Issue #1
January 1, 2013
As Out-Of-Sight approaches the date of our fifth anniversary
on January 16th, 2013, we are launching this monthly newsletter to
attempt to connect in a greater measure with our membership. We hope that the various sections that will
be included in this informative newsletter will give a better understanding to
our members just what Out-Of-Sight is all about.
We want to not only make you aware of what is available on
our site on a daily basis in the way of fun and challenging games, varied
interesting events and presentations, but, to also strive to keep the blind and
visually impaired community abreast of the many things that are going on around
the world that will either enhance or hinder our lives now and in the future.
We trust that this monthly newsletter will be informative,
and will help make it possible for us to become better acquainted with one
another. If there is anything else you
would like to see included in this format, please contact us with your
suggestions at:
Best regards,
Lee Richards
To navigate quickly to the different articles in this
newsletter using JAWS or Window Eyes, press the letter H to move through the
headings.
·
Congratulations to Hugh Gillis for becoming a
great grandfather, for the 7th time, on November 1st. Little Jackson Arthur is just as cute as can
be!
·
We hear that Mark Dew purchased an iPhone 5, and loves it!
Perhaps, you can teach us a thing or two about it, Mark!
·
Ships Ahoy!
Debi Black will be heading out for a week long cruise in the
·
All paws up for our buddy Franklin Johnson, who
just got back from guide dog school with his newest best friend, Snyder! Go puppy power!
·
Mister Fixit and his wife will be travelling to
Got any news for us?
We would love to hear what is going on in your world, so please keep us
up to date and write to:
We look forward to sharing your news with our extended
family, here on Out-Of-Sight!
Help us celebrate our January Birthdays:
January 3, MISS TEE - Teresa Fleenor, from
January 5,
January 12, Catt - Trina Casada, from
January 13, Shut Up Delete - Mike Edwards, from
January 15, Sunshine Girl - Sharon
Caravan, from
January 20, Mister Fixit – Mike, from
January 23, DrummerBoy23 – Rishi, from
Please help us build our birthday list, by sending your
Username, first and last name, date of birth, (year optional), and where you
live, to: newsletter@out-of-sight.net
By Karen Santiago
Ronny, also known as, Cobra, from
We would like to extend a special welcome, to our blind
brothers and sisters from other lands.
Whether you have been a member for a long time, or recently joined, we
are glad you are apart of our community, and we look forward to learning more
about you and your culture. Welcome to
Out-Of-Sight! Here is a sampling of the countries represented outside the
United States on our site:
On Stage!
By Charles Rivard
For several years now, Karaoke has swept the nation. Sing along with a recorded tune for all to
hear! It does not matter whether you are
good or bad at it, it is the feeling of being in the
spotlight for a short moment of fame! It
is all in good fun for both the performer and the audience.
Unfortunately, unless you already know the lyrics to a
particular song, a blind person does not have much of an opportunity to be one
of the quote, stars of the show, end quote.
Well, how about the opportunity to share your talents with
an online audience? If you do not sing,
you can recite poetry, tell an entertaining story, or play the musical
instrument of your choice, solo, or along with a file on your computer!
This is exactly what you can do if you join us every
Saturday, at 8:00 PM eastern time in the On Stage chat room. Please do not be shy. It is really fun! And, if your talents lie elsewhere,
performers do need an audience, so there is your opportunity to be entertained
by those who choose to perform!
What you need as a part of the audience, you already
have. Your PC,
the chat client, and a microphone. As a
member of Out-Of-Sight, you already have them.
To perform, you need a sound card that will permit others to hear what
comes from your PC over The Net, the instrument or whatever you will be using,
and, if any, the file you are going to perform along with. That is it.
Some people pre-record their performance, while others do it right
there, live, on the spot.
We would love to have you participate, either as an audience
member or a performer. Depending on the number
of performers, the show lasts for roughly 2 hours! Whether you have, or have not previously done
so, please join us for some great, and fun
entertainment!
Do you love to curl
up with a good book? Been meaning to
read that best seller? Here are two of
our book club selections. They are to be
read for our next book club meeting, which will be held, Friday, January 18th
at 8:00 PM eastern, in the Library. See
you there!
The Cat Dancers
Deutermann,
Peter T. Reading time: 16 hours, 1 minute.
