If you're looking for joy, solace, catharsis, fun, escape, beauty, wonder, mirrors, camaraderie, or just a little distraction right now:
I've recommended dozens of short scifi/fantasy stories, available to read for free online
🤐disabled and obscured
"My personal take on this is it sucks, as while the control is disabled for all, only for a subset of users (low vision) the text label for the disabled control is illegible."
#a11y #HTML #WCAG #accessibility
A Day with JAWS 2035: When Your Screen Reader Scripts Itself
The morning light filters through your smart windows, casting a warm glow across the room. Your ambient AI assistant hums gently, “Good morning, Lottie. Would you like to prepare your workspace for the day?”
“Yes, please,” you say, stretching as the AI readies your home office. The blinds adjust automatically, leaving just enough sunlight to boost your energy without causing glare on your neuro-linked glasses. You smile, reflecting on the advances in technology since the days of fiddling with manual screen reader settings and customized scripts. Those days feel like a distant memory, thanks to JAWS’ AI-powered self-scripting feature—your personal assistant that knows exactly how to handle your work routine.
“Let’s get started,” you say, and JAWS springs to life, adjusting the audio tone to your preferred voice—smooth, confident, efficient. As your desktop computer powers on, JAWS begins analysing the applications you’ve opened, sensing your usual email, project management software, and a new program you’ve recently started exploring.
JAWS’ Real-Time Autonomous Scripting: A Custom Fit
“Good morning, Lottie. I’ve detected a new application in use: ResearchHub. Would you like me to generate an initial script for it?” JAWS asks in a gentle tone, its voice coming through the bone conduction implant in your ear.
You nod. “Yes, go ahead and script it.” This isn’t just any regular software; ResearchHub is dense, designed for researchers and developers with an intricate layout. In the past, navigating such software would have required hours of manually creating scripts or waiting for accessibility support. But today, JAWS’ AI-driven self-scripting feature allows it to analyse this program’s unique design and build custom commands as you go.
“Noted. I’ll adapt based on your usage patterns,” JAWS replies, instantly highlighting an unlabelled menu item. “I’ve labelled this as ‘Data Analysis.’ Would you like a shortcut assigned for quick access?”
“Absolutely,” you reply. Moments later, JAWS has created a keystroke, Control-Shift-D, which will take you directly to the Data Analysis section.
As you dive into your tasks, JAWS continues observing your interactions, quietly scripting shortcuts and macros that save you time with each click. You switch over to an email thread about your latest project, and JAWS dynamically adjusts, making sure to read each new message aloud with just the right level of detail. It’s responsive, intuitive, and seems to understand the flow of your work better than ever.
### Adaptive Behaviour Learning: Anticipating Your Needs
JAWS has learned over time what works best for you—like knowing when you prefer concise summaries over detailed descriptions or when to read full email threads aloud. Today, though, as you work through complex calculations in ResearchHub, JAWS picks up on repeated actions, noting your frequent need to access specific data fields.
Without you having to prompt it, JAWS speaks up, “Lottie, I’ve noticed you’re navigating back and forth to the Analysis Settings panel. Would you like me to create a macro for this?”
“Yes, that’d be great,” you reply, surprised at how quickly JAWS anticipates these needs. It assigns a simple command, Control-Alt-S, making it even easier for you to access the settings. With each task, JAWS quietly observes, creating personalized shortcuts and learning how to refine your workflow without interrupting your focus.
Your screen reader feels less like a tool and more like an assistant that adapts to your habits, reducing unnecessary actions and helping you move seamlessly between applications. You take a moment to appreciate the leap from manually scripting these shortcuts to having them generated in real-time, tailored perfectly to your unique style.
Dynamic Accessibility Adjustment: Visual Recognition on the Fly
Halfway through the day, you open a report in a new format. The document is packed with complex graphics, diagrams, and untagged elements—historically a nightmare for accessibility. But JAWS, equipped with advanced AI-powered visual recognition capabilities, is ready.
“Diagram detected: This appears to be a bar graph comparing quarterly performance,” JAWS announces, automatically analysing the content. “Would you like a detailed audio description, or should I just provide the key values?”
“Let’s go with the key values,” you respond, eager to save time. In seconds, JAWS summarizes the data, translating it into accessible content without needing additional third-party support. When you encounter z buttons in another application, JAWS instantly identifies them and provides real-time labels, adjusting the accessibility on the fly.
The thought crosses your mind how revolutionary this is. You’ve moved past needing someone else to make documents or software accessible for you. Instead, your screen reader adapts and scripts the solution independently, as if it’s actively learning how best to support you.
A Collaborative Community of Scripts
As the day wraps up, JAWS asks, “Lottie, would you like to share the custom scripts I created for ResearchHub with the community repository? Other users might find them useful.”
