like the challenge.  Really, using technology means adopting an attitude of
>> problem solving in a very dynamic environment.  Technology not only gives me
>> tools to use, it keeps my thinking cap functioning like it should.
> 
>> Best!
> 
> 
> 
>> Jim Marks
>> Blind.grizzly at gmail.com
> 
> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Nfbmt [mailto:nfbmt-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Rik James via
>> Nfbmt
>> Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 2016 2:41 PM
>> To: NFB of Montana Discussion List
>> Cc: Rik James
>> Subject: [Nfbmt] Who uses what?
> 
>> How many members are using which device?
> 
>> Who feels like they need help with which device?
> 
>> Who would like to devote a part of a chapter meeting discussing this?
> 
>> But not only devices.
>> How about other non-device aspects to day to day life as a blind person?
>> List some of those as well.
> 
>> I keep spending time looking for things.
>> I am working on my scanning technique.
>> Seems that too often, I say well I can't find it.
>> Then to find out the lost item was right in the area where I had been
>> looking.
>> What is wrong with this picture?
>> Frustration.
> 
>> What should I do?
>> I have an old thinking cap.
>> I used to wear it, until I got too big headed.
>> So I put it in a drawer
>> Of course my life was rather dull, not wearing my thinking cap.
>> But when living off of my wits proved too great a challenge, I chose to
>> reconsider my situation.
>> Then, when my ego had shrunk a bit, I could not remember which drawer I had
>> put it in.
> 
>> What?
>> Look again in that drawer.
>> Why yes. There it is.
> 
>> That's just silly.
>> Isn't it?
>> Who needs to wear a hat just to think?
> 
>> Ah well.
>> Complications.
> 
>> Looking for the cell phone.
>> Call myself up on the land line.
>> That works.
>> Should I have put the phone where the hat was?
>> Silly again. Oh well.
> 
>> Let us hear your thoughts, folks.
>> Rik James
> 
> 
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> 
> 
> 
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> -- 
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