Web Development Live

NEW YORK Marty Sellers used to need about a hundred postage stamps every three months. These days, he can stretch that supply to last a year.Sellers, 40, now pays most bills online and receives financial statements electronically. The owner of Sellers Photo in Huntsville, Ala., he also has cut down on mailing clients CDs, transferring images over the Internet instead.”Even things like a birthday card, I will just send a happy birthday e-mail,” he said.Because many people around the world are like Sellers, the U.S. Postal Service and its counterparts in other countries are tapping technology to cut costs and expand into electronic services - including services designed to attract more “junk” mail.In the United States, first-class mail volume has dropped 7 percent since 2001 - an average of 1.3 billion fewer letters, postcards and bills each year. A 15 percent boost in bulk advertising and other discounted mailings has so far offset only some of the loss in revenue.Many postal agencies are having to serve more households because their nations’ populations are growing but are getting less mail to deliver to each, said Dean Pope, general manager of business development at Canada Post.”In order to sustain business in that formula, you have to find new services and products and find new revenue growth opportunities,” he said.One of those new services is Canada Post’s Borderfree program, which allows Canadians to buy items from U.S. e-commerce partners, pay in Canadian currency and know all taxes and fees ahead of time. Borderfree takes packages from U.S. hubs through Canadian customs and delivers them in Canada.In France, La Poste will print e-mails customers send in and deliver them to physical mailboxes with registered notes and time stamps.Tunisia’s postal service offers a pre-charged payment service for paying utility bills and buying things online.In Italy, a new digital certification service at Poste Italiane archives loan documents for banks so that years after a transaction a party can retrieve the original document with an electronic postmark as proof of its authenticity.Not all efforts have been successful.For lack of demand, the U.S. Postal Service canceled a few programs it started in 1999 and 2000, including electronic bill payments - which the private sector now offers with greater success.”If we look back to the boom days of the Internet, … there was a surge of e-commerce-related activities in a lot of posts,” said Luis Jimenez, chief industry policy officer for Pitney Bowes Inc., a mail and document-management company. “That was primarily motivated by a fear that mail would decline precipitously and they needed a new source of income.”The realization came just a few short years after that it’s very difficult to make money from e-commerce.”Now, most electronic efforts supplement traditional, physical mail. In the United States, that includes ordering stamps and packing supplies online and providing delivery confirmation electronically without mailing back a receipt.The USPS also helps retailers like L.L. Bean Inc. generate preprinted labels to include with shipments for merchandise returns. Merchants, including eBay Inc. auction participants, also can create shipping labels and buy postage online.Jimenez said the refocus comes as postal agencies find that mail volume isn’t dropping as quickly as once feared. E-mail isn’t replacing all letters and cards; partly, it’s creating communication that might not have occurred otherwise. The Internet also has created new mailing opportunities from e-commerce sales, digital photo printing and DVD rentals.And many people remain more comfortable with paper.”I just find paper records more reliable and trustworthy,” said David Hildebrand, 72. “They all push me to get electronic statements, but I can’t put them in a drawer and I can’t look at them when the computer doesn’t work.”Hildebrand is no technophobe. The retired IBM Corp. computer programmer from San Jose, Calif., started visiting online bulletin boards and sending e-mail in the mid-1980s - back when few friends even had computers.”We’re going to use more paper, not less, for the short and medium term,” said Paul Saffo, a technology forecaster in San Mateo, Calif.That means postal agencies can benefit for several more years by cutting costs through automation and measures like installing kiosks to reduce labor-intensive window transactions. A new change-of-address system in the United States reduces costs by redirecting mail earlier in the process.By next year, U.S. bulk mailers also will have to start using intelligent bar codes - with 31 instead of 11 digits of data, allowing for refined tracking and earlier identification of undeliverable addresses.But ultimately, the challenge will be creating new revenue streams.Hybrid services represent one tactic. France, Italy and the United States let people send documents electronically for printing and delivery by the post. Italy also has a reverse service, scanning physical mail into digital form - which can be great for government agencies needing to distribute items to scores of branch offices.Other strategies could involve increasing the value of snail mail with, for example, the intelligent bar codes, which can tell U.S. mailers which mailings arrive when and help them remove bad information from their mailing lists.”The better the quality of mailings and mailing lists they are generated from, the better the response rates these companies are going to see,” said Thomas Day, the USPS senior vice president for intelligent mail and address quality.In other words, expect more catalogs and credit-card offers in the short term, although Saffo believes environmental pressures won’t make that strategy sustainable in the long run.Elsewhere, postal services are adapting to local needs, said Paul Donohoe, the Universal Postal Union’s eBusiness manager. For example, in Brazil, where e-commerce is fairly new, the postal service offers technical muscle to operate Web sites.Postal agencies don’t have forever to adapt.”There will be a day of reckoning, but I don’t know how far down the road that is,” said Tony Conway, a former USPS executive who now heads the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers. “First-class mail continues to decline. I don’t see anything that suggests that trend will reverse itself.”

