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Thanks all, Edvard and rjbull for the 411. Several sites have what I am looking for, or pretty close anyway.

Some of you more exotic thinking types (which in my experience is just about everyone on Donationcoder) might consider making your own pens from quills and bamboo (search that). It's something I have had some success with in drawing, thus the original post of mine to to look for manufactured pens that don't require multiple dips in an ink well.

Cheers
NR
Washington DC

also: around Thanksgiving in the US, turkey quills are real cheap

Hello,

Maybe Cheap should be in quotes The Cult Pens site had one in the $1000's.

But seriously, I use fountain and ink pens for drawing and I'm on the lookout for a cartridge ink pen that allows different "nibs".  Any ideas?  Thanks. 

Thank you very much.  I'm reviewing the material now. Cheers!

Hello,
Hopefully some of the posters here can lead me in the right direction.
As a volunteer, I am putting together some instruction "tutorials" for users with various disabilities.
One of the things I would like to try as an approach is, instead of keyboard shortcuts where a "control " or "command" key needs to be selected along with another key, having the shortcut as a single click icon, maybe in some kind of on-screen toolbar.
As an example, in Photoshop, in order to "deselect" one must 1.)click the toolbar. 2.) scroll down, and 3.) click "deselect", or, a two key combination (as you probably know there are many and often difficult to look up, remember or execute).
Could this (and any selection or keyboard shortcut) be done with a simple single click on a descriptive "icon"?
Skrommel (Mr. Skrommel maybe) had a AHK utility a number of years ago that got close to this effort, however OS's have changed and a very short learning curve is necessary.
Any info about utilities, on-screen programmable icons, or methods that would help develop and hence simplify (especially "art" software which is popular) is appreciated.  Thank you,
NR
Washington DC

Hello,

Still the most imaginative site on the "inter-web".

About CHS, can you direct me to how to reorder the grid?  Thanks

NR
Washington DC

Thank you both very much.  As usual DonationCoder.com comes through with flying colors.
NR

Hello,
Possibly someone here can direct me.

First off I use a trackball. Others may also do so for accessibility/adaptive reasons. 

Is there a way to click "something" on-screen that would substitute for pressing the enter key? A preference would be not an onscreen keyboard, unless it could be modified for possibly a small single line or best, one key (obviously the ENTER key).

Thanks for your attention.

NR
Washington DC

Well, what do you know, something I know about.

Here's how I do transcriptions from various sources. First off, Dragon is the best program for this, rant or rave, hands down, I've used them all since L&H, Via Voice etc. So unless you have a way to unlock the TV COP SHOW Prop computer that the pretty girl types into and quickly finds the secrets of the universe and the perps/unsubs pet's middle initial, you are going to have a learning curve. So I'll skip right to the short cut.

First, for a recorded file you have never performed any "training for" (I'll assume you've seen the tv commercial where the professors lecture appears miraculously quick and correct as a text document on a computer from 30 feet away (10 meters) using only the microphone installed in the computer cover?  If you haven't, no worries.  It's the same computer as the TV COP SHOW Prop computer that the pretty girl types into and quickly finds the secrets of the universe...  OK.  not going to happen.)

Now Curt (famously) is the only poster who got this right and was kind of "glossed over" and his suggestion about using Audition seemed to end.

Back to the shortcut. You need to process the file before you drag it into 'dragonpad'. The quick way of putting it would be to say, the best file should sound something like Donald Duck.  No, seriously.  Think about it. The less mid range/low and harmonics there are the better the speech engine will do.  I am NOT going to get into the audio analysis of all this here.

Second, my experience is you are better off starting with a .wav file.  Basically cut the lows and mids so it sounds somewhat "tinny". Pull out the pops and hiss and other noise. Slow it to about 67%. Then drag that processed sound file into Dragon or whatever.  (You may need to convert to mp3.)

Here's some summary points:

The clearer, less noisy, better articulated speaking on the original, the more accurate the text file will be.

Having a high quality microphone positioned properly is huge. (see above)

You can get around 80% accuracy. Remember most speech recognition programs spell the words correctly 100% of the time.  They just spell the wrong words.

