Choice Magazine Listening

Choice Magazine Listening is a free audio anthology for a special audience of blind, visually impaired, physically disabled, or dyslexic subscribers. CML was created in 1962 by the non-profit Lucerna Fund to offer the best of contemporary magazine writing, completely without charge, to adults unable to read standard print.

CML selects and records memorable writing from approximately 100 leading magazines. Every other month, this unique, free service offers its subscribers eight hours of outstanding unabridged articles, fiction and poetry read by professional voices and recorded on four-track cassette tapes.

The required four-track player is provided free of charge by the Library of Congress through its Talking Book program, which is available to those who are unable to read because of a visual or physical disability. If you don't have a four-track player, they can help you obtain one.

CHOICE MAGAZINE FREE AS DIGITAL DOWNLOAD FROM NLS

Listening to Choice Magazine is also available for free digital download from the Library of Congress' National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped's BARD program. Information on the digital download from NLS can be found at http://www.nlsbard.loc.gov.

Choice Magazine Listening
85 Channel Dr.
Port Washington, NY 11050
Phone: 516-883-8280
Fax: 516-944-6849
Web: http://members.aol.com/CHOICEMAG/

Keep Track of Congress with RSS, Email or Twitter

Unless you watch C-Span twenty-four hours a day it can be difficult to keep up with the many bills that Congress passes in to law. Wouldn't it be great to find a site that would logically list the bills, and tell you who voted for what? There is a site that does this, and more.

Plogress.com is a new project to provide current information on what Senators and Representatives are currently doing in Congress. The site maintains separate blogs, or web logs, for each senator and representative covering what they've done, or haven't done in Congress. You can find out what bills and amendments they've sponsored, and what action has been taken on that legislation

The best part of this site is that it uses Really Simple Syndication (RSS) to track each Representative, so if you have an RSS reader, you can subscribe to the individual feed for your Representative, and have these updates delivered right to your computer. that's so cool!

If you don't use an RSS, or Really Simple Syndication reader, you can always add the individual Representative's web log to your favorites and keep up with them by visiting that page from time to time.

Click here to visit the Plogress.com web site: http://www.plogress.com.

GovTrack.us

Here's another great way to keep track of Congress. From the website:

"GovTrack.us is a nexus of information about the United States Congress, following the status of federal legislation and the activities of your senators and representatives".

"GovTrack is an independent website run by a graduate student in his spare time. Data is collected from the official government websites via automated processes daily".

Users of the site can subscribe to follow just the events that interest them. Events, like the passage of bills, are sent to users on a daily or weekly basis by email, or through RSS/Atom feeds.

Click this link to visit GovTrack.us.

TweetCongress

Allows you to contact your government representative via Twitter and petition them. Phone numbers, fax numbers and websites are listed for each representative. You can also petition non-Twitter Congress representatives to join and have direct conversations with their constituents.

Click this link to Tweet Congress: http://tweetcongress.org.

American History In Video

From the website:

"American History in Video provides the largest and richest online collection of video available for the study of American history, 2,000 hours and more than 5,000 titles on completion. The collection's wealth of video and multiplicity of perspectives allow students and scholars to see, experience, and study American history in ways never before possible .

Indexing and searchable transcripts synchronized to video give the ability to drill down in seconds to find the footage of interest from thousands of hours of video. This collection is an exclusive collaboration with the A&E Television Networks and features some of their most important documentaries and series from The History Channel, A&E Network, and Biography. Historical coverage ranges from the lost colony of Roanoke through the 1988 Vicennes Affair in the Persian Gulf; biographical coverage ranges from eighteenth century figures such as Benedict Arnold and Daniel Boone to modern day figures such as Thurgood Marshall and Helen Thomas.

Several types of video footage have been chosen to provide a well-rounded collection for historical study:

• Documentaries from key partners such as The History Channel and others provide long-term perspectives on historical events, historical people, and key turning points in American history. These documentaries often incorporate contemporaneous footage and photographs; feature interviews with citizens, newsmakers, and other witnesses to history; and make the knowledge, expertise, and enthusiasm of numerous scholars, historians, and researchers readily available. Judicious reenactments of historical moments, particularly with the Civil War, help students visualize important aspects of history, such as the impact of military strategies and tactics on historical outcomes.
  
