Coming up on Main Menu and Main Menu Live for the week of June 27

This week on Main Menu and Main Menu Live we focus on organization with a
Calendar, Windows Vista speech recognition, portability in traveling with
GPS and assistive technology techniques for being more efficient.

In the first half hour of Main Menu we hear from Brian Hartgen from T&T
Consultancy Limited. For those of you who are JAWS users and who are using
Office 2007 you will be especially interested in this. Brian will be
announcing here on Main Menu a set of scripts that will be available for
purchase at Sight Village 2007 giving complete access to the Outlook 2007
Calendar. In addition, Brian will talk about a low cost JAWS script
solution to Windows Vista's speech recognition interface. He will spend a
bit of time demonstrating this functionality as well.

In the next half hour on Main Menu we will hear from Earle Harrison all
about the new Way Finder Access GPS Navigation solution recently made
available for Mobile Speak Symbian phone customers.

When we visit a web site or open a document, we do much more than simply
listen to the entire text as it is spoken aloud. During the second hour on
Main Menu Live, Chris Hofstader and Karen McCall will talk with us all about
the efficiency and productivity related aspects of using screen readers and
other assistive technology. When a web page opens, what techniques do you
employ to quickly access only the information you need? This is your chance
to learn from the pros and share techniques of your own.

This will be the last Main Menu and Main Menu Live for the next few weeks as
the Main Menu production team takes some time off over the summer to spend
it with their families. We will be back in August with much more great
content.

Here is how to participate on the show. The number to call into the show is
866-400-5333. You can email your questions to mainmenu@acbradio.org. You
may also interact with the show via MSN Messenger. The MSN Messenger ID to
add is mainmenu@acbradio.org.

Would you like to interact with a group of Main Menu listeners about the
topics heard on Main Menu and Main Menu Live? You can do this by joining the
Main Menu Friends email list. The address to subscribe is
main-menu-subscribe@googlegroups.com. Come join an already lively group of
users.

Would you like to subscribe to podcast feeds for Main Menu and Main Menu
Live? The RSS feeds to add to your podcatching application are:

Main Menu -

http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenu
Main Menu Live -

http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenulive

Main Menu and Main Menu Live can be heard on Tuesday evenings at 9:00
Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, and at 1 universal/GMT on Wednesday mornings on the
ACB Radio Main Stream channel. To listen to the show, just click this link:

http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=8&MMN_position=14:14

Jeff Bishop and Darrell Shandrow
The Main Menu Production Team

Coming up on Main Menu Live for the week of June 20th

This week on Main Menu Live we will be presenting quite a variety of topics.

In the first hour we hear from Woody Anna Dresner from the National Braille
Press. A new book entitled "Google It! A Guide to the World's Most Popular
Search Engine" has been released and is based on Jonathan Mosen's audio
Google tutorial. We bring her on to talk to us all about this new book and
all things Google.

Next we hear from Steve Bauer, a familiar voice to many who listen to all of
the streams here at ACB Radio. We bring Steve on to talk all things radio,
that being commercial radio and HD radio. Steve works for a commercial
radio station and we ask him to talk about the issues he faces from a
blindness perspective in that area of his work.

Buckle your seatbelt everyone as we race Into the second hour on Main Menu
Live. We will talk with Che Martin from Blind Adrenaline Simulations. This
is a new accessible game software company and they are just about ready to
launch an exciting new game for everyone called Rail Racer. This is both a
single and multi-player game that is soon launching. Come listen as we
interview Che all about the game, his career, what the development process
is like in developing the game and much more, including your phone calls.

The number to call into the show is 866-400-5333. You can email your
questions to mainmenu@acbradio.org. You may also interact with the show via
MSN Messenger. The MSN Messenger ID to add is mainmenu@acbradio.org.

Would you like to interact with a group of Main Menu listeners about the
topics heard on Main Menu and Main Menu Live? You can do this by joining the
Main Menu Friends email list. The address to subscribe is
main-menu-subscribe@googlegroups.com. Come join an already lively group of
users.

Would you like to subscribe to podcast feeds for Main Menu and Main Menu
Live? The RSS feeds to add to your podcatching application are:
Main Menu - http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenu
Main Menu Live - http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenulive

Main Menu and Main Menu Live can be heard on Tuesday evenings at 9:00
Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, and at 1 universal/GMT on Wednesday mornings on the
ACB Radio Main Stream channel. To listen to the show, just click this link:

http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=8&MMN_position=14:14

We will be live for this week so this week expect to see the podcast feed
only updated on the Main Menu Live feed.

