Lissi,
I think Bob does an excellent job with all of this. My only recommendation to
him is that when he send these meeting announcements to Bookshare-discuss and
DBB-review, he put them together in one daily message, describing the
activities of the various groups and archived programs.
-----Original Message-----
From: Estelnalissi [mailto:airadil@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2015 7:42 AM
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Bob Acosta service to Bookshare readers and others
reading adapted books
Dear Booksharian Friends,
While Bob Acosta heads and works with other organizations, he didn't
originate the Book clubs. They were started by enthusiastic Booksharians who
thought book clubs would be a way of encouraging Bookshare members to
download and read more books and to enjoy social contact with each other.
Actually Bob saw the value of the idea and provided safe, easy to access
meeting rooms and the willingness to publicize the meetings and to record
them for interested readers who couldn't attend the meetings. More clubs
were added by people who have book centric internet radio programs.
Bob donates his time to this nonprofit project and neither makes or charges
any money for his time or the computer platform which facilitates the
meetings. His publicity of meetings on various lists is an effort to make
sure no one misses the chance to attend a program for lack of knowledge
about it. I'm astonished he manages to keep so many ducks in a row!
I'm not familiar with all of the clubs but have attended some where I had
the thrill of hearing talks by NLS narrators like Roy Avers and Erik
Sandvold. At other meetings there were author presenters like one of my
heroes, Mr. Food! Some meetings feature company representatives who present
and described new technologies for reading adapted books. I'm always
grateful to learn about what's developing in the world of refreshable
braille readers, I pads, Androids etc. As for the Book clubs, I've attended
the mystery, fantasy and science fiction groups. They have been around for
over five years with loyal members and a slow but steady influx of new
comers.
I've attended the science fiction club most regularly so I know the most
about it. It's attendance recently peaked at a dozen readers. No one there
dominates the discussions which are fascinating and full of differing but
intelligent, well thought out ideas. The group chooses what to read
together, taking suggestions from different members. They have an email
group where discussions continue and diverge between meetings. Members often
mention new books that turn up in the Bookshare collection and on Bard and
discuss books not chosen as the book of the month there. While they usually
pick books available both from Bookshare and NLS, they've chosen books only
available from Bookshare when the book is really tempting and isn't
available anywhere else.
All of the groups are well moderated and are really dreams come true for
people who love to read and talk about books. I'm surprised they aren't
better attended.
The members have good manners and there's never any pressure to read the
month's book. All views are respected and encouraged. Attendees don't have
to participate, Everyone is welcomed and invited to participate, but people
can just listen if they like. No one is expected to read every selection.
I'm skipping this month's SF choice because though I know it's a terrific
book, I'm afraid the dark elements will depress me.
In my view Bob, who keeps very busy with his projects that educate, assist
and entertain blind people, is very generous to keep booklovers on several
lists informed of meetings to come and those archived for reviewing at
anyone's convenience. Visit the groups and have a great bookish time and
make new friends, or skip the announcements with your delete key that only
takes a second to tap.
Bob, I don't know you and am no expert on your activities. I hope my
explanation describes your work well enough, and thank you for your friendly
invitations and for the rich experiences you arrange with your team of well
chosen group facilitators.
Always with love,
Lissi
-----Original Message-----
From: Allison Hilliker
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2015 12:35 PM
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: Science Fiction Meeting, Thursday July 9,
2015, 9 pm EDT, Book Nook: www.accessibleworld.org
Hello,
Robert Acosta does not work for Bookshare or for Benetech in general. I'm
not sure which organization he is associated with. His emails seem to list
several. I think he just posts his book clubs to the list because he thought
Bookshare members may like them. That's all I know.
Best,
Allison Hilliker
Bookshare Support
-----Original Message-----
From: Karen Lewellen [mailto:klewellen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Tuesday, June 16, 2015 8:15 AM
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: Science Fiction Meeting, Thursday July 9,
2015, 9 pm EDT, Book Nook: www.accessibleworld.org
I had wondered why we were getting so many emails from Robert, does he work
for bookshare, and are all these meetings somehow tied directly to the
function of the service?