• Newsreels, routinely shown before feature films in movie houses, were the only way for citizens to see American and foreign events and news during the pre-television era. With contemporaneous footage and coverage of a wide variety of stories, from war and politics, to fashion and sports, and more, newsreels remain a valuable window on American history, society, and culture. American History in Video is the only source where the entire series of United News (governmental newsreel from the Office of War Information) and Universal Newsreel (commercial newsreel from Universal Pictures Company, Inc.) stream in full online. Forthcoming in Spring 2009 are complete sets of Semantically Indexed and searchable Release Notes, the original documentation provided for each newsreel release in each series.
  
• Public affairs video from series like Longines Chronoscope (Columbia Broadcasting System) were usually created to provide contemporaneous analysis on issues of the day. Through interviews and debates with politicians, diplomats, and a range of foreign and American experts and leaders in a variety of fields, these videos shine a light on the topics, issues, and people considered newsworthy, as well as the received wisdom, in a given time period.
  
• Archival footage adds another critical dimension to historical analysis, with coverage of events and people for an often more specific purpose than other�types of video.

Taken together, this rich combination allows students and scholars to study history in new ways." Click this link to visit American History In Video: http://ahivfree.alexanderstreet.com.

If you're looking for a good "Today in History" site, The History Channel has a video version of this service.

Click this link to watch Today in History from the History Channel: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do.

NBC News Time Capsule

One of the features of Hulu is a collection of old news segments and entire news programs from NBC. Hulu calls this collection of segments and programs the NBC News Time Capsule. Included in the line-up are Kennedy's inauguration, the first Today Show, and the first Apollo 11 Moon Special.

Teachers of US History may find the videos in the NBC News Time Capsule to be helpful in teaching lessons on 20th century US History. Teachers of media studies may also find the videos useful for lessons on changes in reporting and improvements in broadcast production over the last fifty years.

Click this link to visit the NBC News Time Capsule on Hulu.

Not on My Watch

When someone enters the hospital, they expect to get better of course, not worse. Unfortunately, all too often patients become terribly ill from an infection they didn't have before entering the hospital. These infections are known as HAIs - healthcare associated infections or hospital acquired infections. With the increase in resistant bacteria, HAIs are on the rise. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at any point in time, 1.4 million people worldwide suffer from infections acquired in hospitals.

The Not on My Watch Campaign aims to educate healthcare professionals and patients about the best ways to prevent infections. One of the most important methods is the old standby, handwashing or hand sanitizer. Below is a short video about the campaign. If you'd like more information about HAIs or the Not on My Watch campaign, please take a look at http://www.haiwatch.com.

Check Airline Luggage Weight Limits Online

Different airlines have different luggage policies. Frequent travelers know the inconvenience it can cause when one has got extra luggage and the airline either refuses to accommodate it or charges exorbitant fees for carrying it. LuggageLimits is a useful website that can help you avoid such situations.

Select the airline, departure and arrival airports, and get the corresponding luggage weight limit. You also get bonus information which includes route embargo information, individual luggage size and weight limit, number of free bags permitted, general information about the airline and any online discount if available. The site covers over 90 airlines around the world.

Click this link before you travel to your next vacation getaway: http://www.luggagelimits.com.

Find A Better Bank and Credit Card

Compare Banks

Finding a bank can be difficult if you are blind or visually impaired. I often wonder if we don't simply choose a bank because its the closest to us, or maybe the easiest to get to on a bus? Do we really take the time to shop around when looking for a bank?

Well the next time you're looking for a new bank account or want to compare your current bank against other banks in the area, Find A Better Bank can help you, well, find a better bank. By visiting the site, you can compare almost every bank in your nearby area. Enter your zip code, indicate features that are important (or not) and provide some details to help them estimate yearly banking fees. Now you have a detailed comparison of nearby banks, sorted from best to worst. Features include:

• Compare all banks located within a certain distance from your zipcode.
  
• Option to include / exclude : Branchless/Internet banks, student accounts, accounts for people over 50.
  
