Hi David,
Thank you for such a beautiful picture of Chip's
most excellent app. You are a very talented and
inspiring writer, and your testimony to Chip's
handiwork will be a great gift to him. smile
Thank you for taking the time to appreciate his
efforts. If only all of us who write apps would
get recognition like this, we would be rewarded
beyond imagination. smile
Thanks again,
Rod
-----Original Message-----
From: David [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2014 6:27 PM
To: [email protected] >> "[email protected]";
[email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Re: What Remind Me Where does now!
The initial question, what this app really can do
for a user who are not
doing a ton of travelling, really is a relevant
one. Chip - the author
of the app - already has given a pretty good
overview, when comes to the
intentions behind the app.
Personally, I have been testing the app for a
while. I wanted to just
drop in here, sharing with you all some of the
great possibilities I see
in the app. Used the right way, this can really be
a great tool. Some of
the experiences I am going to share here, are
real-life ones, pulled
from my actual needs. Other of the tests I have
performed, was done more
out of curosity and fun, but still made up on
basis of situations that
should be realistic enough to fit into any user's
needs and wantings.
Before going into details, let me just remind you
all.
The app relies on another app - also from Chip -
that is called GPS. To
some, this may scare them off the scene, since
they do not own a GPS
receiver, and hence imagine this is no use for
them. To understand it
all, you may want to be informed, that all a GPS
receiver does is to
give some coordinates, indicating an exact
position on the globe. This
coordinate, then can be held up to a map, to
determine exactly what
country, city, street, house number you are
located. Same goes, when you
want to find a destination address. Around the
globe, you will find
several places called London. In Europe, there is
a whole country named
Denmark, but Denmark is also a place in Australia.
If you search for the
name "Norway", and try to see how many places in
the United States of
America is named Norway, you will be surprised.
Still, in Europe, Norway
is definitely a country, filled with many cities,
mountains and fjords.
All in all, just giving a name - be it the name of
a region, city or
street - could lead to some really interesting
results. Just imagine,
you want to go to a local address round the
corner, but the mapping
system would misunderstand, and send you to a
place that happened to
have a similar name, located on the other end of
the globe. To remedy
all of this, the Remind-Me-Whare app, like any
other mapping software,
uses coordinates. Chip, likely could give more
info, as to exactly what
the GPS app does, but at least now you know that
any mapping system is
likely to work with coordinates - in the very core
of the software. Just
because the assisting app is named GPS, does not
mean you need a GPS
receiver. The app is definitely workable right
from your home computer,
whether it is a laptop, netbook, or a desktop
tower model. All my
testing, has been performed from the comfort of my
couch (without any
GPS receiver), and so you can rest assured, you do
not need to walk a
single step to benefit from the app. And now,
let's move into real life.
Since the app basically lets you find any
destination, any place on the
globe, you can use it for mere exploration. And
for a rainy afternoon,
such could be both fun and somehow informing. But
to give it all a bit
more usability, let's imagine you are reading a
good book. The author
tells about his travel from one place to the
other. You get a bit
curious as to how far is between the two
destinations. No, you are not
left with any more guessing. Bring out the app,
enter the start and
ending point, and you will get a list of
informations. first, you will
be informed the actual distance (in miles, or
kilometers), and how long
time is estimated for the quickest possible route.
Then, you will be
given a list, with step by step instructions on
how to get from point A
to point B. See if this will enhance your
understanding of the novel you
are reading. :)
Another scenario, which may interest many, is the
case when you are in
search for a new place to live. OK, you look in
the newspaper or on the
net. You find a house or apartment, that sounds
like it could be what
you are looking for. In the past, you would have
to call around to all
your friends, hoping for someone to drive you
there - only to find that
this house was located deeply into the woods,
fifty miles away from the
nearest point of sivilization. Yes, I said in the
past. Now, on the
other hand, you will open the app, enter the
address of the residence in
question, and then do a look-around. You even can
specify what kind of
facilities you would want to know anything about,
in the vicinity. For
instance, since you are going to live in this
address, you likely want
to know what kind of grocery stores are nearby,
and if it is within
walking distance. Would I take a guess, that you
also want to know where
the nearest bus stop, banking machine, doctor's
office, and maybe school
is located? Find it all, right at your fingertips
- without moving an
inch. Now, that you have found it all was way too
far off from any of
your needs, you saved yourself and your friends
from a wasted drive. Or,
maybe you found this address to be right in the
very middle of
facilities that you depend on in your daily
living, and you now are
ready to pick up your phone, telling the potential
landlord how eager
you are to move in.
