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In all the election news today something I missed - Canada could finally be getting HIGH SPEED RAIL cbc.ca/news/politics/high-spee…


We believe in the ability of Mastodon to create distinct, cohesive communities while also being able to talk to the world, so we’re excited to see people signing up for our inaugural meet-up via Zoom. There's still time to get the deets.

It’s happening this Saturday at 4 PM US Eastern time, 20 UTC. That’s currently 8 PM in the UK, 9 AM on Sunday in New Zealand, 7 AM in Eastern Australia.
This get together is open to CaneAndAble members. If you would like the Zoom link, please send a direct message to this account from your CaneAndAble account, and we’ll ensure you have the link in good time for the event.
Lynette and Jonathan will talk a bit about the instance and answer any questions or take your suggestions. Then we’ll just open it up for a conversation between all the members who attend. We’re particularly interested in getting questions or comments about making the most of mastodon, using Mastodon apps on various platforms, and other ActivityPub services.
We’re really looking forward to it. See you on Saturday.

in reply to Cane and Able Navigators

this is a great idea. I rarely participate in this sort of round table thing just because of blindness, there's often a perception that I want to speak to people purely because we share a disability.
But I love the community approach here and hope your meeting is wonderfully successful.



@panoramax The number of 'panoramax'-tags has suddenly skyrocketed. Maybe cause I've moved about 10K pictures?

For more info, see github.com/pietervdvn/MapCompl…

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Pietervdvn reshared this.

in reply to MapComplete

For clarity: we are moving all images which are on imgur and which have a clear license in the description. These are 99% images which were made with MapComplete.

Why? Imgur updated their TOS and we are now in violation of it. This means that they could simply delete the images overnight and/or cut off our API-access overnight - like they did cut off our access to upload new images. (Luckily, @thibaultmol sprang into action to setup a server and @pietervdvn implemented uploading)

Pietervdvn reshared this.

in reply to MapComplete

We moved about 10K images already, about 2.8% of all 'image'-tags in the #OpenStreetMap-database. All those moved images are made in Flanders.

There are 19K images hosted on Imgur, of which the vast majority (probably 18K) are made with MapComplete and will be moved soon.

If your app supports the image tag, it might be neat to start supporting panoramax too. See the wiki for details. OpenAEDMap just implemented it (see github.com/openstreetmap-polsk…, might not be live ATM)

This entry was edited (6 days ago)

Pietervdvn reshared this.




Where does the mastodon #embroidery crew hang out?

I've been playing around with art, and I wanna get inspired and chat with y'all.



Hi! I’m a software engineer with more than 15 years experience looking for my next role.

For the last 3 years, I’ve worked in a primarily #Erlang environment, but I really love #Elixir (and have professional experience with it), and I have a lot of #Python experience.

If you’re at #AllThingsOpen and hiring, DM me, and we can meet up.

Located near Washington, DC, USA. Remote preferred. Only authorized to work in USA.

#fedihired #MyElixirStatus #AllThingsOpen2024 #FunctionalProgramming



Vamos a ver si Mastodon tiene magia.

Este es Cas, de la protectora Biosbardos de Ponteareas, Galicia.

En 2015 apareció atropellado, perdió las patas delantera y trasera derecha, les sugirieron practicarle la eutanasia.

Cas salió adelante y es un perro maravilloso, pero se está haciendo mayor y necesita suplir las dos plantas que le faltan.

Necesitan una silla de ruedas especial para él, hace falta primero diseñarla.

¿Alguien el la sala capaz de diseñar algo para que Cas pueda descansar sus pobres patas y moverse?

protectoraosbiosbardos.org/fic…



Don't chase your dreams! Humans are persistence hunters. Follow your dreams at a sustainable pace, until they get tired and lie down.

Source: Internet

This entry was edited (1 week ago)


Re: last boost about the new Mac mini, that bit at the end about being OK with macOS is the kicker for me. I'm still too attached to Windows as the host OS, particularly because of Windows screen readers.
in reply to Matt Campbell

Yeah wondering what will happen with Bootcamp and Windows on ARM. I still want my next computer to be ARM based if possible.


