iceshrimp.net - Link to source

Final update: The developer is now on Mastodon via @andrew_guide.

Update: The developer has removed the ability to download Guide until the security issues mentioned in the linked thread are fixed.

Update: this product contains some code flaws that are concerning from a security perspective, beyond just giving control of your computer to an LLM. You might want to read this thread before installing the product: toot.cafe/@matt/114258349401221651

Update: I've exchanged some long emails with Andrew, the lead developer. He's open to dialogue, and moving the project in the right direction: well-scoped single tasks, more granular controls and permissions, etc. He doesn't strike me as an #AI maximalist can and should do everything all the time kind of guy. He's also investigating deeper screen reader interaction, to let AI just do the things we can't do that it's best at. I stand by my thoughts that the project isn't yet ready for prime time. But as someone else in the thread said, I don't think it should be written off entirely as yet another "AI will save us from inaccessibility" hype train. There is, in fact, something here if it gets polished and scoped a bit more.

Just tried guide for fun. It's supposed to be an app to use #AI to help #blind folks get things done. I asked "Where are the best liver and onions in Ottawa?" It:
1. Decided it needed to search the web.
2. Thought that the "stardew access" icon on my desktop was a kind of web browser, so clicked it.
3. Imagined an "accept cookies" dialogue it needed to accept.
4. Decided that didn't work, so looked for Google Chrome (I don't have chrome installed on that machine)
5. Finally opened edge from the start menu. By the way, it just...left Stardew open and running. Because apparently having Stardew Valley running in the background is a vital part of finding liver and onions in Ottawa.
6. Opened a random extension from my edge toolbar (goodlinks).
7. Clicked the address bar and loaded google.com, instead of just doing the search right from the address bar.
8. Got blocked because it couldn't sign into my Google account, even though it could have also searched from the Google homepage.

To be fair to AI, that was the kind of open-ended task AI is terrible at. If I had asked it to check an inaccessible checkbox, or read a screenshot, or something, I'm sure it would have been fine.

Anyway, I'm still better at using a computer than an AI. So is my 87 year old grandfather, for that matter. www.guideinteraction.com


Guide - AI assistant for people with low vision or blindness

With Guide, inaccessible doesn't have to mean undoable. Guide is a Windows AI assistant that helps people with low vision or blindness navigate the digital world.
Guide

Matt Campbell

2025-03-31 18:00:52

mastodon - Link to source

There's a new product that has been gaining some buzz in the blind community, a Windows app called Guide that uses AI to perform tasks on your computer. It's pitched as a way to get around web accessibility problems in particular. I won't link to the thing itself, because I don't want to give it that validation, but I'll link to a previous discussion thread about it: fed.interfree.ca/notes/a5wf4ys…

I've spent some time taking this app apart. The level of shoddy work here is deeply disgusting. 1/?


#blind #AI @Andrew Guide
This entry was edited (9 months ago)

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in reply to aburka 🫣

iceshrimp.net - Link to source

🇨🇦Samuel Proulx🇨🇦

We can hear exactly what it’s doing with our screen readers. And there is a stop hot key. I’m not concerned about safety. I’m more concerned about privacy, and correctly setting expectations. I work in tech, and I spend at least a couple of hours a day struggling with inaccessible apps and websites, and have to have a co-worker do certain tasks for me. Anything that can make this better is of interest to me. Sure, everyone should build accessible apps. But for the most part, nobody bothers. But I still have to work. However, solutions like this need to be strictly sandboxed to the app I actually need help with, not given access to the entire computer. Not only is this more secure, private, and safer, it also works better. The AI doesn’t need to get distracted by the fact that I have BBalatro installed, or that a windows notification popped up. Just give it the current window.Also, the examples for use need to be more like “Ask me to check a keyboard inaccessible checkbox for you” or “I can help you read an image without alt text”. The current examples are more like “Ask me to book a flight for you”. In its current form, AI can’t do that. The developer has strongly committed to fixing both of these things.
This entry was edited (9 months ago)

mastodon - Link to source

For the next #Conversations_im release I’m refactoring how URIs are linked / made clickable. I’m adding a bunch of URI schemes like tel and mailto on top of the existing xmpp, http(s) and geo but removing support for "things that look like web URLs but aren’t actually URIs" (like 'example.com') to avoid some false positives.

Once the 2.18.0-beta comes out tomorrow or so let me know if you see things that isn’t matched and should be matched or vice versa.

