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Author Donna Jodhan Publications - Tuesday, April 7, 2015 - Issue 19

An Author Donna Jodhan Publication
https://www.donnajodhan.com/

Greetings,

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Section: This Month's Featured Advertisement:
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Do you enjoy audio mysteries? Author Donna Jodhan is a blind author who writes a large and ever growing library of audio mysteries to which she offers unrestricted access for just $4.99 / month.

Become an All Access Pass Member today at http://bit.ly/1om4vyi for just $4.99 / month.

Your All Access Pass allows you to browse all episodes at your convenience and download each in MP3 format as many times as you like. As a subscriber you also receive automatic notifications whenever additions are made to the Author Donna Jodhan Subscription Library.

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You can also purchase episodes individually for $0.99 USD each by visiting the Author Donna Jodhan Online Store at https://www.donnajodhan.com/store.html.

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Section: From Flying Blind, LLC:
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Compliments of our good friends over at Flying Blind, LLC we bring you the latest Volume of Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday, The Week's News in Adaptive Technology. If you'd like to subscribe to this free weekly publication directly, head on over to www.flying-blind.com, or send an email to enews@flying-blind.com with "Subscribe" in the subject line.

Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday, April 2, 2015 - Volume 503
The Week's News in Adaptive Technology

A Flying Blind, LLC Publication
http://www.flying-blind.com/

Read this Volume of Top Tech Tidbits on the web at: http://www.flying-blind.com/tidbits2015/04022015/index.html

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We just missed April Fool's Day, but here are some informational resources you can store up for next year:

1A) Mental Floss brings us, "6 of Ben Franklin's Greatest Hoaxes and Pranks:"
http://mentalfloss.com/article/62668/6-ben-franklins-greatest-hoaxes-and-pranks

1B) 7 Easy April Fools' Pranks You Can Pull Off At Work:
http://mentalfloss.com/article/62674/7-easy-april-fools-pranks-you-can-pull-work

1C) "11 of the Greatest Class Pranks in History:"
http://mentalfloss.com/article/61629/11-greatest-class-pranks-history

1D) And how can we pass up, "The Complete Lifehacker April Fools' IT Tricks Guide", courtesty of Lifehacker Australia:
http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/03/the-complete-lifehacker-april-fools-it-tricks-guide/

1E) And finally, this page links to excerpts from the book, Prankopedia, as well as other potentially fun things:
http://www.neatorama.com/2014/03/31/Prankopedia/

2) The Playstation 4 game system has a text-to-speech feature, and this blogger is enthusiastic about its possibilities:
http://www.brandoncole.net/?p=218

3) The handy AppleVis monthly summary of the most important posts, updates, apps and podcasts is up right at the beginning of the month:
http://www.applevis.com/blog/applevis-assistive-technology-braille-gaming-ios-apps-news/applevis-unlimited-whats-new

4A) This balanced VisionAware post offers what it claims to offer: "Insights about Using an iPhone: Pros and Cons for Blind and Visually Impaired Users:"
http://www.visionaware.org/blog/visually-impaired-now-what/insights-about-using-an-iphone-pros-and-cons-for-blind-and-visually-impaired-users/12

4B) And this one from Last Child offers, "The Low-Vision Experience with an iPad:"
http://www.last-child.com/the-low-vision-experience-with-an-ipad/

5) The Trekker Breeze GPS device is getting an upgrade, and you can hear about it on Tek Talk on GMT Tuesday, 7 April at 00:00:
http://conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rsc9613dc89eb2

6) Visit Hadley's YouTube Channel to find the all new iFocus "Using Dropbox" Instructional Video. This video includes all of the latest updates to the Dropbox app and can be found at:
https://youtu.be/5s2_pjYzAU4

7) Freedom Scientific is hosting training in multiple cities. Classes include Webpage Testing with JAWS, Creating Accessible Documents and Writing Scripts. For more information and to find a location:
http://www2.freedomscientific.com/Training/JAWS-training-workshops.asp

8A) In conclusion, there is a new podcast, as well as a variety of blog posts, available on the Serotalk site:
http://serotalk.com/

8B) And a couple of new podcasts from the Blind Bargains team:
http://blindbargains.com/audio/

8C) Triple Click Home, Episode 37 is available:
http://tripleclickhome.com/2015/04/01/triple-click-home-episode-37-watch-for-aliens/

8D) And the latest Tech Doctor podcast is called, "Everything You Need to Know About Using the Mac :"
http://www.dr-carter.com

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Section: Tips To Enhance Your Daily Life:
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This collection of tips is intended to assist you in keeping up with improvements and enhancements to various products and services that help you to live a better life. Enjoy!

