Gucci got in the ocean yesterday. Not sure she liked it though.

Went to the beach tn and gucci got her paws wet. She still backed away from the waves that came in fast.

When Gucci saw water, she backed up and stood behind my mom. She stayed under an umbrella and watched from the beach.

Went to the beach earlier. Had fun. Gucci not sure of water.

Got to gate for first leg of trip. Walking with a blind guy and not talking doesnt work :)

Family vacation 2009

Greetings. Tomorrow I leave for Florida to join my parents and later in the week my other siblings, niece and nephews for a family vacation. For many years, we did semi-regular vacations in Colorado. However, thankfully we've switched states. Not that i have anything against CO; i love it up there. But what I get out of vacations and what other members of my family get out of it are different things I believe. Also, those long car trips driving upwards of 15 hours or more just to get there, have burned me out on long car trips. It's somewhat necessary in Texas, but anything too much longer than 3 or 4 hours is too long for me. So, while my parents and older brother and his family are driving there, both myself and my younger brother are flying from our respective cities. Besides, I much more like the idea of arriving in 3-4 hours verses 14 or more. Anyway, we'll be staying in a friends beach house, which from what I hear is pretty nice, with the beach a few blocks away. I talked with my mother a few times today and it sounds like the area around the house is nice, and like there are a lot of runners, joggers, bikers, and people doing other things nearby. OH, and there's the wonders of the beach, which I haven't partaked in for about 16 years or so. I'm glad i setup the ability to do mobile posting from my cell not long ago. I hope to do a few posts next week on what we're up to, so keep watching this space for periodic updates. Though it's only for about 6 days, I'm looking forward to it. We haven't done a real family vacation like this in several years, so it should be fun. Talk later, and see you on the sand, :)

The History channel and l8r Discovery r running shows about moon missions tonight.

Just watched 1969 tv coverage of moon landing and walk. Cool!

Interesting story from a blind iPhone owner

Greetings. I came across this post to the Blind Phones email list regarding the new iPhone 3GS, which is reported to be "accessible." I applaud Apple for building in accessibility in a screen reader and appropriate gestures to read and activate things on the screen, however, the nature of the phone as a touch screen leaves me a little skeptical of how practical it really is. Even though I've got a colleague at work who is excited about the possibility and saving her money for one, and even though a student yesterday in one of my classes was really encouraging me to take a look at one (even after I had spoken to him with another teacher of our skepticism), I'm waiting until I can actually get a look at one and see for myself. I've got my Nokia N82 and am quite happy with it. However, here's one person's experience. In short, they used the new iPhone for about a month and ended up returning it to the store and going back to their N82. Read more about it at http://tinyurl.com/nfzktx Enjoy, and think about it before you buy.

Blog comments and communication

Greetings. For those that choose to make comments on any post on this blog, take note of the following. While Blogger is supposed to email me and give the option of publishing or rejecting the comments, so I can weed out any potential spam, that doesn't always happen. I say this because earlier, in browsing the main blog's area for making new posts, accessing settings and the like, I saw a message that there were 18 comments which have yet to be moderated. As I'm going through some of them, I'm finding comments from as recent as earlier this month, to as far back as January this year or even further. If you need to get in touch with me, putting a comment here may not be the best way. In fact, given that I don't go through the comments on the Blogger side and moderate them very often, I'd actually say that if you are content wiht hardly ever receiving a response from me, then commenting here is the best way. However, if you actually have a concern, question about a technical gadget or computers, or want to ask something else, then please use another method. I'm on many different email lists and certainly don't mind receiving off list emails from people. Though I prefer not to put my email address on the web, I will in this post, more or less. Another good way to get in touch would be to fill out the feedback form on my site, linked below in the Sites to Watch section. Those forms go directly to me. If you want a response back, then replace what's in the subject with something like "Please contact me," and I will. So, for those that want to get in touch with me directly, here's the one and only time I'll put my email address out there, at least in this form. I try and limit the times it's out there to try and control any potential spam. Take note of how it's written and convert that into how they're usually written, remembering to remove the star (*) symbol. It is:

wcmerritt *at* gmail* dot* com*

Again, trying to trick the computerized bots that troll the web harvesting email addresses.

One other note on commenting: If you put your email address in your comment, it will not be filtered out when your comment is published. Further, it could be harvested by these computerized bots and you could begin getting more spam. So in shorrt, take note before you write your email in these comments. Remember, once I approve them to be published, anyone on the web can read them. Again, for private communication with me, either use the email above or fill out the feedback form on my site, which will both go directly to me. I'm not trying to discourage comments, but don't want to miss any private messages that might come through them, that could have gotten to me in other ways. Thanks.

Mobile posting

Greetings. I've added the ability for me to post via text message. I tried to write this in a post, but found that Blogger cut off most of the message and only showed the last two lines. Guess I need to not write novels each time I send messages from my cell phone. Anyway, I looked at Twitter, but figured that this would be easier since I already have a blog and since blogger has added this feature at some point in the last few months. I wish I knew of this or that it was out there when I went to train at The Seeing Eye last fall, but oh well. I'm not sure i'll use this a lot, but it will be handy for when I'm out of town or away from my computer, such as perhaps during the trip to Florida I'm taking with my family in a couple of weeks. Talk later.

Another person blogging at The Seeing Eye

Greetings. I love reading posts or blogs from someone who is currently in training for their guide dog. Such is the case with Stacey and her time at The Seeing Eye starting today and going for the next few weeks. She's returning for a successive dog, so her stay won't be as long as for a new dog, but nonetheless you can read more on her Live journal blog which I've listed in my bookmarks as Stacey's Seeing Eye training. She has some posts already there leading up to when she left last night to travel to New Jersey, and she promises to post during her training. Whenever I read a blog like this, it reminds me of when I went for Gucci last August. Can't believe that was almost one year ago; there's a trip to remember. Hopefully she'll continue posting about her adventures with "new dog" after she returns home. Enjoy.

Overdue horseback riding update

Greetings. Sorry for not putting up an update recently about my horseback riding. For whatever reason, after I get home and rest, I get distracted and have forgotten to update everyone on my progress. Well, here's a summary of what we've worked on in the last month. I didn't go on July 4th due to the holiday.