A screenshot of a message bubble in #Conversations_im with the text: Hi. I'm refactoring how URIs are linked in Conversations. We now support more URI schemes like mailto:user@example.com and tel:+1-269-555-0107 and obviously maintain support for things like xmpp:conversations@conference.siacs.eu?join and https://example.com however we no longer link domains that aren't actual URIs like example.com to avoid some false positives. the mailto, the tel, the xmpp and the https links are underlined to signal that those are clickable links.
#conversations_im
Unknown parent

mastodon - Link to source

allo

The computer scientist in me says you can't find matching parentheses with RegEx.

The programmer in me says look for a solution that is "good enough". An idea that would cover a lot of cases would be, for example, to assume that a URI can contain at most one pair of parentheses. The few counterexamples are rare, and they are then the rare false negatives one has to accept.

@rakoo @guusdk

@rakoo @Guus der Kinderen

mastodon - Link to source

Eleven years since the Facebook document "The Road To IPV6" that claimed #curl was "hostile" to it and I still feel offended. 😀

daniel.haxx.se/blog/2014/03/28…


curl and the road to IPv6

I'd like to comment Paul Saab's presentation from the other day at the World IPv6 Congress titled "The Road To IPv6 - Bumpy". Paul works for Facebook and in his talk he apparently mentioned curl (slide 24 of the PDF set).
daniel.haxx.se
#curl

mastodon - Link to source
For some reason, Mastodon pushed a #map of #capybara's in my face earlier today. It looked limited to only a few countries and was based on #GoogleMaps, so I quickly hacked together a small @MapComplete theme: mapcomplete.org/theme.html?z=1…
A map showing capybara

MapComplete - editable, thematic maps with OpenStreetMap

MapComplete is a platform to visualize OpenStreetMap on a specific topic and to easily contribute data back to it.
mapcomplete.org
#capybara #map #googlemaps @MapComplete

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mastodon - Link to source

Facebook is notoriously bad when it comes to data collection. 🫣

If you're still on the platform, check out how much of your data it collects 👉 tuta.com/blog/what-does-facebo…

And if you've already ditched Facebook, what platforms are you using now? 🤔

Data that Facebook collects: Your name, email and phone number Your purchasing habits online and in stores Your political preferences Your device’s data Your current and past locations How you engage with content All your browsing data

All The Data Facebook Collects - And How To Stop This | Tuta

Want to know what data Facebook collects about you? In this guide we outline what data Facebook collects about its users and how they use it.
Tuta

glitchsoc - Link to source

OpenAI's move to allow generating "Ghibli stlye" images isn't just a cute PR stunt. It is an expression of dominance and the will to reject and refuse democratic values. It is a vulgar display of power.

tante.cc/2025/03/28/vulgar-dis…


Vulgar Display of Power

Hayao Miyasaki is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, a Japanese animation studio known worldwide for their stunning, emotional, beautiful stories and movies. At the core of Studio Ghibli’s work is a deep engagement with questions of humanity.
tante (Smashing Frames)
This entry was edited (9 months ago)

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mastodon - Link to source

It's no coincidence that alt-right people have taken up AI generated artwork so intensely. It allows bypassing all the ethics and care of typically left-leaning artists. To show the ability to wield aesthetics without the social values tied to those aesthetics is a power move.

This is well covered in "AI: The New Aesthetics of Fascism" newsocialist.org.uk/transmissi…


AI: The New Aesthetics of Fascism

It's embarrassing, destructive, and looks like shit: AI-generated art is the perfect aesthetic form for the far right.
New Socialist

mastodon - Link to source

📣Jami team is pleased to introduce the new version of Jami: Εἰρήνη.☮️

As you'll discover, this release brings remarkable advances from months of silent work, sure to delight loyal Jami users and newcomers after the announcement of Skype's shutdown.

We invite you to update and try the latest version of Jami! 🙇

👀 Want to know more about Εἰρήνη? Read our article : jami.net/eirene-to-make-new-us…

#Jami #opensource #P2P #App #PrivacyMatters

Εἰρήνη release announcement poster: an image of a peaceful stretch of water.