BALTIMORE Chris Danielsen fidgets with the cell phone, holding it over a $20 bill.”Detecting orientation, processing U.S. currency image,” the phone says in a flat monotone before Danielsen snaps a photo. A few seconds later, the phone says, “Twenty dollars.”Danielsen, a spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind, is holding the next generation of computerized aids for the blind and visually impaired.The Nokia cell phone is loaded with software that turns text on photographed documents into speech. In addition to telling whether a bill is worth $1, $5, $10 or $20, it also allows users to read anything that is photographed, whether it’s a restaurant menu, a phone book or a fax.While the technology is not new, the NFB and the software’s developer say the cell phone is the first to incorporate the text-to-speech ability.”We’ve had reading devices before,” Danielsen said, noting similar software is already available in a larger handheld reader housed in a personal digital assistant. Companies such as Code Factory SL, Dolphin Computer Access Ltd. and Nuance Communications Inc. also provide software that allows the blind to use cell phones and PDAs.Inexpensive hand-held scanners such as WizCom Technologies Ltd.’s SuperPen can scan limited amounts of text, read it aloud and even translate from other languages.However, the $2,100 NFB device combines all of those functions in one smart phone, said James Gashel, vice president of business development for K-NFB Reading Technology Inc., which is marketing the phone as a joint venture between the federation and software developer Ray Kurzweil.”It is the next step, but this is a huge leap,” Gashel, who is blind, said in a telephone interview. “I’m talking to you on the device I also use to read things. I can put it in my pocket and at the touch of a button, in 20 seconds, be reading something I need to read in print.”Ray Kurzweil, who developed the first device that could convert text into audio in the 1970s and the current NFB device, said portability is only the first step. Future versions of the device will recognize faces, identify rooms and translate text from other languages for the blind and the sighted.The inventor plans to begin marketing the cell phone in February through K-NFB Reading Technology. The software will cost $1,595 and the cell phone is expected to cost about $500, Kurzweil said.Dave Doermann, president of College Park-based Applied Media Analysis said his company is working on similar software for smart phones that could be used by the military for translation and by the visually impaired.”We don’t anticipate ours being that expensive, but unfortunately we’re not quite to the release yet,” said Doermann, who is also co-director of the University of Maryland’s Laboratory for Language and Media Processing.Doermann said the company, which has received funding from the Department of Defense and the National Eye Institute, hopes to have its software ready in the next 12 to 18 months.Kurzweil’s device uses speech software provided by Nuance, said Chris Strammiello, the director of product management at Nuance, who said the company has also developed a prototype reader that uses the Internet to access more powerful server-side computers.”As you can harness the power of remote environments and do that so quickly with the Web technologies, it gives a lot more capability, flexibility and options to the way you solve these type of problems,” Strammiello said.There are about 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the U.S., a number that is expected to double in the next 30 years as baby boomers age.Kurzweil said those with vision problems are not the only ones expected to benefit from the technology. Dyslexics, for example, are expected to be among the users of the current device because of its ability to highlight each word as it’s read aloud, helping them cope with their disability, which affects the ability to read. The highlighting function can also help them improve their reading skills, he said.”What’s new here is both blind people and kids can do this with a device that fits in their shirt pocket,” Kurzweil said.Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said the device and its PDA predecessor are a “form of hand-held vision” that will make the visual environment “much more readily available to the blind.”—National Federation of the Blind: http://www.nfb.orgK-NFB Reading Technology Inc.: http://www.knfbreader.comKurzweil Technologies Inc.: http://www.kurzweiltech.com/ktihome.htmlApplied Media Analysis: http://appliedmediaanalysis.com

JOB CHANGESTitleOne Corp., a locally owned and operated title and escrow company, has announced that Doug Brigham has joined its team as vice president for finance and strategic growth. Brigham’s background includes 20 years of operations, finance and administrative management in private industry. He has held increasingly responsible positions including treasurer, corporate controller and business unit chief financial officer. Most recently he served as senior vice president for business development for the Infrastructure Business unit at Washington Group International. Brigham is a Meridian High School graduate and earned a BA in Business Administration from The College of Idaho. He went on to get an MBA from Boise State University.George Seybold has accepted the position of project manager with Wirestone LLC. He comes to Wirestone with 14 years experience in online marketing, online community creation, Web analytics and search optimization.Formerly, Seybold held the position of brand