Lightning to thunder with speed-creep beating V8 roar
2 Business commentary
Resources for writing articles
3 From the soap box
The dark side of technology
4 The reader’s choice
Blind pilot guided to land by RAF
5 News and views
ICE - 'In Case of Emergency'
6 Helpful tips
7 Accessibility news
Developing the Corner of Blind Avenue and Safety Way
8 Editorial
Your future consumers
9 Comments to the editor
10 Notes
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the following contributors to this month’s STAE issue.
The Sterling Creations accessibility team, the Sterling Creations business team, the Sterling Creations research team, Scott Savoy our managing editor, Christian Robicheau our assistant editor, our readers, and Donna J Jodhan our president.
Donna J Jodhan is the founder and president of Sterling Creations which was founded in 1994. As a blind woman she has had to overcome mountainous challenges in order to get where she is today. She is a very successful business woman, consultant, and author and she continues to help produce daily blogs that contain weekly features on topics of interest and relevance. She is never tired, always willing to help others, and never gives up when it comes to helping others to voice their opinions. As she puts it: "My undying commitment is to ensure that the kids of tomorrow have a more level playing field when it comes to such things as employment opportunities, equal access to the Internet and technology. I think that if I can do my little part to help someone else succeed then in turn they will help others."
We are all very proud to be part of the Sterling Creations team but above all, we are pleased and delighted to have Donna J Jodhan as our leader.
Now you can view blogs written by our unstoppable president at:
Our spring 2009 newsletter is now available in Word document format. To receive a copy, please send an email to info@sterlingcreations.ca
Message from the president
Well, spring is here and I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our readers a very happy springtime. Spring is the time when Mother Nature sends forth all wonderful things; flowers, blooms, warm sunshine, and singing birds among other things. Spring is the time for hope and dreams and I hope that your hopes and dreams are realized.
I’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate the hard working staff at Sterling Creations on this the fourth anniversary of our STAE magazine. Well done all!
Thank you all for your feedback and support.
Donna J. Jodhan, president of Sterling Creations.
Ask the expert
Lightning to thunder with speed-creep beating V8 roar
April 2009
By the Sterling Creations Accessibility team
Hello there! This month, we the accessibility team would like to share an article with you that addresses concerns over those silent sports cars. So many pedestrians continue to voice their concerns about not being able to hear those silent sports cars as they approach and this is a particularly big concern for those who are sight impaired. There is one British company that is addressing this concern and the following article talks about it.
We hope you find the news in this article comforting.
Have a great April.
Lightning to thunder with speed-creep beating V8
roar
By Alun Taylor
Register Hardware, November 7, 2008
'Leccy Tech UK electric car company Lightning is to fit its upcoming
two-seaters with digitally recorded V8 engine noise in a bid to help
pedestrians and other road users hear the otherwise silent sportscars
coming.
And it'll aid the driver too, the company told Register Hardware, by
preventing accidental speeding.
Lightning's GT: now with added noise
With no engine noise in the cabin, Lightning's marketing chief Fiona Gaiger
said, drivers have no aural frame of reference to judge changes in speed.
The GT hardtop can do 0-60 in four seconds, and its four wheel-mounted
motors together deliver in the region of 700bhp. With all that power and
none of the feedback you get from engine noise, it's surprisingly easy to
find your foot driving the accelerator down, the company's engineers
discovered.
Gaiger maintained Lightning is the only 'leccy car company to have given
this speed-creep problem not only thought but come up with a solution too.
Certainly, the issue of electric sportscars' near-silence has largely been
ignored by other manufacturers during their EV launches, despite the claims
made by some safety organisations that the road death toll will rocket as
pedestrians and cyclists move out in front of electric vehicles they didn't
Happy April to you! We the business team are delighted to bring you an article on how you can use certain resources to write articles online. We often get asked how can one go about writing and publishing articles on the Internet. Well, this article tells it in very concise and easy to read language. Hope you find it of interest.
How to Gain Credibility and Sales By Writing Online Articles By Andre
Many sites have guidelines concerning the layout of your article. One of the
common guidelines is that your article must not exceed 60-65 characters
across.
By using the format text tool you can be certain your article will be
properly formatted, so that it does not get rejected for something that is
so simple to fix.