Εἰρήνη, to make new user onboarding simple and intuitive

☮️ Jami team is pleased to introduce the new version of Jami: Εἰρήνη.
jami (Jami)
#app #opensource #p2p #privacymatters #jami
in reply to Jami

mastodon - Link to source

Jami

@kinetix We're also resuming communication more actively, and we understand that our lack of updates may have caused frustration. Regarding the specific issues you mentioned:

The F-Droid download link issue has been resolved.
The repository mirroring has also been fixed.
Your bug report was submitted to the wrong repository, which is why it was removed. If you ever encounter issues again, please don’t hesitate to email us directly: we’d be happy to help.
2/3

@Kinetix
in reply to Jami

mastodon - Link to source

Jami

@kinetix

As a small team, we’re doing our best to meet the community’s needs while continuously improving Jami. It’s not always easy, which is why feedback like yours is so valuable. We hope you’ll give the latest updates another try.

This is the kind of community we’re striving to build: one where members, like you, understand the challenges of a platform like ours and help make it better.

Thanks again for reaching out!

@Kinetix

mastodon - Link to source
Trump versucht gerade, die komplette Macht an sich zu reißen. Viele US-Unternehmen helfen ihm dabei. Wenn du dagegen durch deinen Konsum protestieren möchtest, zeigen wir dir, wie du das am effektivsten machst. volksverpetzer.de/aktuelles/bo…

So boykottierst du am effektivsten Trump & seine Wegbereiter - Volksverpetzer

Trump versucht gerade, die komplette Macht an sich zu reißen. Viele US-Unternehmen helfen ihm dabei. So hilfst du nicht mit.
Philip Kreißel (Volksverpetzer)
in reply to Volksverpetzer

glitchsoc - Link to source

Christian Peach

Bitte bleibt auch Bluesky gegenüber kritisch. Die Firma gehört mehrheitlich Cryptobros, und die Technik geht auch immer mehr in Richtung Überwachungskapitalismus. Erst neulich haben sie eingeführt, dass alle Links in Bluesky-Posts auf einen Proxy umgeleitet werden – wie bei X. So können alle Klicks erfasst werden. In anderen Worten: Man kann in Bluesky-Posts nicht mehr direkt auf andere Websites verlinken.
in reply to anyMouse

mastodon - Link to source

Ondřej Caletka

@anymouse_404 I hope the software in invertors is not dependant on or remotely controllable by vendor's online services - which is unfortunately the case of most domestic PV plants as @bert_hubert wrote the other day.

berthub.eu/articles/posts/the-…


The gigantic and unregulated power plants in the cloud - Bert Hubert's writings

Recently a Dutch hacker was able to take control of 4 million solar panel installations (FTM (Dutch), Euractiv, Victor Gevers). And this wasn’t the first time something like this has happened either (PV Magazine).
Bert Hubert's writings
@anyMouse @bert hubert 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇺🇦

glitchsoc - Link to source

When I started The Disabled Ginger I sent it to my friends and family … as most of us do.

I was proud that I was finally standing up for disability rights. That I was taking my pain and putting it on the page in an effort to help others. That I had found something that lit a spark inside me.

Unfortunately, many of my friends didn’t feel the same way.

My disabilities are invisible, and I had become very good at hiding them. Apparently that’s what people expected of me, as they didn’t like this “new” version of Kelly.

Almost none of my friends subscribed. What’s worse, many stopped talking to me. Or would only reply in brief texts.

It’s almost been a year since I launched, and my circle is noticeably smaller. Many people I thought I was close with haven’t reached out for nearly 6 months.

When you find your purpose and your passion, it’s an incredible feeling. Hopefully people support you.

Not everyone will. And that’s ok.

It’s painful seeing so many relationships fade away. It hurts knowing they don’t see the value in me now that I’m “officially” disabled.

As painful as it is, it’s also a perfect example of why I became an advocate. Ableism is a huge problem. Being disabled can be incredibly lonely. I wanted to give a voice to those who haven’t yet found theirs.

In the process I’ve met incredible people from all over the world who inspire me to keep going. Who give me a reason to write every day. Who remind me of the compassion, love and goodness that’s still out there.

Thank you to each and every one of you. I couldn’t do this alone.

My latest looks at the reasons we hide, and what would happen if we all decided to stop hiding and show the world the realities of chronic illness:

disabledginger.com/p/why-are-c…

#chronicillness #longcovid #mecfs #ableism #disability #disabilityrights #eugenics


Why Are Chronically Ill People Forced to Hide Their Pain?