Jeff Bishop and Darrell Shandrow
The Main Menu Production Team

Sunday shows on ACB Radio World

Just to let you know there are three shows tomorrow on ACB Radio World
Starting at 15:30 UTC "Report from Africa", a compilation of interviews I
recorded with various movers and shakers of the 4th Africa Forum held in
Nairobi Kenya. This program will be repeated on my Interactive show
"Chrissie on Air" on Tuesday at 21:30 approximately. Then at 17:00 "Buenos
Dias America" (in Spanish), with David Arocho, and finally at 18:00 UTC, the
"Zondag Avond" Show (in Dutch), with Aad Leeflang.

All shows can be heard on ACB Radio World available from the acbradio.org
page.

Chrissie

ACB Radio Tuner Version 6.6 Now Released

Version 6.6 of the ACB Radio Tuner has been released. The main advantage to
this new version is adding support for Serotek's System Access product for
the Extra Speech option within the Tuner. In addition, an updated ACB Radio
Tuner Tutorial produced by Matt Campbell is also now available when pressing
F8. We will update the Tuner web site to include links to the older Tuner
tutorial in the next day or so. We would like to sincerely thank Serotek
for assisting us in getting these new changes into the new version of the
ACB Radio Tuner.

If you are a Window-Eyes customer and are running under Windows VISTA, then
you will want to make sure and download the patch provided by GW Micro to
correct the Extra Speech issues experienced by 6.5 Tuner users under VISTA.
You can find more information on this patch by reading this knowledge base
article:

GWKB1074 : Window-Eyes API Functions Unavailable in Windows Vista
http://www.gwmicro.com/Support/Knowledge_Base/?kbnumber=GWKB1074

You can download the new version of the ACB Radio Tuner at the following
address:

http://www.acbradio.org/tuner

If you have any questions, just let us know.

Jeff Bishop
ACB Radio Webmaster

Coming up on Main Menu Live for the week of June 13th, 2007

This week on Main Menu Live, we present two hours of live content.

In the first hour we bring on Jamal Mazrui. Jamal has created numerous
freeware applications like Textpal, PDF2TXT, FileDir and many more. We will
talk with Jamal all about these individual applications and you will be able
to call in and ask any questions you may have about them. We will also talk
about the landscape of programming using current screen reader technologies.

In the second hour we hear from Woody Anna Dresner from the National Braille
Press. A new book entitled "Google It! A Guide to the World's Most Popular
Search Engine" has been released and is based on Jonathan Mosen's audio
Google tutorial. We bring her on to talk to us all about this new book and
all things Google.

In the last half hour of Main Menu Live we bring on representatives from
Serotek Corporation. Mike Calvo and Matt Campbell join us to make a major
announcement from Serotek about a new technology coming from them. The Main
Menu production team has gotten a sneak peak at this new technology and we
assure you it is something not to miss.

The number to call into the show is 866-400-5333. You can email your
questions to mainmenu@acbradio.org. You may also interact with the show via
MSN Messenger. The MSN Messenger ID to add is mainmenu@acbradio.org.

Would you like to interact with a group of Main Menu listeners about the
topics heard on Main Menu and Main Menu Live? You can do this by joining the
Main Menu Friends email list. The address to subscribe is:
main-menu-subscribe@googlegroups.com
Come join an already lively group of users.

Would you like to subscribe to podcast feeds for Main Menu and Main Menu
Live? The RSS feeds to add to your podcatching application are:

Main Menu - http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenu
Main Menu Live - http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenulive

Main Menu and Main Menu Live can be heard on Tuesday evenings at 9:00
Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, and at 1 universal/GMT on Wednesday mornings on the
ACB Radio Main Stream channel. To listen to the show, just click this link:
http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=8&MMN_position=14:14

Jeff Bishop and Darrell Shandrow
The Main Menu Production Team

New show comes to ACB Radio World

Bjorn Kohre starts a new show on ACB Radio World at 14:00 UTC today
(Friday). The show is called "Radio Melody" and will feature Chinese and
English music with announcements in Chinese, so do join him and make him
welcome.

Update: Coming up on Main Menu and Main Menu Live for the week of June 6

This week on Main Menu, we hear from Bill McCann of Dancing Dots about accessible solutions for notating and recording music and audio.  Their Lime Aloud and GOODFEEL products let you create musical scores in print and in braille.  their CakeTalking scripts and tutorial provides access to CakeWalk SONAR for users of the JAWS screen reader. During the second hour of Main Menu Live, Bill joins us to discuss CakeTalking and other Dancing Dots products. Feel free to call or chat with us on MSN / Windows Live Messenger all about music and technology from a blindness perspective.

The number to call into the show is 866-400-5333. You can email your questions to mainmenu@acbradio.org. You may also interact with the show via MSN Messenger.

