Illegally Sighted

Apple Releases the iPad and it’s Accessible!

: Image by Farid Iqbal via Flickr

We were all waiting to hear about the new invention that Apple was going to come out with for the past month or so. Everyone was so excited about this super secret gadget.

“What could it be?”

“Is it a netbook?”

“Maybe it’s a new iPhone model!”

Well the wait is over as of yesterday morning! Apple has released it’s new tablet computer called the iPad!

The iPad has a 10 inch screen and is only 1/2 inch thick. It will come in a 16, 32 and 64 GB version with built in WiFi and the option to add 3G support. The iPad is not just meant to surf the web and do email. The best part of this device is the built in ability to use it as a book reader. This is great news for college students! Apple is working with textbook publishers to get school texts onto the bookstore.

Another great feature of the iPad is the fact that it has the same look and feel as the iPhone. Those people who have used the iPhone for any length of time will have no trouble getting used to the feel of this device. The iPad supports apps just like the iPhone does as well.

The great news about the iPad is that it will be accessible to those with vision impairments as well as those with hearing impairments. The iPad supports captioning for the hearing impaired and will come with Voice Over and ZOOM for those with vision impairments! As a ZOOM user this is truly exciting.

The only complaints I have heard so far is the absence of a webcam and support for Flash. These might be added in the next version but I can’t be sure.

For more information on the iPad please check out Apple’s website at www.apple.com

Giving Thanks

We interrupt your regularly scheduled blogging for a day of Thanks!

Today when I woke up I felt the need to post a blog entry. I realized that even though things are tough right now I have a lot to be thankful for.

Here’s my list! These are in no particular order.

Family – Without them I would be nowhere. I’d be on my ass and miserable. Thank you!
Friends – I have such amazing friends. They support me emotionally and creatively. We have our BS drama sometimes but I LOVE each one of you.
Job – I love my job and I am thankful everyday that I found such a “me” place to work. I’m accepted for who I am there and everyone works with me despite my “disability.” Nobody even seems to care that I’m visually impaired.
My Birdie Cat – She’s my baby. I am so lucky to have her. Though she can be an ever loving pain in the ass she is still an amazing and intelligent cat (even if she DID try to pounce on the turkey last night!)
Creativity – My creativity is my life. I am thankful everyday that I was born with such an endless amount of it.
Life – I’m thankful that I’ve had the opportunity to live through so many different things weather they be good or bad. Every part of my life has been something to learn from and I have.

What are you thankful for? I don’t think we say it enough. We wait until the holidays to get all sentimental and start saying how thankful we are for things. It’s like the rest of the year just doesn’t matter. I think we need to start talking about the things in our life that we’re thankful for and that we’re happy about.

Disneyland Goes Accessible

: Image by Joe Penniston via Flickr

Well, Disneyland has always been accessible. They have always had a way for those with disabilities to navigate around the park and enjoy their attractions. But, this is another step in the right direction for them.

Disneyland has launched a device called “Audio Description” that lets blind visitors hear about many of the attractions at the park! The handheld device was initially launched at Disney World and also offers accessibility for those who are deaf and hard of hearing.

I haven’t personally tried the new technology yet but I plan to. Even being partially sighted there are things that I’m sure I miss while going through the park.

My first thought was “Well what about attractions such as Splash Mountain and even Pirates of the Caribbean? The Audio Description device is meant to withstand such things. It’s also sturdy enough to withstand being dropped. This is a good thing as sometimes a day at a theme park can be brutal on electronics.

The technology behind the Audio Description device is pretty cool. There are a number of infrared sensors that send the signal to the handheld device. My question would be could they possibly extend this technology to include restaurant menus in the parks? When I head to Disneyland my main issue is reading the signs and menus. If these could be included in this device it would really be accessible.

I think Disneyland is going in the right direction and could really do great things with this Audio Description device. The really cool thing is that they are leasing the technology to other tourist attractions. I know of a few places where this could REALLY come in handy.