Read by Jim Zeiger.
Mystery and
Detective Stories
A soccer mom, her
child, and a cashier are killed during a botched minimart hold-up. The two
crooks confess but are freed on a technicality. When the pair is abducted,
Cutting The Stone
Verghese, A, (Abraham). Reading time: 21 hours, 24 minutes.
Read by Mark Ashby.
Family
Medical Fiction
Click to Download
Cutting for stone: a novel
Locking the Key on the Site
By Charles Rivard
This comes up so often, I thought it would be a good idea
for the first tech tip. There are a few
ways to do this, and I will give three.
Method one is probably the easiest. This works on some machines, but not
all. First, make sure the chat room
window is in focus. Next, press Alt
L. If you hear the bleep sound, you have
been successful. Keep in mind, if you do
not hear the bleep sound right away you may be in the queue. Your microphone will become active when it is
your turn to talk. Remember to make sure
the chat room window is in focus and then press Alt L to unlock the key.
Method two is a little more involved, but not too much
so. It, as far as I know, works on all
machines, so it is really a better option.
Here are the steps:
1. When in the chat
room window, press your Alt key to get into the menus.
2. Right arrow to the
Actions menu.
3. Down
arrow to, Lock Talk Key.
4. Press Enter.
5. After the bleep
begin talking.
6. When you are
finished talking, repeat steps 1 through 4.
Method three, once set up, works from anywhere. Once it has been set up, you can lock and
unlock the microphone with one keystroke.
Here are the steps:
1. When in the room,
press the Alt key to get into the menus.
2. Right arrow to the
Options menu.
3. Down
arrow to, Configure Talk Key.
4. Press Enter.
5. The radio button
for Single Key Mode should be checked.
It is the only radio button.
6. Tab once to the
combo box. These options, which you can
up and down arrow through, are what key will be used to activate your
microphone normally.
7. Tab once and you
will find two radio buttons. Global
should be the one checked, so that you can activate your microphone from places
other than in the chat room window.
8. Tab again, and go
past the OK button and the Cancel button.
You will come to a list of keys that you will want to select to lock and
unlock your microphone from windows outside, or inside, the chat room. My choice is the Pause button. Check that one.
9. Now, shift tab to
the OK button and press Enter. You will
be notified that you have to restart the chat client to have the change take
effect. Do so, and you're done.
Now, put this tech tip to good use, and come to our On Stage
event and show! Your! Stuff!!
By Karen Santiago
Each month, the On Your Own segment is dedicated to providing tips
and techniques to making your daily life easier and safer. I have decided to
start with a safety technique that, had I used, would have prevented two
serious accidents from occurring.
When bending down to get something, it is best to bend with your
knees and not at your waist. This will prevent your head from moving forward.
However, if you have sore, or weak knees and must bend
at the waist then, put your arm out in front of your face. The best way to do
this is with your arm out about six inches from your face, elbow pointing
downwards (at a 45 degree angle), your palm should be
facing out, and in front of your face.
Another tip with regards to bending down, if you like, is to wear a baseball
cap. The brim of the cap will hit an object before your face does.
So, please if you do not already use this technique, do so, in order
to prevent any accidents from happening to you.
If you have a question about how to do something easier, or in a
safer way, please email your query to:
By Kate Dolosa
New
Victor Reader Stratus digital players
from HumanWare and AIS!
This is a new desktop model that plays CD and
DVD disks, SD cards, and USB thumb drives.
Here are some specifications:
Built in clock
Acappella voices
Stream softpak
included
Replaceable battery
Excellent built in speaker with plenty of
volume!
You can download a demo from Humanware by clicking
this link:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/28452237/Stratus12M
Audio Demo.mp3
Submitted
by Alan Dicey
Vision: Restoring Implants that Fit Inside the Eye:
A coming generation of devices promise clear, high-quality
vision for the blind.
By Megan Scudellari, on December 4, 2012.
A coming generation of retinal implants that
fit entirely inside the eye will use nanoscale
electronic components to dramatically improve vision quality for the wearer,
according to two research teams developing such devices.
Current retinal prostheses, such as Second Sights Argus II, restore only
limited and fuzzy vision to individuals blinded by degenerative eye disease.
