I can see it serving several purposes. Once you learn what things sound like it could replace, at least in part, raised line drawings and other graphical tools and items. Jnina says so what. Well as all images and certainly all translations of images to something that can be used by the blind are interpretative (some details are always left out do to the difference in what can be felt versus what can be seen) this becomes just another tool to help gain information. I have not yet looked at this product but I can definitely think of uses for it especially if it can be used to get some idea of how a graph or similar image looks. Tom ----- Original Message ----- From: "Luke Davis" <ldavis@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 11:22 Subject: Re: discussion:Fw: [The vOICe] Linux? Yes, probably > Without a mental ociloscope, what is the point? Interesting novelty, but > I can't see it serving any reall purpose. > > On Fri, 18 Jul 2003, David Poehlman wrote: > > > Janina, The rendering you hear as a soundscape can be back translated > > through an oscillo scope to produce an identical image of the object to > > which you are listening. > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Janina Sajka" <janina@xxxxxxxxxxx> > > To: <blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx> > > Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 1:58 PM > > Subject: Re: discussion:Fw: [The vOICe] Linux? Yes, probably > > > > > > What things sound like? > > > > Not. > > > > What someone's algorithm sounds like given certain parameters. > > > > Is that useful? Perhaps. For example, I would image dropping a pebble in > > the pond would yield a fairly steady sine tone. But, so what? > > > > David Poehlman writes: > > > From: "David Poehlman" <poehlman1@xxxxxxxxxxx> > > > > > > actually, it is a bit more subtle than that. You can actually learn to > > hear > > > what some things sound like if they are not too complex. The primary > > > purpose for rendering images as sound scapes as is done through the vOICe > > is > > > to gain information from one's environment rather than to examine images > > or > > > printed material although there are possibilities there as well. You can > > > find a lot of things to listen to at: > > > http://www.seeingwithsound.com > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Brent Harding" <bharding@xxxxxxxxxx> > > > To: <blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx> > > > Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 1:40 PM > > > Subject: Re: discussion:Fw: [The vOICe] Linux? Yes, probably > > > > > > > > > OK, so if I scan in a piece of mail, with this audible code, how would it > > be > > > interpreted? It seems like such software might only be of use to compare > > > things, like two pictures of me should generate similar sound patterns, > > but > > > would be unidentifiable other than that. > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "David Poehlman" <poehlman1@xxxxxxxxxxx> > > > To: <blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx> > > > Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 7:15 AM > > > Subject: Re: discussion:Fw: [The vOICe] Linux? Yes, probably > > > > > > > > > > peter responds requesting me to post: > > > > > > > > Hi Brent and all, > > > > > > > > You say > > > > > > > > > My friend uses kurzweil and I do too, but he > > > > > has a camera attached, and kurzweil allows > > > > > selection of that as scanner source, how on > > > > > earth do you use a camera like a scanner, to > > > > > read anything? > > > > > > > > The Kurzweil software only deals with text, > > > > while The vOICe "reads" any image content > > > > in "raw" form, hence indiscriminate of the > > > > visual content. It does so by scanning each > > > > image from left to right while associating > > > > height with pitch and brightness with loudness. > > > > > > > > Therefore it is far more general than what > > > > Ray Kurzweil recently described in his article > > > > in the July 1 issue of eSchool News, saying > > > > > > > > > For blind people, we actually will have reading machines > > > > > within a few years that are not just sitting on a desk, > > > > > but are tiny devices you put in your pocket. You'll take > > > > > pictures of signs on the wall, handouts at meetings, and > > > > > so on. We all encounter text everywhere, on the back of > > > > > packages, on menus. By 2010, these devices will be very > > > > > tiny. You will be able to wear one on your lapel and > > > > > scan in all directions. These devices probably will be > > > > > used by the sighted as well, because they will allow us > > > > > to get visual information from all around us. > > > > > > > > The vOICe "reads" arbitrary visual shapes and > > > > patterns, including for instance line graphs, > > > > to make for a relatively easy starting point. > > > > In many other cases, the resulting sounds can > > > > be excruciatingly complex and hard to interpret. > > > > The vOICe does not attempt to interpret the > > > > camera view in any way. That part is left to > > > > the user (or to optional add-ons for OCR and > > > > shape recognition, like those for use with > > > > The vOICe Learning Edition). Of course this > > > > kind of general but hard-to-master technology > > > > will not be appreciated by everyone, as was > > > > confirmed by some of the recent reply postings > > > > on this list. > > > > > > > > Best regards, > > > > > > > > Peter Meijer > > > > > > > > Seeing with Sound - The vOICe > > > > http://www.seeingwithsound.com > > > > > > > > Source URL of full eSchool article (free registration needed): > > > > http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=4491 > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > > > Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > > > > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > > > > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > > > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > > > > > Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > > > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx > https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list > _______________________________________________ Blinux-list@xxxxxxxxxx https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list