About this 80%. It's not a distributed %, You may get a complete paragraph with 98% accuracy, and then a sentence completely unintelligible.

If you can get the speaker to dictate a few paragraphs from Dragons training files placing the mic at the pick-up position will greatly help accuracy.

Some recorded situations just don't work.

Hope this helps.  Cheers.

NR
Washington DC

Thanks for the quick playback.  Well...If you are referring to selling out, you are probably right.    A shift in thinking has as much chance as a di-polar reversal before Tuesday. Either way I'll continue jamming for a counter revolution. 
NR
 

Well, I suppose I'll be chastised (flamed is it?) for this, yet my misspent youth and the anarchistic force in me insists I speak up. I'll make it brief: It's time to burn and loot.

the APP store pirates of the world have done a magnificent job of changing the thinking of a generation, and at the same time performed their public relations legerdemain of hiding the truth. If those who believe the internet, the WWW, the frequency spectrum, DOES NOT belong to corporations that simply declare their size dictates ownership, do not begin now to make a noise that reverberates for decades, kiss donation coding good bye.  Hasta la vista freeware.

Called for above is my philosophy of go big or go away...don't JUST burn...don't JUST loot. However with experience and age and a few wounded causes comes respect for reality. You still need to keep up a fight with many many short jabs and an occasional knockout punch.  Keep in mind the other side is trying the same thing.

You still need to go BIG, but from the inside. And that's my thesis.  I'll leave the specifics to you as to how to go about keeping the next generation of coders from selling out.

I need a toolbar for all Skrommel's great stuff! A SkromBar or ToolMMEL 

A TOOLBAR SKROMMEL! And thanks for all your work, some of your utilities are used by me daily.
NR

Great site and an impressive amount of work from a programmer who seems modest in approach. In my experience that kind of approach seems common with those who work for assisting.

Also the magnifier, as mentioned by cmpm might be very useful for graphics types, particularly when viewing parts of vector illustrations.

Cheers!
NR

"My horse's jockey was hitting the horse. The horse turns around and says "Why are you hitting me, there is nobody behind us!" (Dangerfield)

I am constantly amazed at the abilities of Clipboard Help and Spell (Love Fest not intended, just my take).

There is one ability that should be "promoted" much more, and that is Character Count. At first there seems many utilities for this, however that's somewhat deceptive in that many are web page based methods (and others) require some scripting in the "not for novice" style.

Anyway; traffic in computer to mobile messaging is increasing (no citation); 160 characters is the usual max count; Ipod and some other '"smart" phones don't always have character counters: etc. Seems that some information targeted at these demographics would be in order.  As an aside, "GrandMa, Mom and Dad" text-ing their family's phones may be a growing source of users.

There are other utilities, but to propel Clipboard Help and Spell faster, possibly a focused view of this aspect of CHS is worth a try.

Lastly: The window showing character count results. Can it be sized smaller?  The reason I ask is that on this machine the "pop-in" that nearly fills the frame is unexpectedly large and to me distracting.

Hope this helps.  Cheers!
Nick

Have a N.R.N.Y

(R for review)

     Minds may change when you read Googles small print.
     My take is, that is exactly what Google knows you WON'T do.  "Analytics" is a nice way of saying what I was taught was "back end" data.

     Props for Google for shifting the privacy baseline.

     Props to kartal for keeping it real.

Hello,

I'm going to just wing this comment since I have experience with all of these POD (print on demand) sites and have 'stores' on all also, so forgive any rambling.  Cafe Press has the name that is most recognizable for most T buyers (T=any merchandise), on-line buyers. Zazzle is number two, with Printfection, (they have some very creative stores and commercial artists with pages on the site but their stated business model is more towards Business to Business) and Spreadshirt are in the running but not in as well know a position as the others.

From my experience:

Printfection has the best quality.
Cafe press the most offerings.
Zazzle the most variety .
Spreadshirt best price.

Here's the takeaway for an occasional T buyer (maybe like JavaJones):

Prices are not going to be a lot different when shipping is figured in between all of the above.