“Yes, please,” you reply. Knowing that the scripts you and JAWS have tailored today could now benefit others brings a sense of community to your day. In the past, each user’s customization stayed personal, but today, JAWS’ community sharing feature allows anonymized scripts to be uploaded to a shared repository, where other users can download them for similar applications. This feature isn’t just a convenience—it’s a small way to contribute to something larger than yourself.
You smile, thinking about the ripple effect of this community effort. As JAWS users across industries contribute their self-generated scripts, the database grows, improving access for everyone.
Reflecting on Progress: A New Kind of Independence
As you finish your work, JAWS reads aloud your notifications, wrapping up your day with a recap. You reflect on how far technology has come since those early days of assistive devices. Back then, using a screen reader required you to work around its limitations, painstakingly scripting or finding ways to access inaccessible software. Today, your screen reader does the heavy lifting, allowing you to focus on your work without the constant barrier of inaccessible content.
Looking back, you remember those initial frustrations, the hours spent tinkering with manual scripts, and the reliance on tech support for inaccessible programs. Now, JAWS’ AI-powered self-scripting has not only given you more control but also reinforced your independence. It’s not just a tool—it’s a partner in productivity.
As you power down, you realize that technology has not replaced your determination; it has amplified it. JAWS has become a proactive assistant, predicting your needs, adjusting to your habits, and making the inaccessible accessible. With the day’s tasks complete, you feel a renewed sense of autonomy—knowing that the tools at your fingertips truly work for you, enhancing not just your productivity but your entire work experience.
The screen fades to black, and the AI’s voice recedes, leaving you with a quiet appreciation for a world where technology supports your strengths, not your limitations.
#Accessibility #AccessAssistive #AI #AssistiveTechnology #Blind #Disability #JAWS #ScreenReader
user@vault:~$ uptime
11:03:46 up 365 days, 4:01, 1 user, load average: 0.20, 0.21, 0.18
The Matrix.org Foundation and Community are excited to have a DevRoom at @fosdem!
Submit a proposal to share your Matrix project's latest and greatest developments!
matrix.org/blog/2024/11/fosdem…
Call for Participation to the FOSDEM 2025 Matrix Devroom
Matrix, the open protocol for secure decentralised communicationsThib (matrix.org)
LibreOffice project and community recap: October 2024 - The Document Foundation Blog
Here’s our summary of updates, events and activities in the LibreOffice project in the last four weeks – click the links to learn more… The biggest event in October was the LibreOffice and Open Source Conference 2024, which took place in Luxembourg f…Mike Saunders (The Document Foundation)
Just published a blog post on #Convo, my #XMPP chat app for #KaiOS 
badrihippo.thekambattu.rocks/c…
It's basically a rehashing of the README and #Liberapay page with a few added plugs for KaiOS but I suspect it still took me longer to write than the last actual feature I added to the app so go figure 🤷🏾
archive.ph/ueVET (archive link, no paywall)
David Goldfield reshared this.
Glad there are some positives out of the day and hope the travelling wasn't too tiring.
Minimum = 58ms, Maximum = 617ms, Average = 146ms
Well, that's what 1 bar of Verizon 5g will get you, I guess. That should be fantastic for VoIP purposes... or not.
The City of Columbus, Ohio, notified 500,000 individuals that a ransomware gang stole their personal and financial information in a July 2024 cyberattack.
New video posted yesterday!
I am an enjoyer of Shortwave, the IP/internet/streaming radio app that's part of the GNOME Circle. Maybe you would like it?
PeerTube: tinkerbetter.tube/w/2mwjFhu3tE…
YouTube: youtu.be/Fnei-yR44UM
GNOME's streaming radio app is... really good
Shortwave is a Rust-based streaming radio (IP radio/internet radio) application written by Felix Häcker, and it's my favorite way to manage my streaming radi...YouTube
GNOME's streaming radio app is... really good
Shortwave is a Rust-based streaming radio (IP radio/internet radio) application written by Felix Häcker, and it's my favorite way to manage my streaming radio stations on Linux. It's a GNOME Circle application but I use it on KDE Plasma and Sway, and it works fine over there (for me anyway). Maybe you'll like it!Links relevant in the video:
- If you enjoy Felix' work, consider supporting him via Liberapay: liberapay.com/haecker-felix
- Application page on GNOME's Gitlab: gitlab.gnome.org/World/Shortwa…
- If you like SomaFM, make sure you support them too if you can: somafm.com/support/Support my unsponsored channel:
- patreon.com/VeronicaExplains
- ko-fi.com/VeronicaExplainsChapters:
0:00 What is Internet Radio?
1:07 About Shortwave!
2:58 Installing Shortwave
3:59 Adding radio stations to Shortwave
6:31 Bonus features
7:39 So what the heck is Shortwave, and do I like it?Get more from Veronica Explains on Patreon
Videos/blogging/music, focused on Linux and retro/vintage tech.Veronica Explains (Patreon)
Vytvořil jsem návod pro babičku, jak migrovat instanci Mastodonu.
