Re "Pic of the Day"

[Event Horizon]

Im a bit busy at the moment to bring any more lubly pics, but normal service will resume shortly.

 

[Fixxxer]

Damn slacker, what could be more important than bringing us pwetty piccies ay?

Methinks you need a sess on the spank-o-matic to remind you of where your loyalties lie .....................

Ph33r it's spanks.

 

[exedanni]

Regular spanking will be administered until the service resumes

 

[Gandolf]

Just to be going on with may I be bold and present this

Hands-On Book of Hubble Images Allows the Visually Impaired to "Touch the Universe"

A new book of majestic images taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope brings the wonders of our universe to the fingertips of the blind. Called "Touch the Universe: A NASA Braille Book of Astronomy," the 64-page book presents color images of planets, nebulae, stars, and galaxies. Each image is embossed with lines, bumps, and other textures. The raised patterns translate colors, shapes, and other intricate details of the cosmic objects, allowing visually impaired people to feel what they cannot see. Braille and large-print descriptions accompany each of the book's 14 photographs, making the design of this book accessible to readers of all visual abilities.

Amazing what they can do. Just can't get my head round as to how you can visualize a picture

Gandolf

 

[taliesyn]

Wow, that's an amazing concept Gandolf. It's strange, being sighted, trying to imagine how someone who can't see can grasp the idea of the cloud bands of Jupiter and so on.

It must be an amazing book.

 

[Markjcj]

Dunno how they manage to it mate, i'm just glad they can.

Its like when deaf people lip read, beats me how they manage it but they do, my son amongst them although with the newer generations of hearing aids it's becoming less of a required skill, maybe one day them kids might be able to actually see the hubble pictures; we can always hope.

 

[Berserker]

Remember that most blind people are used to 'reading' by touch (i.e. braille). With people who have lost one sense, the other senses often become more acute to compensate.

I know this from experience, as I don't have good eyesight myself, though I can see well enough.

 

[Gandolf]

Just been pondering this.

Surely if you have been blind from birth then you won't have any perception of colour or shape.

Makes it even more mind boggling

 

[Berserker]

Originally posted by Gandolf
Surely if you have been blind from birth then you won't have any perception of colour or shape.

You're right about colour, but you can perceive a shape by touch.

You can try this yourself. Get someone to give you some different shaped items (not sharp items, please) with your eyes closed (or blindfolded). Can you work out what they are?

Edit: This doesn't work so well for items you've never encountered before, but people who have been blind from birth are used to doing this sort of thing, and can use previous experience to judge what an object is.

 

[Gandolf]

Originally posted by Mark G
You're right about colour, but you can perceive a shape by touch.

You can try this yourself. Get someone to give you some different shaped items (not sharp items, please) with your eyes closed (or blindfolded). Can you work out what they are?

I can understand where your coming from but the thing is I know what shape a ball is or a cube because I've seen it.

How do you know that the blind person is imagining the correct shape when it's shape is explained to them?

(Ah you edited as I posted. Yes I can understand that now!)

 

[Berserker]

The important thing here is the sense of touch (i.e. the raised images in the book). This is also why museums have exhibits that people can touch. Actually touching an object gives a much better impression of what it is than having it explained.

You are probably correct that blind people have a different perception of shape than sighted people.

If you are given a ball and a cube, you can tell one from the other without looking at it. A blind person's perception of a ball and a cube may be different from yours, but they can still tell which is which by touch.

 

[Gandolf]

Thanks Mark that has helped me to understand the complexities of it

 

[taliesyn]

Originally posted by manicmarkjcj
Dunno how they manage to it mate, i'm just glad they can.

Its like when deaf people lip read, beats me how they manage it but they do, my son amongst them although with the newer generations of hearing aids it's becoming less of a required skill, maybe one day them kids might be able to actually see the hubble pictures; we can always hope.

I'm glad they can too. We can certainly hope, and with breakthroughs coming all the time, who knows what's around the corner.

I've seen those new digital hearing aids, and the cochlear implants, and it's amazing what they can do with them, how they can tune them to certain frequencies/sounds and so on, and how they can filter out noise. Awesome.

It's incredible how they've progressed. When I was in school, all they had were those massive hearing aids that were next to useless. A bloke in my class had one, and he had to get it recharged in the school nurse's office every so often. It was a huge thing and must have been a nightmare for him. It was hardly discreet.

 

[JayDeee007]

Originally posted by Gandolf
Just to be going on with may I be bold and present this

Hands-On Book of Hubble Images Allows the Visually Impaired to "Touch the Universe"



Amazing what they can do. Just can't get my head round as to how you can visualize a picture

Gandolf

And i doubt anyone in the reverse situation can get their headsround why the majority of us cannot read braille M8 (or not visialise something with the sense of touch)

People overcome limitations in whatever way they can, and it transforms into a marvelous ability rather than a limitation...and technology can only help.......but braille was cuttin edge once, and it was an amazing step.the next step is even better.whatever it may be.

My dad could not see beyond the end of his arm from the age of 16 cos of cataracts...then he decided to put a break a screwdriver off into his best eye whilst opening a tin of paint...oops..artificial eye.with a deteriorating 'real' one....Nothing can be done...sorry.....

40 years later a vial of medcine he drops in his 'good' eye twice a day enable him to see better than he did 40 years ago! it cost 2 quid a day for those drops.....thats less than i drink in coffee , or smoke, or drink..........but to him and all of us , its a miracle.........

Stroll on the next one


J

 

[Berserker]

Originally posted by JayDeee007
40 years later a vial of medcine he drops in his 'good' eye twice a day enable him to see better than he did 40 years ago! it cost 2 quid a day for those drops.....thats less than i drink in coffee , or smoke, or drink..........but to him and all of us , its a miracle.........

Now, if only they could 'fix' my eyesight - oh well, my eyes aren't that bad. I did learn the basics of Braille myself, more out of interest than necessity.

 

[JayDeee007]

it was only on the off chance of a private consultancy that he 'discovered' this tho M8...

NHS dont do it

worth 80 quid for 30 minutes


J