marketing e-media manager at Weyerhaeuser’s building materials division, iLevel (formerly Boise-based Trus Joist), where he managed and set the strategic direction of the division’s online properties and online marketing promotional activities. He will maintain his seat on the Metrics and Standards board of Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization.RECOGNITIONThe National Association of Women Business Owners, Boise Area and Southern Idaho Chapter, announced the winners for its Business Women of the Year Awards. This is the sixth year NAWBO has recognized Idaho business women who exemplify excellence in business accomplishments, employee development, achievement, community leadership and advocacy for women professionals. Joan Stephens, CR, of Stronghold Remodeling Inc., won the Business Woman of the Year Award. Kandy Weaver, of Kandy Weaver and Associates LLC, was also nominated. In other categories, Paula Miller, owner of Framed!, won the award for Business Woman of the Year - Up and Coming. The other nominees were Tawni Weaver of ReNu Medispa, Rebecca Evans of Inner Element, and Robin Phipps Woodall of Tone Athletic Club. Irene Deely, owner of the Woman of Steel Gallery, received the Trailblazer Award, given to an inspirational businesswoman whose accomplishments are in a field or industry where relatively few women have made inroads. Melanie Krause, of Cinder/Krause Consulting LLC, was also nominated. And Tamara Brandstetter, president and CEO of Delta Dental, received the Leadership Award, given to a woman who promotes a climate for a healthy business community on a local, regional and state level. Other finalists were Rebecca Poedy, Idaho president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, and Judith Garzolini of Hewlett-Packard.Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, chief executive officer and founder of Boise-based Episciences Inc. and practicing dermatologist, and the Epionce product line are featured in three national publications this month. Thornfeldt was interviewed for and appears in the article “Chemical Peels Today” in the January/February issue of Medesthetics Magazine, a trade publication for physicians and medical spa professionals. The article highlights the Epionce Equalizer Peel, a chemical peel for sensitive skin. He was also interviewed for and appears in Household and Personal Products Industry’s January issue article “Transdermal Delivery: Marketers rely on a variety of ways to deliver active materials to the skin.” Finally, the Epionceproduct line is featured in the January issue of Dermascope Magazine, another skin care trade publication for estheticians, spa owners and the salon industries. Thornfeldt wrote an article, “Skin 101,” that will appear in the February issue of Dermascope as well.

BALTIMORE Chris Danielsen fidgets with the cell phone, holding it over a $20 bill.”Detecting orientation, processing U.S. currency image,” the phone says in a flat monotone before Danielsen snaps a photo. A few seconds later, the phone says, “Twenty dollars.”Danielsen, a spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind, is holding the next generation of computerized aids for the blind and visually impaired.The Nokia cell phone is loaded with software that turns text on photographed documents into speech. In addition to telling whether a bill is worth $1, $5, $10 or $20, it also allows users to read anything that is photographed, whether it’s a restaurant menu, a phone book or a fax.While the technology is not new, the NFB and the software’s developer say the cell phone is the first to incorporate the text-to-speech ability.”We’ve had reading devices before,” Danielsen said, noting similar software is already available in a larger handheld reader housed in a personal digital assistant. Companies such as Code Factory SL, Dolphin Computer Access Ltd. and Nuance Communications Inc. also provide software that allows the blind to use cell phones and PDAs.Inexpensive hand-held scanners such as WizCom Technologies Ltd.’s SuperPen can scan limited amounts of text, read it aloud and even translate from other languages.However, the $2,100 NFB device combines all of those functions in one smart phone, said James Gashel, vice president of business development for K-NFB Reading Technology Inc., which is marketing the phone as a joint venture between the federation and software developer Ray Kurzweil.”It is the next step, but this is a huge leap,” Gashel, who is blind, said in a telephone interview. “I’m talking to you on the device I also use to read things. I can put it in my pocket and at the touch of a button, in 20 seconds, be reading something I need to read in print.”Ray Kurzweil, who developed the first device that could convert text into audio in the 1970s and the current NFB device, said portability is only the first step. Future versions of the device will recognize faces, identify rooms and translate text from other languages for the blind and the sighted.The inventor plans to begin marketing the cell phone in February through K-NFB Reading Technology. The software will cost $1,595 and the cell phone is expected to cost about $500, Kurzweil said.Dave Doermann, president of College Park-based Applied Media Analysis said his company is working on similar software for smart phones that could be used by the military for translation and by the visually impaired.”We don’t anticipate ours being that expensive, but unfortunately we’re not quite to the release yet,” said Doermann, who is also co-director of the University of Maryland’s Laboratory for Language