Author Archives: Casey Mathews

About Casey Mathews

I have been a blind computer user for nearly 18 years now. I have specifically worked in the Access Technology field for about 13 years. I very much enjoy helping people become independent through technology. I am a happy recipient of a bachelors in Information Technology degree from the University of Phoenix Online. I have also attended the scripting Jaws and Magic workshop at Freedom Scientific where I learned a lot of complex scripting techniques, and concepts. I am happily married to a wonderful wife of four years. She makes me smile and laugh all of the time. She is the biggest blessing in my life! If you haven't yet visited my Web Friendly Help web site I think you will find it useful. you can also drop me a line on my contact page, or email me Here. I look forward to hearing from you!

Digit-Eyes: affordable barcode reading for All!

This is just a quick post to allow you to know that Digit-Eyes is now available for the iPhone. There is an introductary price of $29.99 through July 31st 2010. I do not know how much it will cost after … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, Deals, General, Software, Specials, Technology, Web Sites | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

iOS 4 Software Update via iTunes!

It’s now available! Just go to help, then to check for updates. Below is a very brief list of what’s new. This update contains over 100 new features, including the following: • Multitasking support for third-party apps* – Multitasking user … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, General, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Audio Restoration and Customization Services

WebFriendlyHelp is proud to offer audio restoration and customization services. Here’s a simple example of how it works. You provide an audio file that you want something done to, such as taking out hiss, hum, noise reduction, long pauses or … Continue reading

Posted in General, Uncategorized, Web Sites | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Microsoft Fix It Center

Finally there is a way to fix computer problems quickly, and easily. Microsoft has free software that will scan your pc, and try to fix computer problems. This software will work for Windows XP, through Windows 7. If the diognostics … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Software, Technology, Web Sites | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Alt+Tab Tuner for Windows Vista/7

If you are running either Windows Vista, poor soul, or Windows 7, blessed fortunate soul, you will likely remember how Alt+Tab worked in Windows XP. In short, it was fast, and snappy. There were no 3d views and stacks of … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, General, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Siri: Your Personal Virtual Assistant (VPA)

This is very interesting technology currently being developed. I am certain that sooner or later, we will all be using some form of virtual assistant. The below info is taken from the Siri.com Web Site. About Siri Siri – Your … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Software, Technology | Tagged , , | Comments Off

Survey for computer users with low vision, or color blindness

This was taken from the Microsoft Accessibility Blog.   Hi. I am working on a research project to understand how people optimize their computer to make it easier to see. We just kicked off an online survey and are recruiting … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, General, Technology, Web Sites | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Andy saved My Life Nearly a Week Ago!

I have meant to blog about this much earlier, but life intervened, and I haven’t had the chance. The short version is that Andy… Saved my life nearly a week ago! We were crossing a busy street. I had a … Continue reading

Posted in General | Tagged | 2 Comments

Andy and Casey At Home Doing Well

I’ve been home with Andy for about two weeks now. It’s been a bit hectic trying to fit Andy into the new way of doing things, and having to go to work etc. Despite all of the challenges, I think … Continue reading

Posted in Andy, General, Uncategorized | Comments Off

More on Andy’s Adventures

It has been a whirlwind of activity the last few days. I will briefly cover some of the highlights though. The big thing was traffic checks. Basically, these checks are designed to measure the dogs and owners responses to traffic … Continue reading

Posted in Andy, General, Uncategorized | Tagged | 1 Comment

Andy Odds and Ends

Well Andy and I continue to work great together. Saturday morning we worked on escalators, and that went just fine, once I got the timing right as far as when to say the various commands, when to give more leash … Continue reading

Posted in General, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

Goodbye Carl, Hello Andy

Today was a very bitter and sweet day for me. Before I explain why, I need to go into a bit of background. A week ago when I got Carl, I noticed that his pace was not as fast as … Continue reading

Posted in General, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Reworking Errors

This morning we began to rework guide dog errors in earnest. Each mistake that our dogs made was reworked and corrected before traveling was allowed to resume. If the error occurred at an up curb of a street crossing, the … Continue reading

Posted in General | 3 Comments

PetVet, A Must Have App for the IPhone!