• Compare banks by features: Interest on balances, Overdraft Protection, Online Bill Pay Service, 24-hour telephone banking, etc.
  
• Compare banks by fees: Monthly Service Fee, Non-Bank ATM Surcharge, Insufficient Funds Fee, Overdraft Protection Transfer Fee, Check processing fee, Foreign ATM Withdrawal Fee, Quicken or MS Money set-up fee etc.
  
• Estimate yearly bank fees.
  
• Currently tracks about 50 top US banks and a handful of smaller regional banks. More banks being added every week.
  

Note (from FindABetterBank) : "We make money through advertisements and fees collected from participating banks and credit unions. Our partners have no influence over the content presented about their accounts.

Check out Find A Better Bank at http://www.findabetterbank.com.

Compare Credit Cards

Compare and shop for online credit cards by category, card name, interest rate or rewards. Find the lowest rates on balance transfers, get the most miles for airlines, receive cash back on purchases from credit card companies. Creditimes.com researches the credit card companies, and offers you the best credit cards, and finds credit cards that suit your needs. Whether you're looking for a 0% APR credit card, or a card that gives you cash back. Creditimes has the right credit card for you. Many of their credit cards are immediate decision credit cards, which means you can get instant approval on your credit card application.

"We don't stop at credit cards. Rebuilding your credit and monitoring your credit report are as important to us as it is to you. Having bad credit happens to all types of people, many times through no fault of their own. Maybe unexpected medical bills or hardship caused damage to your credit report. We have the tools and information to help you get your credit scores up."

Click this link to visit http://www.Creditimes.com.

Credit Card Glossary

Confused by credit card terms? CreditCards.com’s glossary of credit card definitions will help. From account holder to Regulation Z, we have defined the most-common and most-confusing credit card terms.

Click this link to visit Credit Card Glossary: http://www.creditcards.com/glossary/.

American Folklore

Hey there folks! Welcome to American Folklore. This folklore site contains retellings of American folktales, Native American myths and legends, tall tales, weather folklore and ghost stories from each and every one of the 50 United States. You can read about all sorts of famous characters like Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill, Daniel Boone, and many more. So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a comfy chair, and stay awhile.

There are also lesson plans, and a "countdown to Halloween."

Click this link to visit the American Folklore website: http://www.americanfolklore.net.

The Most Popular Myths in Science from Live Science

This page offers the facts behind common theories like how long it takes to digest gum, whether chicken soup cures the common cold, and cats' ability to always land on their feet. Don't forget to click on the Live Science home page for articles, headlines, and blogs about the sciences.

Click this link to learn The Most Popular Myths in Science.

Nursery Rhymes lyrics, origins and history

Learn all about the British history - the Bubonic Plague, the Peasant's Revolt, the Wars of the Roses, etc. - that is hidden inside the nursery rhymes many of us grew up with.

Click this link to learn the history behind Nursery Rhymes.

GetSmart About Loans and Other Financial Information

GetSmart is a website that offers information on home loans, as well as other financial information that is written in an easy to understand format. The site is very easy to navigate with colored tabs for those of us with low vision.

GetSmart offers a quick "two minute" form that people can fill out that will instantly connect them with five lenders competing for their business. There are over 200 lenders that are connected with the GetSmart website, so this should increase the chance of getting good refinance rates! There are also helpful mortgage calculators and refinance calculators on the site. Some of the other useful features include the loan resources, FAQ, and testimonials. (These are the colored tab sections on the main page.) For those of you with student loans there is even a student loan section.

Click this link to visit http://www.getsmart.com.

Crazy Fads

I found a great website where you can view and read about crazy fads from the 1920's to the 1990's. Can you imagine flagpole sitting being interesting? Well in the 20's it was quite the fad. Travel through the different fads of different decades that helped to define pop culture. Find out what was cool when your parents were young, or your grandparents, or reminisce about your own youth. I can't imagine my grandfather sitting on a flag pole because it was cool.

I enjoyed browsing the fads of my generation as well as those that came before me. It was interesting what they considered to be fad materials, and what's even more fun is that a lot of them have links to other sites where you can read in depth about the particular fad or see photos of it.

Enjoy!

Click this link to learn about some Crazy Fads: http://www.crazyfads.com.