Rovnou říkám, pro zkušené uživatele si najděte něco míň polopatického, ale tady byl záměr to udělat opravdu step-by-step s obrázky a případnými zádrhely.
Pokud se Vám to líbí, klidně kopírujte, linkujte nebo cokoli Vás napadne.
@cynik_obecny
GNOME's streaming radio app is... really good
Shortwave is a Rust-based streaming radio (IP radio/internet radio) application written by Felix Häcker, and it's my favorite way to manage my streaming radio stations on Linux. It's a GNOME Circle application but I use it on KDE Plasma and Sway, and it works fine over there (for me anyway). Maybe you'll like it!
Links relevant in the video:
- If you enjoy Felix' work, consider supporting him via Liberapay: liberapay.com/haecker-felix
- Application page on GNOME's Gitlab: gitlab.gnome.org/World/Shortwa…
- If you like SomaFM, make sure you support them too if you can: somafm.com/support/
Support my unsponsored channel:
- patreon.com/VeronicaExplains
- ko-fi.com/VeronicaExplains
Chapters:
0:00 What is Internet Radio?
1:07 About Shortwave!
2:58 Installing Shortwave
3:59 Adding radio stations to Shortwave
6:31 Bonus features
7:39 So what the heck is Shortwave, and do I like it?
Get more from Veronica Explains on Patreon
Videos/blogging/music, focused on Linux and retro/vintage tech.Veronica Explains (Patreon)
Už jste dnes krmili?
Jáá teď jdu ny ty naše malé kočky ;)
Úvod - Click and Feed, z. s.
NAPLŇTE MISKU – JE TO ZDARMA! Jedním klikem naplníte misku pro opuštěné zvíře. Už jste pomohli naplnit misek.Click and Feed, z. s.
#KarelKučera - to jméno si pamatujte. To je chlap, kterej stál na správný straně a za boj proti zlu byl ochotnej obětovat i život. Chlap, kterého ocenil i #prezident.
#PaměťNároda mluvila s jeho rodiči a parťáky, aby jeho příběh nebyl zapomenutej. Aby jeho jméno znělo dál.
Díky Karle. Hrdinové neumírají. #SlávaHrdinům
#Czechia #Česko #ČR #ČeskáRepublika #CzechRepublic #Ukrajina #Rusko #StopWar #CharlieCzech
Díky za link @Luboš Račanský, byť se to nečetlo lehce...
Čech Karel Kučera zemřel u Bachmutu ve třiadvaceti letech
Když se Kučerovi dozvěděli, že syn Karel odjel bojovat na Ukrajinu, šíleli strachem. „Pokud ruská vojska neporazím já tam, budeme s nimi za pár let bojovat my tady,“ říkal prý. Karel zemřel při obraně Bachmutu 18. března 2023.Marek Kuchařík (Post Bellum, z. ú.)
@MapComplete hello, I'm trying to use your theme of Maxspeed.
It seems to work on my android phone (Firefox browser) but not in my laptop (also using Firefox).
I can see roads without a speed limit set but when I click on it, nothing happens
No popup screen is displayed.
Are there any known issues running on Firefox?
I've just tested again and now it's working fine! DOH!
I use ublock and privacy Badger. I had disabled them but maybe I needed a full page reload to ensure they were getting in the way.
Thanks for replying. I'm keen to use MapComplete so pleased it is behaving as expected.
Great to hear it got resolved.
I (@pietervdvn) use UMatrix and similar blocking tools too, but those never really acted up. We only know of firefox strict mode which blocks mapillary images, as they are hosted by facebook - but this is clearly indicated.
New blog post about the recent migration of our project's website and build infrastructure, kindly sponsored by our new #hosting provider, Mythic Beasts (here in the Fediverse as @beasts ).
blog.prosody.im/new-server-new…
The transition was fairly smooth for most of our services, but let us know if you spot anything not working which should be!
New server, new sponsor
It shouldn’t surprise you, but here we have an obsession for self-hosting. We fought off many requests to migrate our hosting to Github (even before it was cool to hate Github - Prosody and Github were both founded in the same year!).blog.prosody.im
Accessibility Barriers for Blind Students in Teaching-learning Systems - ProQuest
Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.www.proquest.com
Living in the middle of hope and fear:
"Conservatives are the party of toxic optimism. They’re recklessly overconfident, whatever their actual chances. That’s what you’d expect from a party run by religious fundamentalists who believe God is on their side. Blind faith is the supreme virtue, and admitting to any doubt is ferociously discouraged and will get you cast out.