Wearers can typically distinguish light from dark and make out shapes and
outlines of objects, but not much more.
The Argus II, the first bionic eye to reach
commercial markets, contains an array of 60 electrodes, akin to 60 pixels, that
are implanted behind the retina to stimulate the remaining healthy cells. The
implant is connected to a camera, worn on the side of the head that relays a
video feed.
A similar implant, made by Bionic Vision
Recognizing this limitation, both Second Sight and Bionic Vision
Smaller materials do have the possibility of giving higher-resolution images,
says Shawn Kelly, a bioengineer at
In
The company has already tested a prototype in pigs, and it worked beautifully, Gefen says. They are now building a human prototype that
should improve on both the quality and the number of electrodes, potentially
reaching up to 5,000.
Our target is to get to 20-20 [vision], says Gefen. I
am sure we can get there. The company hopes to enter clinical trials within two
years.
Another team, this one at the
Nanowires are perfect for eyes, says Khraiche. They capture light well and are tiny. He
presented details on the device at the annual meeting of the Society for
Neuroscience in October. The team is currently testing it in rabbits.
Nanotech implants hold a lot of promise for future applications, says Kelly,
who is not involved with either group, but they have to be designed carefully.
For one thing, he says, there are safety concerns about applying nanomaterials directly to the retina, and there will need
to be ongoing studies about how long a nanotech-derived device can safely
survive inside the body.
Source URL:
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/508041/vision-restoring-implants-that-fit-inside-the-eye/
By
Charles Rivard
Exercising Your Dog
Dog
Guide schools used to say that you should walk at least a mile every day with
your dog guide. This was to keep their
training at a high level and to keep them in top physical condition. If you had a very energetic guide, it also
unleashed, (pardon that pun), pent up energy.
Some
people, particularly those who do not use a dog guide, still stick to this
philosophy. Even worse, they seem to
demand that people walk their dogs more often than they do.
Guide
schools, when interviewing a person who is going to apply to get a guide dog,
ask you how much traveling you do on a regular basis. They do this for a reason: It is a determining factor as to whether you
need an active or a not-so-active guide.
The dog you are matched with is to meet your needs, and not the other
way around. Therefore, it is not
necessary for you to change your daily schedule based on whether you use a dog
guide or a cane.
So,
while it is a good idea to walk your dog, the key factor is your schedule. If you work 40 hours a week, and your dog
just lays around the office all day, you were probably
given a dog who is more laid back and who doesn't mind laying for long periods
of time. This dog would not need to be
walked nearly as much as a more active puppyish dog. If you are a college student who has to get
from room to room on a spread out college campus, and do so in a hurry, your
dog is probably one of those more active puppies that have a lot of
energy. Your dog should match your
schedule. It is important to let the
interviewer from a dog guide school know enough about your daily routine so
that a good match can be found, resulting in a well working team between you
and your dog.
By Kate Dolosa
A new release in the iWorld
Technology recently is, iTunes version 11, which seems
to work well with most adaptive technology, especially the Mac. Below are some
useful keyboard shortcuts to help you in navigating the new released version of
iTunes. Quick tip:
Mac users use the Command key, and Windows
users can use the Alt key in place of the Command key.
Space Bar: plays and stops the selected song
Command + left or right arrow: plays previous
and next songs
Command + up or down arrow: Increase or
decrease volume
Command + shift + H: go to iTunes store home
screen
Command + 1: Displays the Music section
Command + 2: Displays the section Movies
Command + 3: Shows the section of TV Programs
Command + 4: Shows the section of Podcasts
Command + 5: Displays the iTunes U section
Command + 6: Shows the section of Books
Command + 7: Shows the section of Apps
By John
Chatfield
Do you have Medicare or Medicaid health
insurance? If so, you may be one of the
many people who have questions about these programs. Perhaps, you are not sure
whether you are taking full advantage of them. Maybe you are not sure about
your eligibility and would like to get personalized information. Sometimes problems need to be resolved.
There is an excellent source of help. It is
called SHIP, which stands for The State Health Insurance Assistance Program. It
is described on the SHIP website as quote, a national program that offers
one-on-one counseling and assistance to people with Medicare and their
families. Through federal grants directed to states, SHIP programs provide free
counseling and assistance via telephone and face-to-face interactive sessions,
public education presentations and programs, and media activities, end quote.