The History of Chocolate and The "All About Candy" websites

The approach of Valentine's Day always makes us think of chocolate (well, actually, so does almost everything). Read all about how it became both an industry and an all-consuming passion.

"The tasty secret of the cacao (kah KOW) tree was discovered 2,000 years ago in the tropical rainforests of the Americas. The pods of this tree contain seeds that can be processed into chocolate. The story of how chocolate grew from a local Mesoamerican beverage into a global sweet encompasses many cultures and continents."

Click this link to learn more about the History of Chocolate: http://www.fieldmuseum.org/chocolate/history.html.

Have you ever wondered how licorice is made, how candy canes get their stripes or how many jelly beans are sold each year? Find out the answer to these questions and more as the National Confectioners Association tells you All About Candy.

What a great web site for young and old alike. You will find chocolate trivia, recipes, holiday ideas, a history and timeline of candy, some survey data, if you want to know about candy, this is the perfect site! Best of all, the site is screen reader friendly.

Click here to visit All About Candy: http://www.candyusa.org

M&M'S

We couldn't talk about candy without mentioning M&M'S. There have been many colors and sizes over the years but children and adults still love them.

Click this link to visit http://www.M&M's.com and don't forget to read The Story of M&M'S.

Foundation for Blind Children

The Foundation for Blind Children (FBC) provides services for blind and visually impaired for any child or adult who is an Arizona resident.

The FBC Infant Program

Both blind and low vision children as well as their caregivers need professional services that focus on how these children learn about their world; how their parents can help with this learning; how vision loss impacts early childhood development; and how parents feel about having a child with a disability.

Research has estimated that up to 90% of what every child learns in the first three years of life is learned visually, primarily through imitation. Vision is the sense that allows us to integrate all of the things we learn about the world. Without normal vision, the child must learn to "see" and understand the world in new ways. At the same time, the child's parents need the opportunity to:
express and understand their feelings about having a child with special needs,
develop a support network for times of stress and uncertainty,
understand how loss of vision affects their child's early development, and
learn how they, as parents, can most effectively teach their child to "see" the world.

It is for these reasons that The Foundation For Blind Children begins its work with infants and their family members in the context of both home and classroom.

THE FBC Preschool Programs

When a child arrives at preschool age, he needs the opportunity to participate in intensive specialized education. The Foundation, in cooperation with the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind, provides daily classroom programs for children that are singularly impaired or multi-handicapped. Specialized teachers, counselors and therapists work in cooperation with the child's parents to plan an individualized program which will best meet the child's needs. Family support and counseling services continue as a major focus to enable parents to be all they can be when raising and teaching their child.

Research has shown that the first five years of life are the most critical developmental period affecting all future growth and development. The child learns how to relate to the world, how to move in the world, and how to understand the world around him The child develops attitudes and aptitudes that affect him for the rest of his life.

The pre-school services are provided in two locations--at the Foundation's main office in Phoenix which cooperates with the Arizona School for the Deaf and Blind and school districts which choose to use its site. The second site also involves a cooperative effort and is located in Chandler, Arizona. With seven classrooms at the Phoenix location and three in Chandler, the pre-school program serves nearly 70 children each year.

The FBC Elementary & Secondary Program

Orientation and Mobility Training
To be independent in the world, children must learn to be mobile in the world. Whether at home, school or play, they must be able to orient to their environment and travel independently from one place to another. They must "see" the world through all their senses. Orientation and mobility specialists from The Foundation work individually with children in all of the above areas.

Independent Living Skills
Children also must be able to manage daily living activities. Whether dressing, grooming, cooking, eating, managing money or cleaning their rooms, they must learn to be independent in managing their daily affairs. Rehabilitation teachers from the Foundation work individually with children to accomplish this goal.

Vocational Counseling and Work Experience
Finally, children must prepare for the adult world of work as they reach adolescence. They must be self-aware, develop and appreciate a variety of interests and abilities, and understand the realities and expectations of the working world. They must begin to make choices and plans for their future. Further, they must have opportunities to gain real work experiences. The Foundation's vocational counselors and job development specialists work with students through its summer Work Experience Program to achieve these goals.

