One of my favorite new authors is Joe Abercrombie. A few year ago, he published The First Law trilogy, a dark fantasy series, followed recently by Best Served Cold, a novel set I’m the First Law world. I picked up the first nook in the trilogy a few years ago in paperback and was...
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Today, author Joe Abercrombie announced that his new book, Best Served Cold will be released in the US on the Kindle. I have found the Kindle app on my iPod Touch to be very readable on the largest font setting  and with the inverse color scheme (white text on a black background). Despite this,...
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It has been a while since I have posted about my campaign for more unabridged audiobooks. I have not abandoned my quest, but I have not made much progress either. I did hear back this week from one of my favorite new fantasy authors, Joe Abercrombie, about the bogged down negotiations for the audio...
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Speeding up a recording used to make it sound like Alvin & the Chipmunks. Growing up, I had a cassette player for the blind that had a variable speed playback control. Being a kid, I used it mainly for entertainment value. Fun was...
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I read a lot. I always have. But as my eyesight has deteriorated, I have had to find alternative ways to get my fix. Audiobooks have been key, mostly bought from Audible.com in recent years. Lately, smartphones and dedicated e-book readers have begun to offer an accessible alternative. There is still a big trade-off...
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I read a lot. I always have. But as my eyesight has deteriorated, I have had to find alternative ways to get my fix. Audiobooks have been key, mostly bought from Audible.com in recent years. Lately, smartphones and dedicated e-book readers have begun to offer an accessible alternative. There is still a big trade-off...
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An Open Letter to Jeff Bezos at Amazon Does Amazon have a Chief Accessibility Officer? Someone who oversees accessibility issues across the company? It does not seem so. With Amazon at the heart of both online shopping and digital books (audio and e-books), you need a strong corporate position on accessibility. Not only is there...
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Spotted on Slashdot, Author’s Guild Says Kindle’s Text-To-Speech Software Illegal. “The Author’s Guild claims that the new Kindle’s text-to-speech software is illegal, stating that “They don’t have the right to read a book out loud,” said Paul Aiken, executive director of the Authors Guild. “That’s an audio right, which is derivative under copyright law.” Forget...
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The NY Times, along with every other news source, is reporting on the new version of Amazon’s e-book reader, the Kindle.Buried among all the other changes is one important accessibility feature: text-to-speech. According to the Times: Giving Voice to the Kindle: The Kindle 2 also has text-to-speech built in. “Any book, blog, magazine or personal...
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This is what a bad website looks like after I have set the font sizes so that I can read them. This is from Audible.com. If you find this post useful or interesting, please consider buying me a cup of coffee.
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As you can read in earlier posts, here and here, I have been waging a one-person campaign to see more unabridged audiobooks on Audible.com. I had a first success with Ron Rosenbaum’s Explaining Hitler. Just a few weeks ago, I saw that Doris Kearns Goodwin had released the unabridged version of Team of Rivals...
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Here is a nice review of iPods, other digital music players and related software from an accessible perspective: Portable Player Portal Main Page. I am interested in Rockbox, which has a voice-based interface, but it does not allow for Audible.com playback. If you find this post useful or interesting, please consider buying me a cup...
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I have to second this opinion: Medialoper » That’s What I Like: Audible.com. Listening to audiobooks while working out gives me the opportunity and discipline to listen to those long books that can’t be listened to while going to sleep. I recently made it through Jenkins’ biography of Churchill and now...
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I have had my first success with my grass root campaign for more unabridged audio. I received an email this week from Ron Rosenbaum, the author of Explaining Hitler. I read this book a few years ago on cassette, but could not find it on Audible.com. I emailed Mr. Rosenbaum, who was kind enough...
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Here is a great site about audiobooks, Aldo on Audiobooks « Aldo on Audiobooks. It is worth a look. If you find this post useful or interesting, please consider buying me a cup of coffee.
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