Update, 5 April 2024   I’ve just come out of a meeting with a senior leader of Applause Group, which now owns Voice Dream Reader. It will be up to them to make their own announcements in due time, but at this stage I am confident that they will respond to feedback that they have received in a manner that many in our community will consider reasonable. They are working through the finer points of the response and given the importance of communicating the issues clearly, it’s right that they should take that time to do so.   Key points   Voice Dream Reader was bought by new owner ..read more

Preface On Tuesday, the American Council of the Blind’s Board of Publications convened for a regular meeting. At that meeting, members raised ACB’s absence from mastodon. Some members were concerned about what was said at that meeting, and alerted me to it. I subsequently heard the recording. The following is the text of a response I posted to the ACB Conversation list. Since not all with an interest in this subject are subscribed to that list, I am posting it on my blog for others to read. Text of my response Hi everyone, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on an ACB discussion list but it ..read more

Here is the transcript and the audio of my presentation to the 2023 National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind.     https://mosen.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/NFB23.mp3 Together Living Blindfully Address delivered to the National Convention of the National Federation of the Blind, 6 July 2023   Thank you Mr President for the introduction and for the invitation to speak today, and good morning to my friends in the Federation. I am delighted to be at another NFB convention. When I attend one, I always feel replenished, ready to make more positive change and prou ..read more

https://pinecast.com/listen/2256a993-b2c6-4b38-a7ce-7752e0077836.mp3 This is a special episode containing Jonathan Mosen’s presentation on the future of Mosen at Large, which from now on will be called Living Blindfully. Here is a summary of the key points and when you can hear them. The episode, as usual is segmented by chapter. Introduction from Bonnie Mosen,0:00 Introduction from Jonathan Mosen,4:15 A new name to reflect what the podcast has become,8:55 Our new logo,14:24 Contributing to Living Blindfully,15:06 LivingBlindfully.com and some of its features,15:50 Living Blindfully and the Fe ..read more

Kia ora Mosen at Largers. Here’s what’s coming up in our next two-hour show that’s got the blind community talking. This week, I’m speaking with Venkatesh Chari, the CEO of Orbit Research, and Adi Kushnir, the founder of AccessMind. Primarily, we’re discussing the Optima Braille Laptop, a device taking the community by storm following its announcement at CSUN. It’s not shipping until next year, and that means you have a chance to influence some aspects of the device. I’ll also talk with Venkatesh about Orbit Research in general. He has news of the OrbitSpeak and we talk about their Braille cel ..read more

https://pinecast.com/listen/38ed2b35-2e6e-4916-90c8-086bf3a63792.mp3 Kia ora Mosen At Largers. A reminder that this podcast is indexed by chapter. If you listen with a podcast client that offers chapter support, you can easily skip between segments. Here are the topics covered in this episode, and the time in the file for each. Welcome Indiana,0:00 Be my Eyes and Envision embrace Chat GPT,2:00 Optima is an exciting new product set for next year,13:04 TechRoundup,24:13 Windows podcast players and twitter,28:06 Scanner/Printer combo,34:26 The difficulty getting Braille manuals for Braille emboss ..read more

Kia ora Mosen at Largers. Here’s what’s coming up in our next two-hour show that’s got the blind community talking. AI is coming to our community, ready or not. And by that, I mean that some people say we’re not ready, others say the AI isn’t. We’ll take a look at two significant uses of the new Chat GPT 4 technology that promise to make our lives easier. There’s a lot of talk about the Optima Braille laptop, announced this week at CSUN. I’ll discuss what we know about the device. In the episode after this one, we do expect to feature an in-depth discussion with the creator of the Optima. We h ..read more

Transcripts of Mosen at Large are made possible by Pneuma Solutions, a global leader in accessible cloud technologies. On the web at http://PneumaSolutions.com. You can read the full transcript below, download the transcript in Microsoft Word format, or download the transcript as an accessible PDF file. Jonathan Mosen: Listeners should be advised that parts of this episode contain references to depression and suicidal thoughts. If you’re triggered by those things, then discretion is advised, and always remember, you’re not alone. Please reach out for help. [music] I’m Jonathan Mosen. This is M ..read more

https://pinecast.com/listen/13234964-d9b5-4db0-a7f1-5a496cbc6c73.mp3 Kia ora Mosen At Largers. A reminder that this podcast is indexed by chapter. If you listen with a podcast client that offers chapter support, you can easily skip between segments. We also make transcripts available, thanks to sponsorship by Pneuma Solutions, a global leader in accessible cloud technologies. Visit them on the web at \<http://pneumasolutions.com\>. You can find the transcripts on our website at \<<<https://mosen.org/category/mosen-at-large-transcript/>>\> Here are the topics covered in ..read more

Kia ora Mosen at Largers. Here’s what’s coming up in our next two-hour show that’s got the blind community talking. It’s the battle of the blindness players as our community is spoiled for choice in this product category at the moment. This week, Brian hartgen and I will discuss the Sense Player from Hims, a new entrant into this market boasting some exciting new features. How does it compare to the venerable Victor Reader Stream, and how do you determine which player is right for you? A Braille display is an important and expensive purchase, and one of our listeners has buyer’s remorse. If yo ..read more