Itinerant Vision Education Resources
In school districts without teachers for the visually impaired, the Foundation contracts with vision teachers through its Itinerant Program to provide these children with the specialized instruction and the materials they need to be successful in school.

Recreation
The Foundation's Student Habilitation And Recreation Program (S.H.A.R.P.) provides year-round recreational opportunities for school age students. Day and weekend programs during the school year introduce students to a number of activities ranging from archery to zoology. Daily living skills entail activities that will promote self-esteem, teamwork and sharing with the community. S.H.A.R.P. expands to weekly programs all summer long to keep children busy, learning and having fun.

Technology Center
In February of 1995, the Foundation for Blind Children, in partnership with Arizona's Rehabilitation Services Administration, Honeywell and the City of Phoenix, opened its Technology Center serving blind and visually impaired individuals of all ages through demonstrations, assessments, training, employment services and its many projects with community, corporate and government partnerships.

Foundation for Blind Children
1235 E. Harmont Dr.
Phoenix, AZ 85020
Phone: 602-331-1470
Fax: 602-678-5819
Web: http://www.the-fbc.org

Home Readers On Four-Track Cassettes For Shopping Assistance

Based in Kansas, Home Readers provides catalog shopping services to assist the blind or visually impaired in locating sources and descriptions of products that are available for catalog purchase. It does this by recording numerous catalogs on four-track, Library of Congress-formatted audiocassettes. The service takes care to describe critical details like patterns, styles and colors which catalog writers typically expect pictures to convey. These added details assist users to make more accurate selections. Categories covered by the various catalogs include: clothing, animal supplies, health products, gifts of all kinds, food, collectibles and cosmetics. Call or write Home Readers for a free, recorded list of catalogs on tape.

Home Readers
604 W. Hulett
Edgerton, KS 66021
Toll Free: 877-814-7323
Email: homereader@homereaders.com
Web: http://www.homereaders.com

Mozekty: The Talking Internet Radio Database

I have lots of friends who ask me for accessible websites to find good links to internet radio stations. I usually send them to http://www.billsparks.org because Bill is visually impaired and understands how to create an online database of station listings that is screen reader friendly. Bill does a great job at keeping his website updated, but there's only so much one guy can do.

Sometimes, you just want to try something new. Why can't there be a database of stations that is being checked by a handfull of people to insure that they are online and why can't that database be screen reader friendly? I was asking myself this question one day and did a Google search for internet radio database. The results weren't good. What I found were programs that were not accessible and tons of online resources that hadn't been updated in years.

Well, I kept searching and eventually came to the InfraDrive Mozekty page. The description of the program said that "Mozekty is a free fast tool to play your audio streams and radio stations, you can also get a list of the latest radio stations on the internet and save your favourite stations. Features include:

• Listen to hundreds of internet radio stations from around the world with this full-featured player.
  
• Add, edit or delete stations from your stations database.
  
• Check for latest stations found on the internet by connecting to Bitsnips.com.
  
• Get full info and statistics about the current playing stream.
  
• Full control from Mozekty system tray icon when the application is minimized.
  
• Friendly user interface.
  
• Great tool with a small size."

I knew this was the program I was looking for. I went to the InfraDrive Download Page and got a copy of Mozekty.

The program worked great but had one problem with JAWS. As I tabbed through the various options, I noticed that JAWS wouldn't read the actual list of stations. This was an obvious problem. How was I going to know what station I had selected?

I sent an email to support@infradrive.com and got an immediate email and Skype call from Ehab El-agizy. As we chatted, I discovered that this guy was really interested in my issue. He wanted to make this program accessible for blind and visually impaired users and to continue to offer it for free. We talked about JAWS and Window Eyes and how they read the screen to people who are blind or visually impaired. He downloaded a demo of each program and decided that the best way to bring accessibility to this program was to write his own Text to Speech interface.

As you can imagine, I was floored. How many people do you know would take this kind of interest in making a program accessible? Well, a few days later, he was sending me the first beta. It worked well and I could use my default SAPI voice to access most of the program's menus and combo boxes.