And what would happen if we stopped hiding and showed the world the depths of our suffering?
Broadwaybabyto (The Disabled Ginger)
#Disability #LongCovid #chronicillness #disabilityrights #ableism #mecfs #eugenics
in reply to Broadwaybabyto

mastodon - Link to source

IzzyOnDroid ✅

Thanks for sharing this! It rang so many bells with me…

> This phenomenon is hard for the non-disabled to understand.

Too true. But as one of those I can say: they can learn to "accept" that (in the sense as to neither deny it nor to expect it to "go away" one day; in the sense as to accept their friends stage, as unsatisfying as it feels; in the sense as to try finding other ways to (hopefully) give at least some consolidation, to support them & not to give them up).

mastodon - Link to source

Dutton goes full Trump on climate, energy and industry as Albanese sets May 3 election date

reneweconomy.com.au/dutton-goe…

#Australia #ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #IrreversibleOverheating #GlobalBurning #ClimateDestruction #ClimateSuicide #MassExtinction #pollution #ecology #environment #climate


Dutton goes full Trump on climate, energy and industry as Albanese sets May 3 election date | RenewEconomy

There was a moment in Peter Dutton's pitch to voters when the full Trumpian catastrophe of his climate, energy and industry policies should have been exposed.
Giles Parkinson (RenewEconomy)
#climatechange #environment #Ecology #climate #pollution #australia #globalwarming #massextinction #irreversibleoverheating #globalburning #climatedestruction #climatesuicide

mastodon - Link to source

A day late to the party, but happy belated 11th birthday to @Tutanota 🥳 Luckily still 10 days left to celebrate their deal if you were looking to snag Tuta.

Special offer can be found: tuta.com/special-offer
We have an affiliate link too for the deal, but no pressure: tuta.com/special-offer?t-src=t…

Tuta: Turn ON privacy for free with secure emails, calendars & contacts | Tuta

Tuta guarantees your data stays private for free & without ads. Quantum-resistant encryption makes Tuta the best secure technology solution to protect your privacy.
Tuta
@Tuta
in reply to Tuta

glitchsoc - Link to source

Dawn Tåke 🌙

Okay, I figured it was something like that. I'm currently a paying Proton user, but with the recent political vocalizing by their CEO, I'm looking elsewhere. I have a free Tuta account atm, and while the android email app is not as polished feeling as Proton's, it's solid. I should mess around with the calendar too.

Right now, my biggest issue is that if I do switch, is moving everything from Proton to Tuta. I've thought about getting a domain name and making an email on Proton, switching everyone to that, then moving that email name over to Tuta. Not the easiest, but if I ever have to switch again, it would make it easier that time.

Maybe it would get me to finally give up my old Yahoo and Gmail accounts too. (haha.)

Sorry, got rambly there.

mastodon - Link to source

Did you catch the recent ACB Vispero Presentation - Use the Find and Replace Feature in Word with JAWS? In case you missed it, the archive is now available: acb-community.pinecast.co/epis…

#FreedomScientificTraining #JAWS


20250313 Vispero Presentation - Use the Find and Replace Feature in Word with JAWS

Originally Broadcasted March 13, 2025, on ACB Media 5
ACB Community
#jaws #freedomscientifictraining

mastodon - Link to source
An excellent concise three minute overview demo of the features contained in the monarch version 1.2 update. And a great reminder that visual mode can be turned on with an external HDMI monitor to reflect what is on the tactile array. youtube.com/watch?v=DkSy8gRLoL…

Monarch Introduction Firmware V1 2

Webinar introducing version 1.2 firmware. Hosted by Peter and Andrew, they walk through the most recent update available to Monarch.
YouTube

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flipboard - Link to source

Trump Is Going To War With VOA. It's a Bigger Deal Than You Think.
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/trump-is-going-to-war-with-voa-its?utm_source=flipboard&utm_medium=activitypub

Posted into Bulwark Latest @bulwark-latest-TheBulwark


Trump Is Going To War With VOA. It's a Bigger Deal Than You Think.

