[Mt-blind] Fw: Fyi
Daniel Burke
burke.dall at gmail.com
Sun Apr 15 14:07:03 CDT 2007
Rik,
You're absolutely right about drivers who talk on the phone being a very big
hazard. I recall hearing a study about five years ago which measured the
response time of drivers talking on cell phones -- using hands-free devices,
too. They reacted abut as quickly as did people who had drunk six beers in
the past hour.
Trouble is, on certain roads in Missoula at certain times of the day I would
bet you would find about half of the drivers talking on cell phones. Now
imagine that say, half of the drivers on Bozeman's 19th Street or Billings'
24th Street West or Missoula's Reserve Street between the hours of 4:30 p.m.
and 6:30 p.m. on any given weekday had sucked down a six-pack in the last
hour.
Are you frightened yet?
And I won't start talking about my walks to work or even the bus stop in the
morning.
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of RJ / KJ
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 12:23 PM
To: 'Montana Association for the Blind List'
Subject: Re: [Mt-blind] Fw: Fyi
Ah, there you go again, Dan. Impressing me with your up to date techie vibe
beat. And as to Morse code, well let's just say I never did dash when I
could just amble. And being long winded, I seem to have used the comma too
much, when I could have easily used the dot much earlier.
Now, Mister Aldrich on the other hand, and perhaps some others on this list
do indeed remind me of how very fluent in the code have been many a blind
communicator. Many of whom over the years have provided a vital service in
times of emergency over ham radio airwaves.
But as to blackberries and all this sort of thing..
How useful is all this instant communication though anyway?
I mused to myself philosophically, back in that waiting room. While feeling
oh poor me, without a way to do email or whatever like this neighbor could,
I thought to myself, that it is like cell phones and other instant
gratification communication stuff that all society has been inundated with
of late. That individuals, myself included have lost the centeredness of
stopping to really smell the roses, so to speak. Breathing. Thinking of
here, of now, and so on. What do people do with all of this instant oatmeal
of email? Mostly I am just deleting spam anyway. Who remembers when a can of
Spam was something you took on a camping trip, and not just what you deleted
from your inbox. These are just old fogie musings, I guess, and not much of
a serious subject for this news group. And yes, I know, not many would ever
admit to having once partaking of the poor man's delicacy.
And gosh, here is another thing that occupies my pea brain of late.
In truth, the mobile communication culture that has evolved gives me great
pause as I travel about on the streets. Bad enough before for safety and
all the tools of the road for us moving about, with canes and dogs and such.
The reports I get from sighted observers of the driving public, so darned
many are driving while plugged into these devices. Cell phones anyway, I
don't know about blackberries. I don't think audible signals is near as
vital of a concern as the drivers who are moving through these
intersections.
But anyway, back to whatever else you were doing that was fun. I'm signing
off for now. For me it is back to a bit of Sunday baseball, and the reading
of Newsline newspapers. Where real writers write and real newshounds
consume much to fill our heads with woe and heartache, and yes, even some
joy. Rest in peace, Mister Vonnegut, and may Kilgore Trout, Billy Pilgrim,
and all the other every man characters live on and on. So it goes.
Enjoy your Sunday.
Rik
-----Original Message-----
From: mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Daniel Burke
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 11:38 AM
To: 'Montana Association for the Blind List'
Subject: Re: [Mt-blind] Fw: Fyi
Thanks for the kind words, Rik!
The PacMate and the various Braille Note versions are the main equivalents,
without phone capability. And yes, they are about five times as costly.
There are increasing smaller PDAs and some smart phones that begin to
approach similar functions that sighted folks enjoy with things like the
Blackberry, but I haven't read any reviews of these systems. Also, the LG
series more or less accessible cell phones that were previously available
from Verizon have apparently been discontinued. Jim Marks was looking to
upgrade his phone this spring, and has yet to do it. Now it seems you have
to buy software like Mobile Speak, which is about $300, over and above the
cell phone itself.
I vote for returning to Morse Code ... I think I can remember some of it
from Boy Scouts even now ... Okay, maybe only the S O S.!
Dot dot dot dash dash dash dot dot dot!
