[nfb-talk] A Double Tap to the Touch Screen Devil's Head

Mark Tardif markspark at roadrunner.com
Fri Mar 31 16:19:03 UTC 2017


I agree with you, Julie.  You need those good-old basic techniques just in 
case the technology breaks down or you suddenly end up with a dead battery 
and the nearest outlet is far away.  You need those basic techniques that we 
learned decades ago, I can't emphasize that enough.



Mark Tardif
Nuclear arms will not hold you.
-----Original Message----- 
From: Julie McGinnity via nfb-talk
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2017 9:46 PM
To: kaye zimpher ; NFB Talk Mailing List
Cc: Julie McGinnity
Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] A Double Tap to the Touch Screen Devil's Head

Hi all,

I love my iPhone and am addicted to it.  That being said, I am a
student at the Colorado Center for the Blind, and they teach us to
travel with and without GPS, compass, etc.  In fact, when we do our
drop, where they let us out in an unfamiliar area somewhere in Denver,
we are not allowed to use our smart phones to get us back to the
center.

So, I wouldn't call traveling without them unsafe by any means.  I
have found that I have far more trust in listening to my environment
than for GPS, which often confuses me.  :)  Yes, full disclosure
here...  I have little patience for GPS in general, so the previous
statement should be taken with grains of salt.

I have heard of dots placed on ovens for labeling melting off.  As a
person who has never owned a home or picked out appliances, all I know
are little nightmarish stories about blind friends shopping for months
before they find the microwave or washing machine that can be made
accessible.  Isn't there an entire list serve devoted to this topic?

I never wanted the iPhone either and still appreciate tactile buttons
when they appear.  I appreciate Braille even more...  In any case, I
wish there was more we could do about this.  <div
id="DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2"><br />
<table style="border-top: 1px solid #D3D4DE;">
<tr>
        <td style="width: 55px; padding-top: 13px;"><a
href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=icon"
target="_blank"><img
src="https://ipmcdn.avast.com/images/icons/icon-envelope-tick-round-orange-animated-no-repeat-v1.gif"
width="46" height="29" style="width: 46px; height: 29px;" /></a></td>
<td style="width: 470px; padding-top: 12px; color: #41424e;
font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
line-height: 18px;">Virus-free. <a
href="https://www.avast.com/sig-email?utm_medium=email&utm_source=link&utm_campaign=sig-email&utm_content=webmail&utm_term=link"
target="_blank" style="color: #4453ea;">www.avast.com</a>
</td>
</tr>
</table><a href="#DAB4FAD8-2DD7-40BB-A1B8-4E2AA1F9FDF2" width="1"
height="1"></a></div>