This was outstanding. A few days later the second beta arived. Now the entire program spoke and additional speech support was added. Now, I could choose any SAPI 4 or SAPI 5 voice and make it the default voice for the program. I could now access the program just as easily as any person with vision. I was so impressed by the work done that I promised to spread the word to as many blind and visually impaired people as possible. You are reading the result of that promise.

If you are interested in internet radio, I'd like for you to give this program a download. If you know of good internet radio stations, please submit them so we can add them to the database for all to enjoy. The current version does not support streams by RealMedia because of their perprietary nature. This may be fixed in future releases. Ehab wants our feedback and has a forum for us to post suggestions and new internet radio listings. You can also send new listings to support@infradrive.com. He did the programming and I did the testing. We made a great team and I hope we can continue to work together on the program's development. So, what are you waiting for? Click this direct link to download Mozekty.

NOTE: You will need to download the Microsoft .net framework before you can use this program. Click this link to download the Microsoft .net Framework from the Microsoft website.

If you have any questions about the program's speech output, feel free to contact me at FredsHead@aph.org.

Accessible TV Listings

TV Guide

BlindBargains.com has found possibly the simplest interface for TV listings and it's from an unexpected source. Often times, wireless interfaces to websites are more usable and slimmed down, making them easier to navigate. Try this link to TV Guide's wireless portal, and obtain a list of what's currently on for your cable or satellite provider in a few seconds. The listings are completely uncluttered, with just the channel number, name, and the current show.

Click this link to visit the wireless version of TV-Guide's TV listings: http://wireless.tvguide.com.

Epguides

Epguides is a website where you can quickly lookup TV show episode titles and air dates. The site currently has episode lists for over 4100 TV shows. You can search and browse them alphabetically, sort them by year, check out currently running shows and view a current and fall US TV schedule grid.

Additionally you can subscribe to newly added shows, recently canceled shows (US only) and recently released US and UK TV DVDs, and get updates on your feed reader using RSS.

Click this link to visit http://www.epguides.com.

LocateTV

LocateTV is a quick search engine for TV listings, in particular for TV shows and Movies. Find out when your favorite shows or movies are shown on TV, see whether they are available online (both free and paid), and view where you can get them on DVD.

Click this link to visit http://www.locatetv.com.

RerunCheck Notifies You if Your Favorite Show is a Repeat

RerunCheck saves you from the time and frustration of setting aside time for live television, only to say: Wait a second, I've seen that before, man, it's a rerun.

RerunCheck is a very straightforward search, having you type or grab a show name from a list of popular entries. RerunCheck tells you if the next airtime of that show is a rerun or not via email and RSS notifications, and without setting up an account. The only additional feature account registration seems to add is the ability to manage the two types of notifications, although if you use RSS ,all you need to do to manage things is delete the feed when you don't want it anymore.

Click this link to use http://reruncheck.com.

Low Vision News

From the website:

"Welcome to Low Vision News

This is a service which will provide a summary of what’s new in Low Vision Research and Rehabilitation.  It is aimed at all of those who work in the low vision rehabilitation community: Optometrists, Researchers, Ophthalmologists, Occupational Therapists, Rehab workers, Teachers of the Visually Impaired and so on.  It is also written with the person with low vision in mind.

The primary aim of this blog is to summarise the recent research news relevant to the low Vision Rehabilitation community.  I will also cover conferences, new product launches, and general news of interest.

I am an academic optometrist with an interest in low vision rehab and research.  I have no commercial interest in any companies or services allied to low vision and this blog will be completely impartial.  I am based in London, UK, but hope that the blog will be applicable to all of my colleagues globally."

Click this link to visit Low Vision News at http://lowvisionnews.wordpress.com.
Click this link to follow Low Vision News on Twitter: www.twitter.com/lowvisionnews.

Theme Park Insider

One of my favorite summer activities is to visit my local theme park. Now you can get great information on theme parks near you with Theme Park Insider.

Right in the middle of the page you have the options of Reader's Top Theme Parks, Best/Worst Attractions, Reader Attractions Comments, Reader Restaurant Comments, and the Reader Photo Gallery.