We've been working on counting steps around the arena. I learned by doing this that the arena is 14 by 28 steps square, or rectangle as it is. We counted steps when both Paint was walking slow and a little faster and came up with more or less the same numbers. I've learned from a volunteer that the reason for this is to work up to having me ride in the arena without any front or side walkers. Back in June, Brenda had one of her teenage volunteers stand in one part of the arena and talk. The first time this happened the girl didn't know what to talk about, and pretty much just said hi to me each time we got close to her. The next Saturday, Brenda gave her a book on dressage to read aloud. A little while into the lesson, when passing her, the girl said that she was learning so much about dressage that she didn't realize before. Brenda said that this would help me get a feel for how large the arena was, and more of an idea of distances. Last weekend I wasn't able to ride Paint, due to him recovering from surgery, so I spent the time learning more about grooming and leading him in the arena. When leading, I learned how to turn right and turn left. The concept of pushing him to the right for all right turns took me a little while to fully grasp. I was confused and thought that Brenda said to use this pushing method for both turns, even if we're going counter clockwise, but I later learned that this wasn't the case. When walking around the arena, Brenda asked one of the teenage volunteers to tap each of the lettered cones she had out for dressage. She has also set out a radio near the gate, so that on one end I hear the radio and the other end I hear the girl reading the dressage book. This has worked out quite well in helping me get my bearings in the arena, and leads me to think that this might be how things are when I ride solo. Right before leaving when talking with Brenda, I heard one of the other students there, an autistic girl, whinny like a horse. I said to Brenda, "Wow, that's an interesting sounding horse you have; and it sounds so human but it made a horse sound. Hmm." The whinny ended in a laugh, so that's kind of a dead giveaway. Anyway, I'll try to get back to regular updates. This weekend I'm not sure if I'll go riding, perhaps might put an errand in the riding's place, but I'm definitely going on July 25 before a break in the first 2 Saturdays in August. Until then.

Labs and text messaging with the Google Calendar

Greetings. IN part, I read earlier on the official Gmail Blog that Labs features are being added to the Google Calendar. I've stated before on this blog that many of the Labs features are what I consider fluff, such as a background image or putting colored labels on different emails. However, there are a couple of features that jumped out at me and actually looked helpful. Now you can access some of these on the Google Calendar. As features go, these are experimental things and may or may not work. It's like Google is testing the feature before they go live as it were on the application itself. The two things I saw and quickly enabled in my Google Calendar Labs settings were: jump to date and view next appointment. The Google Calendar could stand for some accessibility improvements as it is, but after some browsing around, it's not too hard to figure out what's what. After I saved my settings and was taken back to the Google Calendar page, I was pleased with the results. Apparently, a heading is placed on the Next Appointment area, which is good. And, the jump to date area is a series of combo boxes where you can choose the month, day and year of the date you want to go to, be it in the past or the future. In other words, at first glance, it looks pretty accessible and usable by a blind guy who is using screen reading technology. Now, if Google would only carry over some of the Labs features from Gmail, or as stated before on this space, combine the Basic HTML with the Standard interface without losing any accessibility, then all would be right wiht the world. So thanks to the Google Calendar people for adding some Labs features to their application. I look forward to more.

Text messaging: If you go into your Google account settings area, you can now add the ability to have Google send a text message to your cell phone with a password reset code/reminder if you forget your password. Of course, this assumes you can access and read text messages on your phone. However, in this day and age of more cell phones being accessible with all of the software and different types of phones out there, this is a good move. Also, in the Google Calendar, you can check your calendar via text message, or even schedule via text message. Read more in the Google Calendar Help area for how this works. Good on you Google Calendar people!

Gmail out of beta?

Greetings. I read earlier today on several Google related blogs that many of their applications are out of their beta cycles. This includes Gmail, Google Docs, Google Calendar, and others. Given that Gmail has been "in beta" since 2004, it's about time. My big question now is this: if Gmail is out of beta, when will those who use the Basic HTML interface start seeing some of the enhancements, new features, and "Lab only features" that have been in the Standard interface for some time now? Granted, many of the Lab only stuff is what I call "fluff." For instance, I don't have a lot of use for colored labels since I cann't see the colors. However, there are some Lab only things that I could find uses for and would find helpful, such as applying more than one label to a post at one time. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone from Google or Gmail that could answer this? Or, here's something, how about combining the Standard and Basic HTML interfaces and making one big interface that has enough glitz for the sighted people, but that also is accessible with plenty of headings and other HTML elements to enhance navigation with a screen reader or other AT product? I understand the benefits and uses of having a separate site that's "accessible," however why not be inclusive as well and accommodate everyone equally? After all, that's one of the big goals with many disabled people, to be treated on equal grounds as those who are "normal." So, how about it Google?

Using your PAC Mate as a Jaws Authorization

Greetings. I received the following information via an email list. I posted this, or something similar to it, back in 2005 but it's probably time for a reset. I'm not certain, but I believe this works best if you're using PAC Mate versions before the Omni. I believe you can accomplish the same thing with the Omni, but have to use a Bluetooth connection. Not sure on that though. Perhaps someone can post a reply with those steps. Anyway, enjoy.

***

Did you know that if you own a PAC Mate you also own a copy of Jaws for
the PC? Your PAC Mate acts as an authorization. This is something not a
lot of people are aware of but there are times when it can come in
handy. The option is called "Active Sync Remote PAC Mate". Not only does
it allow you to use Jaws on a PC but it also allows you to use the
keyboard and c display from the PAC Mate to control the PC.

The following steps will get you started:

1. Install Jaws. You must use a version later than 6.2 for this to work
properly. You don't need to activate the Jaws but you can if you wish
to.

2. Establish an active sync session between the PC and the PAC Mate.

3. From ere there are 2 ways to go. There is a program included with
Jaws called Pac Mate Desktop. This needs to be running before this will
work. You can run this directly from the Start Menu, Programs, JawsX [X
being the version of Jaws you have installed], tools, PAC Mate Desktop.
If you want this program to automatically start when your computer does
then you need to start Jaws. Press JawsKey J to move to either the Jaws
window or the Context menu. Go to the Options menu, locate Basics and
press enter. Tab until you hear "automatically start PAC Mate Desktop"
and make sure the check box is checked. Press Enter to exit the Basics
dialog. Now exit Jaws.

