ATMac

If you’re a digital cable TV subscriber in the United States you may have noticed the FireWire port on the back of your cable box. The most common assumption about this port is that it’s something for service technicians only but it’s actually something you can use to control your cable box, if you ask the right questions!

Accessible technology has changed Juergen Manthey’s life. Usually, somebody with his disabilities would be expected to exist in a nursing home and watch daytime television which they couldn’t even turn on or off without somebody’s help. Instead, Juergen is really living.

I posted a while back that I was looking for an iPod Touch case that would offer real protection in case of the device being dropped or dinged - the OtterBox Defender case is what I finally bought and it’s truly fantastic.

With just your Mac computer, a piece of free software, and about US$50 worth of equipment, you can create a touch-screen computer. With a projector too, you can even create an interactive whiteboard.

Today Amazon introduced the Kindle 2, the newest incarnation of its ebook reading device. Included in this 2nd generation Kindle is built-in text to speech capability.

Apple doesn’t often hold sales, but they seem to have gone out of their way to advertise a one-day sale internationally for this Friday - Black Friday in the USA. MacRumours is reporting that Apple retail stores will be able to match the prices of non-Apple retailers, which may mean big discounts for customers.

The software which runs the Apple TV device has now been updated to version 2.3. This most recent upgrade includes several improvements and bug fixes including support for third party remote controls.

RJ Cooper has made available a very affordable switch adapted MP3 player which can be operated with 1 or 2 switches. It also functions as a thumb drive for moving files between computers, and is compatible with OS X.

In the July - August ‘08 issue of MDA’s QUEST Magazine, there is an interesting article in the QuestTech section about Orlando Valle, a young man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and the specialized digital photography equipment he uses for a middle school digital media course. Of particular interest is the motorized pan & tilt mount [...]

The head controlled mouse replacement SmartNav 4 is now available for Mac OS X users thanks to RJ Cooper and Associates. The upgrade can be ordered through RJ Cooper’s website.