From the soap box
The dark side of technology
April 2009
By Scott Savoy
Hey there! This month I would like to talk a bit about technology and how its progress is having somewhat of an adverse affect on a certain group of persons. So many of us are guilty of taking technology for granted especially so when it comes to the benefits of those new and faster gadgets but for blind and visually impaired persons; it is often not the case and the following article brings out some very sober and enlightening facts. For those with normal sight it is often very difficult to understand but hopefully after reading this article, you will get a better understanding for where I am coming from.
Please give a read.
The dark side of technology
David Ljunggren
Ottawa Citizen , Jan. 8, 2009
Perhaps 2009 will be the year when we turn away from our computers and start
learning to think for ourselves when we run into trouble. I hope so, because
otherwise we're all going to morph into zombies who know only one thing: how
to access the Internet.
In mid-October last year I happened to sign into an e-mail account I rarely
use and discovered a message from a major New York radio station which
wanted to interview me about the upcoming election. By then I'd missed the
deadline to talk to them but thought I'd call up to figure out why they
hadn't done a better job of tracking me down. The producer was polite and
friendly -- and young.
It turned out that she'd looked me up on Google and discovered that one of
the first listings for me had a particular e-mail address, so she fired off
a message. And that was all she'd done -- she gave up when I didn't respond
quickly. This really bugged me, since I am not a hard person to trace. So I
asked her why she hadn't called directory inquiries to find my home number.
"Oh, who does that any more?" she said with a little laugh. So for want of
two very basic tools -- a little imagination, some knowledge of how the
world works -- bang went the station's interview. The fact that I remained
unfound means the producer must have a really lenient boss. A real
professional would have told her: "This guy lives in Canada. People there
are easy to find. Try again."
At the same time I also received an interview request from the youth
programming section of an Austrian radio station. And yes, the producer
there had also made the minimal effort, typing my name into Google and
sending off a single e-mail. Much more of this and you'll find me on a park
bench feeding the squirrels, stroking my beard and muttering about young
folks today.
For me, one of the most important skills is the ability to improvise. If
your attempts to uncover news or find an individual hit a brick wall, you
have to know how to get round it. Typing entries into Google only gets you
so far. You need some imagination too -- this, for example, is why our
office is filled with out-of-date phone books. Mr Smith's number is unlisted
today, but was there an entry for him a few years ago? Let's take a look.
At home we limit our daughter's access to the computer, in part because we
want her to learn to think for herself. A few weeks ago she came home with a
school project, complaining that her class had been banned from looking up
any information on the Internet. Give that teacher a bonus, I thought. We
went to the library and -- how inconvenient -- not all the facts she needed
were in one book. So she had to get out several, reminding her how to work
without instant access to everything she needs.
Computers and the Internet are fantastically convenient but I wonder what
long-term effect they will have on the way our brains are wired. If you can
always do what you have to in the most efficient way, never being forced to
work out solutions to complicated problems yourself, what happens when the
power goes out one day? In a thousand years' time, will we still have the
ability to think as imaginatively as we do today?
I recently drove down to Buffalo with a friend to see a football game. I
asked him whether he had directions to get there. "No need for that, I have
maps and a GPS system on my BlackBerry," he replied. The cursor showed our
position to within a few yards and steered us all the way there and back
without a hiccup. It was addictively convenient -- and scared the heck out
of me.
One day this could make map reading obsolescent and I don't think mankind
needs to be forgetting how to read a map. A road atlas doesn't need a
battery but you do have to know how to use it. Over the centuries we've done
a fantastic job of inventing things to make our lives easier: electric
lights, cars and hospitals, to name just a few. But I'm not sure we should
be trying to short-circuit our own brains.
Most complex organizations have a back-up system built in and there's a very
good reason for that -- you don't ever want to be in a position where you
can only do a certain thing one way. Learning how to work and think more
indirectly and with more imagination takes time and may seem inefficient in
this modern era but one day your life could well depend on it.
David Ljunggren's column appears every other week.
many thanks for this very exciting and interesting article. We chose your submission for its content and we hope that our readers enjoy it as much as we did.
Thank you again!
Blind pilot guided to land by RAF
A pilot who suddenly went blind while flying his plane at 5,500ft (1,676m)
was guided in to land by an RAF plane.
A plane was scrambled from the RAF base at Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire
to help stricken pilot Jim O'Neill, 65.