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of RJ / KJ
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 10:33 AM
To: 'Montana Association for the Blind List'
Subject: Re: [Mt-blind] Fw: Fyi
Thank you very much, Mister President Dan, for the detailed and informative
sum up of the accessible voting issues and the AutoMark. It is well that you
be acknowledged for all the good work you are doing and for the kind and
informative way in which you have and continue to perform in the service and
on behalf of us blind persons in Montana. We ought to all take the time to
recognize this and let me do so now. Thank you, DAN!
And also thanks for confirming my wonderings about the blackberry's ability
to be accessed and used in a nonvisual manner. Raspberry indeed. Hi ho,
there you go, being clever while answering a question all at the same time.
Cheerio!
A while back I was In a medical waiting room and a seated neighbor was
poking away at a blackberry keyboard, and they said they were receiving and
sending emails, and I briefly pondered and wondered what piece of equipment
blind folks are using these days along the lines of doing what a blackberry
does. I imagine it must cost 5 times what the blackberry does in any case.
Regards.
Rik James
Bozeman Folklore Society Concerts / KGLT-FM "Americana Backroads"
716 North Montana Ave., Bozeman, MT 59715
ph: (406) 586-4123 - D28Rik at msn.com
http://www.bozemanfolklore.org/concerts.html - www.kglt.net
-----Original Message-----
From: mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Daniel Burke
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 10:16 AM
To: 'Montana Association for the Blind List'
Subject: Re: [Mt-blind] Fw: Fyi
Yes, I think that she was referring to "association," and didn't realize
what she'd done till she saw her abbreviation in my reply. That's why she
apologized.
"AutoMARK" is the brand of electronic voting machine we have in Montana. By
the way, it is the only electronic voting machine that offers accessibility
as well as a printed, hard-copy ballot at the end of things. Moves to have
that hard-copy ballot are pushing revisions in the Help America Vote Act,
which gives us accessible nonvisual voting.
Missoula County Clerk and Recorder Vickie Zeier has been pushing very hard
for mail-in balloting. There is going to be a study, a considerable
scale-back from the original call for mail-in balloting in the 2007
Legislature. But apparently Vickie is going to push for it in Missoula
County regardless.
BTW, Beth is an attorney at the Montana Advocacy Program who has been
keeping us abreast of the mail-in voting issue. MAB has no specific policy
on this topic, but we have resolutions regarding accessible voting. So any
change in balloting must include provisions for access for blind people -
something treated dismissively in early testimony in the 2007 session.
Also, a single voting place for blind and other people with disabilities
certainly rings of segregation. But more importantly, if we go and vote on
machines and everyone else mails in their ballots, how will we be assured
that our votes will not be set apart as a group of votes? This was a
concern in some states in 2004, as was New York City's single voting
location for blind people.
Finally, Beth is not blind, which explains her use of the Blackberry. To
answer the Social Scientist of No Renown, yes the Blackberry hiccups, but it
doesn't excuse itself. Rather, for the potential blind user the Blackberry
gives the raspberry.
Dan
-----Original Message-----
From: mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:mt-blind-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Breslauers
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2007 9:06 AM
To: Montana Association for the Blind List
Subject: Re: [Mt-blind] Fw: Fyi
It was probably meant to be an abbreviation for association. Oops!
Joy
----- Original Message -----
From: "Heather Stone" <heatherastone at yahoo.com>
To: "Montana Association for the Blind List" <mt-blind at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2007 6:45 AM
Subject: Re: [Mt-blind] Fw: Fyi
>I sincerely hope this comment "have reps
> from the ass of the blind" was a typing error because
> if not, I feel that it was an unnecessary crude way to
> ask for support & you need to state the time &
> location of Monday's meeting.
> --- Carl Schweitzer <carl at mt.net> wrote:
>
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Beth Brenneman" <beth at mtadv.org>
>> To: <carl at mt.net>
>> Sent: Friday, April 13, 2007 9:12 AM
>> Subject: Fyi
>>
>>
>> Vicki Zeier just said in our study bill hearing that
>> she will be asking the
>> msla city commission to run the next city election
>> exclusively by mail - the
>> meeting is this monday, and it would probably be a
>> good idea to have reps
>> from the ass of the blind at the hearing ensuring
>> that automarks will be
>> available in accessible locations - b
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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>>
>
>
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