4. Your PAC Mate has a built in command for starting Jaws. Note that if
you don't do it this way Jaws will not recognize the PAC Mate as an
Authorization. To start Jaws press Insert Shift F4 on the QX. Press
DOTS 1-2-7-8 CHORD, D or DOTS 1-5-7-8 CHORD, D. Your PAC Mate will say
"PAC Mate remote mode on" and Jaws will start. You now have control of
your PC through the PAC Mate and a fully authorized Jaws.

If you wish to use the PAC Mate functions you can turn off the Remote
Mode with the same keystrokes you turned it on with. This will not shut
down Jaws on the PC and you can still use Jaws with the PC keyboard.

To stop working in remote mode, press Insert F4 on the PAC Mate if you
have the QX. If you have the BX press DOTS 1-2-8 CHORD, D or DOTS 1-5-8
CHORD, D. You will hear "Do you really want to quit JAWS? Press Enter to
quit now or Escape to cancel." Press ENTER to unload JAWS from the PC
and the PAC Mate returns to normal mode.

Note that because the BX does not have many of the keys necessary to
control a PC alternatives have been set up. See your PAC Mate BX
documentation for more details.

The Booksense makes sense

Greetings. I have yet to place my order for this new and exciting device, and I'm already posting about it here on my blog. The Booksense is one of the newest book reading/MP3 playing devices out there. Rather than me ramble through lots of features, let me point you to two resources. The first is a Comparison chart between the Booksense, VR Stream, and Plextalk Pocket and the Booksense Unvailing (MP3 file direct download link). Both of these will give you more than enough information on this new product.

I initially read over the comparison chart out of curiosity, to see how the Booksense would stack up against the Victor Reader Stream. However, I found myself going over sections of the chart several times to make sure I was reading it right. Shortly after I had finished, I was on the phone with a local dealer of GW Micro products asking about pricing and other features. The price for the Booksense XT might seem a little high at $499, but given that all you get, and add on the discount they're running till September 30 where they're taking off $50 of the XT price and $35 from the Booksense Standard's price, it more than makes up for it. So, below is a summary of some of the key features or distinguishing characteristics of the Booksense, at least compared to the Sttream, and other notes. This is not an exaustive list, but these are some of the things that jumped out at me. Check out the two links above for more details.

Cons:
* Wording: the dealer told me that the Booksense is still under development to a degree and the manufacturer's are working on some of the wording in certain parts of it. Nothing big, but coming from the perspective of a computer teacher, there are some terms used that are usually used with Windows, and the way you interact with said item differs from how you might do it in Windows. The Booksense is not a computer, but I couldn't help but notice this conflict.
* Battery life: the Booksense runs for 12 hours, verses the Stream which runs for 15 hours. I haven't timed my Stream from start to finish, so I don't know if I actually play it for the full 15 hours. However, given that this is really the only major problem I have with the Booksense, and that the pros listed below more than make up for the battery life, I can deal with it.

Now, here's some of the pros that I found interesting:

* Folder names: the names of the folders where you put your reading material or audio files make more sense than the Stream. For instance, instead of calling the music folder VrMusic, on the Booksense, it's simply called Music. What a concept?
* Battery charge time, especially since it takes half the time of the Stream, at 2 hours verses 4 for the Stream.
* Recording formats: You can record in some more standard formats on the Booksense, rather than an obscure one where you need special software in order to convert them into a standard format.
* Built in FM radio: not a big thing and not a deal breaker for me. I'd be just as happy without a radio on my device, but in this day and age of combining multiple tasks into one device, I'm all for it. This way I can just take one device with me on trips, rather than carrying my reading device and a Walkman or other portable radio.
* Built in storage on the Booksense XT model: try 4 GB of storage! Since I have a 32 GB SDHC card, built in storage isn't a big deal, except for perhaps important documents or files that I don't want to accidentally delete on the sD card, like perhaps the user manual.
* Smaller size: according to the unvailing event linked above, the Booksense is 30 percent smaller than the Stream. Meaning, it's about the size of a candy bar cell phone. That sounds pretty good to me!
*Every Booksense comes with an SD card. The size of the card will depend on which model you buy: the standard has a 2 GB and the XT has an 8 GB. I can't tell you how many people I talked with, that when I told them of the stream, I also had to endure the disappointment from them upon hearing that the Stream didn't come with a card included. It's definitely a downer to find that you have to buy something else when you've already spent a certain amount on a product. Not a big deal, but definitely notable that each Booksense comes with its own card. And no, there's no way to not get a card. Consider it another option for storing lots of tunes or books.
* Ability to charge the Booksense via USB: yes, if you have the unit connected to your computer via the USB cable, then along with transferring files, you can also charge the battery. There's forward thinking.
* Ability to read Audible, Book Share, NLS digital talking books, and coming in the next release in another month or so, RFB&D files.
* Ability to read Word documents, including Word 2007 files.
* And more.

I'll probably read over this list later and think of things to add, but this list is a start. Considering that I was looking at netbooks and seriously considering which one to buy, and now this netbook purchase has been moved back for several months, that tells you where my buying priorities have shifted to.

Will the BookSsense overtake the stream? Who knows; only time will tell on that. As the dealer said earlier, there are people that will like one over the other, and there will be those people that like both. Also, both of these devices are great devices. In a sense, the Booksense is an extension of the Stream, just as in the next year or two, there may be newer devices that build on what the Booksense is doing. Will I get rid of my Stream after I get a Booksense? No way; the Stream is special. Personally, I think the Stream was the right device at the right time in the right place when it came out. I sat down one day not long ago and calculated approximately how much money the Stream has made HumanWare in 18 months, given a certain number of units that were sold in that timeframe. The first 18 months saw around 15,000 Streams sold, which assuming they all cost the same price and that everyone paid for them (yes, assumptions here, but I had to go off of something), I came up with over $5,000,000! I wonder how many other devices for the blind have made that much money in their first 18 months? I'm not sure that the Booksense will capture that following that the Stream had it its history, but then again, who's to say it won't? It will be interesting to watch how things go for GW Micro over the next few months and year.

