It's still nice to know the optacon can do this. The optacon was my first glasses after my real reading glasses and works the best of the stuff since as much as I love all of my picture-taking gagets which help too, but there is just nothing like the optacon. Dianne -----Original Message----- From: optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:optacon-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mark Blier Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 3:44 AM To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Identifying Money From The Archives Hi, All, This is all very nice, but, why not just use the IBill? It's quick, and you're done in very much less time. Mark Blier <--> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Catherine Thomas" <braille@xxxxxxxxx> To: <optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, May 20, 2010 2:47 AM Subject: [optacon-l] Identifying Money From The Archives Below is a set of messages taken from the Optacon User list archives. I hope that some of the information is helpful. Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 11:30:41 -0400 (EDT) From: Catherine Thomas <braille@xxxxxxxxx> Reply-To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [optacon-l] Reading U.S. Currency Lesson One Hi, everyone, I spent an informative half hour with my reader yesterday examining the various denominations of U.S. bills or at least the ones, fives, tens and twenties. Below is some general information which may help you to be able to read the bills. Also, if you asked 100 sighted people who use the bills every day, I bet none of them could tell you off-hand the information in this message. PICTURES: U.S. bills have pictures on both sides but not the same picture. Each denomination has a picture of a President on one side and something else on the other. The names of the Presidents are black-onwhite but in each denomination they are located in a slightly different place and position. On the dollar bill the president is Washington and on the back is no picture but instead a very large ONE. On the five dollar bill, the President is Lincoln and on the back is the Lincoln Memorial. On the ten The President is actually Hamilton and the back picture is the U.S. Treasury building. On the twenty, the President is Jackson and the back picture is the White House. On all denominations, in all four corners on both surfaces (except for one corner on the twenty), there is the denomination written in digits. However, these eight renderings on each bill are not identical. The best one on all the denominations is on the non-President side in the lower right-hand corner. it's black and clear. At the top of all the bills on the President side in white (as opposed to black" lettering is "federal Reserve Note. Near the bottom of each denomination is its value written in words. I forget off-hand which color this print is, but I think it's somewhat white. On the one dollar bill in each of the eight corners where the 1 is located, the number 1 is crossed by the word ONE. Both of these can be read on invert. The President pictures with the names in black are in more or less the middle of the left-hand protion of the bill. As we all try some of these things in hopes that we can make use of any of them, it's no wonder that the bills are tough to read. Let us hear the results of any experiments that you try based on this information. The names of the pictures on the non-President side are too dim to read easily even with sight. You can also look for In God We Trust near the top somewhere, also rather hard to read. I think the best hope might be that black number in a particular bottom right corner. That's the one I plan to experiment with first for myself. Catherine ---------- to view the list archives, go to: www.freelists.org/archives/optacon-l Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004 05:49:48 -0400 (EDT) From: Catherine Thomas <braille@xxxxxxxxx> To: optacon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: new U.S. Money Optacon-Friendly There is an easy way for the Optacon to read new U.S. five, ten, and twenty dollar bills. In the bottom right-hand corner of one of the long sides of each bill you will find a very big five, ten or twenty. To read this, use your regular optacon setting (not invert) and reduce it in size as though you were trying to read something in very large print. The 5 and the 20 are very clear. The 10 has a litle line on it so that it looks more like a seven than a one but it is also clear. For one dollar bills, you can use the same setting but you are looking for something different. In the bottom right-hand corner of one of the long sides of the bill, you will find two ovals one inside the other. These contain a figure which is not really readable. You can determine that you found the right thing because on the one dollar bills only these same two ovals with the figure inside appear on the left-hand corner of the same side of the bill also. So, if you are reading correctly, you'll find the same shape in both the left and right-hnad corners of one side only of the one dollar bill. I hope I have explained this all clearly. If anyone tries it and has trouble, let me know. Catherine ---------- Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:30:12 -0700 From: JBliss Judy <judy@xxxxxxxxxx> Reply-To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Reading Money (was: Re: Re: Margaret Smith) The technique I found easier for students to try to read paper currency was to find the large oval shape in the middle, and look for the president's name at the bottom of the oval, and determine the value by the name, e.g. Jackson was on a $20. That said, it's tiny print and of course easier on a fresh bill! Speaking of money, I remember being very excited years ago when I found a coin, I think it was in Italy, where they had put braille on the face of the coin, in a ring around the center, but it was very, very tiny and really only visually accessible as braille - useless tactually! Judy Adams ---------- Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 08:46:54 -0500 From: Nancy Shackelford <ladym74731@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Reply-To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Reading Money (was: Re: Re: Margaret Smith) Here's what I always do when I can't make out the number on the corner of the front of the bill: Make sure the bill is right-side-up by finding and reading the serial number. This also tells you that you are on the front of the bill. Then, turn the bill over from right to left, like turning a page. Do not turn it over shortways and do not turn it around. Then, go almost to the bottom of the bill. Switch the Optacon to Invert, and the print will tell you O N E D O L L A R, F I V E D O L L A R S, and so on. Nance ---------- Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:25:36 -0400 From: Cindy Handel <cindy425@xxxxxxxxxxx> Reply-To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Reading Money (was: Re: Re: Margaret Smith) I've been able to read money with the Optacon. It is a little difficult, sometimes. There's a large number in the corner of the bill, (I know it's at least in the right top corner and may be in both top corners, but not sure). The thing about the numbers is, even though they're pretty large, they're light with dark surrounding it, and they're kind of fancy; not being the same width through the whole number. The 10 of the $10 bill has a pretty clear, thick 1, but the 0 is tall and thin with almost non existent lines at the top and bottom, but both sides are thicker. So, it does take practice. Cindy ---------- Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 09:28:30 -0700 From: Mark Blier <mblier@xxxxxxx> Reply-To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Reading U.S. Currency Lesson One Hi, All, When reading currency, I just turn on Invert, and look in a corner to find something legible -- I don't care if it is a word or a digit. All I want to know is the denomination of the bill, and I do not want to have to spend a lot of time figuring it out. One can go nuts by turning the bill this way and that way in order to find the lower righthand corner of the back side just to be able to say that you read the clearest number. I don't think I have all that time to waste. Mark Blier ---------- Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 11:40:57 -0500 From: Lerae Olesen <lerae@xxxxxxxxxxxx> Reply-To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx To: optacon-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [optacon-l] Re: Reading U.S. Currency Lesson One Hi Catherine and list, First, I got my Optacon to work again. I just plugged it in and waited to use it, rather than turning it on immediately. Anyway, now that it is back up and running, I tried to read a 20 and a 10 dollar bill. I could read what I imagine were serial numbers on both, and the clearest thing I read, not on invert, was In God We Trust, on the 10. I tried a couple of different 20 dollar bills, on invert and regular, turning them this way and that, both sides, and, at least, today, for me, it didn't work. Thanks for the tips though, and maybe I'll try a 5 or a 1 later. Lerae Olesen (Le rae Olson) to view the list archives, go to: www.freelists.org/archives/optacon-l To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. to view the list archives, go to: www.freelists.org/archives/optacon-l To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. to view the list archives, go to: www.freelists.org/archives/optacon-l To unsubscribe at any time, just send a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject. Tell your friends about the list. They can subscribe by sending a message to: optacon-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "subscribe" (without the quotes) in the message subject.