The new Mac Mini looks great, wow. New chip, 16GB base memory, five USB-C ports (three with Thunderbolt), and probably minimal fan noise. That $599 base model will be a better computer than almost every desktop PC under $1,000, as long as you're okay with macOS.

apple.com/newsroom/2024/10/app…



I just realized my hobby is starting projects I will never finish
in reply to Josh Bressers

careful, one of those hobby projects might accidentally turn into a life mission... 😁


I've been hearing plans for this my entire life. I suspect I'll be dead before anything like this actually happens. But we'll crank out a few more thick binders of high speed rail studies.
urbanists.social/@straphanger/…


Tour de France 🚴 v roce 2025 povede výhradně po francouzském území. Slavný cyklistický závod odstartuje 5. července v Lille, peloton během 21 etap absolvuje 3320 kilometrů. irozhlas.cz/sport/ostatni-spor…


Jeff Bezos describing journalism as “our profession” in an op-ed defending his decision to kill the Washington Post’s Harris endorsement

#WaPo

#wapo


Oh, you can now close the #NVDA speech viewer with alt+F4?

Wish I'd copied what I wanted out of it before blitzing...

#nvda
in reply to NV Access

@NVAccess I could swear it never used to go away. I have a memory of being annoyed at having to go to the NVDA tools menu to dismiss it.
But who knows. If alt+f4 didn't work once perhaps I got so frustrated I just gave up once and never looked back!
in reply to Sean Randall

It appears "always on top" so visually you will see it in front of other windows, even when it doesn't have focus - perhaps that was what you were thinking of? It usually appears as the LAST window in the alt+tab list so you might not have noticed it if you went through what you KNEW was open. You can alt+tab until you got to it or alt+shift+tab once to get to it.



Wait... we're getting $200 from the government? Why am I eligible? I shouldn't be eligible. Omg I hate the Cons.

Some more charity money I guess... Damn it, our politicians are useless.

#Onpoli

in reply to Stéphanie Pageau

oh so it's even a lie. Given that the carbon tax when your provincial govt does nothing with it is actually credit for people given by the Federal Government. (my Govt does something with it so I don't see it)


PSA: I ferociously guard my senior developers' code review attention span. If you use "AI" / LLMs / ChatGPT / Copilot to submit Outreachy/GSoC project proposals or merge requests to one of my #FLOSS #opensource projects, I will quickly detect your bullshit, challenge you, and ban you.

This PSA, unfortunately, is brought to you by experience.

in reply to Jeff Fortin T.

yeah if somebody say they use one of these, I just stop wasting my time. (and close if that's my turf)


Hey all! Our son's boyfriend is working on a project to develop a compendium of Transmasc Comfort Characters from books, movies, TV, and video games.

He'd love it if you'd fill out this survey with your favorite characters! Whether their transmasc status is canon or not - if that character comforts you, please include them.

Please BOOST! :)

Edit: Fixed - you can now submit multiple characters!

s.surveyplanet.com/jovbb2xv

#TransMasc #Trans #TransJoy #TransSurvey #TransFic #TransStories

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What do people think of this response to ‘generate detailed Alt Text’ by Gemini:

Here is some detailed alt text for the image you provided:
Alt Text:
A large, menacing grey cat, reminiscent of a monster, stands on its hind legs with its front paws raised. It has glowing yellow eyes and a wide, toothy grin. The cat is surrounded by a fiery aura as it emits a powerful beam of energy from its mouth. The beam is directed towards the Empire State Building in New York City, which is engulfed in flames. The city skyline is visible in the background, with tall buildings and smoke rising from the destruction. The overall tone of the image is chaotic and destructive, evoking a sense of fear and awe.
Additional Notes:
• You may want to adjust the description of the cat's appearance based on its specific characteristics.
• If the image is part of a larger context (like a movie poster or book cover), you could add a brief reference to that context.
• The alt text should be concise and informative, providing a clear description of the image without being overly detailed.
Let me know if you have any other questions.

#Accessibility #AI #AIsoftheBlind #AltText #Blind #ComputerVision

in reply to Charlotte Joanne

I can't see the image myself, but where I was seeing this would matter.

The description is great as a longer form piece. But I can see a time not too far away when that's the standard way of having alt text on book covers or thumbnails in search results.

Then I go from just wanting "a monstrous cat shooting energy at the Empire State Building" to no alt text at all depending on where I am and what I'm doing.
That brief descriptor would suit me on a product page of a shop, for instance, but I'd find having that in my search results or list of products annoying enough, to say nothing of the hundred words you have there.

There is a mechanism in html for longer descriptions that is very rarely used. Perhaps it could be revived for this sort of thing.



