mastodon - Link to source
So out of the blue I got a request for access to a 10 year old Google Docs file. This request also came from someone who actually might be interested in that file, so I contacted him. Turns out he was making **exercise schedules** and had asked Google Gemini for help, and Gemini decided it needed access to my document on a new government law (from 2015). So be careful out there!
in reply to Micr0byte

mastodon - Link to source

André Polykanine

It depends. On the web an alt text must be concise. Everything that is important, makes sense, is mentioned somewhere in the text, is to be conveyed. but conciseness is first.
Here on social networks, I'd say, completeness is the first and even more important than conciseness. For instance, if you post a meme, describe it even if it's super lengthy. Like: "Three panels from left to right, on the first panel there is a man..." and on and on you go. It's important because *the image* is the unique thing you share, I have to laugh, to think, to be angry or emotional about *the image* itself, without any context basically.
Ask further questions, I'm glad to answer everything.
in reply to ∴7700e6 `Violet`

mastodon - Link to source

André Polykanine

@0x7700e6 Because if you are reading an article, you generally don't want a huge alt text that would distract you from your reading. Even less you want it for images like logos, avatars, social network badges and so on. Also, both in and out of social networks avoid phrasing like "This is an image depicting..." (I know it's an image, my screen reader tells me about it); "This is the avatar of Jane Doe" ("Jane Doe" is enough).
@∴7700e6 `Violet`
in reply to André Polykanine

mastodon - Link to source

stib

@menelion
If I post a well-known meme, is it OK to just say, for example "the Drake meme, with X then Y" or should I be doing "a four panel meme. On the first row left panel a man reacts negatively to the panel on the right showing X, then on the next row he reacts positively to the panel on the right showing Y".
@0x7700e6 @micr0
@André Polykanine @Micr0byte @∴7700e6 `Violet`
in reply to stib

mastodon - Link to source

André Polykanine

@stib @0x7700e6 I'd do the second, sorry to bother you with that. Because we blindies are kinda... behind the graphic memes. You could probably possibly put a link to a description but rather don't because different clients and different browsers don't allow clicking links in alt, it would be plain text so... unfortunately probably you have to describe, at least for the first time.
@stib @∴7700e6 `Violet`
in reply to ⠠⠵ avuko

mastodon - Link to source

André Polykanine

@avuko @stib @0x7700e6 It's helpful for the deaf, at least a rough description so they could probably send the video to a software for captions (I'm not sure but I imagine this is possible). For us blindies it's helpful when the video is super visual, like only music and kitties playing, for example, or a guy/girl is assembling, drawing, painting, knitting something etc., where there are no words.
@⠠⠵ avuko @stib @∴7700e6 `Violet`
in reply to ⠠⠵ avuko

mastodon - Link to source

André Polykanine

@avuko @stib @0x7700e6 For example, my sighted wife likes to watch videos where a Japanese guy shows small apartments in Japan. He never speaks, only sometimes he adds some subtitles in very simple English, as my wife has just said. Maybe he is ashamed of his English pronunciation, maybe he's simply a shy person, I don't know, but he does amazing videos, but super visual. There ideally audio description or at least a decent alt text would work, especially if you share it for a reason (for example, you liked a particular apartment he was showing).
@⠠⠵ avuko @stib @∴7700e6 `Violet`
in reply to André Polykanine

mastodon - Link to source

Joan, but festive 🎅🏼🎄

Oh! Thank you for this: I (wrongly) thought that conciseness on social media would be preferred, except where maybe the post contains only an image, of the image is particularly detailed.

I sometimes also might add a commentary or a quip in my alt text - perhaps in response to the post's text, or to add context, or my own reaction. Is this poor practice, though, do you think?