One other question I want to toss out: with GW Micro and HumanWare diversifying their product lines in recent years, having screen readers, screen magnifyers, portable magnifyers in some cases, note takers, and now book/Daisy reading and mP3 playing devices, when is Freedom Scientific going to join in with their contribution? And, how will that contribution compare with what's already out there? Time will tell on that front as well.

AS for me, I'll be reading up on the Booksense over the next 2 days, and anxiously awaiting my own unit. If the attendance at the unvailing of the Booksense or some of the comments I've read from other people on the web is any indication, this looks to be a device that many people will want to get their hands on. A colleague of mine wrote that he's already preordered his and will have it when he returns from the NFB convention next week. At the time I read that, I thought, "How can you preorder a device that you haven't even seen yet? Crazy." However, now I think I know.

Convention agendas on NFB Newsline

Greetings. I received this yesterday from an email list. It's great to see the two largest consumer organizations of the blind having information offered through the same service. Let's hope this continues in future years. This also means that conventioneers have another way of checking the daily agenda at whatever convention they are at, in addition to the variety of existing options. Enjoy.

***

Both the ACB and the NFB will be holding their conventions within the next few weeks, and as a service to our subscribers we are making the convention agendas for both consumer organizations available on NFB-NEWSLINE®. To access these convention agendas, from the main menu press option number five “Newspapers in a Different State” for regions, and choose option number four “National Meetings of Interest to the Print Disabled.” From that point you may select option number one to access the ACB 2009 Convention Agenda, or option number two for the NFB 2009 Convention Agenda, or option number three for NFB-NEWSLINE® Detailed Convention Agenda. For those of you who use NFB-NEWSLINE® In Your Pocket, you may choose to download these convention agendas onto your personal digital talking book player and enjoy having the entire agenda on your small portable device. To do so, you will first need to add the convention agenda(s) to your Favorites list (option number four from the main menu) over the phone. This information is also available online via Web News on Demand at
www.nfbnewslineonline.org
To find the agenda of your choice, search for the agenda title in the “Publications Organized Alphabetically” category. Using Web News on Demand to read your agenda(s) allows you to easily search for details such as a particular meeting’s start time or room number. You can also have an e-mail of the entire agenda, a particular day’s schedule, or meeting information sent to your inbox on demand. If you should have any questions, please call Bob Watson, NFB-NEWSLINE® Content Manager, at (410) 659-9314, extension 2356.

protecting your dog from the summer sun

Greetings. The below information comes from an email I received on a guide dog email list. Even though many of these steps are common sense, it's still amazing the number of people you hear of each year that think, "I'll just be gone a minute," and leave their dogs or even kids in a hot car when at the store or other business. Meanwhile, that car that holds your kid or beloved pet is quickly heating to unbearable temps, both for dogs and for humans. Try just sitting in a car that's totally closed up and not running and see how long you last before flinging open a door. Anyway, these are posted for your consideration. Enjoy, and as always, please excuse any formatting errors.

***

Summer is here and that means outdoor fun-but the heat of the day can be
detrimental to your dog's health. Dogs have a higher internal temperature
than we do and they can get hot very quickly. Outside activities can be
very
fun to share with your family pet, but remember to protect him from the
summer heat. If you are not careful, your dog can suffer from heat
exhaustion. Follow these steps to learn more:

Step 1
Leave your dog at home
not in the car. More dogs die of heat exhaustion in parked cars than in
any
other situation. The car gets too hot--even if you leave your dog for only
a
short time.

Step 2
Exercise in the cooler times of day. People love running with their dogs
and
often think that a dog has no problem handling the heat. This is not true.
The risk of heat exhaustion can be reduced by running in the cooler times
of
the morning or evening. Also avoid hot pavement, which can burn the pads
of
your dog's paws.

Step 3
Hydrate your dog. Always carry dog-dedicated water and a foldable water
bowl
on walks and hikes.

Step 4
Wrap that dog! Wrapping a cool pad or wet bandana around your dog's neck
before heading outside can help her stay cooler and avoid heat exhaustion.

Step 5
Brush your dog. Brushing your dog's coat often can help decrease the risk
of
heat exhaustion, especially if your dog has a heavy coat.

Step 6
Keep it cool. During the hot times of the day, keep your dog in safe, cool
environment. Provide the dog with plenty of water. Make sure there is
always
a fresh, cool water supply available for your pet
at
home.

Step 7
Protect his nose. If you are going to be outside in the sun with your dog,
put sunscreen on its nose. It is a part of a dog's body that is not
protected by hair and is so very susceptible to sunburn.

Fictional account of Seeing Eye dog condition

Greetings. I received this from a Seeing Eye email list i'm on. My guide has the same fictional documented condition, except with socks. Read on and enjoy.

***

Hello everyone,
It's sunny today in Indiana and the temperature is expected to rise to a chilly 90 degrees. So, while I'm in the summer weather, I thought I'd have some fun writing a fictional (again) totally fictional article about Seeing Eye dogs.
Again, this is not true and meant only for fun.