He was flying a two-seater Cessna aircraft from Glasgow Prestwick Airport to
Colchester, Essex, when he suffered a stroke and lost his sight.
The RAF plane flew alongside Mr O'Neill and the pilot shepherded him to the
base with instructions over the radio.
Mr O'Neill, who has 18 years' flying experience, was overhead at RAF Leeming
in Northallerton when he encountered difficulty and sent a mayday alert last
Friday.
Operations commanding officer at RAF Linton-on-Ouse, Wing Cdr Andy Hynd,
said: "At first he believed he was being blinded by sunlight because he had
difficulty seeing his instruments and so he declared an emergency.
Douglas O'Neill says his father saw the dials shining brightly before he
lost his sight
"He was handed over to us from Leeming and when we spoke to him he said he
was happy to continue flying. "However, air traffic control noticed his
aircraft was descending and turning and he was asked again whether he wanted
to continue at which point
he said no."
Despite air traffic controllers' efforts, Mr O'Neill was unable to land the
plane at nearby Full Sutton Airfield near York and was directed to RAF
Linton-on-Ouse.
Mr Hynd said: "He still couldn't see the runway here and he was starting to
get distressed so we thought it was best to send a plane to him." Wing Cdr
Paul Gerrard, chief flying instructor, flew his Tucano T1 about 50m next to
the Cessna to bring Mr O'Neill safely down.
Mr Hynd said: "He used his voice to guide him [Mr O'Neill] down by telling
him to turn left and right, to lower the plane and to do his pre-landing
checks.
Radar controller Sgt Richard Eggleton helped guide Mr O'Neill to safety
"At very short range he still couldn't see the runway and it was only at the
last minute that he could. He landed about halfway down and came to a halt
just at the end.
"The RAF routinely practises shepherding but we are usually shepherding lost
aircraft, we are not used to shepherding blind pilots, which is what makes
this amazing.
"It was a fantastic team effort from all those involved and we're proud that
we could get him to the ground safely."
Mr O'Neill was checked over by RAF medics before being transferred to
Queen's Hospital in Romford, Essex.
News and views
ICE - 'In Case of Emergency'
April 2009
By Christian Robicheau
Dear readers,
This month I have chosen an article that most of us should be able to identify with. So many of us often panic in cases of emergency and I hope that this article can bring you some interesting points of view.
Have a great April.
Apparently this is a standard procedure all paramedics follow at the scene
of an accident when they come across your cell phone.
ICE - 'In Case of Emergency'
We all carry our mobile phones with names & numbers stored in its memory but
nobody, other than ourselves, knows which of these numbers belong to our
closest family or friends.
If we were to be involved in an accident or were taken ill, the people
attending us would have our mobile phone but wouldn't know who to call. Yes,
there are hundreds of numbers stored but which one is the contact person in case
of an emergency? Hence this 'ICE' (In Case of Emergency) Campaign
The concept of 'ICE' is catching on quickly. It is a method of contact
during emergency situations. As cell mobile) phones are carried by the
majority of the population, all you need to do is store the number of a contact
person or persons who should be contacted during emergency under the name
'ICE' ( In Case Of Emergency).
The idea was thought up by a paramedic who found that when he went to the
scenes of accidents, there were always mobile phones with patients, but they
didn't know which number to call. He therefore thought that it would be a
good idea if there was a nationally recognized name for this purpose. In an
emergency situation, Emergency Service personnel and hospital Staff would be able to
quickly contact the right person by simply dialing the number you have
stored as 'ICE.'
For more than one contact name simply enter ICE1, ICE2 and ICE3 etc. A great
idea that will make a difference!
Let's spread the concept of ICE by storing an ICE number in our Mobile
phones today!
Please forward this. It won't take too many 'forwards' before everybody
will know about this. It really could save your life, or put a loved one's
mind at rest. ICE will speak for you when you are not able to.
Helpful tips
April 2009
By the Sterling Creations Research team
Hello there and a happy springtime to you. We your research team are delighted to bring you our helpful tips segment.
Enjoy!
Helpful tips for April:
Want to know about two vital ingredients for stemming those awful migraine headaches?
Vitamin B and folic acid.
Those painful areas in your body, do you know where those painful spots could be found?
The tops of your feet and hands.
Between your toes.
Your spine.
The back of your knees.
The inside of your forearm.
Your sternum.
The least painful areas are?
Your shoulder.
