Comments on: Non-linear Braille reader?

By: On why braille is dying / Branko's Weblog

On why braille is dying / Branko's Weblog — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:03:08 +0000

[...] Link: David Weinberger. [...]

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:07:42 +0000

Agree, such a device should be around already.
When you watch people reading Braille they slide their fingers over the ‘letters’. I think its less a matrix of separate fields that display one word, but one large field through which the text runs animated like a wave from right to left.
Not the thumb but pressure of the reading hand could be used to pause and control speed of reverse and forward. But what do we know? We need to ask a person who is a Braille reader.

By: pligg.com

pligg.com — Sat, 29 May 2010 09:10:51 +0000

Joho the Blog Â» Non-linear Braille reader?…

Joho the Blog Â» Non-linear Braille reader?…

By: Garrett Coakley

Garrett Coakley — Fri, 28 May 2010 08:50:19 +0000

Sounds like you’re describing the device the character Whistler uses in the 1992 film Sneakers (http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0105435/). Unfortunately I can’t find a clip with the device in use, but it’s a great film, well worth watching.

By: Richard Volpato

Richard Volpato — Fri, 28 May 2010 08:39:38 +0000

That’s a cool idea. Hope someone follows through with something tangible.

By: Crosbie Fitch

Crosbie Fitch — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:53:46 +0000

I remember seeing such a device, perhaps on BBC’s Tomorrow’s World programme.

By: Brent Ashley

Brent Ashley — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:47:59 +0000

I had exactly this idea in 1982. I planned to base the pin-firing mechanism on dot-matrix printheads and have a switch at either end that your finger would hit to load the next or previous line of characters. I actually started to model it on my Ohio Scientific Suberboard II in BASIC, and write some solenoid driver code in assembly.

But of course, being 21 at the time I had more pressing (i.e hedonistic) things on my mind and never ended up doing anything with it.

I vaguely remember in the late 90s having seen something that seemed like an implementation of the idea, but not lately. I’ll keep my eye out.