Courtesy of Applevis, here are some interesting apps to check out:

1.) Be My Eyes - Helping Blind See (Free)
From the App Store:
Blind users can request help from a sighted person and the sighted users will then be called for help. You can read more at:
http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/lifestyle/be-my-eyes-helping-blind-see

2.) Blindfold Crazy Eights (Free)
From the App Store:
Blindfold Crazy Eights is a fully accessible Crazy Eights card game for both sighted and visually impaired people, designed for rapid audio play. You can read more at:
http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/games/blindfold-crazy-eights

3.) Blindfold Solitaire (Free)
From the App Store:
Blindfold Solitaire is a fully accessible Solitaire card game for both sighted and visually impaired people, designed for rapid audio play. You can read more at:
http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/games/blindfold-solitaire

4.) Degrees Pro - Accurate Weather (Paid. Free version available.)
From the App Store:
Degrees is a simple and intuitive Weather App with information provided from NOAA and Environment Canada. The clean and simple design allows you to quickly view all of your favourite locations on a single screen. You can read more at:
http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/weather/degrees-pro-%E2%80%93-accurate-weather

5.) PracticeLooper (Paid)
From the App Store:
Loop sections you want to practice and learn by ear at your own speed. Slow down music without changing the pitch, or transpose without changing the tempo. You can read more at:
http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/music/practicelooper

6.) Talking Atlas (Paid)
From the App Store:
A.) An amazing innovative app for sighted and visually impaired users with:
B.) Assistive mode for the visually impaired
C.) Audio Hints to guide through all the modes
D.) 200+ maps of countries and the world
E.) Audio description for each map
F.) Audio described flags
G.) Facts, Languages, Population, GDP, Area Size, Calling Code, History and much more
H.) Trivia based on world facets to test your knowledge
I.) Multiple language dialects for VoiceOver
You can read more at:
http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/education/talking-atlas

7.) Voice Dream Writer (Paid)
From the App Store:
Voice Dream Writer helps everyone write better. Text-to-speech proofreading reduces mistakes, phonetic and meaning search help you use the right words, and an active outline helps you to organize and improve the structure of your writing. You can read more at:
http://www.applevis.com/apps/ios/productivity/voice-dream-writer

8.) And we close with 9 Do-It-Yourself recipes for natural cleaners that are both safe and childproof:
http://healthychild.org/easy-steps/green-spring-cleaning-9-diy-recipes-for-natural-cleaners/

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Section: Mystery of the Month:
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This month, I'd like to whet your appetite with a brief description of one of my audio mysteries that I have chosen for you. This one is called "Six Candles for Summer" and here is a brief description:

Little Summer Kirsten Stinsen has been kidnapped on her birthday. No one saw when the child was snatched but everyone is blaming each other. Her nanny is also missing but everyone refuses to believe that the nanny could have done the crime. Neighbors are stunned! Why would anyone want to kidnap Little Summer? For ransom?

Who could have done it?
Was it Brandon Stinsen?
He wanted custody of Summer Despite knowing that she was not biologically his.
Was it Kirsten Stinsen?
She too wanted custody of her only child.
Was it Justin Langden?
He Wanted custody of his biological child.

This mystery is filled with suspense and it is quite difficult to guess who the kidnapper is until the final moments. Yes! A surprise for the listener and an unlikely kidnapper!
 
Get this audio mystery, and many others, by becoming an All Access Pass Member at http://bit.ly/1om4vyi of the Author Donna Jodhan Subscription Library for the extremely affordable price of just $4.99 / month.

Your All Access Pass at http://bit.ly/1om4vyi will allow you to browse all episodes at your convenience and download each as many times as you like. As a subscriber you will also receive automatic notifications whenever additions are made to the Author Donna Jodhan Subscription Library.

The All Access Pass at http://bit.ly/1om4vyi is the very best way to enjoy all that the Author Donna Jodhan Subscription Library has to offer, and we hope that you'll take advantage of it. No commitment required. Cancel anytime. All major credit cards, debit cards, and PayPal accepted.

You can also purchase this individual episode on the Author Donna Jodhan Online Store at https://www.donnajodhan.com/store.html for just $0.99 USD, or an entire season of 13 mysteries for the very low price of just $9.99 USD.