Progressives have the opposite problem. We’re excessively pessimistic, often more so than the facts support. We’re overly susceptible to doom and gloom and catastrophizing. After bad headlines, I often find social media becomes unbearable for a few days, as people I follow engage in a collective lamentation.
I try to bear this in mind and calibrate my expectations accordingly. I find it’s most pleasant to live in a state of mild optimism: hoping for the best, but being prepared for the worst."
> Progressives have the opposite problem. We’re excessively pessimistic, often more so than the facts support.
Do you think this is a new problem after the shock of the 2016 election? I think a lot of us were optimistic that Trump would lose.
23 Years of the iPod: How Elite Obsolete Electronics keeps the music playing - 9to5Mac
Discover how the iPod stays alive 23 years later through Elite Obsolete Electronics, a community preserving and reviving this iconic music device’s legacy.Bradley Chambers (9to5Mac)
Out of safety concerns, I hope anyone going to vote tomorrow (especially in blue cities in red states ie #Atlanta) stay alert and aware of their surroundings.
I suspect voter intimidation tactics, including violence are possible to occur tomorrow. I absolutely hope I’m wrong and overly paranoid - but I always operate from a place of “better safe than sorry”.
Ahora que algunos grupos de extrema derecha están recogiendo ayudas para las zonas afectadas de la DANA, recordar esta noticia de lo que pasó en La Palma
aldescubierto.org/2021/11/10/l…
Los afiliados de Vox denuncian la desaparición de los fondos recaudados para La Palma en su festival Viva21 - Al Descubierto
Durante el festival de Vox Viva21 se recaudó un dinero para los afectados por el volcán de La Palma que ha desaparecido, denuncian afiliados.Adrián Juste (Al Descubierto)
Is it possible to install an add-on or configure something in #KODI (#LibreELEC) so that I may use Kodi as a play-back device for anything with sound on my Android mobile?
I can play back Android-local mp3 files using Yatse but I want to use my sound setup for playback of all sorts of stuff like podcasts, videos, ... without having a second app/data setup on Kodi.
Do-It-Blind (DIB) Besprechung
Learn using BigBlueButton, the trusted open-source web conferencing solution that enables seamless virtual collaboration and online learning experiences.bbb.metalab.at
PS: I'm also a #writer, and maintain a youtube channel where I post soundscapes and other things, though mostly soundscapes at the moment. That channel can be found here:
youtube.com/@rozaya8476
tomshardware.com/software/linu…
Linus Torvalds kicked the Russians out of Linux, now they're creating a sovereign Linux community in Russia — Ministry of Digital Development steps in
Kneejerk announcement or a serious plan, time will tell.Mark Tyson (Tom's Hardware)
««Hay una cosa muy evidente, y es que la evaluación de la gestión de la catástrofe generada por la DANA la hacen quienes la padecen, y estos han dictaminado que hay deficiencias graves cuando a una semana semana de la lluvia aun hay basura sin retirar que puede ser foco de infecciones, hay posiblemente cadáveres en los garajes, o hay falta de alimentos y suministros básicos que no llegan a la población más vulnerable.».
📌 Aquí está la rueda de prensa de Antonio Maíllo: youtu.be/OnjTzrueQOU
🔴 Rueda de prensa de Izquierda Unida | 04/11/2024
Rueda de prensa del Coordinador General de Izquierda Unida en Sevilla para tratar distintos temas de actualidad política.YouTube
Sean Randall
in reply to The Blind AI • • •1. why is one ctrl+shift and one ctrl+alt? Is alt a macro thing? what is a macro other than a script in your context?
Also, why would JAWS ever need to adjust itself to use your preferred voice, or rather, why wasn't it using it in the first place?
2. If JAWS is scripting everything on the fly, wy submit things to a shared repo? And if JAWS is building on that to begin with, how do you know the code interacting with your employer's systems is safe?
3. JAWS intuitively knows when you want emails summarised or read verbatim in your eutopia: how would you know if it got that right? Indeed, how would you know which it did without the other to compare to at least once?
Likewise, how would you know if the bar chart it describes was described accurately?
4. JAWS detects a new app. is it going to now bug you every time you switch to an app it doesn't know about? Also, how does it know what it doesn't know? let's imagine there was a toolbar in your research hub that you could never use because it only worked with a mouse you never had plugged in. JAWS would either already be able to see it, rendering it accessible or thinking you ignored it, or have no awareness of it, rendering it invisible to JAWS.
5. Why are you wearing glasses if you have an ear implant? did you sleep with them on? If your smart home is so integrated as to have minute control over the precision of your blinds, would you be waiting to power up a desktop machine at all? I can't imagine technology so clever it can right software yet poor enough not to be ready when you need to use it.
I'm not poking holes in your dream for fun, I'm honestly curious as to the thought processes behind your ideas.
The Blind AI
in reply to Sean Randall • • •The Blind AI
in reply to Sean Randall • • •