Just wondering,
Karen
On Tue, 16 Jun 2015, debra goodmam wrote:
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On Fri, Jun 12, 2015 at 6:17 PM, Robert Acosta <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
*NEWSWIRE: THURSDAY JULY 9, 2015*
*SCIENCE FICTION MEETING, 9 PM EDT, BOOK NOOK ROOM:
WWW.ACCESSIBLEWORLD.ORG <http://WWW.ACCESSIBLEWORLD.ORG>*
*Hello Folks,*
*Well, we had a smaller than usual turnout at our most recent
meeting. Bad weather kept some of our regulars offline. But everyone
who was able to make it liked our book, Ventus by Karl Schroeder. For
our next book, we’ve selected a tale of first contact by one of the
best author collaborations in SF history: We’ve chose The Mote in
God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry
Pournelle.*
*The next meeting of the Science Fiction club will be on Thursday,
July 9,
2015.*
*Place: Book Nook at:*
*http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs7867a2369e0e*
<http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs7867a2369e0e>
*Time: 9 PM Eastern, 8 PM Central, 7 PM Mountain, 6 PM Pacific, and
01:00
UTC.*
*Our book, The Mote in God’s Eye is available from both BARD and
Bookshare.*
*The Bookshare version is at:*
*https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/29134*
<https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/29134>
*and the link to the downloadable BARD version is at:*
*http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.45438*
<http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.nls/db.45438>
*The NLS annotation reads as follows:*
*In the thirty-first century, humans make initial contact with
another intelligent species. Though the aliens seem candid, they may
be concealing their true and dangerously cunning nature.*
*Here is a review from Amazon’s page for Mote:*
*Amazon.com Review*
*In the year 3016, the Second Empire of Man spans hundreds of star
systems, thanks*
*to the faster-than-light Alderson Drive. No other intelligent
beings have ever been*
*encountered, not until a light sail probe enters a human system
carrying a dead alien.*
*The probe is traced to the Mote, an isolated star in a thick dust
cloud, and an expedition*
*is dispatched.*
*In the Mote the humans find an ancient civilization--at least one
million
years*
*old--that has always been bottled up in their cloistered solar
system for lack of*
*a star drive. The Moties are welcoming and kind, yet rather evasive
about certain*
*aspects of their society. It seems the Moties have a dark problem,
one they've been*
*unable to solve in over a million years.*
*This is the first collaboration between Niven and Pournelle, two
masters of hard*
*science fiction, and it combines Pournelle's interest in the
military and
sociology*
*with Niven's talent for creating interesting, believable aliens. The
novel meticulously*
*examines every aspect of First Contact, from the Moties' biology,
society, and art,*
*to the effects of the meeting on humanity's economics, politics, and
religions. And*
*all the while suspense builds as we watch the humans struggle toward
the
truth.*
*--Brooks Peck*
*Come join us next month to talk about what many consider one of the
best first contact novels ever written, and anything else SF
literature related.*
*Evan*
*Host: Evan Reese*
*E-Mail: **mentat1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx* <mentat1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
*Date: ThursdayJuly 9, 2015 *
*Time: 6 pm Pacific; 7 pm Mountain; 8 pm Central; 9 pm Eastern*
*And elsewhere in the world, Friday 02 pm GMT*
*Approximately 15 minutes prior to the event start time; go to The
Book Nook Room at:*
*http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs7867a2369e0e
<http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs7867a2369e0e>*
*Or, alternatively Select The Book Nook Room at:
http://www.accessibleworld.org <http://www.accessibleworld.org>*
*Enter your first and last names on the sign-in screen.*
*All programs are recorded and archived so if you are unable to
participate live at the above times then you may download the
presentation or podcast from the Tek Talk archives on our website at
http://www.accessibleworld.org <http://www.accessibleworld.org>*
*If you are a first-time user of the Talking Communities online
conferencing software, there is a small, safe software program that
you need to download and then run. A link to the software is
available on every entry screen to the Accessible World online
rooms.*
*All online interactive programs are free of charge, and open to
anyone worldwide having an Internet connection, a computer, speakers,
and a sound card. Those with microphones can interact audibly with
the presenters and others in the virtual audience or text chat with
the attendees. To speak to us, hold down the control key and talk;
then let up to listen.*
*Accessible World uses News Wires, like this one, to inform people of
the topic and times for the many Discussion Groups on Accessible
World. The lists are announce only to keep the traffic to a minimum.*
*You can join the Accessible World Announce List, the Tek Talk
Announce List by sending an email to subscribe to our one-way announce
list at:
awannouncements-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<awannouncements-subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>.*
*Accessible World also provides a Tek Talk Discussion List. This list
is intended to give you an opportunity to ask computer related
questions, suggest topics to be used in the weekly Monday training
programs, or just to interact with others interested in using
assistive devices to access computers. You may sign up for this list
by going to:*
*http://mail.accessibleworld.org/mailman/listinfo/tektalkdiscussion_a
ccessibleworld.org
<http://mail.accessibleworld.org/mailman/listinfo/tektalkdiscussion_a
ccessibleworld.org>*
*You can also sign up for the Tek Talk and other lists accessible
world has by going to:*
* http://accessibleworld.org <http://accessibleworld.org> and
clicking on the "News Wires and Discussion Mailing Lists" link.*
*Accessible World Contacts:*
*Robert Acosta, Chair*
*Accessible World*
*818-998-0044 <818-998-0044>*
*Email: boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx <boacosta@xxxxxxxxxxx>*
*Web: www.helpinghands4theblind.org
<http://www.helpinghands4theblind.org>*
*Randi Shelton, Events Coordinator*
*Accessible WorldPhone:*
*412-221-0821 <412-221-0821>*
*Email: rshelton820@xxxxxxxxx <rshelton820@xxxxxxxxx>*
*Steve Hoffman, President*
*Talking Communities*
*Email: steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>*
*The Accessible World, a division of Helping Hands For The Blind, a
501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, seeks to educate the general
public, the disabled community and the professionals who serve them
by providing highly relevant information about new products,
services, and training opportunities designed specifically to
eliminate geographic and access barriers that adversely affect
them**.*
Robert Acosta, President
Helping Hands for the Blind
(818) 998-0044
www.helpinghands4theblind.org