I am a volunteer counselor in
Every state has a SHIP program, but they are
called by various names. To find a SHIP counselor in your state, use the link:
https://shipnpr.shiptalk.org/shipprofile.aspx.
Or email me at:
jchatfie@gmail.com to assist you to find your SHIP. If you have suggestions or questions
regarding Medicare or Medicaid that you would like the newsletter to address,
please contact me, John Chatfield at the above email address.
By Kate Dolosa
Audio description in theaters are surely
increasing nationwide, and still more and more theaters are trying to install the
necessary technology to offer this service to their blind and visually impaired
customers. The cost of installing this
technology is decreasing, because of new equipment coming along that would
handle descriptions for digital cinemas.
With digital, everything (movie, multiple sound tracks, captioning), are
all delivered in something called the Digital Cinema Package (DCP), which any
company can access through common standards, so the competition is increasing
and the cost of installation is decreasing.
TIP:
When you pay for your movie ticket, ask for an
AUDIO DESCRIPTION headset; but make sure it is for audio description, not
amplified sound for people who are hearing impaired!
Upcoming New Releases with Audio Description in
January:
Broken City, from Twentieth Century Fox Films
(CC/DVS) January 18 release date
Monsters, INC. 3D from Walt Disney Studios
(CC/DVS) January 18 release date
Recent Releases with Audio Description
(December Release Date)
Les Miserables, from
Universal Pictures (CC/DVS)
Playing for Keeps, from Film District (CC/DVS)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, from Warner
Bros. Pictures (CC/DVS)
Zero Dark Thirty, from Sony Pictures (CC/DVS)
Amour, from Sony Classics (CC/DVS)
Life of Pi, from Twentieth Century Fox Films
(CC/DVS)
This is 40, from Universal Pictures (CC/DVS)
Untitled Judd Apatow
Comedy, from Universal Pictures (CC/DVS)
The Great Gatsby, (CC/DVS)
By Suzy
Barnes
Rotel Chicken
1 package Doritos
4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced, about (4
cups plus)
1 can Cream of Chicken
Soup
1 can Cream of
Mushroom Soup
1 can Rotel Tomatoes
8 ounces sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese
Directions
Crush Doritos, and cover bottom of buttered
baking dish. Mix all but cheese, and add
to baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese,
and bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes, until bubbly.
You can top with extra crushed chips and return to oven for an additional 3
minutes.
This recipe is easily halved; using only one can
of soup.
Enjoy, and best dishes!
By Alan Dicey and Trevor Motion
On Thursday
Afternoon, December 13, one of our most dedicated Zilch game Players, a good
friend to us all, a wonderful, cordial gentleman, and a delight to be around,
known to us simply as Trevor, from that beautiful city of Thames, New Zealand,
won his first game of this quarterly Zilch Tournament, winning a spot on the
Out Of Sight Zilch Wall of Fame!
I subscribe to the
History Channels website, and receive a daily email called, This Day in
History. Coincidently, I noticed that on
this same date December 13, in 1642, Dutch navigator Abel Tasman, sighted
present-day
With this very
strange Coincidence in mind, the Out of Sight Zilch Games players were so
shocked and stunned, (I mean delighted), at Trevors
win, we sent a News Reporter and camera crew (fictional) to interview him and
here is the transcript from that interview.
Hi Alan,
The Reporter and
camera Team that came to interview me on Thursdays Zilch Game arrived in
Thames early Morning, Saturday 15th, NZ Time and Date, and will be
Staying at the Best Western Motel, and are here at my Place just in time
for Lunch. I am happy to meet them!
Charles, The Oklahoma
Tornado in the Zilch games, just does not know what he is missing by not coming
out to
We got some Beer here
that he has never tried, and He would have just raved over, and wanted not
to drink any other Beer. In fact we have two Beers he would have loved. They
are, firstly, Coromandel Gold Beer, and Spates. No that is not what
my handle Coromandel Gold was named after. I will tell you the story some day.
