So this sucks if you have privacy issues: apparently all that rigamarole you went through to get your passport isn't enough, so if you are a Canadian (or American) wanting to visit Europe, you need to share your biometric data with bloody apps to be approved.

Because I guess our governments aren't vigilant enough when granting passports? Or the countries want to collect and store data on people. :(

o.canada.com/travel/canadians-…

What Canadians need to know before travelling to Europe in 2025

Looking to explore Europe in the near future? Make sure you have everything in order so you can avoid delays and disappointments.

^{Jennifer Jacoby-Smith (Canada.com)}

Next free idea: e-reader with bellows, so you can roughly feel when you’ve got one of those long ones to get through.

Since I know you’re going to ask: yes—it makes a wheezing, honking sound if you collapse it quickly for travel and/or amusement.

🌏 Build AI Expands to Canada, Australia & New Zealand!

Aira's Build AI Access Offer is now available in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Get 10 free minutes every 30 minutes while contributing to AI solutions for the blind and low-vision community.

💡 How It Works:
Opt into Build AI, where some of your qualifying call recordings are securely shared with our AI partner to help develop innovative global solutions. Participation is voluntary, and you can opt-out anytime.

📲 How to Join:
- Ask your Aira Interpreter to sign you up on your next call
- Go to Preferences under the More tab

Learn more about this exciting expansion and how Build AI empowers Explorers worldwide: Read the full blog: aira.io/build-ai-expands/

#Accessibility #Innovation #TechForGood #AIInnovation

Minecraft Access: A World of Blocks, Blindness, and Brilliance 🌍💎 #MinecraftAccess #InclusiveGaming

Seven years ago, I lost my sight—and with it, I thought I’d lost the chance to play Minecraft. Back in my sighted days, Minecraft was my escape hatch to infinite creativity. Build a castle? Sure. Survive the night? Done. Accidentally set your house on fire because you put lava in the wrong place? Look, we’ve all been there.

But when I lost my vision, Minecraft felt like a closed door. And while games might not be life’s top priority, let’s admit it—they’re a fantastic way to unwind. Losing that world stung.

That’s where Minecraft Access comes in. It’s a mod that makes the game accessible for blind players. Sounds amazing, right? When I first tried it four months ago, though, things didn’t go as planned. I wandered aimlessly, got hopelessly lost, and rage-quit before a creeper even had the chance to blow me up. But yesterday, armed with more patience (and probably less sanity), I decided to give it another go.

And you know what? This time, I crushed it. Well, not literally—I didn’t fall into lava, for once! I set up an underground base, complete with a wheat farm and an infinite water source. I mined iron, found diamonds (yes, diamonds! I’m rich!), and lit up my surroundings so mobs wouldn’t spawn. Because let’s be honest, nothing says “bad day” like being smacked by a zombie you can’t even see.

So how does this all work? Minecraft Access narrates the block in your crosshair, tells you its position, and makes inventory and crafting fully accessible. I navigate with ASDW keys, craft like a pro, and honestly, I feel like I’ve rediscovered a part of myself I thought was gone.

Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing. Navigating the terrain is like playing a guessing game where the prize is not falling into a ravine. And while I can build functional stuff, making it visually appealing? Let’s just say my creations won’t win any beauty contests. But hey, I can still mine, explore, and survive—and that feels like magic.

The real heroes here are the developers of Minecraft Access. Turning a game this visual into something a blind player can enjoy is a Herculean task. They’ve done something incredible, and they deserve all the praise (and maybe some pizza, because who doesn’t love pizza?).

If you’re curious or want to say thank you to these legends, check out their GitHub page or hop on their Discord. They’ve made Minecraft a world for everyone, and that’s worth celebrating.

github.com/khanshoaib3/minecra…

Minecraft has always been about endless possibilities. Thanks to this mod, those possibilities now extend to players like me. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even build a castle someday... if I can figure out where the stairs go. 😅

#BlindGamer #GamingWithoutLimits #Accessibility #Minecraft

GitHub - minecraft-access/minecraft-access: A mod for minecraft java (fabric/neoforge) that specifically helps visually impaired players play Minecraft.

A mod for minecraft java (fabric/neoforge) that specifically helps visually impaired players play Minecraft. - minecraft-access/minecraft-access

^GitHub

New year, new role @Mastodon!

Our core team is looking for a senior Front-end Developer to elevate the web UI/UX experience for our users.

Ideally:

1. You are highly skilled in accessible and semantic #HTML
2. Proficient in modern #CSS
3. Experienced with #Javascript, #Typescript and complex React/Redux applications

This remote full-time position requires a 4-hour overlap with the CET timezone.

