People often think about the DMCA as the law that was created in the wake of Napster to address online sharing of music & movies without compensating copyright holders.
A less discussed part of the law is that it banned repairing electronics without permission from the manufacturer as long as they use DRM to prevent it which practically everyone from Apple to John Deere does.
Every 3 years we get to request exceptions. This time we got this exemption.
ifixit.com/News/102368/victory…
Victory Is Sweet: We Can Now Fix McDonald’s Ice Cream Machines
The Copyright Office just handed down a big Right to Repair win: we can now legally repair commercial food preparation equipment, including McDonald’s machines.Elizabeth Chamberlain (iFixit)
In the same way that your cat is an obligate carnivore and must consume meat to survive, humans are obligate social animals. If we are isolated from each other, we sicken—both mentally and physically—and eventually die. This is why solitary confinement is a form of torture.
Which means that while people have no fixed nature, we are inexorably social animals. The forms our sociality might take are varied, complex, and adaptable, but we can at least confidently say that we are inevitably social. Pro-sociality is baked into (almost) all of us.
Which is why there is no real incompatibility between communist anarchism and individualist anarchism. We are maximally free when we are all free, and we can maximize our individual well-being through voluntary cooperation.
Since we are obligate social animals, there are limits to what extractive elites can get away with before the entire edifice collapses. Karl Polanyi warned in “The Great Transformation” that people stripped of their community relationships by capitalism, reduced to an abstract commodity called “labor” that is bought and sold in markets, could not survive for long, and that their societies would fall apart.
Just take a look at the US tearing itself apart before our eyes and tell me Polanyi was wrong.
There is, and Bichler and Nitzan put it, an “optimal” level of capitalist sabotage. Exploit too little and you risk being out-competed by rival capitalists; exploit too much and you risk, in essence, eating the seed corn you were supposed to save for next spring’s planting.
You can look at this situation and conclude that this is somehow our nature—to be greedy, extractive, violent, cruel. But that is both empirically false and deeply reactionary, a condemnation of *other* people as needing to be controlled, or reshaped in your desired image, or culled.
What people need in reality is to be free. Free people do not inevitably make “good” choices. Every one of us has the capacity and instinct to be cruel, violent, and greedy. But we also have the capacity and instinct to care for each other and—most importantly—to be pro-social. We need each other. Self-interest alone can explain why free people tend to make pro-social choices—those of us who want to survive and flourish need each other, regardless of whether we are “good” at heart or not.
Imagine if “I need a moment to think" and “I need more information first" were acceptable responses in allistic society.
My spreadsheet of the longer-term implications of #COVID19 infections has now reached 1,100 studies. Recent additions show COVID and Long COVID causes fatigue, heart arrhythmias, reduced white blood cell count, T-cell exhaustion, lower quality of life, cognitive impairment, insomnia, erectile dysfunction, and persistent liver damage.
Session started on a reasonable basis (Signal Fork), but they removed a few essential security features over time and by now shouldn't be trusted.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sessio…
'It is fine not to like a piece of Free software' and other oft-unstated FOSS-related freedoms
“Free software”, according to the FSF’s definition, embodies four freedoms.There are plenty more than that - or, at least, many freedoms which are inherent in, or arise from, those four freedoms - most of which go unstated most of the time.
This is far from a complete list, but rather my jottings based on ponderings and observations from the last few days, across a couple of different (intentionally unstated / unlinked here) things.
STOP DOING HOMEWORK
CHILDREN WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO SPEND TWELVE HOURS A DAY DOING SCHOOLWORK
YEARS OF BUSY WORK yet NO REAL WORLD USE FOUND for replacing free time with MORE SCHOOL
Wanted to learn during your free time anyway for a laugh? We had a tool for that: it was called "THE LIBRARY"
"The assignment is due tomorrow. It is worth 50 percent of your grade." - Statements dreamt up by the utterly deranged
"Sorry can't go out tonight, I have homework"
They have played us for absolute fools
I’m just putting this out there…
If I had a Top Secret SCI clearance, and had conversations with my county’s sworn adversary (Putin), I would have had my clearance revoked, been arrested, held in confinement (flight risk) until my trial.
Why is #Musk not in jail? Money 💰 ???