We could use the above example, in yet another
situation. you are
invited to come and stay for a week this summer,
with your old aunt
Alice - who you havent visited since you were a
child, and were taken
here, there, and everywhare by your sighted
parents. Sitting and
listening to auntie's stories from the past
century, can be fun enough
for an afternoon or two. But you want to go for a
burger some time
through the week. Trouble is, you don't know where
the nearest McDonald
is, and asking Auntie is no help, since she
figures you are asking for
some kind of a bookstore, or Grandmother's
relative. :) So, what will
you do? - Guess the answer is pretty obvious,
ain't it? you bring up the
app, enter Auntie's address, and explore the
nearby locations, even
specify you want to see only the McDonald
restaurants in the area.
Let's stick to the vacation you are going to have,
with Auntie. You know
the name of the town where she is living. And,
from your childhood, you
seem to remember it was somewhere out in the
countryside. You are eager
to get out of the city of yours, but how in the
world are you going to
get there? Actually, how far is it? Can you ask
someone to take you
there by car, and they will be able to go out in
the morning, and be
back with their family before supper-time? Or,
will it be a three-days
travel by car. Could it be, that you will be able
to make the whole trip
on your own, first you know what buss and train to
jump on? - Asking
Auntie, she does not know how anyone would get
anywhere. Asking daddy,
he is just going to tell you that you don't dare
to go that far on your
own, blind person you are. Well, don't ask either
of them! Simply just
open Chip's app, enter your home address as the
starting point, then
Auntie's address as the destination, and ask for
public transportation.
Ten seconds later, you have the travelling list in
your hand. Make a
recording of the instructions on your pocket
digital recorder, pack your
suitcase, drop the credit card in your pocket, and
be on your way. - Oh,
wait a minute. Before starting out, have yourself
some fun, and try to
have the app tell you how you would get there, by
walking. At least,
when sitting on the train finding the five hours
boring, enjoy thinking
of all the seven and a half day' walking you are
saving yourself. :)
Let's get off all that travelling horse, and back
to even more daily
living realities.
Have you ever tried to ask someone to help you
with some shopping? You
need a pair of new pants, but the person who is
going to drive you, is
uncertain as to where would be a good place to go
in your area. Maybe
they are living on the other side of town, and
hence are not very
acquainted with the locations near you. Before
even asking them, you can
enter your address into the app, and ask for a
list of dressing shops in
the vicinity. You get up a list of five stores,
and immediately
recognize that three of them are typical Kids
Clothing stores. Forget
about driving there. The two others are of
interest, but will they carry
what you are looking for, in the right color, and
even your size? The
app lets you hit a keystroke, and the website for
the store comes up.
Here you find the phone number, and can make a
quick call, ensuring they
have in stock what you are after. When your friend
comes by, you can
tell them, we are going right to this store, and
here is the driving
directions - "I just printed them out for you".
Drop in the car, and
five minutes later, you are right at the door of
the store. No more
fooling around, no more sightseeing due to friends
that do not know
where they are taking you. Even if you need go
there by a taxi, you can
tell the driver (who happen to be on his first day
of work), exactly
where and how to go. Or, you find that there is a
bus running right
outside the store, so forget about asking anyone
for their merciful
assistance. Does this take us one step closer to
independent living?
On Saturday, you have invited some new ones in
town for supper. It will
be a great opportunity for both parts, to enjoy
getting to know each
other better. And, what would be better than a
glass of good wine along
with your roast. The roast was no problem, as you
picked that one up
from the grocery right down on the corner. But the
wine, is causing you
a bit of headache. You know the winestore is
located on the other side
of town, but you don't feel like spending twice
the price of the bottle
of wine, on having a taxi-driver take you out
there and back home.