@stib @0x7700e6 @micr0

@stib @Micr0byte @∴7700e6 `Violet`
in reply to André Polykanine

mastodon - Link to source

stib

@menelion @0x7700e6 There are dozens of sites where you can overlay your text on popular images to create memes without having to use an image editing program, I wonder if there are any that come with #AltText pre-generated. Eg. in the "Drake meme" format it would supply the image description and substitute your text for X and Y. If not there's my next billion dollar startup, ready to go.
#AltText @André Polykanine @∴7700e6 `Violet`

mastodon - Link to source

If you're blind, you can really stick it to the Trump Administration by "hacking" the Epstein files, AKA reading them normally.

forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2…

So, how was someone able to hack these documents, undoing the redactions that the DOJ of all people had put in place, and reveal the information for all to see? I hope you are sitting down, because it’s going to knock your socks off: “I simply highlighted the text, copied it, and pasted it in a document,” Krassenstein said.
This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Blind Joe

mastodon - Link to source

Chris Cooke

@theblindjoe @BorrisInABox Hi. I know that I don't especially like not having a home button, either. I assigned an easier gesture, two finger swipe right to go home, and two finger swipe left to go to the app switcher. If you want any directions on how to do that, I can tell you. It sure makes the students I teach feel better about not having a home button.
@Borris @Blind Joe

mastodon - Link to source

i turned off altbot for now.

a conversation happened that i need to sit with and that i want others to read and also to consider: ieji.de/@anantagd/115804706509…

#BlindAltBot

2025-12-29 20:19:49

mastodon - Link to source

I am blind. Seeing people who think I'm not worth the effort fill my timeline with AltBot generated AI stuff that isn't even accurate in lots of cases.

Human alt text is always better, because it doesn´t focus on ocular seeing. Seeing people think, and AltBot was designed around that notion, that blind people must compensate for missing "eye-seeing", but that's not the case. I am interested in the meaning of an image to you, its maker or publisher.

Again, human alt text is better, also because it strengthens reciprocity between seeing and blind people. AltBot doesn't but it makes seeing people believe they have done their bit for accessibility. In actuality, the reverse is often true.

!!!!!!!!!


in reply to Micr0byte

mastodon - Link to source

Jonathan

Honestly this constant back and forth is the only thing I'd think about in this case. I understand if you feel exhausted working on this alone, or if you don't get enough donations or anything. But this tool has helped many, and rather AI description than no description. Some sighted don't bother and that won't change just because, idk, that person thinks they'll feel more guilty when no AI produces the description for them. I'll lose information most of the time. I can still decide whether I want to generate or read the description. But let's say it's just a generic text, or poster, or dashboard, someone just didn't bother describing. Right I could ask them, but would the original poster actually bother adding the alt text afterward? In the least cases. Yeah maybe some nice other sighted person will describe it. But then the difference is not too big anymore, if you get what I mean. Don't let these little comments from all sides get so close to your acting. That's just my take, and I probably don't have a lot room to talk here.
This entry was edited (2 days ago)
in reply to Micr0byte

mastodon - Link to source

Scott

Screen reader user here. IMO what you've been doing so far is way more helpful than harmful. After reading the thread, I reckon experimenting with a couple of questions/prompts that could guide someone who's not sure what to write would be an excellent addition. Maybe users land on some choices that set their intended usage. IE someone who chooses "help me figure out what good alt text would be" gets the questions, whereas someone who chooses "I can't type my own alt text right this second" gets a generated description hashtagged for filtering.

mastodon - Link to source
Since the last time I checked, it seems that Keycron has been fully integrated into QMK. They have their own folder and layout files and everything. I want to modify my V1. The problem is that it's been years since I made a new layout in QMK and flashed a keyboard. I don't remember quite how I did it last time, and I've moved to a new laptop since then.

gotosocial - Link to source
politics, leftist anti-communism

Sensitive content

mastodon - Link to source
Vous avez entendu les AI bros dire qu'il fallait mettre des datacenters dans l'espace ? Bah c'est une immense connerie. "The short version: this is an absolutely terrible idea, and really makes zero sense whatsoever. There are multiple reasons for this, but they all amount to saying that the kind of electronics needed to make a datacenter work, particularly a datacenter deploying AI capacity in the form of GPUs and TPUs, is exactly the opposite of what works in space." taranis.ie/datacenters-in-spac…

Datacenters in space are a terrible, horrible, no good idea.