PetVet is a must have app for the iPhone. This app is designed for dogs and cats, and lists problems that each can have. It even covers things like what happens if your dog eats chocolate. You can also tap … Continue reading

Posted in General, Reviews, Software, Technology | Comments Off

Walking and Working the Dogs Begins

This morning we all did some practice walks with our dogs. Carl has a bit of a problem with walking slightly passed street curbs. The instructors and I are working on this issue, and it is slowly improving. The other … Continue reading

Posted in General, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Dog Day!

Well today was the big dog day! We all started doing obedience practice on faithful Juno. We also practiced putting on the harness on Juno. This was followed by a lecture on how to meet your new guide dog, and … Continue reading

Posted in General | 2 Comments

Preliminary Guide dog Work

Today was a fairly full day of activity. We spent the morning going over basic guide dog technique, and basic commands. We worked with the imaginary dog, good old Juno, on healing, and then we worked with some real dogs. … Continue reading

Posted in General, Uncategorized | Comments Off

Arrived at Guide dogs For The blind

Hello again everyone. As I said back in June I believe, this mostly tech blog will become a mostly dog blog for the next month or so while I am trained in the use of a guide dog from Guide … Continue reading

Posted in General, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Laptop, Notebook, and Electronic Deals

HP Pavilion G60-235DX Notebook 16.0″ High Definition LCD, 2.00GHz Intel Dual-Core, 3072MB, 320GB, LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±R/RW w/ Double Layer Support, 802.11b/g WLAN, 5-in-1 Reader, HDMI, Webcam, Windows Vista Home Premium – Factory Refurbished FREE BUDGET SHIPPING     List price: … Continue reading

Posted in General | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Good Deals from Buy.com

Fantom GreenDrive Pro 1TB eSATA and USB 2.0 7200RPM 16MB External Hard Drive – 2 Year Warranty!          FREE BUDGET SHIPPING List price: $134.95                 Buy.com price: $109.99         $20.00 Mail-in Rebate       $89.99 After Rebate  *Expires 9/6/09 Fantom GreenDrive … Continue reading

Posted in General | Tagged | Comments Off

I got a hunch! Get Help Making Decisions

Have you ever wished that you could ask a panel of experts about a decision you were grappling with? Have you ever thought something like, if only I could tell someone what I’m looking for they could give me the … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, General, Web Sites | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Fresh New Savings From Buy.com

We have a few more savings from Buy.com. First up are two desktop computers from HP. HP Pavilion Elite M9500F Desktop Processor: 2.4GHz Phenom-9750(A) Ram: 8GB DDR2 Hard drive: 750GB SATA 3G Optical Drive: DVD+/-R/RW Video: GeForce 9500 GS Removable … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Deals, General, Specials, Technology | Comments Off

Buy.com Special Deals!

Buy.com has the following special deals on the following hardware.   Cavalry Storage CAUM Series 1TB USB 2.0 External Hard Drive – Pre-formatted to NTFS     FREE BUDGET SHIPPING List price: $239.00       SAVE $149.01       Buy.com price: $89.99 *Expires 8/10/09 Cavalry Storage … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Deals, General, Specials, Technology | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

iPhone Hub

I’ve just posted a page that I hope will help you find the resources that you need to make the most out of the iPhone and Voiceover! I hope to update the page often, so please let me know of … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, General, Technology, Web Sites | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Used Voicenote QT $1025!

We are offering a used VoiceNote QT for $1025. This price includes shipping to the United States. Information about this voiceNote QT: • There are one or two scratches on the bottom right side of the keyboard. These scratches do … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, General, Technology | Comments Off

Preorder Windows 7!