#NASA #DOJ #FBI #HomelandSecurity
Microsoft fires employees who organized vigil for Palestinians killed in Gaza
Microsoft has fired two employees who organized an unauthorized vigil at the company’s headquarters for Palestinians killed in Gaza during Israel’s yearlong war with Hamas.MATT O'BRIEN (AP News)
@Tutanota I just realised that all the comments I have added to my contacts over the years, including family-related and medical important information, are gone...
github.com/tutao/tutanota/issu…
Bugs are becoming more common recently, and this one made me lose data. I'm quite disappointed.
#Email #OpenSource #FOSS #Security #Privacy
Lost all my contact comments on Android · Issue #7818 · tutao/tutanota
This is not a feature request (existing functionality does not work, not missing functionality). I will request features on forum or via support. I've searched and did not find a similar issue. Bug...GitHub
I don't have any negative experiences to bring to the Windows table, so never saw a need to look for something else. I was a confident JAWS scripter up until I moved to NVDA full time and I guess I've just become quite apathetic about learning a new system. Perhaps that's bad and I need more curiosity
🔥 The Tuta Team is on fire! 🔥
Get excited for next week's update:
✅ Actions in email notifications, e.g. quick delete
✅ Your Contacts' birthdays added to the Tuta Calendar
✅ Dark icon for iOS
✅ New colors in Dark Mode with better contrast & better readability
I bet you don't remember when #wget briefly considered switching to using #libcurl back in 2007.
daniel.haxx.se/blog/2007/10/27…
wget going libcurl?
Micah Cowan is the current maintainer of GNU Wget, and he recently posted a long mail to the wget mailing list titled "Thoughts on Wget 1.x, 2.0". Two fun quotes for the curious who don't feel like reading the whole post: 1.daniel.haxx.se
The curl and wget war
"To be honest, I often use wget to download files" ... some people tell me in a lowered voice, like if they were revealing one of their deepest family secrets to me.daniel.haxx.se
"So I continue doing jokes about it when I can."
My "too many options" didn't give it away? ;)
5 Ways You're Compromising Home Security With Social Media Posts
Social posts can feel fun and garner lots of likes, but your vacation pics could be an open invitation for burglars.Tyler Lacoma (CNET)
Khronos reshared this.
It’s no secret that many of us in the blind community have embraced the rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence over the past two years. We've witnessed firsthand how these technologies can be a powerful force for good, especially within our community. AI-generated image descriptions have revolutionized how we navigate the online world, offering a perspective previously unimaginable. This impact is now undeniable, transforming how we interact with the world.”
I’ve declared the kingdom of the blind a republic—perhaps prematurely, but only by a small margin. With AI empowering us to perceive the digital world in new ways, we are no longer ruled by limitations, but actively shaping our future. Anthropic’s recent launch of ‘computer use’ marks the first steps into a new phase of AI evolution—one where AI agents begin to act independently on our behalf, initiating a shift in how we interact with technology.
As AI continues to evolve, so too will the Assistive Technology that many of us depend on. I envision a future where this intelligence becomes a true companion, guiding us seamlessly through both digital landscapes and real-world challenges. We may be just two years away from seeing JAWS, NVDA, or SuperNova transform into true Assistive Intelligence 1.0—or perhaps it will take a little longer. If AI has taught us anything, it’s that progress comes both more slowly than we expect and faster than we can possibly imagine.
What follows is my first attempt at describing how a screen reader of today could take the first steps towards becoming an Assistive Intelligence. If anyone wants to build it, I’d love to help if I can. Whatever you think, let me know what you think:
“Proposed AI-Powered Self-Scripting Feature for JAWS Screen Reader
Objective
The suggested feature seeks to integrate advanced AI-driven "computer use" capabilities, like those developed by Claude (Anthropic), into the JAWS screen reader. This functionality would enable JAWS to autonomously create and refine custom scripts in response to real-time user interactions and application environments. The aim is to enhance accessibility and productivity for visually impaired users, especially when navigating non-standard or otherwise inaccessible software interfaces.
