That all too often becomes a way of saying that the scanner didn't have to improve his/her technique. ----- Original Message ----- From: "J.M." <inlovewithchrist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 5:44 PM Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: 550 books in the download queue > Hi, Cindy. Well, what happens if a blind person scans a science-related book > and can't describe these things because they can't see the pages and don't > have sighted help? Well, and not just science, but any other type of book > that might have these problems where they might not scan well. If the > initial text is of an acceptable quality, I don't think they should decide > not to submit it just because they can't describe what the OCR package > couldn't scan. Take care. > Julie Morales > Email and Windows/MSN Messenger: > inlovewithchrist@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > If your dog is fat, you aren't getting enough exercise. --Unknown > The reason a dog has so many friends is that he wags his tail instead of his > tongue. --Anonymous > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <socly@xxxxxxxxx> > To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2004 12:01 AM > Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: 550 books in the download queue > > > Ken and Julie, > > I guess I didn't make myself clear. I wouldn't reject a book until I'd > looked at it and was sure that I couldn't fix it without *too* much trouble. > I've modified my offer to fix anything and everything, having found myself > working on one book that not only was awful but was boring to > me. I was afraid the one I'm working on now would require too much work, > from what had been posted about it, but it's quite interesting and > so the work is not a problem. I keep working beyond the time I'dplanned to > stop just because I want to know what happens next, and I'm so > involved with the characters. > > But Ken, science and history books don't have to be rejected or be > considered unreadable because of the things that don't scan well. The > maps, diagrams, etc. that you mention can be described, or explained > briefly. Formulae can be expressed in English or with Greek letters or > Greek letters written as English, e.g., {Greek beta]. I've downloaded and > saved the Greek alphabet because I had just such a situation in a > book I was validating. Fixing the dates in some histories is a job I won't > offer to do again, though. I finally gave up reading Society in > Medieval Italy (I can't remember the exact title) and just skimmed looking > for the dates and footnotes and used the spell check and wrote in > the synopsis that I'll keep the file and if any reader has a problem > figuring something out they can contact me. > > I don't understand why some books which are submitted with an Excellent > rating, as Shelley recently posted, appeared on the download list > as Fair, unless either the scanner didn't put the rating or the automatic > rater over-rode what the scanner put. In case the latter occurs, I > suggest that scanners check their submissions when they appear on the > download list, which I gather is instantly, to see the rating. Then > maybe they can post in the discussion or validate it themselves if there's > no way they can change the rating at that point. > > Cindy > > Let me present another point of view. Almost all advanced science > books > will have maps, diagrams, figures, pictures, formulae, and other > material > which will not scan well. I don't want to be denied science scans > just > because of this. I would rather have the book in a quasi-readable > form than > no book at all. In a similar vain, many history books have elaborate > maps, > figures, pictures, and foreign words which scanning in its present > form > won't make accessible to the blind. Again, I would prefer to have > what can > be scanned. > > I have read many books which have poor scanning of the top > line--title or > whatever--but where the total content of the book is perfect. > > Now I will grant that the more pedestrian the book, the more readable > it is > likely to be, but there is need for the others. And, by the way, > anything > like twenty thousand books, currently in copyright rather than public > domain, is a goal we are no where near. > -- > _______________________________________________ > Find what you are looking for with the Lycos Yellow Pages > http://r.lycos.com/r/yp_emailfooter/http://yellowpages.lycos.com/default.asp?SRC=lycos10 > > > > > > >