Besides, you don't really have time for that trip
either. Why would you
anyway, since your new guests actually are staying
in a
Bed-And-Breakfast in that end of town. Well, you
call them, tell them
your issue, and they are more than eager to help
you. "Only," they say,
"where would that winestore be?" What do you
answer? "Oh, just a moment,
I will check it out for you." - Start Chip's app,
enter the address of
the B&B as the starting point, ask for a list of
winestores in the area
nearby, and hit Search. Two seconds later, turn up
the speakers of your
computer, hold the phone near the speaker, and
have your guests make
their notes as you arrow down the list. Or, copy
it into an email, and
send them a nice message. Then, make sure your
roast gets rare, and
anticipate a nice quiet Saturday night, with a
wonderful meal. -
Remember to ask your new friends if they enjoyed
the efforts Chip has
put into the app. :)
Last winter, you went abroad with some friends for
a vacation. Coming
home, your friends enjoy their 1259 photos from
the trip. What use is
that to you? Yet, you can have your fun. How far
did you actually
travel? How long would it take to go by car, by
public transportation,
or even how far did you walk that night when you
were wildly searching
for the gas station because your friends had
forgotten to refill the
tank? Play around to your heart's desire, with the
app. See which cities
and small towns you were driving through, memorize
the funny feeling it
was to drive the 15 miles (20 kilometers) straight
through the mountain
in that long tunnel. The list of driving
instructions will tell you to
drive through the tunnel, and your memory will
tell you the strange
feeling you experienced last winter. Now try to
ask your friends, if
they enjoy the photo they made inside the tunnel,
and which turned out
totally black because of the darkness in there.
See who got the better
reminder... :)
On Wednesday, you are invited to join in some
activity with some friends
of yours. They do not have a car, and are quite
busy people. You are a
shy person, so you don't want to ask them for
helping you getting there.
You know the gang is going to meet at Anderson's
Gym, on Wild Walk
Street, number 59. But you have never been there.
One of your friends
told you "oh, that is not far from your place".
Have you ever heard
sighted people say that? And, have you ever
experienced the reality to
be different when walking, compared to them
driving? - Well, you bring
out the Remind Me Where app, and realize that this
time, they are quite
right. The gym is only half a mile away (less than
a kilometer).
"Great," you think, "That will just add an extra
bit of exercise to it
all. I will just take my guidedog for that walk,
no problem." Hmm, oh
well, won't you please read the instructions once
again? Thing is, you
have to cross the five-laned highway, and you know
from experience it is
without any audible traffic light. don't you
think, it will do better to
call the cab central, asking for a car to take you
there? - Once again,
did you want to drop Chip a word of appreciation?
Today, you really do not feel like making yourself
a lonely lunch. Why
not give yourself a treat, and go for lunch
somewhere? Only, when you
moved in, your mom showed you the nearest grocery,
bank, pharmacy and
restaurant - the burger place you have been
testing for the last six
months. What about a pizza? This is a big city,
and all your friends are
talking about all the possibilities in your
surroundings. Actually,
didn't you hear someone mention the brand new
pizza place the other day?
Only, where would that be, and how would you ever
explain to the white
cane how to get there? - Tell you what? No need to
worry. Just bring up
the app, enter your home address, and ask for
restaurants in the area.
Scroll down the list that comes up, and get the
instructions for how to
get to the place of your desire. By the way, won't
you please take a
moment to explore the grocery stores in the area
as well, that you may
pick up that special chocolate bar grandmother
always brings you, from
the specialty store which you realize is in the
street right around the
corner from your place. (Sorry; grandmother! No
more secret where you
got my favorite chocolate... (sad smile)).
Well, these were just a few cases where the app
could be handy. As you
will have noticed, you can perform all of this
exploring right from your
easy-chair, without even having to put on your
shoes. Combine it all
with the Weather-Or-Not app, provided by GW, and
imagine the scortching
heat of Cairo, Egypt - or the nippy coldness of
the nothern Norway,
Europe, as you make your imaginary travelling
around the globe. Prepare
your next trip, inform your family how to find
your new residence, tell
grandmother how far away you live, inform your
boyfriend what is the
best restaurant for your next date, or simply just
make up a new route
for you and your dog for that bedtime walk. Do it
all, in a
blind-friendly software, built by and for people
like you. Thanks once
again, for the efforts put into this app. And
although there still
remains many features that we can imagine would
enhance the app's
potential, it is a great tool as it stands. Has
helped me several times,
and given me much interesting discovery in both
local and abroad
exploring. Even if I have not dived into the
actual way of operating the
app, I still hope all of this lengthy message, was
of any help to those
of you who feel a bit worried to start out with an
app that you did not
know the potential of.
----- Original Message -----
From:
Chip Orange
To:
[email protected]
Cc:
[email protected]
Sent:
Tuesday, July 15, 2014 12:13 AM
Subject:
What Remind Me Where does now!
Hi Louis,
What a great question.
Yes, as you pointed out, so few people seemed to
have a laptop and be
interested
in moving around, that I switched the focus of
this app to helping you
explore your
environment, and plan your trips.
