Convert web pages to plain text with iPodulator
Here’s a handy little web-based utility. It takes any web page and strips off the formatting, putting numbered links at the bottom. It’s designed for reading on an iPod, but works well through a speech synthesizer.
Escape from auto-attendant phone systems with Find-a-Human
For all of us who have problems with automated phone systems (such as people who are hard of hearing, people who have a hard time hitting touchtones quickly enough), and those of us who just plain prefer human warmth, there’s an online database of how to break through to a “live attendant” at some corporate numbers. Take a look!
Search engines for phone calls
Imagine being able to search through your phone calls the way you can search through your email, looking for a word or a lost phone number. That’s what seems to be on deck from Google and other search companies. This service, of course, requires excellent speech recognition. If this can be done, then live automated transcription and speech-to-text relay and captioning become a reality.
What is the sound of no hands waving?
A movie about deaf musician Evelyn Glennie, called Touch the Sound, has been released without subtitles. That’s right, deaf audience members not welcome. The producers excuse this flaw by saying that the DVD will be captioned. Tell me, friends, is that okay with you?
Stephen Hawking’s new input system
We’re usually reluctant to include any AT news, as it’s so well covered elsewhere and we’re all about the Mainstream, but this item is interesting enough to qualify. As Hawking ages (what, he can’t just find a wormhole?), his hand control unit is becoming harder to use, so his communication has become slower than he wants. With the help of Words+, he’s now using an infrared-based blink detector.