In times like these, vis. US election, I like to remind myself of the sticking power of America. With something like this.
youtube.com/watch?v=nROK4cjQVX…
in reply to Sean Randall

Thanks for reminding me to look for new seasons of this. It's been a while.
in reply to Simon Jaeger (Procrastodon)

@simon it's a great show. I got to see him live at the theatre and it was tremendous. And of course he wrote Cabin Pressure.


I grew up with TNG era star Trek. The iconic sounds of the Enterprise D, Voyager, and DS9 "feel" like Trek to me.

I had a lovely dream as a child that one day, my computer would sound like their computers.
I imagined that the different background sounds used throughout the series would represent different apps (engineering for the windows control panel, for example), defaulting to that generic ship hum in every other app.
The swoosh of doors would match me alt+tabbing between apps in the way they herald a change of room on the show.
Text popping up would generate a computer chirp based on the text: Dialog titles with questions marks in them in particular, or perhaps progress indicators.
Certain keypresses would generate tones, again, perhaps app depending. You could extend that to focused controls, too.

the list of things I need to code when I have time is so long, I'll probably still be dreaming about this when I retire.

in reply to Sean Randall

Hmm, that sounds like a very nicely annoying NVDA add on. I especially remember the mic gain hiss dhrough out the episodes. Not sure if it was because of our channel broadcaster, or if TNG had been recorded badly.
in reply to Just Martin

@mcourcel yes, I can see how it would irritate the heck out of many people.
It may well drive me mad if I ever made it.
in reply to Jay Pellis

@jpellis2008 I don't think I could sell it even were I so inclined, because of the copyright on the sounds.
Of course it's the sort of project people could very easily make sound packs for.
You might want a calm lake whilst reading your emails and some birdsong or something when on the web, for instance.
So it wouldn't need to be a Trek-based app specifically.
in reply to Jay Pellis

@jpellis2008 I'm not sure i'm cut out to supply software anymore.
I wrote an addon for Skype to list birthdays and received support requests for nearly 20 years, 15 of which after Skype had depricated the API feature.
I'm possibly too long in the tooth to keep up with modern software development practices.



✅ Hoy se ha aprobado, a iniciativa nuestra, una PNL para condenar la ofensiva israelí sobre Palestina 🇵🇸 , exigir el desmantelamiento de las colonias y apoyar al TIJ y CPI en los procesos por violaciones de DDHH a la población y presos políticos.

📌 Puedes ver el vídeo completo de la defensa de la propuesta por Enrique Santiago aquí

youtube.com/watch?v=RZZE5kxUCP…



Okay, where comes that myth from, especially in Germany, that alternative text should fit into one line of Braille (80 characters), otherwise it might not be accessible? As far as I can tell, Braille displays can navigate more than 80 characters in alternative texts and users don’t have a problem with it, right?

*sigh*

This entry was edited (6 days ago)

reshared this

in reply to Zivan - Childless Cat Guy

@zkrisher They do indeed. Some have keys at the front for this purpose too, so your fingers stay on the dots. whether you're a thumber or a fingerer is a complicated one to this day!
in reply to Sean Randall

@cachondo @zkrisher I mean, that’s also my knowledge, but there are surprisingly plenty (mostly German) resources that want to constrain alternative text to 80 characters/cells to make it easier for Braille display users.

Anyway, thanks for confirming. 😃



✊🏼 Así ganó un pueblo a la expansión eólica: A Groba contra las multinacionales energéticas.

Por Raúl García Amoedo.
elsaltodiario.com/galicia/asi-…

in reply to El Salto Diario

Y presentáis la obstaculización de la transición energética como algo positivo?

fueron capaces de presentar 80 recursos administrativos, uno por cada parque eólico proyectado en Galicia. Actualmente, y gracias a su trabajo y el de muchas otras asociaciones, han conseguido la paralización cautelar de 59 proyectos.


Esto os parece la victoria de algo?

Pues a mi no.



There's a very weird but common misconception that people on disability benefits are somehow a "drain on the economy." But 100% of that money will be spent, on things like rent, mortgage, insurance, food, clothing, and so on. That's money that immediately goes to business owners and, if those business owners aren't hoarding wealth, will cycle through the rest of the economy.

Drains on the economy are where money stops moving, like, for example, when it reaches wealthy billionaires.