and Media Processing.Doermann said the company, which has received funding from the Department of Defense and the National Eye Institute, hopes to have its software ready in the next 12 to 18 months.Kurzweil’s device uses speech software provided by Nuance, said Chris Strammiello, the director of product management at Nuance, who said the company has also developed a prototype reader that uses the Internet to access more powerful server-side computers.”As you can harness the power of remote environments and do that so quickly with the Web technologies, it gives a lot more capability, flexibility and options to the way you solve these type of problems,” Strammiello said.There are about 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the U.S., a number that is expected to double in the next 30 years as baby boomers age.Kurzweil said those with vision problems are not the only ones expected to benefit from the technology. Dyslexics, for example, are expected to be among the users of the current device because of its ability to highlight each word as it’s read aloud, helping them cope with their disability, which affects the ability to read. The highlighting function can also help them improve their reading skills, he said.”What’s new here is both blind people and kids can do this with a device that fits in their shirt pocket,” Kurzweil said.Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said the device and its PDA predecessor are a “form of hand-held vision” that will make the visual environment “much more readily available to the blind.”—National Federation of the Blind: http://www.nfb.orgK-NFB Reading Technology Inc.: http://www.knfbreader.comKurzweil Technologies Inc.: http://www.kurzweiltech.com/ktihome.htmlApplied Media Analysis: http://appliedmediaanalysis.com

JOB CHANGESTitleOne Corp., a locally owned and operated title and escrow company, has announced that Doug Brigham has joined its team as vice president for finance and strategic growth. Brigham’s background includes 20 years of operations, finance and administrative management in private industry. He has held increasingly responsible positions including treasurer, corporate controller and business unit chief financial officer. Most recently he served as senior vice president for business development for the Infrastructure Business unit at Washington Group International. Brigham is a Meridian High School graduate and earned a BA in Business Administration from The College of Idaho. He went on to get an MBA from Boise State University.George Seybold has accepted the position of project manager with Wirestone LLC. He comes to Wirestone with 14 years experience in online marketing, online community creation, Web analytics and search optimization.Formerly, Seybold held the position of brand marketing e-media manager at Weyerhaeuser’s building materials division, iLevel (formerly Boise-based Trus Joist), where he managed and set the strategic direction of the division’s online properties and online marketing promotional activities. He will maintain his seat on the Metrics and Standards board of Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization.RECOGNITIONThe National Association of Women Business Owners, Boise Area and Southern Idaho Chapter, announced the winners for its Business Women of the Year Awards. This is the sixth year NAWBO has recognized Idaho business women who exemplify excellence in business accomplishments, employee development, achievement, community leadership and advocacy for women professionals. Joan Stephens, CR, of Stronghold Remodeling Inc., won the Business Woman of the Year Award. Kandy Weaver, of Kandy Weaver and Associates LLC, was also nominated. In other categories, Paula Miller, owner of Framed!, won the award for Business Woman of the Year - Up and Coming. The other nominees were Tawni Weaver of ReNu Medispa, Rebecca Evans of Inner Element, and Robin Phipps Woodall of Tone Athletic Club. Irene Deely, owner of the Woman of Steel Gallery, received the Trailblazer Award, given to an inspirational businesswoman whose accomplishments are in a field or industry where relatively few women have made inroads. Melanie Krause, of Cinder/Krause Consulting LLC, was also nominated. And Tamara Brandstetter, president and CEO of Delta Dental, received the Leadership Award, given to a woman who promotes a climate for a healthy business community on a local, regional and state level. Other finalists were Rebecca Poedy, Idaho president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, and Judith Garzolini of Hewlett-Packard.Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, chief executive officer and founder of Boise-based Episciences Inc. and practicing dermatologist, and the Epionce product line are featured in three national publications this month. Thornfeldt was interviewed for and appears in the article “Chemical Peels Today” in the January/February issue of Medesthetics Magazine, a trade publication for physicians and medical spa professionals. The article highlights the Epionce Equalizer Peel, a chemical peel for sensitive skin. He was also interviewed for and appears in Household and Personal Products Industry’s January issue article “Transdermal Delivery: Marketers rely on a variety of ways to deliver active materials to the skin.” Finally, the Epionceproduct line is featured in the January issue of Dermascope Magazine, another skin care trade publication for estheticians, spa owners and the salon industries. Thornfeldt wrote an article, “Skin 101,” that will appear in the February issue of Dermascope as well.

