[bookshare-discuss] Re: about the optacan
- From: "shannon" <shannon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 8 Feb 2006 09:45:43 -0600
Oh, I did have it wrong. That is too bad that they stopped making it. I find it
hard to believe that there isn't enough demand for that kind of tool. Go
figure, Gotta love the corporate know it alls. Smile I think they are missing
the boat on that one.
Shannon
----- Original Message -----
From: Evan Reese
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 9:23 AM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: about the optacan
No, it doesn't have a Braille display. It has an array of very small
vibrating pins which come up similar to a Braille display, but in the shape of
the letter the camera is on. As you move the camera, the pins rise and fall,
giving a very good representation of moving across the page. The original
Optacon had an array of six vertical rows of twenty-four collumns. The second
version was shortened to five rows, if I recall correctly. I have one of the
original versions.
They did not come up with anything to take its place. They stopped making
Optacons about ten years ago or so. They were made by Telesensory Systems,
which was merged with some other companies to create Freedom Scientific a few
years ago. As far as I know, FS has no plans to resurrect the Optacon or
create anything similar to it.
I remember hearing some time ago on the web about some research project or
other to create something like the Optacon, but also with speech, but I haven't
heard anything about that lately. You might try doing a search on "Optacon
Replacement", or something and see what you come up with.
Take care.
----- Original Message -----
From: shannon
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Wednesday, February 08, 2006 5:26 AM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] about the optacan
Evan,
Thank you for the answer. That does sound like a really great thing. It is
too bad that they don't make it anymore. What did they come up with to take
it's place. I would think a toy like that would be in great demand? It sounds
kind of like a CCTV only instead of a TV, it has a brail display. Do I have
that right?
Shannon
----- Original Message -----
From: Evan Reese
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 8:02 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: Just Downloaded My First Book for
Validation
Optacon is a - I forget the word for it - a condensed word meaning
optical to tactile converter. It uses a camera you move over the page with one
hand and the print is converted into an image of vibrating pins which you read
with the index finger of the other hand. Very useful not only for reading
print but also looking at raised-line drawings and graphs.
Most people - including myself - can't read very fast with it, but it's
great for short stuff and I use it especially for math, which doesn't scan
well. I also use it to check scanning errors that aren't obvious from the
context on stuff I scan, and now on stuff I will validate.
Unfortunately, the Optacon is no longer manufactured.
----- Original Message -----
From: shannon
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 1:03 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Re: Just Downloaded My First Book for
Validation
Hello Evan,
I have a kind of unrelated question I am on a couple of lists and
recently I have heard Optacon allot. What is an Optacon?
Thanks
Shannon
----- Original Message -----
From: Evan Reese
To: bookshare-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 1:04 PM
Subject: [bookshare-discuss] Just Downloaded My First Book for
Validation
I just downloaded my first book for validation. It's _In The Ruins_
by Kate Elliott, Crown of Stars Volume 6. It was submitted on November 17, so
it's been up there for a while. The submitter put it in the Fair category, and
by the looks of things, that's about right. I've noticed quite a few errors
just in the first few pages. Also, the copyright information was not provided,
so I put that in.
I'm picking up a paper copy this afternoon from a local bookstore.
If it had been categorized as excellent, I might not have bothered, but I might
have gotten one anyway - preferably from my local library - but they didn't
have one. I would prefer to have a paper copy in case there's a scanning error
that I can't figure out. I have an Optacon, so I at least don't have to ask
someone sighted what's on the page if I run into trouble. I've been wanting to
read this book since it came out last August, though, so I'm going to read
right through it.
However, if the errors are too many and too egregious, I just may
scan the whole thing in again. It might come out better - my OpenBook does a
pretty good job, especially with hardcovers and trade paperbacks. It might be
more effective timewise than trying to puzzle out garbled text. Hopefully that
won't be necessary.
I'm a little nervous, this being my first book and all. I hope I do
things correctly.
By the way, is there a keyboard shortcut for the Copyright symbol? I
just used alt-169 at the beginning of the book where it's supposed to be, but I
was wondering if there is a keyboard combination for that? Just curious.
I also subscribed to the volunteer discussion list. I was a little
intimidated at first by the 50 messages per day figure cited on the website,
but I figure that it may not be as bad as all that; it isn't as though I have
to read all of them.
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