Selective Amnesia in Seeing Eye dogs
Scientists have been carefully studying a vary unique and elite group of dogs known as Seeing Eye dogs, these talented canines have guided their blind handlers steadily onto the pages of history. Every since Moris Frank and his faithful German Shepherd Buddy amazed the public and blazed new trails of freedom and independence for generations of blind people, Seeing Eye dogs are a breed apart.
Now, scientists have discovered that Seeing Eye dogs really are significantly different from their pet peers. Seeing Eye dogs have a special sens organ called a biffle.
Though it is easy to name this organ, it is slightly more difficult to define. The biffle gets its name from bthree words, bark, sniffer and muzzle.
The Seeing Eye dog also has 3 brains.. To be a bit more accurate, there is the main brain located in the knowledge bump and two sub-brains. These sub-brains are located at the tip of the nose and the base of the tail. These sub-brains are driven most powerfully by the biffle rather than the reasoning main brain.
These biffle brains tell the Seeing Eye dog to seek out new people to meet and taisty smells to persue. The tail-base sub-brain keeps the tail ready for maximum overdrive and wagging performance while the nose sub-brain searches for people, food, and children and people with food and children with food and people with children with food and taisty pieces of paper to shred and so on.
The sub-brains are connected to the main brain but, for reasons not fully understood, the neuro transmitter connections are not always strong. This can cause the two sub-brains to override the main brain causing the selective amnesia I will begin to discuss.
Durring training, Seeing Eye dogs learn simple verbal commands. Their understanding of human vocabulary goes further than this. Extra curricular words like no or simple commands like "Stop that!" or "Get out of the trash!" rapidly become crystal clear to these dogs.
However, numerous episodes have been documented where the Seeing Eye dog temporarily forgets simple words.
The most recent episode happened a short while ago.
Watching via the internet, canine researchers and behaviorists observe as Dexter, a cross, carefully removes a shoe from the bed while his handler is in the shower. With infinite care, he places the shoe on the left side of the doorway just inches from its original location.
The handler is seen, shortly after, in her livingroom wearing one shoe and seeking the other. She calls Dexter over and the following dialogue is documented.
"Dexter, where did my other shoe goe?"
"I don't know."
It was together with this one on my bed but now it's gone."
Perhaps it was the *other *dog."
"No, the *other *dog is invisible and could not have taken my shoe."
"Shoe, what's a shoe? Shoo shew? What's a shoe?"
"It's a French term of endearment... Dexter, it's the thing that's missing. It's what is not on my left foot. It's the thing you transported in your biffle while I was in the shower and you've seen shoes all the time."
"huh?"
A short time later, the shoe is found and brought to Dexter.
"See this Dexter? This is a shoe."
"Oh! That's a shoe. Of course. It's the most obvious thing in the universe even horses wear them. Yes, now I recognize it. It really *is a shoe just like you said."
The working Seeing Eye dog is always struggling with grater or lesser degrees of conflict between the biffle sub-brains and the intelectual guiding main brain.
Because these dogs are thrice as smart, they can get away with pretending to be dum. So, next time you praise your dog at the end of the day, put just a little pitty in with the praise. When your dog is feeling his best, pitty makes things even better. Remember the heroic inner struggle your Seeing Eye dog experiences daily. Like Spock's conflict between his human and vulcan halves, your dog has his/her challenges. In the light of these new studies, some selective amnesia is to be expected. The key is to recognize it and go on with your life. Remember that, though your dog may seem foolish, he has more brains than you.

Seeing Eye on Facebook

Greetings. For those interested, here's information about The Seeing Eye's Facebook page taken from an email I received. enjoy.

***

Just a quick note to let everyone know that The Seeing Eye is now on
Facebook, along with about 300 million people!

If you are a Facebook user, you can find the page at
http://www.facebook.com/theseeingeye

Through Our Eyes to feature The Seeign Eye

Greetings. I received the following announcement from a couple of different sources and thought it worth posting here. Enjoy.

***

Joseph Ruffalo, president of the New Jersey chapter of the NFB, will feature The Seeing Eye and its 80th Anniversary during his Internet radio show scheduled for Wednesday, June 24.

Ruffalo, host of the ThruOurEyes Internet radio show, has invited Jim Kutsch, President and CEO; Rivi Israel, instructor; Roger Woodhour, volunteer puppy raiser; and Vincent Chaney, Seeing Eye Graduate, to appear on the show.

ThruOurEyes airs at 8 p.m. Eastern time and can be accessed by going to
www.thruoureyes.org
to listen live.

The ThruOurEyes show is also available via an Internet Podcast. Should you miss the show and wish to listen at a later time, the information is available on JAWS friendly links on
www.thruoureyes.org/jaws.html

Another JAWS update

Greetings. Freedom Scientific has released another minor update to JAWS version 10. below are the list of things addressed in this update:

• Resolved an issue where JAWS would not properly read the playlist window in the latest iTunes® 8 automatic update.
  
• Resolved a reported issue with how JAWS worked with the Track Changes feature in Word. Speech and braille were not working correctly for any markups once the view was set to Final.
  

To get the update, either use the Check for Updates item in the Help menu of the JAWS window, or download it from the FS website. If you don't use track changes in Word or iTunes 8, then you can probably skip this update. Enjoy.

Riding lesson

Greetings. I forgot to post something last week, so this time I hope to make up for that. Today was all about balance and feeling the rhythm of the horse. We practiced standing up in the saddle when the horse was standing still and then when moving. Apparently I’m doing pretty good since I was moving ahead to more advanced things before Brenda asked. For instance, after the first time of standing in the saddle when Paint was walking, I was already barely hanging on to the mane, and moving my right hand to my right hip. All this is in preparation for trotting and the 2-point method of riding when trotting, of moving up and down in the saddle according to the movements of the horse.

Last week Brenda had set out a radio to play in one corner of the arena, which really helped out. At one point, when the classical song had stopped and right when the announcer was starting to speak, Paint was right in front of the radio when the man started talking, which really through Paint for a loop and scared him. He jumped slightly and then started speeding up, but not too much before the lead walker got him under control. I really didn’t feel too much of this in the saddle, aside from the slight jump and then lurch forward, but then it was over. Paint was a little wary a few times after that when we had to go by the radio. This week though, Brenda forgot to set the radio out. However, after awhile, there was one of the children of a volunteer in the nearby stands, which was more or less where the radio was positioned. After a few prompts from Brenda, the daughter said, “Hi,” when we passed. The first time Brenda tried prompting her though, the girl waved, which didn’t really do anything for me. It reminded me of when I’m crossing streets sometimes, I’ll wave to the drivers that I pass, who probably wave on reflex before they realize that I’m blind and can’t see them.

