Blind Software Engineer Makes Waves Worldwide - Part 1

Note: We’re conducting an experiment that may affect you whether you’re narrow-casting this audio service on simplex or on a network that requires frequent pauses to reset shorter timers. Which of the following would you find most useful: (1) the ‘customary’ 10-second ID break at the halfway point; or (2) both the 10-second ID break at the halfway point AND a shorter pause every three minutes for network timer reset. We’ll check the stats after two weeks. You'll hear both in this RAIN Hamcast. This is the RAIN hamcast #62, posted 03-05-22. Running Time: 19M07S with a 10-second ID break after 08M47S. Voiced by Will Rogers/K5WLR. Tasmania is an island state of Australia, 'bout the size of West Virginia, located some 220 miles south of the mainland. This island is home to 500,000-plus residents. One such resident grew up in south central Australia, 15 miles from Adelaide; became a software engineer as a teenager; at age 47 moved his family of 11 from the Australia mainland to Tasmania in 2018; has spent the last 25 years working for Freedom Scientific, the U.S.-based developer of JAWS, a popular speech screen reader program for the blind Windows PC user; and most recently has succeeded in modifying firmware to enable the blind ham complete access to some Chinese VHF & UHF radios, not available from traditional off shore manufacturers, i.e. Icom, Kenwood, Yaesu and others. He's Joseph Stephen/VK7JS, a most articulate software engineer down under who happens to be blind. RAIN's Hap Holly/KC9RP spoke with this affable software engineer via Zoom back in January. At that time Joe's internet service provider was Skymuster, a high-orbiting satellite Internet provider, that was prone to occasional latency. Here's the first of two excerpts from Hap and Joe's conversation. RAIN Founder, Hap Holly/KC9RP, edits and produces this biweekly ham radio hamcast without monetization. Your support and feedback are welcome on therainreport.com. RAIN programming is made available under a Creative Commons license; you are encouraged to download, share, post and transmit the RAIN Hamcast in its entirety via Amateur Radio. YouTube assistance from Tom Shimizu/N9JDI. Very 73 from RAIN. KEEP ON HAMMING! RAIN Hamcast #63 will post 03-19-2022. ©1985-2022, RAIN, the Radio Amateur Information Network. All rights reserved.