The outer part of your forearm.
Your buttocks.
What are two ways to get rid of those awful fruit flies?
1 Pour some red wine into a small cup and place it on your counter. The little flies will automatically graduate to the cup of wine and die there.
2 Make a mixture of red wine vinegar and dish soap, just a few drops of the dish soap is enough. Then place the mixture in a small cup on your counter. The flies will automatically be attracted to this cup and will die there.
What is the difference between sherbet and sorbet?
Sherbet is cream-based and sorbet is water-based.
Looking for a remedy for your cold?
Try this!
A garlic soup made up of vegetable broth, garlic, and hot sauce.
Drink it as hot as you can stand it.
Now that winter is over, you need to keep this in mind for next winter!
Much of our depression throughout the winter season is caused by a lack of light and direct sun.
We need to take healthy doses of vitamin D and eat more foods with fish oils.
More exercise and fresh cold air.
Hey! We have some very important tips to share with you with regard to when you take prescription drugs.
First, take pills with an eight-ounce glass of water. The same for liquid.
Second, Take prescription drugs during meals.
Third, do not take prescription drugs with milk.
Fourth, do not go into the sunshine while taking prescription drugs.
Fifth, do not operate heavy machinery or drive while taking prescription drugs. Yu may get feelings of drowsiness while taking them.
What's this about the benefits of eating dried fruits?
They are no substitute for fresh fruit but they make a wonderful snack.
Just be ware of the sugar content in the type of dried fruit you buy.
How can you tell the difference between regular back pain and back pain caused by kidney stones?
The latter is much more excruciating.
Want to know what not to do when using your vacuum cleaner?
Do not use those powdered carpet cleaners on your carpets before vacuuming.
Why? Because they will probably clog your motor and eventually cause your vacuum to die completely.
Accessibility news
Developing the Corner of Blind Avenue and Safety Way
April 2009
By the Sterling Creations Research team
Hello there! We're back and for our second contribution this month we would like to bring you to Moscow Idaho. The following article focuses in on some very important developments in this little corner.
Developing the Corner of Blind Avenue and Safety Way
MOSCOW, Idaho - For the 21.2 million Americans who suffer from vision loss,
crossing the street can be a stressful and potentially dangerous
proposition. Thanks to engineers at the University of Idaho, many
visually impaired individuals soon may have a greatly reduced risk thanks
to a tool already in their pockets - their cell phone.
The statistics for vision loss, provided by the American Foundation for the
Blind, include anyone reporting difficulty seeing, even while wearing
glasses or contact lenses. No matter the level of visual impairment, many
conditions - including visual noise, walking at night and irregular
intersections - can result in missing a crosswalk.
Regardless of conditions, the new system being developed in Moscow, Idaho,
will make intersections safer and easier to navigate.
"Minute for minute on the road, any pedestrian is 150 percent more likely
to be injured by a car than somebody driving one," said Richard Wall,
professor
of electrical and computer engineering. "But it is pretty apparent that the
blind pedestrians are the ones most at risk at intersections."
The new technology utilizes features already available in many cellular
phones, including communications, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS)
functions and magnetic compasses to help visually impaired pedestrians.
Specialized software allows these pedestrians to activate the crossing
signal remotely without having to locate the physical button. Then, the GPS
system monitors the position and direction of travel while crossing. As long
as the crosser stays within the crosswalk, nothing happens. But stray
outside the lines, and an audible warning activates
alerting the pedestrian of their danger. It then provides directions on how
to get back within the safety zone. Should the walker somehow end up in the
middle of the intersection, the system automatically would turn every light
red, stopping traffic and averting potential disaster.
"It's true that this would disrupt the timing of the signal patterns when
it gets activated," said Wall. "But we would much rather disrupt them for a
few
seconds than for a half hour while an ambulance assists a traffic victim."
To ensure people don't trigger the alarm just for fun, only those who need
the help would be able to acquire the necessary software.
The system requires more than software, however. It also requires the
installation of new hardware in thousands of lights across the country.
Luckily, Wall and his team have found a solution that not only is cost
effective, it simplifies the existing system.
Many crosswalks currently have handicapped-assisted signals that provide
help such as audio tones indicating when it is safe to cross. However, the
box that controls the intersection contains a massive amount of wiring. This
is necessary to connect each actuator with each signal so at any given time,
the control box knows each state.