Visit the Author Donna Jodhan Online Store at https://www.donnajodhan.com/store.html today to purchase your very own copies.

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Section: From the Desk of Author Donna Jodhan:
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If you would like to gain perspective as to how blind persons go about their daily activities, and how they interact with others, please go to:
http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com

If you're looking for ways to make your products, services, and/or physical locations more accessible to those who are blind and/or partially sighted, please go to:
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/sightimpaired.html

If you would like to learn more about Author Donna Jodhan through her editorials and more please visit:
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog

To learn more about what Donna does through the activities of her company please visit:
http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/newsletter.html

Donna also produces various other useful posts every Saturday such as:

Helpful monthly tips.
Where to find your best American cities.
How to make your products and services more accessible.
Editorials on creating an accessible workplace.
Technology related articles each Wednesday and Thursday.
http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm

You can follow Author Donna Jodhan on Twitter @author_jodhan or @accessibleworld. You can also chat with her on Skype @habsfan0526.

With very best wishes,
Donna J. Jodhan AKA Detective DJ

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Section: Some Friendly Advice From Author Donna Jodhan:
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April 2015 Breaking Down the Boredom Barrier

More often than not, it is the boredom barrier that gets in the way of a writer being able to work and it often leads to writer's block.

It can be said that it is very easy to slip into boredom but on the other hand it is also just as easy for a writer to get out of it. The thing to remember is this; the boredom barrier is definitely manageable and can be easily broken down. The first thing to remember is that you can conquer it. You can overcome it and you can sometimes use it to your advantage.

How do you break down the boredom barrier? In my opinion, I find things to do and things that I enjoy doing. I use nature to help me out here. I go for walks, I listen to the birds, I smell the flowers, grass, and freshness of the air, and I even use the smells of cooking and fragrances of perfume to help me out.

In short, I call on all of my available senses to help me out. I cannot call on the sense of sight because I am blind but here is where my imagination steps in to help me. So why not give this a try?

Donna J. Jodhan, AKA Detective DJ

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Section: News Flash From Author Donna Jodhan:
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Announcement: Author Donna Jodhan's 3rd Season of Crime Crusher Series with Detective DJ will be aired on ACB Radio sometime in the spring of this year. Author Donna is extremely excited about this and would like to thank Larry Turnbolt for this great opportunity. The Crime Crusher Series with Detective DJ has been airing on ACB Radio since 2012. The first two seasons, as well as the 12 Days of Christmas Box Set which aired during Christmas of 2014.

ACB Radio is the radio station of the American Council of the Blind, an Internet based radio station that broadcasts worldwide. Stay tuned for more exciting news on this.

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Section: Author Donna Jodhan's Picks of the Month:
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1.) Here's what we recently learned about those very hard working courier company drivers. They are often paid per drop off, so what do they allegedly do in order to puff up their pockets with more money for themselves? They arrive at your door and do not even wait for more than a second before placing a sticker on your door to say that they were there. Then they scurry back to their vans and speed away leaving you with no choice but to call the company for another drop off. More often than not, they do not even ring your doorbell or your buzzer. We had 3 persons verify these actions so the next time you find yourself having to call your courier company to ask for the driver to return with your package keep these facts in mind!

2.) How often do we yawn on average? About 10 times per hour.

3.) You might be surprised to learn that laminate and wooden floors attract more germs than carpeted floors.

4.) Now, here's something interesting to know about the beauty industry. This particular industry is a billion dollar one, about $260 billion per year to be exact, and you know what? More people spend money on beauty aids than on education.

5.) Having problems keeping up with those starched napkins for your table? Well, here is a solution that works quite well. Why not buy bandannas at the dollar store? They are pretty and stiff and they never wilt. You can wash them in the washer and they are still stiff and starchy!

6.) And finally, some interesting stats about annual colds. You get about five of them per year on average and cold season is at its height from September to April.

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Section: From Head Star Communications:
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Compliments of our good friends over at Headstar Communications we give you the latest Volume of the E-Access Bulletin, Access To Technology For All, Regardless Of Ability, at: www.headstar.com/eablive. If you'd like to subscribe to this free monthly text-only publication directly, send an email to eab-subs@headstar.com with "Subscribe" in the subject line.

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Section: Closing:
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With very best wishes for an astounding month of April,
Donna J. Jodhan AKA Detective DJ

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Section: Author Donna Jodhan Publications Subscription and Contact Information:
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