Friday, May 02, 2008

Vission Loss



Are you Loosing your vision?

Mostly, this is directed to those of you who are friends or relatives of folks who are loosing sight. We spent some time reading up on and installing free software on one of the computers in the clubhouse lab. We've tested it out and feel confident that we can show those that have a need, how to use the computer with diminished sight. NO $$$.. We will come and set it up for you in your home on your computer.

The first component is called, "TEXT TO SOUND" software. If you hi-light the text and press a button it reads it back to you with a computer generated voice called Microsoft Mary. Mary does quite well and I was able to understand everything she said... You can speed her up or slow her down to fit your desire. This TTS program will also read back things you type in your email.. She will read aloud internet pages... Microsoft Documents like WORD.. and email ... After you become proficient in using Mary you can buy voices that sound just as natural as can be... About $35. The basic program with Mary is free though and she is quite good. Think of the possibilities.. You can read the news again.. Mary can read you an entire book on line... You can read/listen to this website....

Next we set your Icons and text to really big. After that there are settings on your computer that give high contrast to make everything stand out better. If more is needed we can change your display to really big ... You need to move around with the mouse a bit more though. Speaking of that mouse .. we can turn him into a large, easy to see MOOSE.

The last thing we can do is teach you how to use the magnifier program so that everything on it can be blown up to extremely large size... It is already on your computer... You just need to know how to turn it on and use it. (PC)

You have to learn the controls for doing this but I'm not the quickest wit around and I had it down pretty fast..

The software and all that we have spoken of here is compatible with just about all computers and operating systems... We must admit to ignorance of Apple Mac computers but we might be able to figure that out....

Anyone want to help with this project? Let me know.

Contact me ... have a friend email me at teckron@gmail.com or you can call the number it is in the park directory..

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"I take my wife everywhere, but she keeps finding her way back."

Sandcastle Contest Fills North Oregon Coast with Thousands


Sandcastle Contest Fills North Oregon Coast with Thousands: "(Cannon Beach, Oregon) – Ornate and intricate sculptures made of sand will be the center of celebration in Cannon Beach, with the 44th Annual Sandcastle day Festival taking over the town on June 7. The event cajoles amateurs, families, professionals and people of all ages to participate in this wildly imaginative festival, with hundreds of sculptures, figures, scenarios and creatures carved out of the sand near Haystack Rock..

Thousands hit the beach in the morning at low tide, to either sculpt these jaw-dropping masterpieces or to watch them being created. Participants compete in various categories, some by age or skill level and some by how members are in the group."

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Newport News-Times: Hatfield researchers sorting out earthquake cruise data


Newport News-Times: Hatfield researchers sorting out earthquake cruise data: "At least three quakes from the odd swarm were magnitude 5.0 or greater, which Dziak said is also unusual. The largest - detected by the hydrophones April 7 - registered as a 5.4 magnitude. Small quakes were interspersed periodically by larger ones. Another anomaly showed up in the scientists' analysis of seismic decay rates, which look at the decreasing intensity of the tremors as they radiate outward from the source. Collected data indicate these earthquakes do not follow the usual sequence of a main event followed by a series of aftershocks.

'It is weird,' said Dziak. 'The fact that it's taking place in the middle of a plate and not a boundary is puzzling. It's something worth keeping an eye on.'"

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"I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals."

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"You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only...

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"Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels."

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"America is a large, friendly dog in a very small room. Every time it wags its tail, it knocks over a chair."

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Jim Stanley sees....

Our Resident, Jim Stanley, thought you might like these two photos....




You Lookin @ me?

Visitor locations

Over on the right you will find a fun new link... It's a bar that looks like the above picture... When you left click it .. it will take you to a website that has some writing and explanations ... Skip all that you can read it later if you are interested ... Just scroll down and look at the map you will see who all is visiting our website right now and where in the world they are... The map you see is a google map you can drill down to a location to see the name of the place you are looking at..... If you are looking at the one on the Oregon Coast is probably you. Go far enough down you will see that it is on the cell tower behind the park... You are looking at you.

In fact as I am writing this someone that lives on 13th st in Chicago, Ill. is looking at our website... Hi there Chicago.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Red-light cameras record 112 violations in April | StatesmanJournal.com | Statesman Journal


Red-light cameras record 112 violations in April | StatesmanJournal.com | Statesman Journal: "alem police issued 112 tickets to red-light violators during the first three weeks of April, marking the initial set of citations to be handed out using the city's new red-light camera system.
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The cameras at Mission and 25th streets SE captured 75 verified violations, according to statistics released by Salem police.

