Out of the Whirlpool By Sue Martin

In this Tech Doctor podcast, Allison and Robert speak with Sue Martin. Sue has recently written and published her memoir. The book is entitled “Out of the Whirlpool: A Memoir of Remorse and Reconciliation.” Sue’s story is absolutely one of triumph and fulfillment. It begins, however, with Sue describing her serious struggle with depression and the suicide attempt which resulted in blindness.

Sue tells her story in a very honest and compelling manner. This allows the reader to have both an intellectual and a emotional experience while reading the book. One feels as if they are walking along with Sue as she tells her story.

The book is available in print and audio directly from
Sue’s website.

Out of the Whirlpool is available as an ebook in both the
iBook
and
Kindle
stores. It can also be ordered from any book store.

Robert and Allison love this book and encourage everyone to read it. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Sue and invite you to check out her website not only for the book but for her other writing as well.

After completing our conversation with Sue Martin, we turn our attention to the new Mac operating system update from Apple called Mavericks.

Robert and Allison have found Mavericks to be a solid operating system. The accessibility with VoiceOver is excellent just as it was with Mountain Lion. We discuss a few miner issues that we have found but highly recommend that people upgrade. That is after you have done a complete backup of your computer.

To learn more about Mavericks, we recommend the Mavericks podcasts from
David Woodbridge
and
Sarah Alawami.

If you really want to explore the technical aspects of Mavericks, we recommend the excellent review by
John Siracusa.

Updates

In this podcast, Allison and Robert discuss what we are likely to see from Apple regarding new iPads, MacBook Pros and the eminent release of Mavericks.

They describe the importance of backing up ones system before updating the OS including some recommended backup software.

Robert And Allison discuss their experiences with iOS 7. They are in agreement that it is a very solid first version of the OS.

They explain how one can use the “Drafts” notes app in conjunction with MBraille to create and edit notes. These notes can easily be stored in Dropbox.

Finally, Allison and Robert discuss some of what is new in the world of ebooks and reading.

Learning iOS 7 the Easy Way

In this Tech Doctor podcast, Allison and Robert spend the first 45 minutes with Jonathan Mosen discussing his new book called “iOS 7 Without the Eye.” While not intended for the iOS beginner, this is an excellent resource for quickly and easily getting up to speed with what’s new and different in iOS 7.

The book is available directly from Jonathan and comes in PDF, RTF and EPUB formats.

For more information go to
Jonathan’s Website

Robert and Allison spend the last 15 minutes discussing their new and exciting iPhone 5s acquisitions. I’ll bet you can hear the excitement in our voices.

The Tech Doctor’s Favorite Podcasts

In this Tech Doctor episode, Robert and Allison begin with a brief discussion of the Apple Event that is expected to occur on September 10th. This leads to a discussion of how much excitement a new iPhone generates and what this has come to represent.

The remainder of the podcast is spent with Robert listing and describing the podcasts that he most often listens to. Below are two links for each podcast. The first link goes to the main web site for the podcast and the second link is the actual podcast feed link. This second link can be directly entered in to iTunes or another pod catching client. The tech Doctor podcast highly recommends the use of Downcast on both the Mac and iOS platforms.

Apple related podcasts
Mac Break Weekly Website
Mac Break Weekly Podcast Feed

Systematic Website
Systematic Podcast Feed

TUAW Daily Update Website
TUAW Daily Update Podcast Feed

The Talk Cast Website
The Talk Cast Podcast Feed

Accidental Tech Podcast Website
Accidental Tech Podcast Feed

Amplified Website
Amplified Podcast Feed

For Mac Eyes Only Website
For Mac Eyes Only Podcast Feed

Mac Geek Gab Website
Mac Geek Gab Podcast Feed

Mac Power Users Website
Mac Power Users Podcast Feed

Mac Roundtable Website
Mac Roundtable Podcast Feed

Mac Bites Website
Mac Bites Podcast Feed

Mac Cast Website
Mac Cast Podcast Feed

Mac Jury Website
Mac Jury Podcast Feed

Mac Notables Website
Mac Notables Podcast Feed

Mac Voices Website
Mac Voices Podcast Feed

Macworld Website
Macworld Podcast Feed

NOSILLA Podcast Website
NOSILLA Cast Podcast Feed

The Talk Show Website
The Talk Show Podcast Feed

We Have Communicators Website
We Have Communicators Podcast Feed

Mac OS Ken Website
Mac OS Ken Podcast Feed

Today In iOS Website
Today In iOS Podcast Feed

Disability Related Podcasts

Accessible Devices Website
Accessible Devices Podcast Feed

Access Talk Website
Access Talk Podcast Feed

Apple and Other Accessible Technology Website
Apple and Other Accessible Technology Podcast Feed