The Day Where the Government Broke My Stomach

: Image via Wikipedia

Well OK…they didn’t break it but OH MY GOSH did they stress me enough to give me liquid booty!

I started my part time job back at the end of June. I TOLD Social Security about it since I’m receiving SSI benefits for being blind. Well the other day I got that infamous letter in the mail…

“You have an appointment.” WTF? I didn’t say I wanted an appointment.

Reading further…

“In reviewing your income…” Oh it can only go to hell from here right?

So I went to my appointment.

It was scheduled for me at 1:30 this afternoon. I got there at 1:15. My worker was over 10 minutes late getting to me. Had I been late they would have found an excuse to say I missed the appointment and stopped my check.

So I get in there and everythings fine. It was fine up until the point where he starts talking bout my income. I was informed to keep full benefits i can only make $85 a month from working. Also, I found out that they base their decisions on what I get each month from them on my GROSS income…before taxes.

So needless to say I got my benefits cut today. Basically in their opinion, if you get money from them you can only make $580 a month (in California.) They will cut your check to make it to where even with working that’s all you make. HOW is a person supposed to live on that? We’re not alowed food stamps out here because California adds $200 in cash aid to the SSI checks. We can’t get on housing because they never open the damn list. if I wasn’t renting a room from a family member I’d be on the street!

Needless to say again that this caused a lot of stress and tears for me. I am a person that doesn’t cry easily and I walked out of that office in tears! It was probably better though considering my next emotion was anger and though I outweighed that security guard, I don’t think that would have ended well.

So what do I do from here? I move on and forward. I’m continuing with school and working my job. I’m taking odd jobs on the side to make extra money and will be taking all the extra hours I can at work. If I ever have the opportunity to get close to full time I’m taking it.

You will certainly hear more from me on this topic. But in the meantime watch out here for some really cool reviews in the coming days.

Is Twitter Trying Their Hand At Censorship?

: Image via CrunchBase

I love Twitter! I’ve been a member since 07 and have met great people and kept in contact with people I already know. It’s saved me several times and I’ve grown attached to the little bird. It’s become as much a part of my life as good ol’email has.

I was very disturbed however when I read about Twitter’s mess up today.

Apparently “No God” was a trending topic this morning. Some Christian people were none too happy about this and strted retweeting a phrase “Know God Know Peace” to combat the “No God” tweet. Well, the athiests found it amusing to go ahead and make fun of this by tweeting “No God Know Peace.” This became so popular that Twitter couldn’t handle all of the tweeting that was going on (this is a major flaw that Twitter should work on, it happens often…can we say FAIL WHALE?)

Since Twitter couldn’t handle all of the tweeting and retweeting of these 2 trending topics a Twitter administrator decided to censor the “offensive topic” by combining the trending topics of “Know God” and “No God” into one topic labeled “Know God.”

So what does this mean anyway? If you were to search for the topic “Know God” you would find the tweets for “No God” as would be the case the other way around.

Part of me wonders if Twitter is secretly trying to censor us. Part of me wonders if the admin that did this was just THAT clueless. It will certainly be interesting to see if Twitter makes an official statement about this screw up.

If it is indeed Twitter being a censor then I will be finding another social network to spend my time on. I’ve liked Twitter so far because i can pretty much as whatever I damn well please. I can call people losers and give my quite frank opinion on everything. But I can’t say something about “No God?” That’s a “No Go” in my book!

Myself, i feel like all of those who worship a Goddess or both God and Goddess should tweet #knowthegoddess or #knowthegodandgoddess Let’s see what happens then!

Girl Talk Thursday – Craftification!!!

: Image via Wikipedia

So just by the exclamation marks in the title you can already tell where this is going…

My name is Amber and I am a craftaholic. Yes it’s true. I’m always on the hunt for my next project. But, I can stop anytime I want to. I don’t need saving! That all being typed as I stare at my huge Fire Mountain Gems haul sitting on my dining room table, and the 3…yes, THREE crochet projects sitting on my couch.