For more info/to apply:
jobs.ashbyhq.com/mastodon/6a09…

#FediHire #GetFediHired #hiring #frontend

Front-end Developer (m/f/d)

We're looking for a Front-end Developer to work with us remotely on our free and open-source Mastodon software.

^{jobs.ashbyhq.com}

"Emacs is dead? Don't believe it! 😂 Bozhidar Batsov shares why he thinks Emacs is having a "Golden
Age". Read his inspiring article:

batsov.com/articles/2024/02/26…

Emacs: Dead and Loving It

What is dead cannot die. – A Song of Ice and Fire (a.k.a. Game of Thrones)

^(think)

#MutualAid
#MutualAidRequest
#FoodInsecurity

Please boost for reach.

So, the latest news: I started a new position today! Thanks to a certain amazingly wonderful person from Germany who I've never met in person, we were able to eat and pay bills throughout December, which is why you haven't had to see me begging like this. (Thank you sooooo much, sir!) Now we are down to the last $15 of those funds, and I've got to figure out a way to feed my family for the next 2 weeks, and then move to the bay area in California (without them :( ) on the money I get from my first paycheck. Way less than ideal, and yet waaaay better than what we've been facing for the last 11 months. This is the home stretch!

Please help us out with food money if you can. Boosts help, too! Many thanks to all of you.

paypal.me/AaronHosford
venmo.com/u/Aaron-Hosford-42

#MutualAid
#MutualAidRequest
#FoodInsecurity

Zaplaťte uživateli Aaron Hosford pomocí služby PayPal.Me

Přejděte na adresu paypal.me/AaronHosford a zadejte částku. Protože jde o PayPal, je to jednoduché a bezpečné. Nemáte účet PayPal? Nevadí.

^PayPal.Me

#curl used in Korean iOS apps. TMAP MOBILITY, Naver and KakaoTalk.

I have no idea what the apps do. I love them anyway.

daniel.haxx.se/blog/2016/10/03…

#AndroidAppRain at apt.izzysoft.de/fdroid today with 17 updated (10 of those RB) and 1 added apps:

* healthlog: log health tests, incl. Cholesterol/Sugar/BP/RFT 🛡️

At apt.izzysoft.de/magisk 1 #Magis module was added (and 2 were upated):

* DynamicSystemTweaks-arm64: Improves system performance without battery loss or overheating for arm64-v8a with 8 cpu core devices only (Android 10+)

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

IzzyOnDroid F-Droid Repository

This is a repository of apps to be used with your F-Droid client. Applications in this repository are official binaries built by the original application developers, taken from their resp. repositories (mostly Github, GitLab, Codeberg).

^{IzzyOnDroid App Repo}

Stimulation Clicker

Link: neal.fun/stimulation-clicker/
Discussion: news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4…

We're rolling out Matrix's next-generation authentication stack, in line with our Matrix 2.0 goals, allowing for more flexible auth journeys without requiring client devs to support all of them. Relatedly, due to resource constraints, guest account access on Matrix.org will be disabled on January 16th.

matrix.org/blog/2025/01/06/aut…

Authentication changes on Matrix.org

Matrix, the open protocol for secure decentralised communications

^{Will Lewis (matrix.org)}

tu du du du du du tu quack

youtu.be/ypo-TggDlqQ

LEKCIA BASGITARY - stupnice

Dnešných 5 tipov vás prevedie procesom cvičenia stupníc, od ich najzákladnejšej formy až po komplexnejšie variácie. Zároveň sa pokúsime odpovedať na otázku, ...

^YouTube

Does Canada have some version of the accessibility discrimination act, and the US ADA?
Remember that video I made about Floatplane accessibility back in April 2024? No? Nor do I.

Well I fired off a support email at the time, never heard back. Sent a reminder in May, threaded, never heard back. Forgot about it for months, fired off another one sometime in December.
I don't believe that, as a paying customer, it's OK to have emails go ignored, it's ill-mannered. Maybe that's just me. Maybe I kind of expect a company to respond to emails about support requests, you know?

Anyway, this is the video in-question: Accessibility Issues With Floatplane (from a VoiceOver Perspective) youtu.be/2sZTsrek08M

Accessibility Issues With Floatplane (from a VoiceOver Perspective)

I've never made a video I wanted to age as badly as this one, but needs must.There are some glaringly obvious issues with LTT's Floatplane app for iOS if you...

^YouTube