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My goal isn't for Mastodon to replace Twitter.

My goal is for the Fediverse to attack and dethrone God.



working on location systems is fun because you get to say things like "trilateration can be performed after acquiring the almanac and ephemeris".


Is Ponderosa still a thing? A low cost restaurant in the 80s.
in reply to Scary Martin

No. Those are long gone. There was another place like it called Bonanza. I think that might’ve only been Manitoba though


I'm <having the opposite problem some people seem to: my timeline is way, way, way too fast. But it's hard to slow it down because it's interesting too. I think I will have to hide boosts from some accounts.


Brailliant BI20/40X tip when using multiple connected Bluetooth devices. When using a device, Home button on Brailliant plus far left or right thumb keys to switch between devices.


I tested more thoroughly simple #NextCloud apps that I was willing to use, like Deck, Notes, and Tasks. Unfortunately their #accessibility is so that it's quite painful to use. And, as far as I could investigate, main accessibility problems come from core NextCloud frontend components, like NCSelect (pseudo-combo-box'ish thing) or NCListItem. Sad but true.


It seems to me that the mainstream software industry is no longer attractive to our best and brightest young technologists. This is sad. dragonscave.space/@TheQuinbox/…

"It might help if I had any idea what I want to be when I grow up, but I don't. Probably not a programmer, the thought of working on microservices and bloated web stuff all day does not appeal to me. But...what else? <shrug>"

in reply to Matt Campbell

Part of it's also that I just see how shitty software is. I go onto a website now and there's a very good chance I'll be met with a cookie popup or some other annoyance. I'd sooner die than get paid $120000 a year to put an aria-live region on an ad to announce that it closes in x number of seconds, or whatever. But that's where the world is going. Shitty web apps and super overcomplicated backend infrastructure that gives me a headache to even read about, and this is the person who read Bjarne Stroustrup talk about C++ templates for like two chapters and didn't get a headache. It's not the coding that I don't want as a job, I'd be happy working on fun stuff like NVGT or Hammerspoons, but open source software doesn't pay the bills, and I'm not sure I'm smart enough/possess the necessary business skills to sell software on my own. But coding's what I'm good at, so shrugs. Maybe I'll end up finding some fulfilling programming job. I haven't ruled it out, but I look at what a lot of entry positions on indeed would want and nope straight out.

Matt Campbell reshared this.

in reply to Quin

@TheQuinbox Well I definitely didn't have the necessary business skills to sell software on my own, and maybe I still don't. I guess it was lucky that I crossed paths with Mike Calvo when I did. That doesn't help you, though.
@Quin


a few days ago there was a heated argument about whether developers should study the humanities.

well, i'd just like if most developers can just learn how to write concisely and clearly in any format. how about that

in reply to Adrianna Tan

Absolutely agree, and if quoting the greats helps with it, here's E. W. Dijkstra, one of the most hardcore programmer-mathematicians ever:

Besides a mathematical inclination, an exceptionally good mastery of one's native tongue is the most vital asset of a competent programmer.


Macron facilitó un gobierno de la derecha con apoyo/permiso de la extrema derecha porque pensaba que el Frente Popular derogaría la reforma de las pensiones, que lo habría hecho.
Y ahora el Gobierno facilitado por Macron lleva a la Asamblea Nacional dicha derogación. Hilarante.
This entry was edited (1 week ago)


Well now.

Rustls Outperforms OpenSSL and BoringSSL

memorysafety.org/blog/rustls-p…

news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4…

Apparently some fiddlery went on with the CPU, but even if Rustls is "only as fast as" the traditional solutions, I feel like it''s a hell of a lot safer from a security POV.

openssl-library.org/news/vulne… (about 10-20 a year) vs ... 2 for Rustls. Now 2 a year. 2 as in forever

Now granted Rustls has less legacy technical debt and baggage and is written in a memory safe language... Which I guess is sort of the point, it's more secure. So if it's as performant...



Health Canada: we have the tools

Also Health Canada: you peons are too stupid to be trusted with far-UVC devices so we are banning you from buying them domestically or importing from other countries. Just fucking die quietly.



If you can't discuss politics without it becoming an argument, either you're hanging with the wrong people or it's a skill issue.

in reply to IzzyOnDroid ✅

@IzzyOnDroid
You matched my filter :mastogrin:
Aber gute Idee, die Uhren woanders hin (um)zustellen, obwohl.. eigentlich steht die eine Uhr gut da im Küchenregal.


#AndroidAppRain at apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid today brings you 15 updated, 10 removed and 2 added apps:

* Rate Your Pics: allows you to rate your pictures very quickly 🛡️
* Ease The Waiting: a mix between a calendar and a clock that makes you wait faster

Thanks to Aholic Gino for walking through older apps (see: gitlab.com/IzzyOnDroid/repo/-/… – still a lot to do there), 10 apps which were no longer working were removed.

Enjoy your #free #Android #apps with the #IzzyOnDroid repo :awesome:



I tried to walk to a place I've been to, but not walked to, before. I needed a GPS app and FaceTime to figure things out and actually make it. While I'm glad such tools exist, it's annoying that if I could see, I could have done this with no problems. Without having to think about it, actually. All you sighted people out there better appreciate your sight. The ability to just look around and know stuff is underrated and incredible.