On 3/30/17, kaye zimpher via nfb-talk <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> I guess I simply believe that we should be taking advantage of as much
> technology as we can. I grew up during a time when we lugged heavy 
> Braillers
>
> and books to class, and taped lectures on clunky tape recorders. Teachers
> did not want to be recorded, and "vision teachers" as they use to be 
> called
>
> hated transcribing 20 page Braille homework assignments in to print. 
> College
>
> was filled with days of paying readers, and trudging to the library to 
> have
>
> a monotoned young adult sigh every time I need to get a new book for a
> paper.
> Now we have and can do so much! Our phones can read menus, bills, mail and
> books. We can navigate the world with GPS, and no longer are we religated 
> to
>
> riding for hours at a time on para transit. We can schedule Uber/Lyft with 
> a
>
> flick of the screen.
> I don't find anyone's choice irresponsible, that's not my decision to 
> make,
>
> but I can't for the life of me understand why a blind person would turn 
> down
>
> such opportunities to advance.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jack Heim via nfb-talk" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> To: "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: "Jack Heim" <john at johnheim.com>
> Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2017 10:14 AM
> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] A Double Tap to the Touch Screen Devil's Head
>
>
>> Well, not having a smart phone is taking a small risk with your safety.
>> That's just a fact.   It is probably not even as big of a risk as not
>> wearing a seatbelt but still it's a risk.  If you get lost, you are much
>> more likely to make a mistake like crossing against the lights. A few
>> years ago in my home town, a blind guy got killed when he crossed in the
>> middle of a block instead of at the corner.  Nobody can explain why he 
>> did
>>
>> that but he was probably lost. He was facing north when he thought he was
>>
>> facing east or something. It happens to all of us.
>>
>> I am not saying blind people should be forced to have smart phones or
>> anything like that. This is America and we don't believe in telling 
>> people
>>
>> how to live their lives (well, mostly). I don't think you should have to
>> have a smart phone. But it is a little bit irresponsible not to. I don't
>> think that should be controversial.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On 03/29/2017 06:14 PM, Mark Tardif via nfb-talk wrote:
>>> A couple of things, and what I'm going to say is a matter of opinion and
>>> reflects individual values.  First of all, I do not agree that not
>>> having a smart phone makes you irresponsible.  It's a matter of personal
>>> choice, depending on what you are looking for.  I will agree that having
>>> a cell phone, whatever that model is, makes it far easier to conduct
>>> business and to get along these days.  I bought my first cell phone in
>>> 1998 and can't imagine not having one now.  Many of us don't even have
>>> land lines now, we can call from almost anywhere using our own phones.
>>> Fantastic!  But I still know some people who choose not to have cell
>>> phones, a matter of choice for their own reasons.  Obviously, a smart
>>> phone allows you to do awesome stuff, but what I am looking for in a
>>> phone is the ability to make clear quick phone calls and sometimes
>>> text.  My phone also has other important features, like a calculator, a
>>> tip calculator, an alarm clock, a camera, and other features.  And it's
>>> really not important to me that from dawn to dusk I am constantly using
>>> that one device to do all kinds of other things. Alternative techniques
>>> are also available.  I rather enjoy downloading BARD books using my
>>> computer and transfering them onto thumb drives.  And in a strange way,
>>> having to feel around on a flat screen and then rotate your wrist or tap
>>> just seems really primitive to me.  And certainly concerning elevators,
>>> we certainly are going backwards back to the days of getting sighted
>>> assistance when we find everything flat on the panel.  I'm sorry, but
>>> that's just how I see this.  End of lecture, LOL.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Mark Tardif
>>> Nuclear arms will not hold you.
>>> -----Original Message----- From: Jack Heim via nfb-talk
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2017 12:47 PM
>>> To: NFB Talk Mailing List
>>> Cc: Jack Heim
>>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] A Double Tap to the Touch Screen Devil's Head
>>>
>>> Years ago, I went into the Apple Store to ask about the accessibility of
>>> the iphone.  I had heard a lot about it but wanted to see formyself. I
>>> went in there and nobody knew how to start voiceover. But one of the
>>> "geniuses" tried to demonstrate Siri and the map function. He pushed the
>>> home button and said, "Where am I?" to the phone. No answer. Tried
>>> again, "Where am I?" Still no answer. He just kep trying and trying,
>>> frantically asking, "Where am I?" I literally left him there, asking the
>>> phone where he was. I was like, "Ah, I'll just be going now." He didn't
>>> exactly look like a genius at that moment. It really was hilarious but
>>> now I know he probably just couldn't get a GPS signal inside the mall.
>>>
>>>
>>> On 03/29/2017 11:10 AM, Loren Wakefield via nfb-talk wrote:
>>>> I guess it depends on how much you want to be with your peers in
>>>> capabilities.  Yes, it is frustrating at first.  However, there is a
>>>> logic
>>>> to it.  And there is no way I'm going back to a phone I can't do
>>>> anything
>>>> with.
>>>>
>>>> Loren
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: nfb-talk [mailto:nfb-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Mark
>>>> Tardif
>>>> via nfb-talk
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2017 10:09 PM
>>>> To: kaye zimpher; NFB Talk Mailing List
>>>> Cc: Mark Tardif
>>>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] A Double Tap to the Touch Screen Devil's Head
>>>>
>>>> I had an iphone for about a day, and for various reasons I was just
>>>> disgusted.  First of all, the person who sold it to me at the store
>>>> didn't
>>>> even realize that Boice Over was a standard feature, and I kept
>>>> coralling my
>>>> sighted neighbor and getting on the phone with Verizon to work through
>>>> problems, and I finally just disgustedly asked them to help me
>>>> reprogram my
>>>> old phone.  Never regretted it, either.  Never surrender!!!
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Mark Tardif
>>>> Nuclear arms will not hold you.