This entry was edited (1 week ago)

reshared this

in reply to Amy Dentata

there's also the other site here, where totally abled people somehow get hold of disability documents and then, it becomes an issue...
in reply to Мира🇧🇬🇭🇺

@tardis That's not an issue though, the amount of fraud is so small that most of the time going after it hard only makes things more difficult than those who do need it. Also mind your biz, who are you to determine who's able or not?
in reply to Nini

Not here.I say what I have seen. Just that. Remember, not all the world is the same, and want to believe it or not, the fraud is significant enough to cause issues and because of it we actually get denied benefits. Something so small and stupid like a fraud you call "small" is making it difficult for actually disabled people to get what they need in many parts of the world.
in reply to Nini

I'll also tell you exactly who I am. I'm a disabled person who's seen this fraud many many times. So, I do think I have the right to speak. :)
in reply to Мира🇧🇬🇭🇺

@tardis No you don't, no more than anyone else has the right to tell you you're a fraud because you'd hate to be told that even if they were disabled as well, right? They don't know your life, they aren't the ones living with your disability and you'd tell tell them to mind their own business, wouldn't you?
in reply to Nini

No, I would just be silent, because they don't know me, I don't know them, so no confrontation or conflict. But they can't me I am a fraud because one, pretty visible I am disabled and two, there are countries in this world where fraud is a wel-known tactic for completely healthy people to get benefits and squeeze money from the country. and we end up all suffering. Everyone. And mostly disabled people. Because you have to renew your document every year, like there is hope to fix your burned out retinas for example, or magically get legs, or magically start hearing. things that are irreversible and kind of untreatable by any modern medicine. And all that check every year, around here for example, is exactly because of the many frauds. I am just saying that it's not a small issue. the other issues are that, governments totally ignore disabled folks, and that we indeed don't get what we need or deserve, or it is super hard and very little. Like "just shut up and stay home, nobody cares" about you thing. But there is also the other thing, where in many parts of the world, disabled people are isolated because of the latter issue, and society doesn't see enough of us to know how to support us or do something. This is still the reality, even today.



bad-faith-times.ghost.io/trump…

> And we as a people, especially millennials and Gen X-ers prone to such intense nostalgia, must also reject the 80s, which I know you hate to hear, but that you must hear. It is essential in the fight against fascism.

I recognize that I've indulged in 80s nostalgia quite a bit in the past year or so, especially retreating into my childhood Apple II memories. No more. Time to live in the present.



Auf die #Erfahrungen und #Eindrücke von @Prediger_EF@kirche.social in der Anglikanischen #Kirche bin ich gespannt.

Heute Abend:
onlinekirche.ekmd.de/veranstal…
#FediKirche



Vypadá to, že se té objednávky u Alzy nedočkám ani dnes. Nevím ani, co si mám pod tím odůvodněním představit. Řidič zabloudil, ožral se, nebo to ztratil, nebo kombinace všeho? Naštěstí tu objednávku zas tak rychle nepotřebuju, klidně si ještě týden počkám, ale je to divné. Není to poprvé, co se tohle zpoždění u Alzy stalo, ale vždycky se to posunulo maximálně o den a pak už jsem si to mohl vyzvednout, navíc jsem dostal slevu na další nákup.


I keep waiting for people with that fashy "BDFL is the best form of government" take to understand the reason Democracy took off as a form of government is the madness of kings.
From: @ianb
mastodon.well.com/@ianb/113389…


Siri, show me what happens when a company purges dissenting voices and becomes a cult of personality.

theregister.com/2024/10/28/wor…




We want to support the journalists; so boycott Amazon and encourage Bezos to sell the Washington Post to someone who gives a shit.

Washington Post writers say don’t dump subscriptions over non-endorsement
theguardian.com/media/2024/oct…

#WashingtonPost #JeffBezos #WaPo #Journalism #FreePress #BoycottAmazon #EatTheBillionaires #USPol




kolegyňa z vedľajšej prevádzky dala výpoveď, nevie čo bude robiť ale vraj sa ide hľadať :kekw: #makemyday
This entry was edited (1 week ago)


And here is the confirmation of what everybody knew about the WaPo refusing to endorse…

Bezos is in talks to buy the Space Division of Boeing.

jalopnik.com/boeing-might-be-q…

#space



Siri, show me what happens when a company purges dissenting voices and becomes a cult of personality.

theregister.com/2024/10/28/wor…