There is a rush for AI companies to team up with space launch/satellite companies to build datacenters in space. TL;DR: It's not going to work.
Taranis

mastodon - Link to source

I have disabled every fucking piece of AI bullshit I can find from Firefox and DESPITE THAT today I got ambushed by a new ASK AN AI CHATBOT line in a fucking image context menu

jesus FUCKING CHRIST @mozilla

STOP.

FUCKING.

PUSHING.

THIS.

SHIT.

ON.

US.

(I know the account's abandoned. Don't care. Best I've got. Fucking Mozilla.)

#mozilla #firefox #ai #FuckAI #FuckChatbots

#firefox #mozilla #AI #fuckai #fuckchatbots @Mozilla

mastodon - Link to source

RE: chaos.social/@c3cert/115809417…

This is the kind of place where you can reasonably wonder if someone built/brought an insulin making setup:

C3 CERT (@c3cert@chaos.social)

A large amount of insulin was found at #39C3. Anyone who can describe how it is packaged and where it was probably lost can pick it up from us at CERT.
C3 CERT (chaos.social)

mastodon - Link to source

#39c3 .ending .. quite an enjoyable blast, and thanks to all the wonderful people just dropping by to say "thank you, it all works very nice for us"! 🥰 Certainly raised team spirits :)

This year around, apart from one #chatmail relay setup workshop we didn't do any registered events at congress. Pushing out releases, Illnesses and engagements in various other organizing prevented more public sessions. Next ones will be around #fosdem2026 where also several of us will be around. Cheers!

Picture of the congress rocket in various laser colors. Taken from https://woof.tech/@Purple/115809359193169798
#chatmail #39c3 #fosdem2026

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in reply to chfkch

mastodon - Link to source

Delta Chat (39c3)

@chfkch it's certainly useful to play with a nixos target! See also other community-provided options here chatmail.at/doc/relay/related.…
the key is that the custom modules that enforce end-to-end encryption, provide push notifications, and automatic storage management (all contained in "chatmaild") are shared between servers, and are kept up-to-date. Otherwise the relay network would suffer in terms of interoperability and security.

Community developments - chatmail relay documentation

chatmail.at
@chfkch

mastodon - Link to source

If you read the footer of amazon.com with a screenreader, this is what it says:

© 1996-2025, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates
Test: amzn-nv-flyout-healthy-choice
Test: nav-rufus-disc-txt
Test: a-truncate-cut
Test: sp-cc-wrapper
Test: .mo-wp
Test: sp-cc
Test: .amzn-box-inner
Test: .js-order-card
Test: pldn-deep-link
Test: add-to-cart-btn
Test: amzn-nav-app-banner-container
Test: .sparkle-container


More money than God and they still can't propperly enclose their containers 😂

This entry was edited (2 days ago)

reshared this

in reply to Pitermach

mastodon - Link to source

miki

@pitermach @ondrosik PDFs are also full of such things.

Many people redact PDF content by covering it up with a black or white rectangle, forgetting that, unlike in purely visual formats, that operation does basically nothing in PDF. The content is still there, the renderer is just instructed to draw a white rectangle which occupies the same position and covers it visually.

Sometimes, you can also find sloppy employees leaving notes to other people working on the PDF, especially if the documents are only intended for print, and the electronic version is only given out in special circumstances.

@Pitermach @ondrosik

mastodon - Link to source

#Catima 2.41.0 is out!

github.com/CatimaLoyalty/Andro…

This release adds support for UTF-8 barcodes (by default, the encoding will be extracted from the pkpass file or auto-detected if set otherwise).

It also contains some bugfixes and UI tweaks.

Due to Google dropping Android 5 compatibility in their libraries, this will be the last release available for Android 5.

Coming soon to an app store near you.

#IzzyOnDroid #FDroid #GitHub #GooglePlay


Release 2.41.0 · CatimaLoyalty/Android

Add support for UTF-8 barcodes Add duplicate option to main screen and reorder options slightly Fix column count setting not being applied to group card list Remove theme colour support Reduce max ...
GitHub
#fdroid #github #googleplay #catima #izzyondroid

IzzyOnDroid ✅ reshared this.

in reply to Sylvia

mastodon - Link to source

Sylvia

Small update! I just released 2.41.1 to fix a visual regression in the new UI that mostly affected devices Android 14 and below (but also slightly affected Android 15 and up):

github.com/CatimaLoyalty/Andro…

The bug in question for those curious: github.com/CatimaLoyalty/Andro…

Purely cosmetic, no other changes, so no quick update needed.

