[Techno-Chat]: Sangean PRD4W Demo

[Dane Trethowan]

This demo is a little rough and ready - I recorded it on the Olympus DM4 and 
didn’t bother doing any editing - but I do think the point made in the demo is 
crystal clear for all to hear.
If any of you want me to delve further into the radio itself then I can do.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/10565527/Sangean%20PRD4W%20Demo.mp3 


**
Those of a positive and enquiring frame of mind will leave the rest of the 
halfwits in this world behind.

Re: [Techno-Chat]: Re: OCR

[Dane Trethowan]

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I just love the way you to make "Mountains Out Of Molehills" and that's 
exactly what you're doing with this.


Firstly regarding the method you use of taking the box and taking a 
snapshot.


Your method is based purely on assumption given that these boxes of food 
can be printed in many and varying styles and there's no guarantee that 
your Blaze ET or whatever you're using will read the box the first time.


Indeed I would use your method if their was no other way of doing things.

Regarding time? Well there are other factors in the m method you're 
using that - when considered - may slow down the process considerably 
thus I think the issue of time is a non issue really.


Now as for your search and I'm not trying to pretend that i'm better 
than anyone else here because with Google I'm not, I found cooking 
instructions for your burgers.


Now they're not detailed I admit and perhaps I'm just used to cooking 
all the time but the instructions state enough to enable me to cook 
these, from frozen to cooked in 20 minutes grilled.


I don't know whether the footnote to my original message on this subject 
made the list.


In that email I made the suggestion that - in your Samsung Galaxy S6 - 
you had a hand-held miracle for this sort of thing.


I have the "Google Now" launcher as my default launcher and in the top 
right hand corner of the screen - below the notification panel on the 
home screen - is a "Voice Search" icon, double-tap this and your phone 
will beep thus the phone expects voice commands, say "Cook beef burgers" 
and see what Google and your phone will read to you, line by line .




On 15/10/2016 3:14 AM, Gordon Smith wrote:

Hello everybody

Although this started off as a private one, I’m opening this up for 
public discussion as I think it is an interesting topic on which 
others might like to express their opinions and views.


Perhaps I'm looking at this from the wrong perspective, but it seems 
to me rather like you’re putting the cart before the horse. Who said 
anything about giving up on anything?  All I said was that it’s 
quicker and more convenient to simply look at the box or packaging. 
 Nobody can deny that fact! Why worry about Google if it isn’t 
necessary? Why is it faster to lob into your computer and then take 
all the time google finding stuff if you can simply whip a device out 
of your pocket, turn it on and then read what you want to know?  That 
said, and maybe I should have made it clear before I started. Maybe 
that’s the reason you’ve taken this a little out of context. I do not 
for one moment dispute or contest the value of Google. It’s a 
fantastic resource, and I totally and utterly agree with you that it’s 
a mine of information just ready to be tapped into. I would never 
dispute that for a second. But sometimes, just sometimes, there are 
things which don’t appear on Google. For example, I just did a Google 
search for Asda branded beaf and ham burgers and, goes what, I cam up 
with nothing relevant at all. So, let’s put this into context. The 
value of Google not being discounted, contested or disputed for a 
moment. Let’s see. First, I need to wait while my machine boots. That 
doesn’t take long, I grant you. Then I have to go on to the Google 
website. Again, not particularly a lengthy process. In total we’re 
probably talking about a couple of minutes. And yes, if the machine is 
already turned on and ready for use, that cuts down the waiting time 
by quite a bit. So let’s see, say maybe 60 seconds or so to go on to 
Google and do the search. Then another minute or two to find the 
presence of an item on screen. As you know, there are things like the 
Item Chooser menu under OS Sierra, and there’s things like the JAWS 
Search and I forgot what they call the NVDA equivalent. So yes, I 
don’t dispute that it can be done quite quickly. If you find something 
relevant, then great, you’re off and running.


But then again, I have my Blaze ET now, or my iReader+, my Sara CE and 
if set up, my OpenBook and Pearl camera system. So let’s assume for 
the sake of argument that I opt to go with the Blaze ET. I can quickly 
take a snapshot of the box, then have the relevant information read 
out to me. The suggested cooking time, temperature and any other 
information I need is all there in front of me. I just don’t get your 
point. Surely, the most convenient and quickest method is to simply 
look at the box label’s contents.