Applevis Website
Applevis Podcast Feed

Assistive Technology Update Website
Assistive Technology Update Podcast Feed

Blind Access Journal Website
Blind Access Journal Podcast Feed

Blind Bargains Website
Blind Bargains Podcast Feed

Blind World Blog and Podcast Website
Blind World Blog and Podcast Podcast Feed

Cool Blind Tech Website
Cool Blind Tech Podcast Feed

How to be Blind Website
How to be Blind Podcast Feed

I Blind Tech Website
I Blind Tech Demo Podcast Feed

Maccessibility Website
Maccessibility Podcast Feed

Main Menu Website
Main Menu Podcast Feed

Mystic Access Website
Mystic Access Podcast Feed

NV Access Website
NV Access Podcast Feed

Triple Click Home Website
Triple Click Home Podcast Feed

Serotalk Website
Serotalk Podcast Feed

Book Podcasts

Book Hoarders Anonymous Website
Book Hoarders Anonymous Podcast Feed

Book Riot Website
Book Riot Podcast Feed

Books On The Nightstand Website
Books On The Nightstand Podcast Feed

Literary Disco Website
Literary Disco Podcast Feed

Other People Website
Other People Podcast Feed

Other Excellent Podcasts

Sex Nerd Sandra Website
Sex Nerd Sandra Podcast Feed

Stuff Mom Never Told You Website
Stuff Mom Never Told You Podcast Feed

Tech News Today Website
Tech News Today Podcast Feed

60 Minutes Website
60 Minutes Podcast Feed

Democracy Now Website
Democracy Now Podcast Feed

The Frequency Website
The Frequency Podcast Feed

Just The Tip Website
Just The Tip Podcast Feed

Shelly’s Podcast Website
Shelly’s Podcast Podcast Feed

This Week In Tech Website
This Week In Tech Podcast Feed

Braille Is Cool: Spread The Word

In this Tech Doctor episode, Allison and Robert talk with Deborah Kendrick about an extraordinary column that Deborah wrote for the Columbus Dispatch newspaper called
Old-school Braille needs image update

Deborah wrote the column after returning from the first ever Braille Summit where 100 braille experts gathered to discuss the future of braille.

Deborah, Allison and Robert explain how important braille is to them personally and professionally. While acknowledging the value and importance of talking devices and audio books, the podcasters conclude that audio-based technology is not a substitute or replacement for braille.

Given that braille is the only written language for people who are blind, it is most unfortunate that fewer blind people are learning braille today than ever before.

We believe that braille must once again become a critical component of every blind person’s education. Every student be they sighted or blind needs to be proficient in written language. We must help parents, teachers, rehabilitation professionals and even blind people realize that braille is the key to literacy for anyone who can’t see to read print.

The Sweetspot: Where People and Technology Connect

In this podcast, Robert and Allison speak with the frequently mentioned but rarely heard from man who ultimately won Allison’s heart.

Jeremy Hartley shares his extensive background working in technology and music.

Allison shares the story of out the couple met online. Both partners talk about how their relationship has evolved into the happy marriage that they now enjoy.

Thanks Allison and Jeremy for sharing your story. The courage to be honest, the willingness to be vulnerable and the power that comes from using technology to improve our lives is what the Tech Doctor podcast is all about.

Instabrowser Faster Than Safari

In this Tech Doctor episode, Robert and Allison talk with, Michael Manesh, the developer of
Instabrowser.
This iOS app very well may replace Safari as your favorite browser.

Michael designed Instabrowser to load pages extremely fast and to render text in a clean and simple format. It works much like the read it later Instapaper app but operates on webpages in realtime. The table of contents button instantly creates a list of the relevant articles on the page and one can immediately jump to the desired article.

It didn’t occur to Michael that VoiceOver users could benefit from Instabrowser. When I contacted him, however, he had Instabrowser working extremely well with VoiceOver just within a few days. Michael describes the process of making the app accessible and encourages all developers to make their apps work with VoiceOver.

Allison grabs her iPhone and demonstrates just how well Instabrowser works. You get to hear just how fast and efficient it is to locate and read articles with this browser.

One of the ways that Instabrowser achieves such speed and efficiency is that it doesn’t load java script. This means that some pages don’t work well with the mobilizer version of Instabrowser, in such cases, simply tap a toggle button and the webpage is fully loaded just as if you were working in Safari.

Instabrowser is an excellent alternative to Safari and the work that Michael has done to make it fully VoiceOver accessible is greatly appreciated. To learn more about Instabrowser,
Click Here.

App Camp For Girls: Dreams Become Reality

In this podcast, Robert and Allison speak with the prolific podcaster, Blogger, software support specialist and overall Apple enthusiast Kelly Guimont. This time, however, Kelly is here to tell us about a fabulous project called “App Camp For Girls.”

In this week long day camp, junior high school girls learn all about developing and marketing iOS apps. Their teachers are women who are employed in the technology industry. The girls learn by developing their own app that actually runs on an iPod Touch. At the end of the week, they pitch the app to a group of women investors. The girls learn teamwork by working together in groups of four. This is a wonderful opportunity to show girls what they can do.

To learn more about this project visit
App Camp For Girls

To read stories of successful app developers, visit the sister site
App Stories

Thanks Kelly for telling us about this amazing project.

Tech Doctors Examine Seeing Eye GPS App

Allison and Robert spend this podcast describing their experiences with the new iOS app from the Sendero Group called
Seeing Eye GPS

Robert and Allison discuss the user interface, provide detailed descriptions of their experiences both walking and driving with the app. They discuss onboard versus server based maps, the appropriateness of a subscription based model and describe the importance of having a blind person take on the role and responsibility of becoming the navigator for a sighted driver.

We think this app is excellent and encourage every iPhone user to give it careful consideration.

MBraille Advances Touch Screen Braille

In this Tech Doctor Podcast, Robert and Allison speak with the developer of a feature-rich highly responsive iOS app called
“MBraille.”

Harri Pasanen has 30 years of software development experience His knowledge and expertise has enabled him to develop a very sophisticated and powerful touch screen braille app in only six months. It is clear that Harri does his homework and he knows how to write code that really works well.

Some of MBraille’s advanced features include: grade two translation, intuitive editing and review capabilities, and command line dot commands which allow one to text, tweet, email, Facebook and search google from within the app. This means that writing text and getting it out to the world has never been easier in a touch screen braille app.

Robert and Allison are very excited about MBraille and can’t wait to see what Harri does next to enhance this software even further.

In addition to Mbraille, Harri has written an accessible game, an accessible timer and an accessible calculator. These apps are available in the iOS app store. You can get more information about them and all of Harri’s work by going to his
Website