Feature Description
The self-scripting capability would empower JAWS to analyse user interactions with applications, identify recurring actions or inaccessible elements, and generate scripts that optimize these processes. By enabling JAWS to perform this autonomously, users gain seamless and personalized access to applications without manual intervention, allowing for an enhanced, efficient experience.
The self-scripting feature will be powered by the following core functions:
1. Real-Time Autonomous Scripting: JAWS would use AI to observe user interactions with applications, especially non-accessible ones, and automatically generate scripts that improve navigation, label untagged elements, and streamline frequent tasks. For example, if a user frequently navigates to a particular form field, JAWS could create a shortcut to this area.
2. Adaptive Behaviour Learning: This feature would allow JAWS to recognize patterns in a user’s interactions, such as repeated actions or commonly accessed elements. JAWS would adapt its behaviour by creating custom macros, enabling faster navigation and interaction with complex workflows.
3. Dynamic Accessibility Adjustment: Leveraging Claude’s approach to visual recognition, JAWS could interpret visual elements (like buttons or icons) and provide instant labelling or feedback. This would be valuable in software with minimal accessibility features, as it enables JAWS to make live adjustments and effectively “teach itself” how to navigate new environments.
4. Community Script Sharing: Self-generated scripts, once verified, could be anonymized, and made available to other users via a shared repository. This would foster a collaborative environment, empowering users to contribute to a broader database of accessibility scripts for applications across various industries.
Value Proposition
This feature will address key challenges for visually impaired users, including the complexity of navigating inaccessible interfaces and the time-consuming nature of repetitive tasks. The ability for JAWS to generate its own scripts autonomously would mean:
1. Increased Accessibility: Improved interaction with non-accessible software interfaces.
2. Higher Productivity: Reduced need for external support or manual scripting, allowing users to accomplish tasks more independently.
3. Enhanced User Experience: Scripting and macro creation based on personal usage patterns -- leads to a more intuitive and personalized experience.
Technical Considerations
1. Performance: Processing real-time visual and user interaction data requires substantial computing power. A cloud-based model may be optimal, offloading some processing requirements and ensuring smooth, responsive performance.
2. Safety: Automated scripting must be closely monitored to prevent unintended interactions or conflicts within applications. Integration of safeguard protocols and user settings to enable/disable autonomous scripting will be essential.
3. Privacy: To ensure user data is protected, anonymization protocols and data privacy standards will be implemented. Data collected from user interactions would be handled in compliance with rigorous privacy standards, safeguarding user preferences and behaviour.
Conclusion
Integrating AI-powered self-scripting capabilities into JAWS would represent a significant leap in screen reader technology. By allowing JAWS to, when requested, autonomously learn, adapt, and script in response to user needs, this feature could provide visually impaired users with unprecedented control and flexibility in navigating digital environments, fostering both independence and productivity. The anticipated benefits underscore the feature’s potential to redefine accessible technology, turning screen reader into Assistive Intelligence.“
About the Author:
Lottie is a passionate advocate for the transformative potential of AI, especially within the blind and visually impaired community. She blends technical insights with a keen awareness of lived experiences, envisioning a future where AI doesn’t just assist but truly empowers. Her thoughtful reflections explore the shift from a "kingdom of the blind" to a republic, where emerging technologies like AI create new opportunities for autonomy and inclusion.
With a balance of optimism and critical realism, Lottie acknowledges the game-changing impact of AI tools like image descriptions while recognizing that more progress is needed. Her vision extends to the idea of "Assistive Intelligence," where screen readers like JAWS evolve into proactive companions, adapting to users' needs in real-time.
Known for turning complex ideas into actionable blueprints, Lottie is not just an observer of technological trends but a catalyst for innovation. Her proposals reflect a desire to elevate independence and productivity for blind users, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in assistive technology. Her insights continue to inspire conversations and shape the future of accessible tech.
I am the Blind AI, relying on AI every day to enrich my life. While my posts may occasionally benefit from AI assistance, the thoughts, perspectives, and final edits are entirely my own. AI is my tool, much like a calculator or spell-check, refining my expression but never replacing my voice.
#Accessibility #AI #AIsoftheBlind #Blind #ComputerVision #Disability #Innovation #JAWS #NVDA #ScreenReader #SuperNov
I can see how much of a blow it would be to have it imposed after you've known sight.