I’ve always loved art and crafts. When I was in preschool we had a graduation when it was time for us to move on to kindergarten. Do you know what i got as my graduation present from the school??? A HUGE copy paper box (you know the ones that used to hold the dot matrix printer paper?) full of art and craft supplies.

I come from a prety crafty family on my mom’s side. My Grammy always sewed, painted, did embroidery, painted and crocheted. As a child I always did crafts with my mom and my Grammy. We would make decorations at the holidays, do some painting on rainy days or just draw when we were bored. My uncles were the artists when it came to drawing. AMAZING!

Newdays I have taken on the craft gene and embraced it with love and respect. The crafts I currently love are as follows; crochet, jewelry making, scrapbooking/jpaper crafts and knitting. I love all types of crafts though and will try anything once. If it doesn’t work out I pass the supplies on to someone who could use them.

Currently I am working on a market bag, a blanket and a scarf in crochet. I’m putting together pendulum necklaces and learning to make earrings AND making rune sets out of polymer clay. It’s definitely an exciting time in my crafty world. The crochet projects are gifts and the rest I am thinking of putting in my Etsy shop.

So I guess the answer to the Girl Talk Thursday question is HELL YES I get crafty!!!

New Must Have iPhone App: iMagnify

: Image via Wikipedia

I was browsing through an iPhone forum the other day looking for cool new apps to try out when I found what I feel is the Holy Grail of iPhone apps for low vision users. Those of you who have low vision realize how hard it is to carry around so much stuff on a daily basis. You have your phone, wallet, glasses, magnifying glass, monoculer, and countless other gadgets that help you manage everyday life. Well I’ve found a way to knock at least one of those things off your list of bag essentials.

The program is called iMagnify. It uses the camera function to turn the iPhone into a magnifying glass. You can zoom in up to 4 times the original size.

I’ve been using the program for the past couple of days and I am truly amazed at the functionality of it. I’ve been in dark restaurants, bright bus stops and just at home and have had great results with the program.

The only issue I could possibly find is sometimes you need to have a steady hand while focusing in on what you want to magnify. I noticed that I had to up the magnification to the max to read some fine print as well. These are typical issues of magnification devices including portable CCTVs.

The app is pretty cheap too! It costs around .99 to $1.99. It can fit into anyone’s budget and is well worth paying for in my opinion.

Girl Talk Thursday – Roommates!

They say that you don’t know someone until you’ve lived with them. I don’t know who “They” are but I know they’re definitely right.

I’ve had my share of roommates. Some of them have been a pleasure to live with while some have been a nightmare to live with. It’s super hard when you think you know someone then move in with them to find out they are raving lunatics. I don’t mean raving like ranting I mean raving as in “Let’s dress up like we’re rainbow Brite rejects and eat E all night long while we blast happy hardcore remixes of our favorite 80’s cartoon songs at full volume.” Yeah, that kind of raving.

Back in 2002 I lived in a little apartment near my parent’s house. It was my first apartment of my own since moving out of my ex’s apartment in 98 (which is another story for another time.) The place wasn’t super luxurious or anything. As a mater of fact it bordered on super ghetto status. I lived there by myself for a year before a friend of mine asked me a favor. Her best friend needed a place to stay because shegot kicked out of her boyfriend’s house. I’d known both girls for years and I should have known better but, being the good friend I was i HAD to help.

The chaos started almost immediately. I had to move my things out of the living room so that “she could have a space of her own.” This space was my freaking LIVING ROOM! The place wit hthe TV, stereo and the internet connection (since I wasn’t cool enough to have DSL or cable yet.) It went on from there. All nighters, loud techno music, random people at the house all the time. It just kept going.

Finally when I went on vacation to Illinois with some friends it was the last straw. I kept getting crank called by them because they were high and drunk, probably bored. Talking about how they brought her hamster over and it was pooping everywhere. When I got home from the trip I came home to find my bedroom door locked and the “roommate” in there with some guy…ON MY BED!!. So I was certainly done.