I was able to ride Paint back to the barn area instead of walking him back. I had sometime after the lesson and was able to groom First Choice, the large 16.2 hand horse. She’s the same one that I’ve fed peppermints to and who has nearly turned into a large dog for all the licking that she gave me on my hands, arms, and shirt. I’m always amazed at the size of these horses and their strong muscles. There were times when grooming First Choice, when I would stop and examine a part of her body, like her hips, legs, and even hooves. Her hooves looked a little bigger than normal hooves, since I’ve heard that the larger horses have larger hooves. First Choice’s hooves seemed to fit this, from what I could tell. I was careful and slow and methodical when running my hands down her legs and feeling the hooves. She never objected or was nervous when I was doing this. I think that both First Choice and I enjoyed this grooming and bonding time, especially when someone brought me another peppermint to feed her, which I did. Soon after, there she went again licking my arms, hands and shirt. She even rubbed her large head up and down on my front a few times. Brenda said that Choice looked very happy when she was being led back to her stall. Brenda also said that Choice kept looking at me, I suppose expecting another peppermint. She said that the horse kept looking at my tall white cane I had. I then tried to tell her that the cane wasn’t a peppermint and likely didn’t even taste nearly like one. Brenda said that Choice didn’t look too convinced and probably wanted to taste it for herself. I said to First Choice that if she did that, then the vet would likely have to come out and look at her.

Before I left, Brenda, a volunteer and I chatted briefly. The volunteer expressed her concerns with me feeling Choice’s hooves and what if something had happened, and that could be dangerous, etc. I quickly explained to Brenda my thoughts about large horses having large hooves, and that I wanted to check that out. I said that I was careful in my movements and that nothing happened. Brenda told me that it was okay, and she didn’t sound nearly as concerned as the volunteer did. Then I left. Until next time, happy trails.

Cool Metallica shows to download

Greetings. It's always an event whenever Metallic aplays Mexico City, mainly because they don't make it down there all that often. To put things in perspective, they played Dallas last year during Oz Fest 2008 and will be back in Big D again later this year. They dont' make it to Dallas every year either, but the last time they were in Mexico City was when they were recording for their big live box set back in 1993. That album was special and each song had a certain ring to it. Now that you can buy and download a show one to three days after they've been in a city, getting live shows has gotten a little easier. Anyway, they were originally scheduled for two nights in Mexico City, on June 6-7, but they were able to add a third on June 4. Due to some technical issues on a couple of songs on the June 7 performance, the price for that show was discounted a couple of bucks. They're all great shows though. It's really cool listening to a show where the fans are into it, and the fans south of the border are definitely into it. They ought to be since they don't get the regular live dose that we do here in the states. You can really hear the enthusiasm of the crowd from these shows. One of the things I enjoyed from the live album from 93 were the chants that certain parts of the crowd went through at differnt times. These new shows have plenty of those between some of the songs. The song selection was pretty wide too, from way old school to last year's "Death Magnetic" release. There were even some songs that aren't performed that often in their concerts, such as, "Holier Than Thou," and, "Dyer's Eve." The only downside for me was the effects that led into "One." From the 1993 recording of that song, it sounded like the Forth of July. However, these newer recordings didn't sound nearly as explosive. The fan reaction was still just as enthusiastic though, so I suppose it's okay. There's still something special though when listneing to those 1993 recordings. Lars indicated at the end of the June 7 show, and I've read from their email list, that they are putting together a series of shows for a DVD to be released at some point, which will show 12 selected shows, including shots from the 3 in mexico City. We'll see if the new dVD will be as explosive and popular, and hold as much lore, as the Live 1993 box set did. If you're even a remote Metallica fan, go and grab one or more of the shows from Mexico City from Live Metallica. Or hell, grab all three; you won't be sorry!

Updated Stream FAQ from HumanWare

Greetings. I received the following note from the Stream Newswire regarding the updated Frequently Asked Questions documents on the HumanWare site. Read below for more information. Enjoy.

***

Dear Victor Reader Stream Friends:
We have updated the Stream FAQ (frequently asked questions) document on the Stream documentation page at:
http://www.humanware.com/en-canada/support/vr_stream_documentation

On that page navigate to the English heading to find the list of Stream documentation including the Stream FAQ in both Microsoft Word and html formats. This FAQ has over 100 answers to questions we have received about the Stream and we encourage you to review it.

This updated FAQ will especially interest Stream owners in the United States. New FAQ items have been added to the FAQ sections for NFB (National Federation of the Blind), NLS (National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped), and RFB&D (Recordings for the Blind & Dyslexic). In these sections of the FAQ you will find answers to questions about:

1. the new NFB-Newsline In Your Pocket service. The FAQ answers questions on how you can now download and transfer your favorite NFB-Newsline publications to the Stream in one simple step

2. NLS: The New FAQ answers questions about registering for the new NLS BARD (Braille and Audio Reading Download) service and how to authorize your Stream to play these protected materials. Also, some Stream users are involved with testing the new NLS book cartridges in some regional libraries. Some of you have asked us about playing and copying these book cartridges on your Stream and the FAQ answers those questions. For general information about NLS service or the NLS digital transition you should contact your local library or visit the NLS home page at: http://www.loc.gov/nls

3. RFB&D: The FAQ answers questions about how to download and transfer their new DAISY download books to your Stream.

Even if you are not using these services we encourage you to download the FAQ or browse it online as there are more than 100 frequently asked questions that are organized into 15 different sections concerning many aspects of using the Stream and managing different types of content. You can easily navigate the FAQ as each section is a level 1 heading and each question is a level 2 heading.

Other useful Stream links:
- For general Stream product information, testimonials, demos, and reviews, visit:
http://www.humanware.com/stream
- For Stream software downloads, documentation, and where to find content for your Stream visit:
http://www.humanware.com/stream_support

Thank you,
The HumanWare Team

Original article from forum post

Greetings. Here's a link to the original article from the forum post I put up yesterday. The article is called Dog Fight and it's from the Copperas Cove Leader-Press. This link is for the printer friendly version of the article. Thanks to Ron for the link. I always like to quote sources and authors/papers when putting articles here. Enjoy.

More on Taco Bell guide dog incident

Greetings. The below is another email that I sent to a guide dog email list. Though we don't know the whole story, this definitely sheds more light on the things that happened. I wish I knew the original paper or place where this story first appeared, but I'm sorry to say I don't.

***

I did a search on Google for the woman's name and among the results
that came back was this series of posts on a forum/newsgroup site.
I've cleaned up the posts for better reading, but for more and to read
comments from others, go to this link:

http://www.topix.com/forum/city/copperas-cove-tx/T52KB3SEVEHKE3KQ3


This is interesting stuff. Several times my eyes widened and I
thought, "Wow." See for yourself. Also, according to the below, Ms.
Ballou, the owner of the Leader Dog, was not using a "traditional"
guide dog breed, which might explain some of the manager's reaction.
It doesn't explain the behavior of the police though.
Wayne

***

new resident in Copperas Cove is considering legal action after being
forcefully removed from a local restaurant.