Again, to be clear. I do not dispute or underestimate the value of 

[Techno-Chat]: Victor Reader Stream Update

[Gordon Smith]

Hello everybody

I posted a couple of days ago regarding the Victor Reader Stream and the Blaze 
ET.  I’m very pleased to be able to report now that my Victor Reader Stream 
(2013 Generation) has decided that it does like my network after all, and it 
has now gone online and downloaded a major update to its firmware. I’m 
delighted to say that the V4.7.2 update has reinstated the working links to the 
BBC’s radio services and, as such, they are all working again.  That is, for me 
at least, a pretty major plus point. I’ve been looking for a portable radio 
solution that gives me Internet radio services for quite some time, and now, I 
have one sitting on the arm of my chair.

One thing I like about the Victor Reader Stream is its Internet playlist 
support. Tell it which country you want to listen too, and you get a menu full 
of stations from that country.  I think, from memory, the International 
playlist is actually all grouped into one, which could  be better. But at least 
it works.

Incidentally, I have also been researching the Victor Reader Stratus, to see 
what the differences are between it and the Stream.  It appears that the 
Stratus is a far less portable version of the Stream.  It contains a CD drive, 
SD card slot, USB port, I think that is a fun size port. But it does not handle 
miscellaneous audio  books, has no Audible support and is far less flexible 
about text and other files.

Given this information, I see absolutely no advantage in the Stratus. I don’t 
see anything that it will do better than either the Stream or the Blaze ET.  So 
as far as I’m concerned, I have the right models to suit me.



My compliments and kindest regards
Gordon Smith:
>

Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.
Mobile/SMS:
+44 (0)7907 823971







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[Techno-Chat]: Re: OCR

[Gordon Smith]

Hello everybody

Although this started off as a private one, I’m opening this up for public 
discussion as I think it is an interesting topic on which others might like to 
express their opinions and views.

Perhaps I'm looking at this from the wrong perspective, but it seems to me 
rather like you’re putting the cart before the horse.Who said anything 
about giving up on anything?  All I said was that it’s quicker and more 
convenient to simply look at the box or packaging.  Nobody can deny that fact! 
Why worry about Google if it isn’t necessary? Why is it faster to lob into your 
computer and then take all the time google finding stuff if you can simply whip 
a device out of your pocket, turn it on and then read what you want to know?  
That said, and maybe I should have made it clear before I started. Maybe that’s 
the reason you’ve taken this a little out of context. I do not for one moment 
dispute or contest the value of Google. It’s a fantastic resource, and I 
totally and utterly agree with you that it’s a mine of information just ready 
to be tapped into. I would never dispute that for a second. But sometimes, just 
sometimes, there are things which don’t appear on Google. For example, I just 
did a Google search for Asda branded beaf and ham burgers and, goes what, I cam 
up with nothing relevant at all. So, let’s put this into context. The value of 
Google not being discounted, contested or disputed for a moment. Let’s see. 
First, I need to wait while my machine boots. That doesn’t take long, I grant 
you. Then I have to go on to the Google website. Again, not particularly a 
lengthy process. In total we’re probably talking about a couple of minutes. And 
yes, if the machine is already turned on and ready for use, that cuts down the 
waiting time by quite a bit. So let’s see, say maybe 60 seconds or so to go on 
to Google and do the search. Then another minute or two to find the presence of 
an item on screen. As you know, there are things like the Item Chooser menu 
under OS Sierra, and there’s things like the JAWS Search and I forgot what they 
call the NVDA equivalent. So yes, I don’t dispute that it can be done quite 
quickly. If you find something relevant, then great, you’re off and running.

But then again, I have my Blaze ET now, or my iReader+, my Sara CE and if set 
up, my OpenBook and Pearl camera system. So let’s assume for the sake of 
argument that I opt to go with the Blaze ET. I can quickly take a snapshot of 
the box, then have the relevant information read out to me. The suggested 
cooking time, temperature and any other information I need is all there in 
front of me. I just don’t get your point. Surely, the most convenient and 
quickest method is to simply look at the box label’s contents.

Again, to be clear. I do not dispute or underestimate the value of Google and 
Bing or whatever other search engines may be out there and ready for use. Nor 
do I dispute the fact that most main stream items are probably listed. It may 
be also that I just didn’t look hard enough when I went on to Google. My only 
point here is that it’s quickest and more convenient if you have access to it 
to simply go directly to the information you want.