The BT Speak Users’ Manual is Now Available!!
Blazie Technologies is happy to announce the publication of a comprehensive manual for the BT Speak. The manual goes beyond what we provide in our Getting Started guide and offers the following sections.
• Introduction, including describing the contents of the packaging for new users who are unboxing their BT Speak for the first time
• Physical description and orientation
• How to power on, shut down, putting the device to sleep and waking up the device
• Battery considerations
• How to navigate menus and use shortcut keys for Quick navigation
• Adjusting speech, including how to switch to other voices and text to speech engines
• Getting help, including how to obtain context-sensitive help and accessing the text and audio versions of the Getting Started guides
• How to connect to Wi-Fi
• How to install new software updates
• Accessing the Settings menu
• Introducing the editor, including how to find and manipulate text
• File management, including how to create and open files and subdirectories
• Using applications, including the radio tuner, phonebook, agenda calendar and BT Learn for free Braille coaching, tests and games
• An introduction to desktop mode
• An introduction to using the Mozilla Thunderbird email program
• An introduction to Web browsing using Chromium and Firefox
• Concludes with an extensive list of commands

This is the first version of the users’ manual. We will be continually adding and modifying this document as new features are added, with newer versions of the manual being released on a regular basis. We welcome feedback from our users regarding how the manual can be improved. If you have feedback for us, please submit comments and suggestions via email to support@blazie.net.
Where to Download the Manual
You can find the manual on our Web site by pointing your Web browser to www.blazietech.com. You’ll find it from several locations, including the front page, from the Guides and Media page, from the BT Speak Pro product page and from the Documentation page.
For convenience, here are the direct download links.

Accessible PDF version:
blazietech.com/_files/ugd/4d64…
Microsoft Word version (also compatible with LibreOffice Writer)
download-files.wixmp.com/raw/2…

We hope that this first edition of the manual will assist you in learning more about how to use your BT Speak and that it will help you to become a more effective and productive user.



Holy shit, allowing HTML and CSS inside emails was a mistake!
in reply to Aleca

I always just default to the plain text view, but at least one mass mail fulfillment house (Constant Contact), while they do send their stuff as multipart mime, the text version has no line breaks. Just a solid wall of text.

Makes it easy to ignore them.

in reply to Aleca

**But how are you supposed to get blinky-blinky big image ads in your mailbox without that?**
**No appreciation for the poor poor million dollar companies here. Shame.**




A London townhouse that was once home to Margaret Thatcher, the influential but polarizing former British prime minister, has hit the market for £3.65 million (US$4.7 million). mansionglobal.com/articles/lon…
in reply to Tamas G

And that house isn't expensive compared to some.

£5000000 and beyond.

I believe Johnson lived in a £9000000 home.



If you attended Open Web Camp ( the free Web Accessibility conference 2010 - 2014), either as a speaker or attendee, please consider donating to help John keep his house. He hasn't been able to work for over a year, and has to pay mortgage while amassing legal bills. He helped us. Let's help him. freefunder.com/campaign/save-t…


MOST EXCELLENT NEWS: The judge dismissed the case against John. He will be freed today.

Please do consider supporting freefunder.com/donate/save-the…. It's been over a year since his last paycheck, and legal representation isn't free. Thanks.

Yay! Squee!




Aira ASL: On-Demand Interpreting for the Deaf Community aira.io/aira-asl-on-demand-int…








I need advice. Would anyone of you recommend getting a pie? And no, not the type you eat. I mean the computer kind of pie.
in reply to Khronos

@khronos yeah, only problem is that I would not really want a computer and a harddrive being tossed around on a plane for a couple of days. Because those package can be treated quite harshly at times
in reply to Khronos

@khronos found a price. What else would I need besides the pie itself? I kow I probably needn an enclosure, but how hard is that to set up for a blind guy?
in reply to TheFriedChip

You will need a keyboard, case and sd card. You may want to get a complete pi kit that contains most of this to make your life easier.


How many South Americans does it take to change a lightbulb? A Brazilian


Tune into ACB Radio on 10/24 at 3 PM ET for the Vispero Presentation: Manage Bookmarks and Lists in Google Chrome with JAWS. We’ll show you how to bookmark a site, manage and access bookmarks, plus add an article to a reading list. Request an invitation at community@acb.org

#FreedomScientificTraining #JAWS



The Accessibility Operations Guidebook by @viscousplatypus is finally out!

Spoiler alert: I, along with many other accessibility practitioners, are quoted in and contributed to it. But don't read it for those quotes; read it because Devon is exceptionally skilled in this space and has put so much care into this book!

I've only gotten sneak peeks into this book, but I already know it will be one of the best accessibility books I'll get to read. Check it out!

payhip.com/b/OSyLt



Expanding Access: Introducing Aira ASL 🌱

We are excited to announce a new initiative at Aira to support the Deaf Community with on-demand ASL interpreting services. Recognizing a gap in access to interpreters in public spaces like retail stores, airports, and banks, we've developed a separate app, Aira ASL, to offer immediate and reliable interpreting without the need for advance scheduling.

By contracting with ASL service providers and using our technology platform, Aira ASL will make interpreting services seamless and easy to access, just as our existing app benefits the blind and low-vision community. This initiative aims to remove barriers and improve communication access when and where it’s needed most.

Read the full announcement and FAQ: aira.io/aira-asl-on-demand-int…



No, The Chinese Have Not Broken Modern Encryption Systems with a Quantum Computer

The headline is pretty scary: “China’s Quantum Computer Scientists Crack Military-Grade Encryption.”
No, ... schneier.com/blog/archives/202…

#quantumcomputing #China



Proof-of-concept exploit code is now public for a vulnerability in Microsoft's Remote Registry client that could be used to take control of a Windows domain by downgrading the security of the authentication process.

bleepingcomputer.com/news/secu…



rustls outperforms OpenSSL and BoringSSL.

Security and performance: pick two!

memorysafety.org/blog/rustls-p…

This entry was edited (1 week ago)


I'm working with a local charity to refurb donated laptops for them to release back into the community and they get a lot of ex-business laptops with BIOS passwords set. It's really annoying!
If you're a business IT person donating old hardware, pretty please with a cherry on top remove the BIOS passwords first xxx