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: kaye zimpher via nfb-talk
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2017 9:32 PM
>>>> To: NFB Talk Mailing List
>>>> Cc: kaye zimpher
>>>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] A Double Tap to the Touch Screen Devil's Head
>>>>
>>>> Oh, but you shall surrender, and once you do, you will wonder why you
>>>> never
>>>> did before. lol All kidding aside, I was very much against the touch
>>>> screens
>>>> when I got my first Iphone. I could barely make a call, and in truth,
>>>> the
>>>> darn thing sat on my desk for almost a year before I really got in to
>>>> it.
>>>> Once I did though, I could not live without it. That phone does
>>>> everything!
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Mark Tardif via nfb-talk" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>> To: <jsoro620 at gmail.com>; "NFB Talk Mailing List" <nfb-talk at nfbnet.org>
>>>> Cc: "Mark Tardif" <markspark at roadrunner.com>
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2017 8:11 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [nfb-talk] A Double Tap to the Touch Screen Devil's Head
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I'm still a stuborn probably soon to be lone soldier against the touch
>>>>> screen hordes coming to conquer and spread their tyranny.  Even if I
>>>>> am
>>>>> the last man down, I will never surrender!!!
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Mark Tardif
>>>>> Nuclear arms will not hold you.
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: Joe via nfb-talk
>>>>> Sent: Monday, March 27, 2017 8:47 PM
>>>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list ;
>>>>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>>> Cc: Joe
>>>>> Subject: [nfb-talk] A Double Tap to the Touch Screen Devil's Head
>>>>>
>>>>> In the battle between touch screens and tactile buttons, the touch
>>>>> screen
>>>>> is
>>>>> quickly becoming the reigning champion. It's not that I can't see the
>>>>> advantages of touch screens. Less moving parts means less maintenance
>>>>> and
>>>>> all that, but dammit, it used to be I only had to worry about touch
>>>>> screens
>>>>> where warming food was concerned. Slap a tactile dot here, a Braille
>>>>> label
>>>>> there, and I could conquer the basic operations of a microwave.
>>>>>
>>>>> Once while on travel for work I met the enemy at a fancy hotel. I
>>>>> strolled
>>>>> from the hotel registration desk to the bank of elevators as if I was
>>>>> a
>>>>> frequent guest of the swanky resort. I even hit the bank of elevators
>>>>> on
>>>>> my
>>>>> first try like the super blind traveler that I was, but then the
>>>>> elevator
>>>>> doors whispered open. I walked in and reached for the familiar panel
>>>>> of
>>>>> buttons with accompanying Braille numbers. Only, the travel gods felt
>>>>> I
>>>>> had
>>>>> enjoyed enough arrogance for one day, because instead of neat rows of
>>>>> buttons, my fingers skated across a smooth panel.
>>>>>
>>>>> Read and comment on the rest of the article here:
>>>>>
>>>>> http://joeorozco.com/blog_a_double_tap_to_the_touch_screen_devils_head
>>>>>
>>>>> Best,
>>>>>
>>>>> Joe
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Musings of a Work in Progress:
>>>>> www.JoeOrozco.com/
>>>>>
>>>>> Twitter: @ScribblingJoe
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nfb-talk mailing list
>>>>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>> nfb-talk:
>>>>>
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/markspark%40roadrunner
>>>>
>>>> .com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> -----
>>>>> No virus found in this message.
>>>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>>>> Version: 2016.0.8007 / Virus Database: 4769/14193 - Release Date:
>>>>> 03/27/17
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> nfb-talk mailing list
>>>>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>>> nfb-talk:
>>>>>
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/kaye.j.zimpher%40gmail
>>>>
>>>> .com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nfb-talk mailing list
>>>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nfb-talk:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/markspark%40roadrunner
>>>>
>>>> .com
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----
>>>> No virus found in this message.
>>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>>> Version: 2016.0.8007 / Virus Database: 4769/14201 - Release Date:
>>>> 03/28/17
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nfb-talk mailing list
>>>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nfb-talk:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/theweird1%40mediacombb
>>>>
>>>> .net
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> nfb-talk mailing list
>>>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>>> nfb-talk:
>>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/john%40johnheim.com
>>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nfb-talk mailing list
>>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nfb-talk:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/markspark%40roadrunner.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----
>>> No virus found in this message.
>>> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
>>> Version: 2016.0.8007 / Virus Database: 4769/14201 - Release Date:
>>> 03/28/17
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> nfb-talk mailing list
>>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>>> nfb-talk:
>>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/john%40johnheim.com
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> nfb-talk mailing list
>> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> nfb-talk:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/kaye.j.zimpher%40gmail.com
>>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> nfb-talk mailing list
> nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> nfb-talk:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/kaybaycar%40gmail.com
>


-- 
Julie A. McGinnity
President, National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division,
Second Vice President, National Federation of the Blind of Missouri
"For we walk by faith, not by sight"
2 Cor. 7

_______________________________________________
nfb-talk mailing list
nfb-talk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
nfb-talk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nfb-talk_nfbnet.org/markspark%40roadrunner.com


-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2016.0.8007 / Virus Database: 4769/14210 - Release Date: 03/30/17 





More information about the nFB-Talk mailing list