I don’t really understand why you’re disputing that fact. Nor do I get it as to 
why, just because it isn’t your own way, everything else seems to be ridiculous 
to you. But there again, maybe I am being ridiculous, and just don’t understand 
that fact. I welcome any input either from you yourself or from others. Am I 
really being so ridiculous to suggest that looking at the packaging of a 
product which, after all, is exactly what somebody with vision would do as the 
first port of call, rather than trawling through Google’s undisputedly 
extensive and exhaustive online resource, would significantly speed up the 
process? If I have the ability or the technology right there in my pocket, 
what’s the problem with using it? Sure, look on Google as well, maybe you’ll 
find something relevant, t to your search. But I’m sorry, I just don’t 
understand why you’d advocate doing things in reverse.  But I guess it’s horses 
for courses.



My compliments and kindest regards
Gordon Smith:
>

Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.
Mobile/SMS:
+44 (0)7907 823971





> On 12 Oct 2016, at 22:11, Dane Trethowan  > wrote:
> 
> I’m sorry mate but that’s just an absolute ridiculous way of looking at 
> things suggesting that perhaps some of what you eat isn’t listed under 
> Google, in other words you’re defeated before you start or you’re going to 
> give up without trying.
> Your boat of course but that’s not the way I operate.
> I’ve actually used Google to find all sorts of things that I thought were 
> impossible to find or couldn’t have imagined I’d find and 

Re: [Techno-Chat]: Victor Reader Stream Update

[Dane Trethowan]

That's the second portable Internet radio unit you have  - or perhaps 
the third - let truth be told.


Not only do you have your Blaze ET but you also have the Samsung Galaxy 
phone, command it to "Listen To BBC Radio 4" and see what happens .


Happy Listening whatever and however you're listening.



On 15/10/2016 3:14 AM, Gordon Smith wrote:

Hello everybody

I posted a couple of days ago regarding the Victor Reader Stream and 
the Blaze ET.  I’m very pleased to be able to report now that my 
Victor Reader Stream (2013 Generation) has decided that it does like 
my network after all, and it has now gone online and downloaded a 
major update to its firmware. I’m delighted to say that the V4.7.2 
update has reinstated the working links to the BBC’s radio services 
and, as such, they are all working again.  That is, for me at least, a 
pretty major plus point. I’ve been looking for a portable radio 
solution that gives me Internet radio services for quite some time, 
and now, I have one sitting on the arm of my chair.


One thing I like about the Victor Reader Stream is its Internet 
playlist support. Tell it which country you want to listen too, and 
you get a menu full of stations from that country.  I think, from 
memory, the International playlist is actually all grouped into one, 
which could  be better. But at least it works.


Incidentally, I have also been researching the Victor Reader Stratus, 
to see what the differences are between it and the Stream.  It appears 
that the Stratus is a far less portable version of the Stream.  It 
contains a CD drive, SD card slot, USB port, I think that is a fun 
size port. But it does not handle miscellaneous audio  books, has no 
Audible support and is far less flexible about text and other files.


Given this information, I see absolutely no advantage in the Stratus. 
I don’t see anything that it will do better than either the Stream or 
the Blaze ET.  So as far as I’m concerned, I have the right models to 
suit me.




My compliments and kindest regards
Gordon Smith:
>

Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.
Mobile/SMS:
+44 (0)7907 823971

Re: [Techno-Chat]: sound blaster help again

[Gordon Smith]

If you use the device manager and select the card, then go to the drivers tab 
and do an update check, it should work automatically.



My compliments and kindest regards
Gordon Smith:
>

Accessibility & Information Technology Support Specialist.
Mobile/SMS:
+44 (0)7907 823971





> On 14 Oct 2016, at 03:45, Hank Smith, and Seeing-eye dog Iona 
>  wrote:
> 
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> 
> Hello this stupid windows10 soundblaster driver issue is driving me up the 
> wall
> 
> with out pullling out the sound card and getting the model number and seeing 
> if they have windows10 drivers is there anyway I can get the spasific model 
> of the version of the soundblaster xfi card?
> 
> the drivers that it is using is what ever windows10 installs by default.
> 
> if any one could please please try to help me get to the bottom of this?
> 
> thanks
> 
> Hank
> 
> 
> 



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