Friday, February 24, 2006

accessibility Electronic Braille Tutor Teaches Independence. For many years, the shortage of Braille teachers in the United States has created challenges for blind students of all ages who wish to read the ubiquitous system of raised-dot text. In the 1990s, with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), renowned educator and innovator for the blind, Sally Mangold of Exceptional Teaching, Inc., developed the Speech Assisted Learning (SAL) device to counter the shortage. The device broke new ground by providing mathematics and Braille reading lessons, in both English and Spanish, in a flat, notebook-sized tool. Mangold passed away almost exactly one year ago, but her friends and colleagues have recently come together to ensure that her work continues. [Science Blog -] 3:52:59 PM    comment

search plus office utilities Google Introduces Page Creator. [Slashdot] 12:46:06 PM    comment

AI NASA employs Borg brain to better space antenna. Like a friendly, non-biological form of the Borg Collective of science fiction fame, 80 personal computers, using artificial intelligence (AI), have combined their silicon brains to quickly design a tiny, advanced space antenna. [Science Blog -] 12:41:58 PM    comment