2140 Encore of 1916 The Voice Behind Siri (Sep. 29, 2021)


2140 Encore of 1916 The Voice Behind Siri (Sep. 29, 2021)


Show Notes

Meet Susan Bennett whose voice was used to create the original female English language Siri voice. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Susan about her experiences as a voice artist, actress, and musician, what it was like to create the voice for Siri, how she found out that she was the voice behind Siri, and how it changed her career.

2139 Using Reaper with OSARA (Sep. 22, 2021)


2139 Using Reaper with OSARA (Sep. 22, 2021)


Show Notes

Reaper is a powerful multi-track audio production program used by many people with visual impairments. The program is made accessible using a screen reader on both PC’s and Mac’s by the open source OSARA extension for Reaper. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Scott Chesworth who manages the Reaper forums and Jamie Teh, the author of OSARA.

2138 Maxima Computer Algebra System (Sep. 15, 2021)


2138 Maxima Computer Algebra System (Sep. 15, 2021)


Show Notes

Maxima is a computer algebra system (CAS) that enables the user to work with complex mathematical expressions. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Robert Dodier, one of the developers of Maxima, about the capabilities of this free, open source program and also demonstrate how it can be used with a screen reader by those who are blind.

2137 Sharing Experiences with Cochlear Implants (Sep. 8, 2021)


2137 Sharing Experiences with Cochlear Implants (Sep. 8, 2021)


Show Notes

Blind individuals rely heavily on their ability to hear in order to compensate for their lack of sight. But what happens when a blind person loses their hearing? Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey join a conversation between Jim Snowbarger and Greg Green, both of whom are blind and both of whom have cochlear implants, about their experiences with the implants.

2136 Combining Computer Science with Social Sciences (Sep. 1, 2021)


2136 Combining Computer Science with Social Sciences (Sep. 1, 2021)


Show Notes

Bhavya Shah grew up in India where blind students were often dissuaded from certain studies and careers and where many textbooks could not be obtained in an accessible format. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Bhavya about how he overcame these challenges and now combines his skills in computer science with his interest in social science to contribute to research projects.