Wall's new system simplifies each box to only two wires, both already
required to power the signals. It uses a technology called Ethernet over
power line, which allows information to be broadcast over power lines.
The future is clear for Wall and his research team. They have established
dates to deliver the engineering and expect field trials to commence in
June. They are building prototypes supported by funds from the University
Transportation Centers program, Idaho's Higher Education Research Council
and their commercial partner, Campbell Company, who currently makes the
accessible pedestrian signals that chirp and talk for the handicapped.
"The signals we're building are more than prototypes. These devices
actually
can go into the field and work today," said Wall. "We're using existing
infrastructure and communicating intelligence over it. It's cost effective,
it simplifies the connection to two wires and it can be immediately
installed in all the existing crosswalks in the country."
Editorial
Your future consumers
April 2009
By Donna J. Jodhan
Your future consumers
It often makes me smile whenever clients ask me the following question: Who do you think our future consumers could be?
I smile because it is o so obvious to me but in reality to many it is still very much of a mystery. In my opinion, the future consumers, the bread and butter consumers to the majority of companies will be the aging baby boomer. Not many industries will be able to avoid this type of consumer and it would probably be a wise idea for companies to start preparing. I am not going to name all of the industries that will be inundated by the needs and demands of the aging boomer consumer but I will give a few examples. Before doing so however, let me just clarify a bit for you. The aging baby boomer consumer is one that is going to mature into the senior and retiree so in essence we have to look at a picture of an aging baby boomer maturing into a retiree and senior.
The types of industries that will have to react to this type of consumer would include: The travel industry, the anti-aging health industry, the health and medical industry, the food industry, and even the clothing industry. Habits and preferences are going to start shifting and companies within these industries will also have to shift to suit. In addition, colleges and universities will have to start tailoring their courses to accommodate this new type of consumer and students themselves will have to start adopting a new approach.
The aging baby boomer consumer is not going to go away and this is a fact of life that we all have to realize. Their needs and demands are only going to increase so we might as well face it and meet it. The landscape is changing and if we want to remain in business then we have to change too! So that when the folks at A & P Canada now called Metro tell their customers that they are not in the business to help customers, they are in the business to sell groceries, they should probably rethink this statement.
Comments to the editor
April 2009
From the desk of the editor
Hello there! Here are this month's comments.
From Matt Grovener of Toronto Canada:
Hey Donna! Congrats on your award! I only read about it recently. Way to go girl!
From Doris Berger of Israel:
Donna, I see where you are writing for so many other websites now. This is great and I wish you every success in your endeavors.
From Alice Cook of Florida:
Does anyone have any stats on how many disabled persons are unemployed in America?
From Lee Gresniac of Wisconsin:
When it comes to those most affected by this horrible economy I have to say that is those of us with a disability. No shock to anyone!
From Bruce Ryder of Boston:
Well, well! What if anything is this new president planning to do for the plight of disabled Americans? I am just so tired of talk, talk, and no action.
From Stefane Svelte of Stockholm Sweden:
We in Europe are really feeling the pinch when it comes to laying off of handicapped workers. Are things any better in America?
From Tim Shrauder of New York:
It's about time that those companies bring back their call centers from India. I am so tired of having to put up with sub par service from technicians who can't speak English let alone support us.
From Bonnie Carister of Washington DC:
Great going Donna! You truly deserve your award.
If you have something to say, an opinion to express, or anything that you wish to share with the rest of the world, then please send it on to info@sterlingcreations.ca.
Comments to the editor are yours and yours alone. All comments are reviewed to ensure appropriate language.
Notes
If you would like to contribute an article to our magazine then please contact us at:
Comments to the editor can be submitted free of charge.
All submissions are reviewed and you will be notified if yours is chosen. If your submission is chosen for “the reader’s choice” section of our magazine we will print it at no cost.
If you’re looking for a one-stop writing shop then look no further!
At www.sterlingcreations.ca you will find experienced professionals standing by to offer affordable Sterling services in the following areas:
Research, Writing, translation, and transcription.
We can do anything from articles and blogs to newsletters, emails and faxes to speeches, brochures and books to websites, plus more.
If you’re looking for ways to keep abreast of the latest news wires, trends and strategies, or ideas for creating your own small business, then you can take advantage of lots of free information by visiting www.untappedwealth.com.
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