BALTIMORE Chris Danielsen fidgets with the cell phone, holding it over a $20 bill.”Detecting orientation, processing U.S. currency image,” the phone says in a flat monotone before Danielsen snaps a photo. A few seconds later, the phone says, “Twenty dollars.”Danielsen, a spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind, is holding the next generation of computerized aids for the blind and visually impaired.The Nokia cell phone is loaded with software that turns text on photographed documents into speech. In addition to telling whether a bill is worth $1, $5, $10 or $20, it also allows users to read anything that is photographed, whether it’s a restaurant menu, a phone book or a fax.While the technology is not new, the NFB and the software’s developer say the cell phone is the first to incorporate the text-to-speech ability.”We’ve had reading devices before,” Danielsen said, noting similar software is already available in a larger handheld reader housed in a personal digital assistant. Companies such as Code Factory SL, Dolphin Computer Access Ltd. and Nuance Communications Inc. also provide software that allows the blind to use cell phones and PDAs.Inexpensive hand-held scanners such as WizCom Technologies Ltd.’s SuperPen can scan limited amounts of text, read it aloud and even translate from other languages.However, the $2,100 NFB device combines all of those functions in one smart phone, said James Gashel, vice president of business development for K-NFB Reading Technology Inc., which is marketing the phone as a joint venture between the federation and software developer Ray Kurzweil.”It is the next step, but this is a huge leap,” Gashel, who is blind, said in a telephone interview. “I’m talking to you on the device I also use to read things. I can put it in my pocket and at the touch of a button, in 20 seconds, be reading something I need to read in print.”Ray Kurzweil, who developed the first device that could convert text into audio in the 1970s and the current NFB device, said portability is only the first step. Future versions of the device will recognize faces, identify rooms and translate text from other languages for the blind and the sighted.The inventor plans to begin marketing the cell phone in February through K-NFB Reading Technology. The software will cost $1,595 and the cell phone is expected to cost about $500, Kurzweil said.Dave Doermann, president of College Park-based Applied Media Analysis said his company is working on similar software for smart phones that could be used by the military for translation and by the visually impaired.”We don’t anticipate ours being that expensive, but unfortunately we’re not quite to the release yet,” said Doermann, who is also co-director of the University of Maryland’s Laboratory for Language and Media Processing.Doermann said the company, which has received funding from the Department of Defense and the National Eye Institute, hopes to have its software ready in the next 12 to 18 months.Kurzweil’s device uses speech software provided by Nuance, said Chris Strammiello, the director of product management at Nuance, who said the company has also developed a prototype reader that uses the Internet to access more powerful server-side computers.”As you can harness the power of remote environments and do that so quickly with the Web technologies, it gives a lot more capability, flexibility and options to the way you solve these type of problems,” Strammiello said.There are about 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the U.S., a number that is expected to double in the next 30 years as baby boomers age.Kurzweil said those with vision problems are not the only ones expected to benefit from the technology. Dyslexics, for example, are expected to be among the users of the current device because of its ability to highlight each word as it’s read aloud, helping them cope with their disability, which affects the ability to read. The highlighting function can also help them improve their reading skills, he said.”What’s new here is both blind people and kids can do this with a device that fits in their shirt pocket,” Kurzweil said.Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said the device and its PDA predecessor are a “form of hand-held vision” that will make the visual environment “much more readily available to the blind.”—National Federation of the Blind: http://www.nfb.orgK-NFB Reading Technology Inc.: http://www.knfbreader.comKurzweil Technologies Inc.: http://www.kurzweiltech.com/ktihome.htmlApplied Media Analysis: http://appliedmediaanalysis.com

JOB CHANGESTitleOne Corp., a locally owned and operated title and escrow company, has announced that Doug Brigham has joined its team as vice president for finance and strategic growth. Brigham’s background includes 20 years of operations, finance and administrative management in private industry. He has held increasingly responsible positions including treasurer, corporate controller and business unit chief financial officer. Most recently he served as senior vice president for business development for the Infrastructure Business unit at Washington Group International. Brigham is a Meridian High School graduate and earned a BA in Business Administration from The College of Idaho. He went on to get an MBA from Boise State University.George Seybold has accepted the position of project manager with Wirestone LLC. He comes to Wirestone with 14 years experience in online marketing, online community creation, Web analytics and search optimization.Formerly, Seybold held the position of brand marketing e-media manager at Weyerhaeuser’s building materials division, iLevel (formerly Boise-based Trus Joist), where he managed and set the strategic direction of the division’s online properties and online marketing promotional activities. He will maintain his seat on the Metrics and Standards board of Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization.RECOGNITIONThe National Association of Women Business Owners, Boise Area and Southern Idaho Chapter, announced the winners for its Business Women of the Year Awards. This is the sixth year NAWBO has recognized Idaho business women who exemplify excellence in business accomplishments, employee development, achievement, community leadership and advocacy for women professionals. Joan Stephens, CR, of Stronghold Remodeling Inc., won the Business Woman of the Year Award. Kandy Weaver, of Kandy Weaver and Associates LLC, was also nominated. In other categories, Paula Miller, owner of Framed!, won the award for Business Woman of the Year - Up and Coming. The other nominees were Tawni Weaver of ReNu Medispa, Rebecca Evans of Inner Element, and Robin Phipps Woodall of Tone Athletic Club. Irene Deely, owner of the Woman of Steel Gallery, received the Trailblazer Award, given to an inspirational businesswoman whose accomplishments are in a field or industry where relatively few women have made inroads. Melanie Krause, of Cinder/Krause Consulting LLC, was also nominated. And Tamara Brandstetter, president and CEO of Delta Dental, received the Leadership Award, given to a woman who promotes a climate for a healthy business community on a local, regional and state level. Other finalists were Rebecca Poedy, Idaho president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, and Judith Garzolini of Hewlett-Packard.Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, chief executive officer and founder of Boise-based Episciences Inc. and practicing dermatologist, and the Epionce product line are featured in three national publications this month. Thornfeldt was interviewed for and appears in the article “Chemical Peels Today” in the January/February issue of Medesthetics Magazine, a trade publication for physicians and medical spa professionals. The article highlights the Epionce Equalizer Peel, a chemical peel for sensitive skin. He was also interviewed for and appears in Household and Personal Products Industry’s January issue article “Transdermal Delivery: Marketers rely on a variety of ways to deliver active materials to the skin.” Finally, the Epionceproduct line is featured in the January issue of Dermascope Magazine, another skin care trade publication for estheticians, spa owners and the salon industries. Thornfeldt wrote an article, “Skin 101,” that will appear in the February issue of Dermascope as well.

BALTIMORE Chris Danielsen fidgets with the cell phone, holding it over a $20 bill.”Detecting orientation, processing U.S. currency image,” the phone says in a flat monotone before Danielsen snaps a photo. A few seconds later, the phone says, “Twenty dollars.”Danielsen, a spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind, is holding the next generation of computerized aids for the blind and visually impaired.The Nokia cell phone is loaded with software that turns text on photographed documents into speech. In addition to telling whether a bill is worth $1, $5, $10 or $20, it also allows users to read anything that is photographed, whether it’s a restaurant menu, a phone book or a fax.While the technology is not new, the NFB and the software’s developer say the cell phone is the first to incorporate the text-to-speech ability.”We’ve had reading devices before,” Danielsen said, noting similar software is already available in a larger handheld reader housed in a personal digital assistant. Companies such as Code Factory SL, Dolphin Computer Access Ltd. and Nuance Communications Inc. also provide software that allows the blind to use cell phones and PDAs.Inexpensive hand-held scanners such as WizCom Technologies Ltd.’s SuperPen can scan limited amounts of text, read it aloud and even translate from other languages.However, the $2,100 NFB device combines all of those functions in one smart phone, said James Gashel, vice president of business development for K-NFB Reading Technology Inc., which is marketing the phone as a joint venture between the federation and software developer Ray Kurzweil.”It is the next step, but this is a huge leap,” Gashel, who is blind, said in a telephone interview. “I’m talking to you on the device I also use to read things. I can put it in my pocket and at the touch of a button, in 20 seconds, be reading something I need to read in print.”Ray Kurzweil, who developed the first device that could convert text into audio in the 1970s and the current NFB device, said portability is only the first step. Future versions of the device will recognize faces, identify rooms and translate text from other languages for the blind and the sighted.The inventor plans to begin marketing the cell phone in February through K-NFB Reading Technology. The software will cost $1,595 and the cell phone is expected to cost about $500, Kurzweil said.Dave Doermann, president of College Park-based Applied Media Analysis said his company is working on similar software for smart phones that could be used by the military for translation and by the visually impaired.”We don’t anticipate ours being that expensive, but unfortunately we’re not quite to the release yet,” said Doermann, who is also co-director of the University of Maryland’s Laboratory for Language and Media Processing.Doermann said the company, which has received funding from the Department of Defense and the National Eye Institute, hopes to have its software ready in the next 12 to 18 months.Kurzweil’s device uses speech software provided by Nuance, said Chris Strammiello, the director of product management at Nuance, who said the company has also developed a prototype reader that uses the Internet to access more powerful server-side computers.”As you can harness the power of remote environments and do that so quickly with the Web technologies, it gives a lot more capability, flexibility and options to the way you solve these type of problems,” Strammiello said.There are about 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the U.S., a number that is expected to double in the next 30 years as baby boomers age.Kurzweil said those with vision problems are not the only ones expected to benefit from the technology. Dyslexics, for example, are expected to be among the users of the current device because of its ability to highlight each word as it’s read aloud, helping them cope with their disability, which affects the ability to read. The highlighting function can also help them improve their reading skills, he said.”What’s new here is both blind people and kids can do this with a device that fits in their shirt pocket,” Kurzweil said.Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said the device and its PDA predecessor are a “form of hand-held vision” that will make the visual environment “much more readily available to the blind.”—National Federation of the Blind: http://www.nfb.orgK-NFB Reading Technology Inc.: http://www.knfbreader.comKurzweil Technologies Inc.: http://www.kurzweiltech.com/ktihome.htmlApplied Media Analysis: http://appliedmediaanalysis.com

JOB CHANGESTitleOne Corp., a locally owned and operated title and escrow company, has announced that Doug Brigham has joined its team as vice president for finance and strategic growth. Brigham’s background includes 20 years of operations, finance and administrative management in private industry. He has held increasingly responsible positions including treasurer, corporate controller and business unit chief financial officer. Most recently he served as senior vice president for business development for the Infrastructure Business unit at Washington Group International. Brigham is a Meridian High School graduate and earned a BA in Business Administration from The College of Idaho. He went on to get an MBA from Boise State University.George Seybold has accepted the position of project manager with Wirestone LLC. He comes to Wirestone with 14 years experience in online marketing, online community creation, Web analytics and search optimization.Formerly, Seybold held the position of brand marketing e-media manager at Weyerhaeuser’s building materials division, iLevel (formerly Boise-based Trus Joist), where he managed and set the strategic direction of the division’s online properties and online marketing promotional activities. He will maintain his seat on the Metrics and Standards board of Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization.RECOGNITIONThe National Association of Women Business Owners, Boise Area and Southern Idaho Chapter, announced the winners for its Business Women of the Year Awards. This is the sixth year NAWBO has recognized Idaho business women who exemplify excellence in business accomplishments, employee development, achievement, community leadership and advocacy for women professionals. Joan Stephens, CR, of Stronghold Remodeling Inc., won the Business Woman of the Year Award. Kandy Weaver, of Kandy Weaver and Associates LLC, was also nominated. In other categories, Paula Miller, owner of Framed!, won the award for Business Woman of the Year - Up and Coming. The other nominees were Tawni Weaver of ReNu Medispa, Rebecca Evans of Inner Element, and Robin Phipps Woodall of Tone Athletic Club. Irene Deely, owner of the Woman of Steel Gallery, received the Trailblazer Award, given to an inspirational businesswoman whose accomplishments are in a field or industry where relatively few women have made inroads. Melanie Krause, of Cinder/Krause Consulting LLC, was also nominated. And Tamara Brandstetter, president and CEO of Delta Dental, received the Leadership Award, given to a woman who promotes a climate for a healthy business community on a local, regional and state level. Other finalists were Rebecca Poedy, Idaho president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, and Judith Garzolini of Hewlett-Packard.Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, chief executive officer and founder of Boise-based Episciences Inc. and practicing dermatologist, and the Epionce product line are featured in three national publications this month. Thornfeldt was interviewed for and appears in the article “Chemical Peels Today” in the January/February issue of Medesthetics Magazine, a trade publication for physicians and medical spa professionals. The article highlights the Epionce Equalizer Peel, a chemical peel for sensitive skin. He was also interviewed for and appears in Household and Personal Products Industry’s January issue article “Transdermal Delivery: Marketers rely on a variety of ways to deliver active materials to the skin.” Finally, the Epionceproduct line is featured in the January issue of Dermascope Magazine, another skin care trade publication for estheticians, spa owners and the salon industries. Thornfeldt wrote an article, “Skin 101,” that will appear in the February issue of Dermascope as well.

BALTIMORE Chris Danielsen fidgets with the cell phone, holding it over a $20 bill.”Detecting orientation, processing U.S. currency image,” the phone says in a flat monotone before Danielsen snaps a photo. A few seconds later, the phone says, “Twenty dollars.”Danielsen, a spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind, is holding the next generation of computerized aids for the blind and visually impaired.The Nokia cell phone is loaded with software that turns text on photographed documents into speech. In addition to telling whether a bill is worth $1, $5, $10 or $20, it also allows users to read anything that is photographed, whether it’s a restaurant menu, a phone book or a fax.While the technology is not new, the NFB and the software’s developer say the cell phone is the first to incorporate the text-to-speech ability.”We’ve had reading devices before,” Danielsen said, noting similar software is already available in a larger handheld reader housed in a personal digital assistant. Companies such as Code Factory SL, Dolphin Computer Access Ltd. and Nuance Communications Inc. also provide software that allows the blind to use cell phones and PDAs.Inexpensive hand-held scanners such as WizCom Technologies Ltd.’s SuperPen can scan limited amounts of text, read it aloud and even translate from other languages.However, the $2,100 NFB device combines all of those functions in one smart phone, said James Gashel, vice president of business development for K-NFB Reading Technology Inc., which is marketing the phone as a joint venture between the federation and software developer Ray Kurzweil.”It is the next step, but this is a huge leap,” Gashel, who is blind, said in a telephone interview. “I’m talking to you on the device I also use to read things. I can put it in my pocket and at the touch of a button, in 20 seconds, be reading something I need to read in print.”Ray Kurzweil, who developed the first device that could convert text into audio in the 1970s and the current NFB device, said portability is only the first step. Future versions of the device will recognize faces, identify rooms and translate text from other languages for the blind and the sighted.The inventor plans to begin marketing the cell phone in February through K-NFB Reading Technology. The software will cost $1,595 and the cell phone is expected to cost about $500, Kurzweil said.Dave Doermann, president of College Park-based Applied Media Analysis said his company is working on similar software for smart phones that could be used by the military for translation and by the visually impaired.”We don’t anticipate ours being that expensive, but unfortunately we’re not quite to the release yet,” said Doermann, who is also co-director of the University of Maryland’s Laboratory for Language and Media Processing.Doermann said the company, which has received funding from the Department of Defense and the National Eye Institute, hopes to have its software ready in the next 12 to 18 months.Kurzweil’s device uses speech software provided by Nuance, said Chris Strammiello, the director of product management at Nuance, who said the company has also developed a prototype reader that uses the Internet to access more powerful server-side computers.”As you can harness the power of remote environments and do that so quickly with the Web technologies, it gives a lot more capability, flexibility and options to the way you solve these type of problems,” Strammiello said.There are about 10 million blind and visually impaired people in the U.S., a number that is expected to double in the next 30 years as baby boomers age.Kurzweil said those with vision problems are not the only ones expected to benefit from the technology. Dyslexics, for example, are expected to be among the users of the current device because of its ability to highlight each word as it’s read aloud, helping them cope with their disability, which affects the ability to read. The highlighting function can also help them improve their reading skills, he said.”What’s new here is both blind people and kids can do this with a device that fits in their shirt pocket,” Kurzweil said.Marc Maurer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said the device and its PDA predecessor are a “form of hand-held vision” that will make the visual environment “much more readily available to the blind.”—National Federation of the Blind: http://www.nfb.orgK-NFB Reading Technology Inc.: http://www.knfbreader.comKurzweil Technologies Inc.: http://www.kurzweiltech.com/ktihome.htmlApplied Media Analysis: http://appliedmediaanalysis.com