I'm going to continue to add features useful to
those with laptops or
tablets, but
I've been focusing on use of Google+ to bring you
a complete
understanding of what's
around everywhere, and how to get from here to
there.
The best feature of all which I've accidentally
discovered, is the
Google directions
which cover use of the mass transit system.
So, not only can you get directions from here to
there which are quite
detailed,
but if you say you want to use mass transit, and
you wish to start out
at a given
time, or arrive at a given time, Google will add
to the directions exact
instructions
on which bus or train to catch, where to catch it
from (and how to get
there), how
many stops later to get off (and how long this
portion of the trip will
take).
And the best thing is that Google will do this for
free for any city;
they only have
to supply their system's data to Google (and I've
been asking my city to
do so, and
they are just about to release it).
You can even see all the other buses or routes
which stop at the same
stops or stations
which you are using.
Also, you can use this app to search from a
starting point to see
everything around
it, or just particular types of things around it
(such as the nearest
ATM or restaurant
to a point).
When you get your list, you can select a
restaurant for instance and see
either the
Google+ web page with reviews, or go to the
official web page for the
restaurant.
You can even make "is open now" one of the
conditions of your search.
You can also use it to solve problems such as when
someone tells you
"you know the
home depot that's near the airport", "my business
is two doors down".
You can easily use this app to locate the airport,
then search from
their for places
names which begin with "home" (and they are shown
to you in distance
order from the
start point, so you'll know the nearest "home
Depot" when you see it in
the list),
and then from the "home depot" you can list all
the near-by places and
see which
ones address are very close to it.
The app is designed so that you can do anything
from any place which
turns up on
any of your searches.
There's even a presentation mode Google calls a
"radar" search, where I
present up
to 200 results in 8 groups, which are the cardinal
compass directions
from the starting
point, and the results are listed in increasing
distance order in that
direction.
This makes it easy for instance to see what's
"north" of a given point,
to help you
get a better idea of how places relate to one
another.
This app is all about locations, and all the
things you can do with
them, but it's
hard to summarize it in one sentence to show how
useful it can be if you
learn to
use it.
My next plans are to finish "internationalizing"
it, and to allow you to
save "routes"
of directions, so those with laptops and GPS
receivers can use the app
to guide them
along the route.
If others have other suggestions though, I'm open
to ideas.
Thanks for asking,
Chip
From:
gosselin_louis
[mailto:[email protected]]
Sent:
Monday, July 14, 2014 8:47 AM
To:
[email protected]; [email protected]
Subject:
RE: new beta of Remind Me Where
Chip,
I haven't been following this app very closely,
but it's obvious you've
been devoting
a tremendous amount of time, energy, and what must
be love, too, to this
app. I'm
very impressed. I've always had the impression,
though, that it is
intended for
use on say a very portable laptop, possibly even
on a tablet, while in
motion. I've
only got a desktop PC now, and believe most of my
real independent
travel days are
over. Could one do anything much with this app on
a desktop? Can one,
for example,
set up a route and explore what's on it? Or have I
entirely
misunderstood what's
offered here? No need for a long response. I'm
just wondering if I
should be interested.
Louis Gosselin
From:
Chip Orange [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent:
Sunday, July 13, 2014 8:54 PM
To:
[email protected]; [email protected]
Subject:
new beta of Remind Me Where
Hi beta testers,
The latest beta of Remind Me Where is ready
(0.6.0). It now honors the
menu item
choice in the options dialog which allows you to
specify your preferred
units (Metric
or English).
It also requires an update to the GPS app; if
Window-Eyes does not
prompt you to
update the GPS app, then Remind Me Where will let
you know that this is
required.
Also, in the list of places, I've redefined the
columns of the listview
slightly
so that the second column is the address only, and
the third column is
the distance
and direction to the place (now in metric if you
desire). This allows
you to go
to the verbosity settings of Window-Eyes, in the
"Common" group, the
"miscellaneous"
subgroup, and you can set the speaking of listview
headers so that they
always speak
for every column if you desire. This may help you
distinguish between
the address
information, and the direction and distance
information.
I do still have some other places which specify
their units only in
English units
(such as the search dialog), but I'll clean up
those last few places
soon so they
also honor metric preferences.
I have also updated the HTML documentation, trying
to make it clearer
and more complete.
Thanks for all the testing and the ideas and
suggestions.
The download location for the Remind Me Where app
is:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11745142/Remin
d_Me_Where.wepm
Enjoy,
Chip
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