Because blind people don't have easy access to print media, this site is very helpful in obtaining some basic information about a theme park. Other links include "Looking for Theme Park News?", "Want to Talk About Theme Parks?", "Concerned About Safety?", and "Curious About this Site?". I want to point out the Safety section from this grouping-this is where you can find out about Safety News and check out Accident Watch. Make sure the theme park you are going to is safe by checking out the verified incident reports from various theme parks. This is a great site to help you plan those summer trips to theme parks around the country, and around the world. Enjoy!

Click here to visit the home page of Theme Park Insider: http://www.themeparkinsider.com

Amusement Park Physics

While we're talking about the safety of coasters, let's take a look at what makes them go!

The first thing that is totally cool about this site is the Design a Roller Coaster section, because it allows you to put together a coaster of your own. You can then see why or why not your coaster would fail or succeed. You choose the slopes, the loops and the tracks in between. After you're done designing (or in my case, redesigning) to your heart's content, you can check out the Your Safety Inspection. This link is found on the completed coaster design page where you can see your finished coaster. Note that this section may not be compatible with screen readers.

You can learn about the history of the roller coaster by clicking the link titled Read More About Their History, which is located near the bottom of the page.

For instance, click the word Carousel and learn all about the horses and why some seem to move faster than others. While not considered a thrill ride, there is physics behind it too! You can also learn about the bumper cars, the free fall, the pendulum and of course, the coasters!

Click this link to learn some Amusement Park Physics.

Learn About the Senses at Sensehub

Sense, a UK deafblind charity has created a portal called Sensehub at http://www.sensehub.org.uk. It allows people to enter and share a world of sensory experiences online.

Sensehub will feature lots of interactive elements, including:

• Sensori, a live twitter feed that captures every twitter relating to senses like smell, taste, touch, sight and hearing,
  
• Sensemarks, a live feed of bookmarks capturing everything about the senses, and
  
• a whole new way of tagging your facebook photos.

From the weird to the wonderful, you’ll find it all at Sensehub. On behalf of the UK's 250,000 deafblind people, we would greatly appreciate if you could help us share this portal link.

Click this link to learn more about Sense: http://www.sense.org.uk.

All About Vision Web Site

The AllAboutVision.com web site was launched in January 2000 to provide consumers with an independent source of trustworthy information on eye health and vision correction options.

The site is owned by Access Media Group, whose two founders have more than 40 years of experience in eye care publishing. Their editorial board, writers, editors and reviewers have hundreds of years of combined experience in patient care, research, consulting and article authorship specific to eye care. The site is not owned in whole or in part by any supplier of eyecare products or services; it is funded solely by advertising and sponsorships.

The site's content is written by a team of journalists who have extensive experience in the eyecare field. In addition, articles are developed with the input of an Advisory Board of eyecare professionals. All health-related articles are approved by one or more eye doctors on their Board.

Many eye care products and services are available to improve your vision and eye health. However, each is effective only when used properly and in the right circumstances. Please make decisions about your eyes and vision in consultation with an eye care professional who can provide guidance based on their experience and knowledge of your individual needs.

Use the contact information below to learn more about this site, or about the Access Media Group.

Access Media Group
11 Campus Boulevard
Suite 100
Newtown Square, PA 19073
Web: http://www.allaboutvision.com/

Fastest Currency Converter, It's Curculator!

Curculator is an easy to use currency converter and calculator. Select the input and the output currency, and enter the amount and it will give you the result in no time. It cuts down the lengthy process of getting rates from the bank and then calculating the amounts. The rates of Curculator are mid-market, i.e. average of the buy and sell rates and are extracted from various trusted sources. No registration required. Premium(paid) service lets you choose any bank (or other financial institution) in the world as the source of rates.

Click this link to get help from http://www.curculator.com.

AlbumReminder.com: Don't Miss Another Album Release from Your Favorite Artist

There are so many new music albums being released every week. It is impossible to keep up with them all. Album Reminder was conceived, designed and developed with the intention of helping you find the latest albums in an effective way.

No matter what your favorite musical style might be, Album Reminder is a resource of information with an excess of 140,000 artists that are being monitored on a daily basis.

Simply create a free account and add your favorite artists to your personal list directly from your browser. You will receive an email with everything you need to know in order to enjoy the service. Click this link to visit http://www.AlbumReminder.com.