Now that computer manufactures have been given Windows 7, I thought I’d remind everyone that it is possible to preorder Windows 7! Preordering will allow you to have the DVD in your hands on October 22 of this year. No … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Freelance Jobs Search | DoNanza

Online projects search engine   DoNanza is a new kind of search engine; a search engine for freelance online projects -the kind of money making and exposure getting tasks that you can do from home.   Did you know there … Continue reading

Posted in General, Jobs And Careers, Web Sites | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Easy Protection with Microsoft Security Essentials

I just wanted to make a quick note about the new beta of Microsoft Security Essentials. I’ve only had it running for a short period of time. However, the program is very accessible to screen reading technology. The nice thing … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, General, Reviews, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Find Hidden Company Jobs Via LinkUp

Thanks to MakeUseOf.com, we have another way to locate new job listings. The text of the article is posted below. Enjoy.   LinkUp is a job aggregator that lets you find hidden jobs listed on company websites. These jobs listings … Continue reading

Posted in General, Web Sites | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Fix Problems with One Click

Have you ever had a problem on your computer? Of course what a rhetorical question. Microsoft is trying to automate fixing common problems in Windows. When you visit the Microsoft Automated Troubleshooting Services web site. You will see a list … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Software, Technology, Web Sites | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Testing with Windows Live Writer…

OK I’m trying Windows Live Writer and WordPress. I have made some modifications that hopefully will make it somewhat easier to post. Here goes… Tweet This Post Facebook

Posted in General | Tagged , , | Comments Off

WolfRam alpha Ready for Everyone!

sorry I’m a bit late on this one. But, WolfRamAlpha.com is ready to go! The first search box allows you to type in questions like why is the sky blue? you can also type in your first or last name … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, General, Technology, Web Sites | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

WolfRam Alpha Not Yet for Public Consumption

Much to my regret, at 8:00 PM Eastern time last night WolfRam Alpha was shown. It was only shown. The company says that they will release it to everyone soon. I guess I’ll go back to hoping for a Monday … Continue reading

Posted in General, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

WolfRam Alpha to be Released tonight!

This revolutionary new query technology will be released tonight at about 7:00 Eastern. This is three days ahead of schedule! In the mean time, have fun checking out the demo here! Tweet This Post Facebook

Posted in Computing, General, Reviews, Software, Technology, Web Sites | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

WolfRam: Intelligent searching for everyone!

Thanks to The Independant, we have a glimps into the future of information gathering via the web. This is great stuff, and I can’t wait to use it! The new system, Wolfram Alpha, showcased at Harvard University in the US … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Technology, Web Sites | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Windows 7 Troubleshooters

Windows 7 now has a new section within the control panel. This section is called “Troubleshooting”. The great thing about this is that it really does what it sounds like. Helps you troubleshoot common problems on the computer, without needing … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Windows 7 and volume Control

In Windows XP, the volume control mute buttons were simple check boxes. Checked indicated that a sound source was muted. Windows Vista’s mute buttons had a graphical component that made it difficult to check to see if something was muted. … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, Software | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

Windows 7: Thoughts from a blind Access Technology Early Adopter

Hello everyone. I just wanted to let everyone know that I plan to do a few posts on Windows 7. Before I do, I’d like to know what you would like to know about? Gaming, application accessibility, ease of use, … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Blogging with Word 2007?

Does anyone out there in blog land have any idea why I can’t post to my blog correctly? Things like paragraphs are not coming out correctly. Tags seem to be visible, rather than converted to regular text. Thanks for any … Continue reading

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

I’m going to the dogs… Again!

Well I just got the email notification informing me that I have been accepted into the Guide Dogs for the Blind September class! I’m sure everyone in the Sunshine Guide Dog Teams of Florida (GDBFL.org) chapter will be celebrating right … Continue reading

Posted in General | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Get Windows 7 Beta Sounds Early!

For those of you eagerly awaiting the release of Windows 7, or for anyone who likes to liven up their existing Windows experience, you will be happy to hear of Windows 7 sounds! These sounds appear to be taken from … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Software | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Find Out About Concerts In Your Area Fast!