Then in 1769, Captain James Cook, rediscovered
Then in 1835,
my Ancestors, John and Mary Motion arrived in
Grand Dad and Gran, were married in 1921, after Grand Dad obtained a
Divorce from his first Wife, and it was Gran who brought up Grand Dads
Four Children by his first Wife. So my Dad grew up around the
Coromandel Peninsula, and Met my Mum in Hamilton during World War
2, and they were married in January 1946, and so along came my Sister
Muriel in 1947, Colleen in 1950, followed by me, Trevor in 1953, and then
Dianne in 57, and Ross in 1961.
And there you have
it!
Great Great Grand Dad John was here before the Treaty was
signed and the Motion Family was well established before
There is quite a lot
on my Family history, but it would take a Book of many Pages to
write about it, for originally Part of my Family came from Scotland,
around St Andrews, and during that period of the 1300s Part of the
Family went to Live in France, and on up past the Madam Guillotine
Era, and change Family Name to, Montrose, and later some
returned back to Scotland, reverting the Name to Motion as it was before
the Lot that went to France, changed it to Montrose. The lot still in
And they thought a
Kiwi winning Zilch, was just the Icing on the Cake!
Submitted by Debi Black
1. American Council of the Blind (ACB)
www.acb.org
2. Audio
Internet Reading Service
3.
Braille and Audio
4. Future Forms (Braille Paper)
5.
Each month, we will
showcase 5 blindness related websites that we hope will be useful to you. If you have any suggestions for this section,
please write to:
By Lee Richards
January 16, 2013 will
be another milestone for Out-Of-Sight.net. This date will be the fifth birthday
celebration for our site.
On January 16, 2008,
Out-Of-sight.net was established, providing an internet location where blind
and, visually impaired individuals, along with their sighted friends would be
warmly welcomed into a caring and loving family setting. Our site has strived for these five years to
provide educational experiences, fun and challenging games, technology
presentations, and other special events, as well as the opportunity every day
to meet and chat with people from around the world.
We want to invite
everyone to join us on this very special birthday which will be celebrated on
the fourth Saturday, January 26, 2013.
The festivities will
start at 12:00 PM eastern, and will continue throughout the remainder of
the day. As you read this, our staff and members are in the process of planning
a wonderful and memorable day for all of us.
Everyone is welcome
so please come and join us for this anticipated event.
By Mike
1.
A sun dial is a timepiece that has the fewest number of
moving parts. Which timepiece has the
most moving parts?
2.
All the information you need to solve this mystery is
here.
Fred and Ethel are dead on the floor. There is
broken glass and water on the floor. How can this be?
Please submit the answers to these brain
teasers to:
We will let you know if you are correct, and if
so, we will publish your name in the February newsletter. Have fun trying to
solve these puzzles!
Submitted
by Katie Chandler and Karen Santiago
Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but
their echoes are truly endless.
By Mother
Teresa
This New Year, give
resolutions a break. Take one day
at a time. Each day brings new hopes and
opportunities. Grab them as they come to
make your New Year happening and fulfilling.
By
Here is your mission, should you choose to
accept it.
We sincerely hope you enjoyed this first
edition of our monthly Out-Of-Sight newsletter, and need your input in choosing
a fitting name that represents the submissions within. Below, are some examples
already put forth by our newsletter team. Please choose one of the suggested names, or
submit your own newsletter name, and send it to:
We thank you for your submissions!
1.
News and Views
2.
Blind Info
3.
OOS News
4.
News and Visions
5.
Visions
We would like to thank the dedicated members of
the newsletter team, who worked tirelessly to make this newsletter a
success! Thank you for your
articles. Thank you for your research
and thank you for making this really cool idea come to life!
Alan
Charles
Debi
Glenda
Karen
Kate
Katie
Lee
Mark
Mike
Ronny
Suzy
If you would like to receive our daily
announcements and schedule of events, please select the following email link.
That is all there is to it! You should receive a daily announcement from
us within 24 hours. These announcements not only highlight the schedule of the
day, they provide important information about any cancellations, new events, or
special messages from our hosts or board members. Stay informed with our daily
announcement!
Stay tuned for our monthly newsletter, which
will be coming out on the first of every month.
We look forward to your input and suggestions for future
newsletters. Please submit your
questions, comments, or article submissions to
Debi Black
Editor
Catch the vision--it is Out
of Sight!