I left the house to run errands after kicking them out of my room (and burning the bedding.) When I came back I brought ALL of my friends and family with me to have a movie night. I came in and turned off their music by stopping the CD player and chucking the CD out the door. i popped in some really sappy chick flick and we all proceeded to get very drunk and talk a whole lot of mess.

They left that night and we thought they wouldn’t be back. I took that point to empty my house of all of their things. I put it all in the garage and told them they could schedule a time with me to pick it up. They tried to spout all of this Landmark Furum (cult brainwashing BS.) at me and I laughed and continued to watch them load their things into their truck.

I’ve talked to the girl who originally asked me to help her friend a few times since and she’s realized that the situation was never a good idea. I’ve still never been paid for phone bills and things that were broken while they stayed there.

I’ve had other roommates since then, all with their own crazy stories. But I’ll save those for another time. Too much drama in a day can be hazardous to your health!

Putting My Goals Into Motion By Making Extra Money

OK so that sounds like the spammiest of titles but I swear on my iPhone it’s not! I am just extremely excited about the ways in which I am funding my future goals. I am currently living with family members. We’re mutually helping one another out with finances right now. My goal is to get back on my feet and get into an apartment again, on my own, not living with other people. This takes time and money. I don’t have much of either but I’ve been doing a couple of side jobs that will help me realize these goals a little faster.

The first thing I have been doing is doing transcription for a company called Quicktate. Basically, what you’re doing is transcribing voice mail messages. The pay isn’t amazing but it does add up. There are times when the volume is high and times when it’s not so much. You’ve just got to stay in contact with them and they’ll tell you when there is a heavy demand.

You have to fill out an application then follow the steps in the email that you are sent to apply. After you do the steps there’s a test you have to pass. It took awhile from the time I filled out the application to the time i got the email but after that I got through everything pretty fast.

You can sign up for Quicktate by going here.

Another egg in my work at home basket is KGB_! I am loving this one as well. It’s a service where you can text a question to a certain number and you will get an answer back to your question. I’m a Special Agent with them so I answer all kinds of questions. It’s really fun work and you get to work on your Google-fu skills! Again the pay isn’t super exciting but every little bit helps!

To apply you have to first pass a trivia test. They then put you through a few levels of Special Agent training to see if you have what it takes. It took me about 2 weeks to get though the whole thing. You can apply here. l

I’ll continue to post opportunities like this one. I think everyone could use a little extra cash flow.

50 Questions For A Saturday.

: Image by [ r ♥ c e y t ♥ y ] {I br♥ke for bokeh} via Flickr

Wow! This takes me back to my Live Journal and My Space days. I stole this 50 Questions thing from A Lil Enchanted. I LOVE this blog it’s on my read list. I suggest you check it out.

1. Where were you three hours ago?
Sleeping peacefully. Wish I could still be doing that!

2. Who are you in love with?
Currently I’m not “In Love” with anyone. I love my friends and family.

3. Have you ever eaten a crayon?
I don’t think so. I may have as a kid but if something tasted gross I tended not to eat it.

4. Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?
Yes, a bag from Torrid that has parts of a Halloween costume in it.

5. When was the last time you went to the mall?
When I purchased said Halloween costume.

6. Are you wearing socks right now?
Indeed not. It’s too hot here to wear socks!!!

7. Do you have a car worth over $2000?
No. I don’t own a car. Can’t see well remember?

8. When was the last time you drove out of town?
I don’t drive. This would be a hugely bad idea and I wouldn’t recommend it.

9. Have you been to the movies in the last 5 days?
Nope not since last month actually.

10. Are you hot?
As far as temperature not at the moment. If you’re talking about my looks then, YES. I’m a Hot Goddess woman!

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Coffee…mmmmmm coffee.