This one is still available for Android 5, but the *next* release won't be (assuming we won't need another bugfix release).

Happy new year to those who celebrate :)


About activity status bar colour wrong

On Android 15, the icon colours can be wrong (white icons on white background). On Android 14 it looks even worse: My guess is that the Android 14 case can be fixed simply be explicitly enabling ed...
TheLastProject (GitHub)
This entry was edited (1 day ago)

mastodon - Link to source
My personal stance on AI over the past 6 months has slowly shifted from being very strongly opposed to much more of an optimist. I still think that so much of the hype around it is overblown, it's being shoved in all sorts of places it doesn't need to be, etc., but since I started using AI coding agents, my productivity has gone through the roof. Notice too that I didn't say speed, because honestly I think I take longer to ship code now, but productivity. I actually get more done. I spend a while writing out a good prompt, let Claude run for 20-30 minutes while I go get some food and stimulants, then spend a couple/few hours at least tweaking the code, reviewing it, testing it, etc. But I can now just throw out ideas! If I want to quickly try adding oCR to Paperback, I can tell Claude to try it, go eat, then come back, read the code, learn not what to do when I try this later, and git reset. I forgot where I heard this, and I'm paraphrasing, but the quote goes something like: "AI does not create fast experts; it makes experts faster". Can definitely say that's been my experience. A lot of these dumb tiny AI startups will probably die, I hope AI browsers go to the software graveyard, etc., but LLMs are here to stay and honestly I've come around to it. I still get queezy when thinking about what it's doing to the environment, but also, humans are doing plenty of horrible things to the earth right now that I'm not even aware of that are taking out endangered species and eliminating lifeforms that make the chemical we need to survive, so with or without LLMs we're fucked and headed for global warming. That doesn't mean I don't think we should solve the problem, but it's not the only problem either.

reshared this

in reply to Quin

mastodon - Link to source

André Polykanine

A post full of adequacy and wisdom. Thank you Quinn. I'm even more optimistic about #AI, but I keep saying the only thing: it won't replace software engineers, doctors or whomever, it will just make their work faster. I always read the code emitted by AI, I always review it, but it's a tremenduously helpful tool in my toolbox, and even more, it's a helpful assistant. Have a great 2026!
#AI

gotosocial - Link to source

Re last: I absolutely love doing accessibility work with Jujutsu. Often I start with an inaccessible base and iterate my way out of the fog--fixing one accessibility issue only reveals another, and another. Git's model makes that tricky--make commits, then individually peel them off onto separate branches when it's time to merge.

With JJ on the other hand, I can stack changes one on top of the other without even thinking about it. Fix accessibility issue, jj new, fix another, jj new. It's usually obvious from jj diff what I fixed, so I can jj edit and jj describe the changes later if I'm just in the zone and don't want to workshop a commit description right now. When it's time to pick apart PRs, jj rebase -s q -s r -s s -s t -d p rebases everything on the most recent upstream change at once, then I just jj edit q and jj bookmark set <branch-name> for each change. A jj git push --allow-new pushes everything at once. When the inevitable PR feedback arrives I just jj edit <bookmark name>, make the changes, and jj git push again. No need to explicitly re-commit since that happens automatically. Then when I want my own private build with all the new a11y goodness, jj new q r s t puts me in a brand new commit with everything merged. Find a new accessibility issue with code I've edited? No problem--just edit the code live on my change, jj absorb, and it merges that code into whichever revision in my history last touched it. If it's at all ambiguous, jj squash merges the changes into an explicit target, and a jj git push updates all the affected PRs without me having to think about it.

Where has this been all my life?

miki reshared this.

mastodon - Link to source

Passwords. We all hear “make them strong,” but here’s the real deal: SIZE matters.

A longer password isn’t just better; it’s exponentially harder to crack.

