[Tactile-Talk] Optacon

Mon Sep 23 18:45:32 UTC 2024

Hi Everyone: 

I’m so excited to discuss all these wonderful resources this list is providing regarding the Optacon, however I’m truly booked solid for the next two months. I have 25 shows in November alone. Shameless plug: www.chadallenmagic.com <http://www.chadallenmagic.com>  

The Optacon project has been on hold, but I’m happy to bring it back once my schedule allows for it, however  I feel like having conversations on this list serve would be confusing for everyone. Please send me separate emails at: chadallenmagic at me.com <mailto:chadallenmagic at me.com>   and 

As I get confirmed information to share, I will. I appreciate everyone’s patience. 

My best,

Chad   

From: Tactile-Talk <tactile-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Keith Shaw via Tactile-Talk
Sent: Monday, September 23, 2024 5:51 AM
To: Tactile Talk for the discussion of the display and use of graphics on refreshable Braille platforms <tactile-talk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Keith Shaw <knshaw100 at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [Tactile-Talk] Optacon

Chad,

You wrote:

> ..strangely it [new Optacon] would be difficult, even in our modern era to duplicate this highly unique machine.

The camera and image processing (hardware and software) could probably be implemented with a well defined development project. But the real difficulty is the matching high speed, with high resolution, tactile display. Is this how you understand the situation?

In the meantime, here is an interesting perspective involving the Optacon:

'The Reading Machine That Hasn't Been Built Yet'

Harvey Lauer  March 2003

 https://www.afb.org/aw/4/2/14857

Best,

Keith

On Fri, Sep 20, 2024 at 2:22 PM Chad Allen via Tactile-Talk <tactile-talk at nfbnet.org <mailto:tactile-talk at nfbnet.org> > wrote:

The new Optacon was actually my project. Noel was providing his amazing insight to help me along. I have all the pieces in place to make it happen. I just need funding. That's what stopped the project in its tracks.

I have the plans, the team, and legally the ability to do it, but sadly, money is often the barrier to entry. 

I also strongly believe Optacon has advantages that the other graphic displays don't, but it needs to be modernized. Noel was an open book and told me everything he knew about its development that I could understand, and strangely it would be difficult, even in our modern era to duplicate this highly unique machine. If there are angel investors out there that wish to discuss this with me further, I'm happy to share my story with the Optacon. 

My best, 

Chad 

As seen on Penn and Teller: Fool Us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCcA5gR0DSI

On Sep 20, 2024, at 10:58, dan.tevelde--- via Tactile-Talk <tactile-talk at nfbnet.org <mailto:tactile-talk at nfbnet.org> > wrote:

I’m changing the subject line to reflect Chad’s message and his mentioning of an optacon. Welcome Chad to the list. I recently got a an optacon but need to re-learn how to use it. I wish there was a new optacon which would take advantage of today’s technology. I’ve run into situations where I needed to know the print equivalent of a Braille symbol. I was talking with a sighted person who kept inconsistently using the terms bracket and brace. He described what they looked like visually but that didn’t mean anything to me. The emerging graphics displays are beyond my budget. I’m subscribed to an optacon list where we have occasionally talked about developing a new optacon. Unfortunately, the person driving the project just died. His name was Noel Runyan. Another reason an optacon would be helpful is when the primary and secondary relationships in a table change. If I run into a situation like that when I scan something with a phone, VoiceOver incorrectly reads the data because the hierarchy has changed. It will read the left column before reading the right column. With an optacon, a person could manually pan a camera and read data in whatever order they wanted. When one of the main developers of the optacon, James Bliss was still alive, I wrote him an extensive proposal of how I thought a new optacon could work.

Dan

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