12. What are you wearing right now?
Black and white polka dotted jammies. I love them!

13. Do you wash your car or let the car wash do it?
Considering I am carless I will just say I don’t wash it.

14. Last food you ate?
Carne asada fries last night. For those who don’t know there is this delicious thing that is like nachos but all on top of french fries!!! SO GOOD! But, it’s hella fattening.

15. Where were you last week at this time?
Scrambling to get things together to head to my friend’s surprise birthday party!

16. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
No but I did go loca at Lane Bryant 2 weeks ago and got $400 worth of clothes and chonies for $100!

17. When was the last time you ran?
Yesterday. Well, it was more like jogging but that’s running to me!

18. What was the last sporting event you watched?
Haha…..Hahaha….hahahahahahahahaha!!! Sports? Me? I usually only watch hockey and only if it’s a live event that I’m attending.

19. Your favorite animal?
Cats… lil black ones especially. <——- Me too!!!

20. Your dream vacation?
I want to just go on tour, you know, like a rock star. I want to go to New Orleans, New York, Puerto Rico, back through to Florida, then Hawaii. Then I want to take off for England, Ireland, Spain and Italy.

21. Last person’s house you were in?
Besides mine? Probably my friend’s house last weekend to go to the surprise party.

22. Worst injury you ever had?
Hurt my back and neck in a car wreck probably 15 years ago… still bothers me

23. Have you been in love?
Yes I kinda miss it too.

24. Do you miss anyone right now?
Yes i miss all my family that’s living in Indiana.

25. Last play you saw? I don’t even remember.

26. What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex?
Hahaha it’s no secret they’re attached to the front of my body and look really good in a v or scoop neck top!

27. What are your plans for tonight?
Tonight? No idea. Today I will be crafting with friends.

28. Who is the last person to send you a Myspace message or comment?
Wow, I don’t really use Myspace much anymore. I think it was some random dude.

29. Next trip you are going to take?
Well hopefully to Vegas again soon.

30. Ever go to camp?
Sure. Camp Bloomfield when I was a teenager. I went to Camp Edwards when i was a kid and I went to an outdoor education camp when I was a kid too…don’t remember what that camp’s name was.

31. Were you an honor student in school?
Well that’s a funny one!!! Nope. I preferred ditching school to go see bands play at the college.

32. What do you want to know about the future?
Not much.

33. Are you wearing perfume or cologne?
Nope I just woke up a lil bit ago.

34. Are you due sometime this year for a doctor’s visit?
Probably.

35. Where is your best friend?
Right at the moment she’s probably doing school work.

36. How is your best friend?
Why don’t ya ask her yourself!

37. Do you have a tan?
A light one from being outside taking public transportation.

38. What are you listening to right now?
The fan and some person doing yard work.

39. Do you collect anything?
Tarot decks, anything w/ skulls or faeries. Not much of a collector anymore. I am trying to GET RID of stuff.

40. Who is the biggest gossiper you know?
I refuse to answer this because she knows who she is and it’s annoying!

41. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over?
Me personally? I haven’t been in a LONG time.

42. Have you ever drank your soda from a straw?
yeah and?

43. What does your last text message say?
“Sounds good ”

44. Do you like hot sauce?
Only Tapatio and i only like that on my Frito’s chips with lime.

45. Last time you took a shower?
This morning.

46. Do you need to do laundry?
Yes! I need to keep on top of that actually. It can get out of hand.

47. What is your heritage?
My family is a huge mix of stuff. Irish, French, German, Native American. That’s just a start.

48. Are you someone’s best friend?
Yep!

49. Are you rich?
No I’m Amber, pleased to meet you!

50. What were you doing at 12 AM last night?
Playing on Pogo.

Apple Releases the iPad and it’s Accessible!

Giving Thanks

Disneyland Goes Accessible

The Day Where the Government Broke My Stomach

Girl Talk Thursday – Craftification!!!

New Must Have iPhone App: iMagnify

Girl Talk Thursday – Roommates!

Putting My Goals Into Motion By Making Extra Money

50 Questions For A Saturday.

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