[nfbwatlk] Talking Signs in Seattle

[marty]

Hay guys,
   You know I don't know about all the rest of you folks but I grew up on 
star treck, and this stuff is straight out of the series. Why not have a 
small receiver that is placed in the ear, that will pick up the signal from 
said signs, and go from there. If it can help some folks, why have a fit 
about it? No admitteddely, this technology will not be available every 
where, yet if it could be of some assistance, then why  not? but the system 
that Mr. Heart has out is a more user friendly system, just in the size of 
the receiver,  its about the size of a lighter, and with some of this blue 
tooth technology, things will be useable without the entire world knowing 
anything about what help it gives, to anyone, not just the blind, and that 
was what it was designed for, and supported by the local store owners who 
advirtize there.Folks lets face it, these people are working on improveing 
their carma, so they are going to do what they think will help, its up to us 
to choose what we are going to do whith it. No it will never replace the 
common sence of just asking, not to mention, basic good mobility skills, 
which are good anywhere.Its education and choice, and what , and how its 
used.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim Portillo" s<jp100 at earthlink.net>
To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 10:00 AM
Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Talking Signs in Seattle


> Oh, are you talking about Harry Hart?
>>From what I understand, he's gotten some money for that, but I'm not sure
> how much or for how many.
> Jim
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Mike Freeman" <k7uij at panix.com>
> To: "NFB of Washington Talk Mailing List" <nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, September 01, 2006 9:33 AM
> Subject: Re: [nfbwatlk] Talking Signs in Seattle
>
>
>> Actually, there is a fellow working on such a system in Seattle using
>> the same technology as the RF ID tags used on merchandise. Don't know
>> how far he's gotten, though. Although I'm not enamered of talking signs,
>> the idea had some traction as regular merchants could use the system as
>> you describe and text could be scrolled onto the little handheld
>> receivers. Speech synthesis would be used for the blind. My chief
>> concern there was maintainability of the system; someone would always
>> have to update it.
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> On Fri, 1 Sep 2006, Carl Jarvis wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Mike,
>>> Did you ever wander around Woodland Park back in the days when you could
>>> buy
>>> an Elephant Key and put it into the box positioned by each exhibit?  The
>>> box
>>> would begin to tell you everything you never wanted to know about what
>>> was
>>> supposed to be in there.  Of course they might have moved the original
>>> occupant and put something else in, or the box refused to work at all. 
>>> I
>>> suspect that those little problems were what finally did the project in.
>>> Still, I have a point here, it seems to me that talking signs could have
>>> a
>>> very broad appeal.  Think of old uncle Fuddy Duddy arriving in our Fair
>>> City.  As he rolls off the box car, he can trot into town and rent a 
>>> unit
>>> for the day.  As he pan handles his way up one street and down another 
>>> he
>>> will be aware of all of the local attractions.
>>> But really, such a system could be underwritten by the local merchants.
>>> Not
>>> that they would want to have old uncle Duddy dropping in, but it would 
>>> be
>>> a
>>> way of advertising under the guise of providing a public service.  And 
>>> at
>>> it's finest, such a system might even include a little screen so sighted
>>> folks could stand mesmerized by the sight of all the local shops and
>>> their
>>> mounds of merchandise, along with a road map taking them right up to the
>>> front door.  Eventually the blind might have to fight just to have such 
>>> a
>>> system audio described.
>>> Carl Jarvis
>>>
>>>
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