Nanette Ballou lost her sight 11 years ago due to multiple eye
traumas. She is assisted by Rusty, a white Berger De Picard or French
sheepdog, who was trained at Leader Dogs for the Blind in Rochester,
Mich.

While she does have limited vision in her right eye, similar to
looking through a straw, she can't process depth of field or see
anything other than what she is directly looking at. Also, any change
in lighting like moving from indoors to outdoors causes her total
blindness for five to 10 minutes until her eyes adjust.

"He protects me," Ballou said about Rusty. "He keeps me from bumping
into things and from tripping over curbs. But it's still scary to walk
places like parking lots where not everyone is paying attention and I
don't have any peripheral vision to rely on."

On Thursday, May 7, after picking up Rusty from the dog groomers,
Ballou and Rusty along with her daughter and two grandchildren went to
Taco Bell. The family placed their order, picked up their food and was
about to eat when Cynthia, a night manager, approached their table and
asked, "Is that a Seeing Eye," Ballou recalled.

"No, he's a guide dog, a Leader Dog," Ballou said to correct the manager.

Ballou said not all guide dogs are Seeing Eye's. It depends on what
school they go to and her dog went to the Leader Dog school.

"It's like calling an A&M student a Longhorn," she said. "I was trying
to educate her that there are more kinds of guide dogs, not just
Seeing Eye. But she had no part of it."

The manager told Ballou the health department would shut them down if
they saw the dog in the restaurant and then asked for identification
for the dog as a guide dog.

Ballou showed her the special harness Rusty wears identifying him as a
Leader Dog and stood her ground as she began to feel harassed.

The manager said she was going to call the cops and Ballou said, "Go
ahead, save me the call."

Six Copperas Cove police officers in three patrol cars arrived on the scene.
When the police arrived, Ballou said they did not identify themselves
and the first officer, whose name she was never given, told her "Lady,
you and the dog have to get out."
She told the officer Rusty is a service dog and Texas law allows him
to be with her. She showed him a law book she carries with her with
all the state and federal laws for the blind across the country, but
said the officer would not look at it.
She told the officer she just moved to Copperas Cove and said she
can't believe they don't know what the law is. She said the officer
told her "Welcome to Copperas Cove, if you don't like our laws,
leave."
She said the same officer told her, "You don't look blind" because she
was looking at him while he spoke to her. She said it is common
courtesy in the visual world to look at someone when they speak to you
and you don't have to be sighted to do so.
A second officer on scene Cpl. Shane Kieltyka did read her law book,
she said, because she believes he understood she was trying to diffuse
the situation.

"When the first officer approached me, it flustered me," she said.
"But I stood my ground."
Her daughter, Jennifer Warden, said when the police arrived they
crowded around the table
enlarge
making it difficult for them to leave like they were being told. One
of the officers also followed Warden to her car, speaking in a
confrontational voice while blocking her in the corner of her car's
open door, Ballou said.
"We felt closed in," Warden said. "There was me, a 10 year old and a
nine year old and a blind woman with her dog. How dangerous did we
look? They did everything short of calling in the SWAT and spreading
us out on the ground like an episode of COPS."
Her oldest child, age 10, has cerebral palsy and said the incident has
had a negative impact on her trust in the police and how disabled
people are treated.
Warden, who said the police have been called before because of her
mother's guide dog, said this is the first time they were treated this
way. All the other times the police said they were allowed to stay,
she said.
"They didn't do anything but make us the victim," she said about the police.
Warden said her husband is being stationed at Fort Hood, but after
this incident, said her family will look for a place to live in Belton
or Harker Heights.

"We weren't impressed at all with the attitude the people in Copperas
Cove have, especially the police department," Warden said. "If we're
not living on base we need to know we can rely on the police
department, and that was a big no."
Now Ballou, an advocate for the blind, is searching every avenue
available to her to make sure this does not happen again. She said she
is afraid this incident has labeled her as a troublemaker by everyone
who saw the incident.
"Everyone who drove by and saw me and my very identifiable dog doesn't
know what happened," she said. "In a way, I was slandered across the
community as a troublemaker. I'm very vocal about what happened
because I want the public to know the laws that protect my civil
rights were not protected by the police department or Taco Bell."
Ballou contacted the police department several times to speak with
Police Chief Tim Molnes, but said he wouldn't return phone calls.
Another officer did eventually speak with her and take a report
filling official charges against the Taco Bell manager for non-access.
Ballou said she could have also pressed charges for interfering with a
service animal's job and for harassment, but has not.
She then contacted the district attorney's office where an assistant
told her this is a civil manner and they don't handle those cases. She
told them it is not a civil manner and she said he repeated several
times "we're not going there" and then hung up.
She has also called City Attorney Charles Zech and left a message, but
has not heard back from him.
"Everyone at the city has shut me off," she said. "They are afraid I
might sue. I don't like to fight. If the police chief had made them
apologize, I probably would have dropped all of this."
She said she just wants to see the laws enforced. She also said there
are grants available through the ADA civil rights section of the
United States Justice Department for entities to have someone come in
and teach them ADA laws.
City Manager Andrea Gardner said "The City's policy is not to comment
on ongoing investigative matters" and would not answer questions about
the city's ADA training or this incident.
Lt. Danny Austin said the file on this case is still open and could
not release information without an open records request. The request
was sent to the Copperas Cove Police Department earlier this week. The
file has not yet been received. The May 7 police blotter has no report
of an incident at Taco Bell.
Taco Bell representative Don Barton has also been contacted by the
Leader-Press office about the incident. He said he would send a
prepared statement by e-mail. The statement was not received by press
time.
Texas law on service animals states any violations of a person's right
to use a guide dog is guilty of a misdemeanor and is punishable by a
fine of not less than $300 or more than $1,000.
"They know they stepped over the line," Ballou said. "They are just
hoping it will go away."

