[HPFGU-OTChatter] Digest Number 1485

[Mhochberg at aol.com]

boy_mn writes:
I am well aware that I am dancing dangerously close to the edge of
what is allowable here, so if this post were to magically disappear
under the wave of a moderators wand, it would be understandable.

I say: 
Yes, it can be finicky for them so I understand. It is perfectly legal for 
you to make copies of things you own for your personal use. Hence, it is legal 
for me to make a photocopy of a needlework pattern that I own. I can even 
enlarge it so that I can actually tell what color or how many stitches are in a 
particular row. I can convert my old 78 rpm records to CDs for my personal use. I 
can also duplicate a CD that I own and let my kids use the CD while the 
original is stored safely away from jelly, bunny teeth, and other hazards of 
household life.  

What I cannot legally do, is make a photocopy of the pattern or CD or tape 
and give it to my friend. 

Moving text from one media to another is time consuming but occasionally 
worthwhile. There are three ways to do it. The first is to type it in. The second 
is to scan it in and let the scanner software convert it into a text file. The 
third is to read (or play) the material into your computer and let it type it 
in.  

Which choice you use is up to you. Are you a fast typist? Do you have a good 
scanner and lots of hard drive space? Do you already have a speech-to-text 
program that is reliable? 

Once you have the method chosen, the format is your next concern. Breaking up 
long material is always a good idea as it speeds up loading and unloading. 
Chapter size files is a good start. More than one chapter to a file also works 
but I dislike overly large files of any kind.

Finally, as to format (MS Word, PDF, Palm Reader, etc), the choice is again 
up to you. Where do you plan on reading/using it? If I'm going to be reading 
something on my Palm Pilot, I prefer the Palm or other Reader. This is simply to 
save battery life. With a reader program, I can invert the material to have 
white text on a black background, use bookmarks, an annotations, all without 
draining a battery.

Good luck in your research! 

---Mary
"Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another, 'What?! 
You too! Thought I was the only one.'"  (Clive Staples Lewis)