Jim Swift and Steve Herman discuss VOA’s challenges amid a government funding freeze.
Jim Swift (The Bulwark)
@Bulwark Latest

mastodon - Link to source
This, right here, is magic! Take 20 minutes to listen to this enchanting example of what happens when musical cocreation takes place. The way it starts so simply and becomes so much more never ceases to fill me with rapture. – youtube.com/watch?v=TURkB9zqxa… #Music #Cocreation #JoyOfMusic #Improvisation

Jacob Collier Improvises the National Symphony Orchestra (Live from the Kennedy Center)

A few months ago, I was challenged to improvise a piece of music with an orchestra, with no plan, no sheet music, no rehearsal, and no prior discussion. Here...
YouTube
#music #improvisation #cocreation #joyofmusic

mastodon - Link to source
President Trump orders VP Vance “to eliminate improper, divisive, or anti-American ideology from the Smithsonian and its museums, education and research centers, and the National Zoo.” whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/202…

Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Restores Truth and Sanity to American History – The White House

RESTORING TRUTH IN AMERICAN HISTORY: Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order restoring truth and sanity to American history by
The White House

mastodon - Link to source

Quote from man sued: "What are you gonna do, sue me?"

Kevin O'Leary has sued crypto personality Ben Armstrong (aka "BitBoy Crypto") for repeatedly claiming O'Leary murdered two people

(O'Leary and his wife were indeed involved in a boating collision that killed two people in 2019; O'Leary states in the lawsuit that it was his wife driving the boat, and she was acquitted of any charges)

Complaint: courtlistener.com/docket/69798…

#crypto #cryptocurrency #law

27. On March 19, 2025, Armstrong unleashed another tweet accusing O’Leary of committing “actual crimes”: “Doesn’t everybody think it’s weird that I’ve been publicly calling … @kevinolearytv [a] murderer[] and yet not a single word or legal action? It’s almost like they ‘can’t’ because a lawsuit would open up their actual crimes and they know it.”
#law #crypto #cryptocurrency
This entry was edited (9 months ago)

mastodon - Link to source

Friends, please help make the public aware of Section 504's importance by sharing your story. Read the below post from my girlfriend, Kaleigh Brendle, to learn more. Your voice matters. Thank you. #Save504

facebook.com/share/1L2JxLxgS1/

#Section504 #Blind #BlindMasto #BlindMastodon #BlindFedi @blind @mastoblind #LowVision #Disabled #DisabledMasto #DisabledMastodon #DisabledFedi @disability@a.gup.pe @disability@beehaw.org @disabilityjustice @disabilityhistory


Kaleigh Brendle

Please share this as widely as you can: Judy’s League, the social media campaign I’ve started to help save Section 504, is launching a new initiative and we need all of you. We’re asking that you...
www.facebook.com
#blind #Disabled #lowvision #blindmasto #blindmastodon #BlindFedi #save504 #section504 #disabledmasto #disabledmastodon #disabledfedi @Disability group @mastoblind group @DisabilityJustice group @DisabilityHistory group @Disability and Accessibility @blind group

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mastodon - Link to source
Through his signing of various executive orders and the implementation of mass layoffs, Trump is trying to eliminate the Department of Education without any input from Congress. It's right out of the Project 2025 playbook, and Democrats are fighting back. Don't let this showdown fly under the radar. Stay informed with The Big Picture. thinkbigpicture.substack.com/p…

Trump Signs Executive Order To Dismantle Department Of Education

Trump's strategy for dismantling the DoE is coming into focus, and Democrats are fighting back
The Big Picture

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peertube - Link to source

Tell Me Why game trailer with Audio Description
With Vigilante audio description written by Robert Kingett, first, you will see regular, in line, audio description. Then, you will see expanded audio description. This particular version was for the Xbox.
#gaming #audio description #Trailers
This entry was edited (5 months ago)

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mastodon - Link to source

@element reading you shit all over Signal is extremely disappointing. This is not what we need.

element.io/blog/us-shows-the-r…


US shows the risk of running a government by Signal

The Trump administration’s spectacular security breach, in which it seemingly shared details of a planned military strike in Yemen with a journalist, highlights just what can go wrong if you use consumer messaging apps to run your government.
Steve Loynes (Element Blog)
@Element

mastodon - Link to source

Welcome to the RB family, Rattlegram 🥳

apt.izzysoft.de/packages/com.a…

Rattlegram lets you transmit short text messages over COFDMTV encoded audio signals.

Thanks to joined efforts with its developer, Rattlegram (along with its 2 sister-apps) is now RB :awesome:

#reproducibleBuilds #IzzyOnDroid


„Rattlegram - SMS via audio!“ – IzzyOnDroid F-Droid Repository

Transmit short text messages over COFDMTV encoded audio signals
IzzyOnDroid App Repo
#reproduciblebuilds #izzyondroid
This entry was edited (9 months ago)

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