Webinar announcement: NFB Newsline Online and the VR Stream

Greetings. I received the following announcement from HumanWare regarding an upcoming webinar, the new term coined for web based seminar presentations. While many of these so called webinars look interesting to me, I do have an issue with them being offered once, in the middle of the day. I know that there are many blind folk that don't work and likely attend these sessions whenever they're offered. However, what about the working folk? I'm not sure if these sessions are archived, probably so though. If you can attend, then good on you and enjoy.

***

Dear Victor Reader Stream Friends:

If you are an NFB-Newsline member you may have heard of the recent new service from NFB called NFB-Newsline In Your Pocket. It allows you to automatically download and transfer your favorite NFB-Newsline publications to your Stream everyday by simply clicking the NFB-Newsline In Your Pocket icon on your desktop. EASI is hosting a webinar June 16 where you can learn more.
Those of you who use NFB-Newsline may be interested in this webinar. The announcement follows.


EASI Webinar: Introducing NFB-NEWSLINE® Online June 16 at 2 PM
Using modern-age assistive technology to provide access and create opportunities for the print-disabled.

Presenter: Scott White, Director, Sponsored Technology Programs, National Federation of the Blind

Co-host: Renee West, Marketing and Outreach Manager, Sponsored Technology Programs, National Federation of the Blind

NFB-NEWSLINE®, the largest electronic newspaper service in the world for blind and print-disabled Americans, has recently launched NFB-NEWSLINE® Online (
http://www.nfbnewslineonline.org). Through NFB-NEWSLINE® Online's groundbreaking features, subscribers can enjoy both an enhanced experience in reading the news and dramatically increased flexibility in how they choose to access their favorite publication's content. This Webinar will provide information on our two revolutionary new features, Web News on Demand and NFB-NEWSLINE® In Your Pocket, and how these initiatives can serve as valuable tools in the everyday lives of the print-disabled.

Register for the NFB Newsline Webinar
http://www.surveygizmo.com/s/140743/introducing-nfb-newsline-online

Thank you,
The HumanWare Team

Guide dog access hits home

**Taken from an email I sent to an email list of guide dog users.**

Greetings. I saw this story on the local news this morning. I was
concerned about the quote from the Texas Hearing and Service Dogs organization since it seemed confusing to me, and was also left wondering if the woman's guide dog was acting up. There's no information on this or what the dog was doing that was so disruptive, but it is alluded to in the story. When the anchorman came back on, he said that the city supports the decision by Taco Bell's management. Good luck with that in court. Anyway, here's the article with some post comment afterward. Go to this address for the full article and other links, such as the original video of the
story:

http://news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=242381

(If it helps guide dog access in the grater community, then I'm all for the suit, since I've encountered possible discrimination for entering a restaurant in a nearby town to Austin, and have heard of at least one other instance of possible discrimination in Austin proper.)

Enjoy,
Wayne

Woman with guide dog says civil rights were violated
6/2/2009 1:15 PM
By: Brandi Powell


Rusty, the leader dog.
Texas Hearing and Service Dogs says guide dogs have been helping
people with visual challenges ever since World War I, but those who
use them still face some challenges.

One Central Texas woman who uses what's called a "leader dog" said her
civil rights have been violated.

Though some people may not know, there are certain legal rights and
responsibilities of those who use guide dogs.

Copperas Cove resident Nanette Ballou relies on her leader dog, Rusty,
to help her get around.


Ballou said she has very limited vision so her guide dog's always by her side.

Ballou said she and Rusty have had trouble at some establishments and
said it was no different on May 7.

"[We] went to Taco Bell with my daughter and two grandchildren,"
Ballou said. "Got dinner sat down to eat it. Manager came out. She
asked me if the dog was a seeing eye dog. And of course, my dog is a
leader dog."

A leader dog is a guide dog, just trained at a different school.

"At the end of our discussion, she told me she was going to call the
cops, and I invited her to do so," Ballou said.


Copperas Cove resident Nanette Ballou.
Ballou said when the Copperas Cove Police arrived, "They just walked
over and said, 'Lady, you and the dog gotta leave.'"

Ballou went on to say, "And so I argued with him adamantly, and when I
could see that this man wasn't going anywhere with my comments, I
finally said, 'Here's the law book, do you want to read it?' He
refused."

Ballou said one of the officers did eventually read her law book.

Ballou showed News 8 the harness that identifies Rusty as a certified
guide dog, and the identification card that identifies them as a team.

Texas Hearing and Service Dogs said this is not required by law, but
that's why the organization's big goal is education.

"But no matter what kind of credentials any kind of professional dog
has, if it is misbehaving in public, if it's dirty, if it's
interfering with the goods and services that the business is
providing, then no matter what kind of credential it has, it shouldn't
be allowed there," President of Texas Hearing and Service Dogs Sheri
Soltes said.

Ballou said that wasn't the case with her.

"It's very typical that law enforcement is not notified about it
because it is not a law that comes up a lot in their day-to-day
activities," Soltes said.

But, Ballou said she feels her civil rights were violated by Taco Bell
and the City of Copperas Cove.

So she said she is going to sue them both, on the state and federal level.

"The government needs to be involved with this sort of thing because
it does happen around the country," she said.

Ballou said she's already filed a complaint with the Texas ACLU.
She said she's been told the city attorney is not going to pursue any
charges against Taco Bell.

The city has not returned News 8's call to confirm.

The Copperas Cove Police Department also did not return News 8's call
asking for comment.

For more information on rights and responsibilities of guide dog
users, log onto
www.servicedogs.org
or call (877) TEX-DOGS.




Taco Bell's Response



"Taco Bell welcomes all customers into our restaurants, including
those with disabilities. This includes customers who require the use
of service animals, and from time to time, we have a customer who is
accompanied by a service animal into the restaurant. Our managers are
instructed to accommodate our customers' needs for a service animal.

In this particular case, the customer's need for a service animal was
not readily apparent, and out of concern for our other patrons, our
store manager asked the customer to provide some confirmation that the
dog was a service animal. Because the disturbance continued even after
the Copperas Cove police arrived, the police officers asked the
customer to leave and eventually escorted her from the premises. We
regret that this disturbance occurred, but Taco Bell firmly believes
that our manager acted reasonably in this situation."

Don Barton
Austaco, Taco Bell Franchisee