Cameras at Commercial and Marion streets NE, downtown next to the Marion Street Bridge, caught 37 verified violations.

Each of the tickets carries a $242 fine and the digital signature of Sgt. Russ Morris, who leads Salem's traffic control unit. He is the only police officer so far who has reviewed and approved violations caught by the cameras.

The first wave of red-light violators caught on camera is scheduled to appear in Salem Municipal Court on May 5, Court Administrator Dan Swinney said."

New CSI Tool Analyzes Antibodies, Idaho Lab Develops New Human ID Test That Is Faster, Possibly Cheaper Than DNA Testing - CBS News


New CSI Tool Analyzes Antibodies, Idaho Lab Develops New Human ID Test That Is Faster, Possibly Cheaper Than DNA Testing - CBS News: "The scientists say an antibody profile can yield results faster and more cheaply and be performed in the field with minimal training. National lab administrators have licensed the technology exclusively to Identity Sciences LLC in Alpharetta, Ga.

The Georgia startup plans to begin rolling out test kits and training to law enforcement, the military and forensic and medical labs around the globe by fall of 2009. Ken Haas, vice president of marketing, says the test is not intended to supplant DNA testing, the recognized gold standard in human identification."

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"When everyone is against you, it means that you are absolutely wrong-- or absolutely right."

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"This is like deja vu all over again."

Gasoline to cost $10 a gallon in US soon? - Boing Boing

Gasoline to cost $10 a gallon in US soon? - Boing Boing: "he New York Sun reports that the price of gasoline in the US will soon be in line with what Europeans pay.

Translating this price into dollars and cents at the gas pump, one of our forecasters, the chairman of Houston-based Dune Energy, Alan Gaines, sees gas rising to $7-$8 a gallon. The other, a commodities tracker at Weiss Research in Jupiter, Fla., Sean Brodrick, projects a range of $8 to $10 a gallon."

Rash of mild temblors shake Oregon - Chico Enterprise Record

Rash of mild temblors shake Oregon - Chico Enterprise Record: "A swarm of earthquakes 125 miles off the Oregon coast, has scientists scratching their heads.

Since Monday, six quakes with magnitudes of 3.7 to 4.1, have rattled the sea floor at almost the exact same spot 126 miles west of Port Orford, Ore., according to the U. S. Geological Survey. The most recent temblors are only the tip of a seismic iceberg, according to Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center, in Newport."

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Northern Lights Glimmer With Unexpected Trait


Northern Lights Glimmer With Unexpected Trait: "An international team of scientists has detected that some of the glow of Earth's aurora is polarized, an unexpected state for such emissions. Measurements of this newfound polarization in the Northern Lights may provide scientists with fresh insights into the composition of Earth's upper atmosphere, the configuration of its magnetic field, and the energies of particles from the Sun, the researchers say."

What do retired people do every day?

What do retired people do every day?: "Working people frequently ask retired people what they do to make their days
interesting.

Well, for example, the other day the wife and I went into town and went into a shop.

We were only in there for about 5 minutes.

When we came out, there was a cop writing out a parking ticket.

We went up to him and said, “Come on man, how about giving a senior citizen a break?”

He ignored us and continued writing the ticket.

I called him a Dumb ass.

He glared at me and started writing another ticket for having worn tires.

So Mary called him a shithead.

He finished the second ticket and put it on the windshield with the first.

Then he started writing a third ticket.

This went on for about 20 minutes.

The more we abused him, the more tickets he wrote.

Personally, we didn’t care. We came into town by bus.

We try to have a little fun each day !"

"Over 60" Perspective

"Over 60" Perspective: "My wife is going through menopause. What can I do?

A: Keep busy. If you're handy with tools, you can finish the basement or shed; when you are done you will have a place to live.

- - -

Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your 60 year old husband?

A: Tell him you're pregnant."

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"Ahhh. A man with a sharp wit. Someone ought to take it away from him before he cuts himself."

Rare Visages of the Oregon Coast


Rare Visages of the Oregon Coast: "Inside the Devil’s Punchbowl

It's rare, but it's one of the more unforgettable experiences you can have. Sometimes the tide is low enough at the Devil's Punchbowl - just north of Newport - to actually walk inside thestructure. It's a place where often the tide is swirling angrily, making a frightening commotion. But at these moments, you can wander over the wave-polished boulders and examine the walls scoured and torn by the tide, and the weird colors that have been uncovered here."