The MSN Messenger ID to add is mainmenu@acbradio.org.

Would you like to interact with a group of Main Menu listeners about the topics heard on Main Menu and Main Menu Live? You can do this by joining the Main

Menu Friends email list. The address to subscribe is main-menu-subscribe@googlegroups.com. Come join an already lively group of users.

Would you like to subscribe to podcast feeds for Main Menu and Main Menu Live? The RSS feeds to add to your podcatching application are:

Main Menu - http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenu

Main Menu Live - http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenulive

Main Menu and Main Menu Live can be heard on Tuesday evenings at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, and at 1 universal on Wednesday mornings on the ACB Radio Main Stream channel. To listen to the show, just click this link: http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=8&MMN_position=14:14

There will also be a special stereo simulcast of this show on the ACB Radio World channel. To listen to the show, just click this link: http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=57&MMN_position=75:75

 

Jeff Bishop and Darrell Shandrow

The Main Menu Production Team

Coming up on Main Menu and Main Menu Live for the week of June 6

This week on Main Menu, we hear from Bill McCann with Dancing Dots all about the company's CakeTalking product which provides access to CakeWalk Sonar for users of the JAWS screen reader. During the second hour of Main Menu Live, Bill joins us to discuss CakeTalking and other Dancing Dots products. Feel free to call or chat with us on MSN / Windows Live Messenger all about music and technology from a blindness perspective.

The number to call into the show is 866-400-5333. You can email your questions to mainmenu@acbradio.org. You may also interact with the show via MSN Messenger. The MSN Messenger ID to add is mainmenu@acbradio.org.

Would you like to interact with a group of Main Menu listeners about the topics heard on Main Menu and Main Menu Live? You can do this by joining the Main Menu Friends email list. The address to subscribe is main-menu-subscribe@googlegroups.com. Come join an already lively group of users.

Would you like to subscribe to podcast feeds for Main Menu and Main Menu Live? The RSS feeds to add to your podcatching application are:

Main Menu - http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenu

Main Menu Live - http://www.acbradio.org/podcasts/mainmenulive

Main Menu and Main Menu Live can be heard on Tuesday evenings at 9:00 Eastern, 6:00 Pacific, and at 1 universal on Wednesday mornings on the ACB Radio Main Stream channel. To listen to the show, just click this link: http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=8&MMN_position=14:14

Jeff Bishop and Darrell Shandrow

The Main Menu Production Team

NPR, Others Challenge Online Royalties

NPR, Others Challenge Online Royalties
May 31, 2007 - 3:12pm

By SETH SUTEL
AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - National Public Radio is teaming up with online radio
broadcasters to appeal new music royalties that they say would put smaller
operators out of business and force others to sharply scale back their
online music offerings.

NPR filed a notice with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington Wednesday
signaling that it would challenge the ruling by a panel of
copyright judges that would sharply raise the amount of royalties that NPR
stations and others
have to pay record companies for streaming music over the Internet. NPR
also said it was filing a request with the same court on Thursday along with
other Webcasters for an emergency stay blocking the adoption
of the new rates, which are set to go into effect July 15.

Several NPR member stations such as KCRW in Los Angeles have significant
online audiences for music programming, and would have to drastically
cut back those offerings under the new royalty rates, NPR says. NPR
spokeswoman Andi Sporkin, in a statement, called the decision by the
Copyright Royalty Board on May 1 "ill-conceived" and said it would cause
"irreparable
harm" to member stations by forcing them to cut back on streaming music
online.

In addition to NPR, smaller Webcasters and a group representing major
Internet companies including Yahoo Inc., Time Warner Inc.'s AOL unit and
RealNetworks Inc. were expected to join in the motion for a stay on
Thursday.

Separately, a bill seeking to block the new royalties and implement a
different payment system is gathering steam in Congress. The Internet
Radio Equality Act has 100 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives and
has also
been introduced in the Senate, says Kurt Hanson, who operates a small online
radio company called AccuRadio. Hanson says the new royalty rates would put
smaller operators such as his out of business. Currently, smaller Webcasters
pay a portion of their revenues - usually from advertising - in royalties,
amounting to about 10 percent to 12 percent. The new rates would require
them to pay each time a song is heard by a listener, as well as minimum
amounts per channel.

The royalties in question only apply to digital transmission of music, such
as over the Internet and through satellite radio. Sirius Satellite Radio
Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. have their own agreements with the
music industry, but those are also being renegotiated. Normal radio
stations don't pay those royalties for regular broadcasts since radio
airplay is seen as having value for promoting sales of music CDs. Both
traditional radio stations as well as online broadcasters pay separate
royalties to the composers and publishers of music.