[orca-list] You know you're old when ... (was Re: Proposal: Remove the emacspeak suppport)

[Joanmarie Diggs <jdiggs igalia com>]

Hey Robert.

On Wed, 2012-01-04 at 19:26 -0800, Robert Cole wrote:
> +1 I have never used a hardware synthesizer in my entire life, that I 
> can remember. I didn't even know what one was until just recently. :)

Ouch! Just for that you must read my silly tale of tech.

About... I dunno 16 or 17 years ago, I did an internship at the
Massachusetts Commission for the Blind in the Adaptive Technology
Program. Having been trained and all, I began going out in the field.
One day I was at this consumer's home trying to re-set up an old
DECTalk. And by old I mean it was old then. Nothing tiny like a DECTalk
Express. Think of two thin portable scanners on top of one another.
Seriously. 

BTW, these were in the days when JAWS 2 was current, and one fought with
interrupts and other silly crap in Windows 95. I had fought the good
fight, but no luck. For the life of me, I just couldn't get it talking.
So I called my supervisor and explained the situation. After walking me
through some basics:

Joe: Ok, I want you to pick the DECTalk up, lifting only its left side.
Me: Huh?
Joe: I want you to pick the DECTalk up, lifting only its left side.
Me: (uncertainly) Yessir.
Joe: Good, now drop it.
Me: Sir?
Joe: Drop it.
Me: (uncertainly) Yessir. <pause> Oh my god it's talking!

I kid thee not. Turned out the devices were notorious for some sort of
bad connection.

Say what you will about Assistive Technology today, but I have not had
to "fix" anything by dropping it in quite some time.

Take care, kiddo. <grins>
--joanie