LiveKick is a live concert search engine and recommendation web site that lets you know where and when all your favorite artists are playing. Automatically. Just tell LiveKick where you live and who your favorite artists are and LiveKick will … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Web Sites | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Visit the Microsoft Store

I just wanted to let everyone know that Microsoft has just launched their own store. It’s called the Microsoft Store!   I never would have guessed. Anyway, the really nice thing about the store is that you can buy Office, … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, General, Software | Comments Off

Preliminary List of Windows 7 Features!

Thanks to Paul Thurrott’s web site and blog, there is a list of the features of Windows 7 that we know of so far. I especially like the new troubleshooting feature, and the home group’s features. Check out the entire … Continue reading

Posted in General | Comments Off

Feature List For System Access 3.0!

I’ve been given the go ahead to post the what’s new info for System Access 3.0! This was taken from one of the forums within the SA Mobile network. Enjoy! System Access 3.0 Feature List I. Support For 64 Bit … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off

Live Mesh: What is it?

I wanted to write briefly about a technology that Microsoft is currently beta testing called Live Mesh, or just Mesh for short. What is it you ask? Well, picture the ultimate synchronization tool that once implemented, you can forget about … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off

The Net bible Revisited!

It is to my great satisfaction that I report my findings about the Net Bible. I can only conclude that my version was corrupted some way. At any rate, my issue with Colossians 3 has been resolved. It seems that … Continue reading

Posted in Software | Tagged , , , | Comments Off

Freedom Scientific introduces Remote Support Options for Jaws

Freedom Scientific just spilled the beans on the big secret they alluded to in the August FSCast. It is called Jaws Tandem. The big news is that Jaws users can now help friends or co-workers with computer problems by connecting … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, Software, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Discussion of What’s New in Jaws 10.0!

Discussion of what’s new in Jaws 10.0!   I wanted to provide a discussion of what I thought of the new features introduced into Jaws 10.0. If you want to get this all right from the horse’s mouth, just go … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Software | Comments Off

Rip DVDs to Audio

Have you ever wondered about ripping DVDs streight to audio as you can with regular CDs? In my latest tutorial, I walk you through the entire ripping process, from downloading, installing, setting it up, and finally ripping right to audio! … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Reviews, Software | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off

Software Patents

Just for your additional information on the FS Verses GwMicro case, the blind confidential blog has a good write-up on how FS could have a legal, if possibly unethical case for the lawsuit against GwMicro. You can read the post … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology | Comments Off

How to create a place marker?

+If you would like a nice technical comparison of Jaws place marker capabilities, and Window-Eyes place marker capabilities check this link out. http://www.wilanddenise.com/wil/ Enjoy!   Tweet This Post Facebook

Posted in General | Comments Off

Update to the FS Verses GWMicro Lawsuit

If you want a good heads-up overview of what exactly Freedom Scientific is suing GwMicro for check out the Blind Access Journal Blog. I do believe that this could have far-reaching consequences for the blind community if successful! Why Freedom … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology | Comments Off

What do you do when your competition just may have a superior product?

Some companies try to actually compete for business and market share! May the best product for the customer win! What an innovative idea? Unfortunately, for all of us, some companies have a history of suing the competition. I guess the … Continue reading

Posted in Access Technology, Computing, Software | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Update On Net Bible First Edition

Yesterday I blogged about the Net Bible’s missing scriptures. Today I tried to contact bible.org to ask about the missing verses. Regrettably, the form required the dreaded capcha to be filled out before it would submit it. As I said … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Software | Comments Off

Net Bible First Edition

Well, in my never-ending quest to find the nearly perfect Bible reference program, I stumbled upon Net Bible First Edition. It is published by bible.org, and is extremely accessible! Everything is laid out like a web page. So, you can … Continue reading

Posted in General | Comments Off

Welcome to the WebFriendlyHelp.com blog!

Well this is exciting for me. I have never had a blog, you should expect to get tech thoughts, tips, tricks and so on for sure, but you may get a few non-tech related musings here and there. The blog … Continue reading

Posted in Computing, Software | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment