help; battery charger?/power adapters ideas

[babr]

I can't read because of nerve pain behind my eyes; so i use books on cd alot! the power adapters i have purchased through ebay eventually short out right at the top of the plug

i don't even know if there are battery chargers that i could use without making a huge investment; or getting stuck with something that isn't going to work

:help: again and thanks for any suggestions:)

[Juds]

Aside from those adapters being fairly delicate little creatures to begin with, the greatest stress point is right at the top of the plug. My guess is that plugging and unplugging is flexing those wires too much. Is there any chance that you could use a small power strip into which you would plug the adapter and then when the CD player was not in use, you could click the power strip to 'off' or unplug it?

Other than that, the batteries and recharging unit for re-chargeable batteries are not too expensive and you might find one on sale somewhere. Maybe. I have even seen them sold in the grocery store, but not on sale. :)

[babr]

thanks juds thats a great idea! hadn't thought about that; and will continue to explore recharging batteries

[Juds]

If you decide to go with re-chargables (sorry, cannot spell today) and the set-up, they will save you money and landfill concerns. Buy the best you can afford and then remember to keep a set charged and ready to use. Having depleted batteries is an inconvenience for most of us, frustrating and all that, but for you it would be just heartbreaking to not be able to enjoy a book when you wanted.

I have a vision disorder, and am still able to read, but it is getting more difficult all the time. I am not looking forward to the time when I am unable to read books. They are an important part of most of our lives, but I think there is an added dimension for those of us who cannot see well enough to read whenever we might like.

Good luck and if you live in the US, check with your local library for additional resources.

You most likely know about all of this, but here is the rest of it anyway. :) Our library offers books and other materials on cassette, although those are fewer all the time as they are replaced by CDs. Kind of a shame, since many older patrons do not have more current technology, but it all works out, I guess. So, anyway, lots of stuff on CDs and available through e-audio downloads (Overdrive). We also have affiliation with the Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. It is not in our town or the big city in which I work, but it is available a bit further away and they are very accommodating and helpful. This is their web page:

Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped
Talking books service
http://blindreaders.info/

[babr]

thanks again juds; going to get a power strip that is just sitting around and see if that helps; and will research the battery charger idea; its hard for me to spend money but you are right its something that i truly enjoy

i am sorry about your own health problems; i also go to the library for my cd's; i am not ready to get into the next step; i guess a battery charger is alot cheaper then buying all the stuff you set you up to download books; and i love to have often 5 books going at the same time!

i also belong to the library for the blind and disabled; i have had problems renting from them in the past as so many are renting at the same time; but will also consider them for another alternative

Kris

[Juds]

Kris, you already have a computer, so you can download directly to your desktop or laptop. e-books/audio can be borrowed like any other material, so that is free to patrons.

Yeah, having crappy vision sucks. :)

[babr]

yeah Juds i thought you had to have more equipment than just your computer; ours is a bit dated; maybe 7 years old?; i hear ya on the crappy vision thing; one area where it helped me is i am out of the media loop; no tv; no news except headlines; so its freed my mind and body to do and think about things that matter; love your note on the bottom

[H-work]

You can listen to audio books right on your computer. If your computer is in another room, you can get an extension wire for your speakers, and rig up the speakers in another room. I did this with mine so I could listen to my music in the kitchen while I cooked.

The extension is a Male to Female Stereo Audio Extension Cable, http://www.amazon.com/Cables-Go-40410-Female-Extension/dp/B0015DOLY2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1306251750&sr=8-3

Or you can get wireless speakers. But I have no experience with those.

Besided your local library, that should have a large selection of audio books to download, there are also free ones at http://librivox.org/

[Juds]

H, that is a great link.

As for being loopy...or not in one...I gave up newspapers more than twelve years ago and television shortly after. I was doing Weil's 8 week thing with a sister-in-law and just about the only thing I took away from it was that reading or watching the news does nothing to improve the quality of one's life. However, I do watch at my daughter's house. Huckle/Richard Scarry and the Backyardigans with the boys and House at night.

I have to admit that I miss it once in a while, especially when I am not feeling well and reading is tiring, but not enough to actually do anything about it. Another admission is that all that free time, well, I have not ever done anything more useful with it. :)

[babr]

can i listen to more than one book at a time; download several?

[H-work]

can i listen to more than one book at a time; download several?

Yes. If you use a program like iTunes, you will be able to control all the titles, see all the chapters, skip ahead, go back. You can download as many books as your computer has hard drive space for. You can play any part of any chapter of any book in your iTunes library. It's very simple to navigate.

Edited to add: Your library will have it's own software to download to manage their books. Probably called OverDrive (that's what mine uses). Still, you'll be able to play any part or any book that you want. Ask at your library or check out their web page for what to download. Books you download from your library usually will expire after 21 days. So you'll have to go back and recheck them out if it takes longer to finish them. You'll want to delete the expired books because they do take up a lot of room.

You don't need an iPod to use iTunes. I know there are other mp3 managers out there, but I've only used iTunes myself.

http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/

If you get tired of books, there are podcasts also. Basically, radio shows on any topic imaginable. Those are free as well.

[babr]

thanks H for the info. will consider this; discuss with dh who knows more about the computer info. then i do