Many of the people I have worked with were fighting to adapt through that. it is sad and, one day, I hope we will be able to stop it happening at all.
Hi everyone,
#ThreadsAndCoffee, a digital English speaking #FiberArts club based on FLOSS softwares, has had its 1st session today and will repeat next week!
Join us on saturday,
2d of november, at 8:30am UTC,
on JitsiMeet
(I expect you to have a microphone if you're able to talk, but camera is optionnal, even though it is useful to show your work!) :
meet.jit.si/moderated/1bfd60a6…
Please boost this post if you like the idea, like it if you plan to come!
@fiberarts
Welcome to the RB family, OwnDroid 🥳
apt.izzysoft.de/packages/com.b…
OwnDroid lets you use Device admin and Device owner privilege to fully manage your Android device. Thanks to joint efforts with its author, this app is now reproducible (starting with v6.1 which will go live with the next sync in less than 6 hours) 
#reproducibleBuilds #IzzyOnDroid
„OwnDroid“ – IzzyOnDroid F-Droid Repository
Manage your device with Device owner privilegeIzzyOnDroid App Repo
"Arm Solutions at Lightspeed
Linaro empowers rapid product deployment within the dynamic Arm ecosystem. Our cutting-edge solutions and collaborative platform facilitate the swift development, testing, and delivery of Arm-based innovations, enabling businesses to stay ahead in today's competitive technology landscape."
Linaro | Arm solutions at lightspeed | Linaro
Linaro empowers rapid product deployment within the dynamic Arm ecosystem. Our cutting-edge solutions and collaborative platform facilitate the swift development, testing, and delivery of ARM-based innovations, enabling businesses to stay ahead in to…www.linaro.org
Zde jak na to: blog.maartenballiauw.be/post/2…
Mastodon on your own domain without hosting a server
Like many in the past week, I have been having a serious look at Mastodon as an alternative to Twitter.Maarten Balliauw {blog}
Holy shit. The LA Times didn't just squash a Kamala Harris endorsement. They buried an entire series of articles about Donald Trump.
"According to internal memos viewed by TheWrap, the series, tentatively called 'The Case Against Trump,' would have ran throughout this week. The endorsement of Kamala Harris would then have been published on Sunday."
thewrap.com/la-times-case-agai…
LA Times Planned 'Case Against Trump' Series Alongside Kamala Harris Endorsement Before Owner Quashed It | Exclusive - TheWrap
Patrick Soon-Shiong's interference with the paper's editorial freedom has sparked a crisis that includes canceled subscriptions and several high profile resignationsRoss A. Lincoln (TheWrap)
Then at about 16 I took my GCSEs, which are I suppose analogous to your high school diploma. Next were A-Levels, which are our version of your advance placement or International Baccalaureate before we end up specialising in a single field at college level (what we'd consider university).
Specific fields have specific requirements.
Most of them mean starting with one degree, then obtaining more whilst working in your field (trainee teachers in schools, junior doctors in health care, legal professionals in law chambers) that sort of thing.
crtainly with teaching, you're free to gain your teaching from a university of your choice. You need to have a placement for the practical work, so in essence you're limited by geography and practicality, although distance learning has changed things up quite a lot in the space.
For a great deal of jobs, the one degree, or even none, is fine. Many employers encourage you to learn as you go.
We had an apprentice join the IT helpdesk at my last worplace right after his A-levels, so he'd have been 18. and earning £6.40 an hour and doing a full workweek, with half a day set aside for his ongoing studies.
When he finishes and turns 21, his minimum wage on a full-time job hopped up to £11.44 per hour.
Not everyone gets a full time job, of course, shift work like cleaning or catering is very common.
We've been having great conversations at the Ubuntu Summit in The Hague this weekend - it's been fantastic to be with so many other open source projects, like @frameworkcomputer @ubports and of course, @ubuntu !
okay, i'm being put under pressure to allow my (12yo) daughter to have snapchat, so i created myself an account to check it out.
what
the
fuck
is
this
shit
but I'm too old in the first place to comprehend the multi hundred messages they send each day in their groups, so there's that too ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Hubert Figuière
in reply to Hubert Figuière • • •