Upgrade your security and better protect your digital identity:

✅️ Create strong and unique passwords.
✅️ Store them in a password manager.

Learn more here: tuta.com/blog/minimum-password…

How safe is your password? Table taken from Security.org showing the time it would take a computer to crack a password with different parameters.

2024 NIST rules on minimum password length: Aim for 16 characters or more! | Tuta

With the rise of quantum computers, passwords need to be longer - and more complex. These tips help you secure your online accounts.
Tuta

mastodon - Link to source

When people say: "billionaires shouldn't exist" that isn't a call to violence. "Being a billionaire" isn't some inherent property in the way that say, skin color is.

Wealth taxation is a perfectly acceptable way of eliminating all billionaires. That doesn't mean billionaires stop being people, they just stop being billionaires.

mastodon - Link to source

Mastodon* is in desperate need of a rebrand and a repositioning in the minds of the general public (imo).

There's no reason why a Mastodon address couldn't come with all the cachet of a public library card, or a PBS tote bag—that is to say something that signals “I am more than just a content creation machine for a corporation.”

It could be a status symbol for all the right reasons.

*The collective brand, so much as the general public sees Mastodon as such.

mastodon - Link to source

MONTAR UNA COMUNIDAD ENERGÉTICA

+ Para instalar autoconsumo colectivo en tejados que no son el tuyo, entre otras posibilidades...

☀️ ¿Qué es eso de una Comunidad Energética?☀️

La figura de las comunidades energéticas son conceptualmente difíciles porque tienden a explicarse con enrevesados textos legalistas, a pesar de que el concepto es tremendamente sencillo:

👉 Una comunidad energética es un tipo de asociación o de cooperativa (gente, comercios e instituciones juntas, pero no grandes empresas) haciendo cosas sobre energía. Cosas en general.

Tú, tu primo, la dueña de la frutería del bajo del edificio de enfrente y más personas conocidas más podéis juntaros un día a tomar un café, costituiros como asociación y montar la comunidad energética. Lo cierto es que es relativamente fácil y hay muchos modelos de estatutos para hacerlo (más adelante pasaré unos cuantos), siempre y cuando tengáis en cuenta algunas normas básicas como:

1) Las grandes empresas no tienen permiso para ser asociadas o cooperativistas. Sí pueden ser proveedores de servicios o productos, pero mi consejo es que las grandes empresas queden absolutamente fuera de estos sistemas hechos por y para la gente. Si me preguntas a mí, las CE son uno de los mecanismos que existen para debilitar a las grandes empresas.

2) Las personas socias tienen una participación abierta, voluntaria y autónoma. Pueden entrar o salir a voluntad, y tienen voz y voto.

3) La prioridad son los beneficios medioambientales, económicos y sociales para sus miembros y zona donde opera. No ganancias financieras. Nadie se va a hacer rico con una comunidad energética.

Dentro hilo. 👇

Un primer plano muestra paneles solares fotovoltaicos montados en la barandilla metálica de un balcón de ladrillo rojo. Los paneles están inclinados hacia afuera para captar la luz solar directa.
in reply to Marcos M. 🚲 🇵🇸

mastodon - Link to source

vic-tor-menta 🇵🇸🏳️‍🌈🍉

dime si quieres que cambie algo
muchas gracias!!

lectorrecolector.wordpress.com…


Montar una comunidad energética. Por Marcos M. Euklidiadas

+ Para instalar autoconsumo colectivo en tejados que no son el tuyo, entre otras posibilidades… ¿Qué es eso de una Comunidad Energética? La figura de las comunidades energéticas son conceptua…
Lector .Recolector
in reply to vic-tor-menta 🇵🇸🏳️‍🌈🍉

mastodon - Link to source

Marcos M. 🚲 🇵🇸

El título, para joderte la slug jajajajaj

Marcos M. Euklidiadas, porfi, que para algo que tengo distinto... xD

"montar-una-comunidad-energetica-por-marcos-m-euklidiadas/" si puede ser

Luego el tema de los recursos, puedes poner el enlace a cryptpad o bajártelos y resubirlos, lo que quieras.

Pero sin compromiso, vamos, que hagas como te parezca xD

⇧