If you want a deal look for the "specials" all of these have.  For instance I was msg'd that a 2.00 tee shirt was a special ("store owners cost") so you can see the variation. Speaking of which before buying I would check the store cost (somewhere on the site it's linked) against the retail cost and if it is out of line, 5 to 20 dollars more than the store cost, write the "shopkeeper" and ask to pay 2 or 3 dollars above the list, have them open a private store and you may get it. Same goes for a design you like but want some lettering on it.

If you are buying 10 or more bargain for a good discount and keep shipping low and slow.

Large quantities 100 or more, go local.  And, MAKE CERTAIN you see a sample of the material you are getting.

That's it for starters. Cheers
NR

Hello,

My DC initial experience is from the "wanting to get the pro and cons from users about certain utilities and programs" direction.  But it didn't take long to find other smart people and program possibilities.  The newsletter prompts me to check regularly.  One thing I must have missed is Donation Coder on IRC.  I was an early mIRC user however it seemed to occasionally implode my computer so I haven't returned to IRC for years. Is there a board here on the specifics of DC IRC?  Thanks NR

Thank you for implementing this change.  I have found it a useful indicator and my "eye" makes a quick look to see if I have made the copy.  Surprising how many times I have to re-do! Thanks again.  Nick

Hello,

I was unable to find an answer, if possible could someone direct me to a reference.  A simple graphic is posted showing "steps" of the utility that get to the entry to be copied. For me it's pretty much a back and forth 5 tap movement to get to the entry before pasting. Is there a way to shorten this process.  I realize that this only takes seconds, until selecting the wrong entry (my blunders) and then over again (hopefully only once). I have tried keyboard, mouse, drawing pad.

One possibility I haven't tried because this is a new to me, is a hotkey or macro to get me part of the way.  Thanks for any suggestions.
NR

Hello, As another way of finding better accessibility, I thought that having a consistant click pattern no matter the selection would be nice.  Possibly there are others who have a "muscle memory" (or just the memory of, for that matter) two clicks of the mouse/trackball/other input defining a selection.  Sure keyboarding is a preferred method, however in some cases and at times "clicking" has to do (the sandwich in one hand while driving , knees steering, and handheld balanced on dashboard comes to mind :)) Or, a double click of the input is the most workable for your situation.

So, as usual I can explain some things fairly quickly..., but making it work may take some work.  Can it be done? Any Ideas?

Cheers
1NR1

Spot On lanux128.  Thank you.  A simple matter of copying the script and dragging it to a bookmark "bar".  Of course it's only simple if you have someone who knows help.  Thanks again.

The google search url below has a number of entries that describe how to add a string to the end of the search query in the ADDRESS BAR that will filter results within time periods (by dates). It looks like this   &as_qdr=d 

http://www.google.com/sea...h&tbs=qdr:y&tbo=1

The "idea" is to have a way of adding this with one tap.

Hm-mm.  Good discussion here about many sensitive issues: downloading transparency, up front information, what is an ad and what constitutes spying. Perfect subjects for the DC site.

I for one when first reading about Open Candy thought the concept seemed somewhat benign, even after reading and re-reading "opposite" sides of the issue.

Until I viewed the 'video'.  This is "in you face" advertising.  Of course so is most marketing online and to me it's only the Internet version of floor posters in the grocery aisles. Those I never read. However, Open Candy requires that you read their advertising and read it closely and become a participant, willing or otherwise, by tapping your options. 

Lastly, this concept lends itself well to a shifting baseline, that is, will this style of marketing creep into general use?  Probably, especially when 'names' are throwing money at it, and those (like me) who would rather burn and loot than sell-out, fade away.

Cordially,
NR

Hope it's OK to jump in here for quick comment.  I feel that one becomes accustomed to just about any visual change/flash/momentary icon color when you know it's going to or supposed to happen.  For instance all that might be necessary for most users may be a change in the tray "clipboard" icon color, or a momentary indication on near the position of the copy/or paste.

Well, I'm beginning to see how difficult it is to "whittle" down a lot of bright ideas, so, thats my take and hope it can help for the future.  Thanks for your attention.

Nick

For users who may not be able to or want an audio confirmation sound on capture, is there a way, or could there be a way, to have some kind of visual confirmation/indication "fire" when copying or pasting?  Thanks.