Hi All, A new "seeingwithsound" mailing list has been created for users of and people interested in The vOICe technology and The vOICe Learning Edition software for converting images into sounds. This list is not about sonar obstacle detection, but about the latest experimental camera-based technology for hearing arbitrary images, graphics and video. One of the important unanswered questions is how well blind people can learn to (and want to!?) interpret the often extremely complicated sounds as generated from real-life images and video. Discussions on the new mailing list may help to find better answers to that, as well as help identify and explore less ambitious applications that are useful but not quite as hard to master as the understanding of arbitrary visual scenery via sound. Some things, such as color identification, may be relatively easy, while results in other areas may require too much training effort to be attractive. It should be clearly stated that there is a lot that we do not know yet: it is a new field for exploration where blind users can help to evaluate and shape their own technology of the future. You can subscribe to the mailing list by sending an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] after which you can post messages by mailing to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Messages from this mailing list are distributed with the prefix [The vOICe] in the subject line. Members can also access the mailing list archive via the web page http://www.egroups.com/list/seeingwithsound/ It might take a few weeks before this list ramps up to normal operation, so please be patient if the list seems too silent or too noisy or otherwise disappointing in the beginning. Of course your own participation will be decisive for the success of this list. You are welcome to contribute by posting your ideas, comments, experiences and so on relating to The vOICe approach and The vOICe Learning Edition software. The mailing list is unmoderated, and I hope to keep it that way. A number of requests came after the recent demonstration at the CSUN 99 conference, asking to make the non-camera features available without requiring a camera. This has been granted, and the most recent version of The vOICe Learning Edition, version 1.23 as released early this week, now indeed allows the non-camera features to be used without having a camera connected. This includes the built-in scientific graphing calculator (function key F8), as well as the possibility to hear BMP images imported via the file menu, plus the option to hear the screen area around your mouse pointer (function key F9). Still, please keep in mind that this software was really developed for use with a PC camera, and that remains the primary target, in spite of the availability of several non-camera features. The latest executable for Windows-95/98/NT can be obtained, free of charge for personal use, via the web page http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Peter_Meijer/winvoice.htm or downloaded from the direct download URL (600K file size) http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Peter_Meijer/voice.exe mirrored at http://www.gironet.nl/home/meijerpb/voice.exe http://www.seeingwithsound.com/voice.exe If the sound output conflicts with your screen reader, for instance because you have only a single sound card, you may have to use the Ctrl+F2 toggle to mute and release the audio device from The vOICe Learning Edition in order to hear your screen reader again. Apart from this possible issue, the software is known to cooperate well with the Jaws for Windows and Window Eyes screen readers. Best wishes, Peter Meijer E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Soundscapes from The vOICe - Seeing with your Ears! http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Peter_Meijer/ - Visit the jfw ml web page: http://jfw.cjb.net
