"Does the leadership at my company promote a xenophobic agenda and use the wealth I help them acquire to donate directly to bigoted causes and politicians I find despicable? Yeah, sure. Did I celebrate my last birthday at Drag Brunch? Also yes." mcsweeneys.net/articles/i-work…
You know like how they tell you that washing dishes with a dishwasher will save a lot of water but they don't mention that the heat and abrasion of the dishwasher causes anything plastic to start shedding a ton of microplastics into foods that contact them. And everything that isn't plastic is expensive. So you should already have a sink of soapy water anyway ...
Amazon Ring’s upcoming face recognition tool has the potential to violate the privacy rights of millions of people and could result in Amazon breaking state biometric privacy laws.
Never have I ever read an article about Trump and Epstein that treats survivors of their sexual abuse and violence with more indifference. Crawley presents claims by Trump's team as fact and then brushes aside the revelations in the email dump as nothing significant, as though the girls they talk about trafficking are nothing to report. There was a lot in these files and they reveal more about how closely tied these two abusers were. Garbage reporting. Shame on you #CBC and #MikeCrawley
The #CBC and #Crawley used AI to analyze the files. AI to synthesize and assess emails from a pedophile to find anything "significant".
Who thought AI was up to the task of screening through such sensitive material? No wonder it's clear there is no compassion or humanity in this report. I am furious.
Anyone know how the new-ish Steam OS accessibility beta is going? Is it still beta or has it made it to stable yet? Is it actually using Orca underneath so you can use desktop mode?
I wonder what it would take to add TTS/screen reader controller shims to Proton, if they aren't there already? Can't imagine screen reader controller shims are, but TTS/SAPI? I assume there's some sort of bridge layer between the Linux and Windows API surfaces, but is that layer extensible so users could just, I don't know, install a ProtonPack(TM) or similar, add necessary TTS/screen reader API bridges to whatever it exposes to games, and have accessible games on an accessible Steam OS?
This post brought to you by the Steam Machine, and by me wanting to purge Windows 11 from my Steam Deck. That said, I haven't really looked at the specs yet, but if it's as solid as the Deck then I'm tempted.
"'Funaná is music of liberation. Fierce music. Anti-colonial music,' says Marcus Veiga aka Portugal-born, Angolan and Cape Verdean artist Scúru Fitchádu. 'What I like about funaná is that it comes from the people,'"
oh man I used to have recurring dreams as a kid and it drove me crazy. Also I had really bad almost slow motion Déjà vu vibes every couple years and swear I dreamed the event as if I had dreamed the future and knew it was going to happen.
As an American, treacle is not really common in our desserts and most people don't even know what it is. It's a strange word though, it has some unpleasant quality to it but it's hard to pin down.
Without knowing what it is, try to use it in a sentence:
"That gas station sushi gave me a treacle of diarrhea."
The Dulon Von Paradis Project: I’m honored to be the recipient of a Canada Counsel for the Arts Research and Development grant. Along with my colleague Michelle Coon, I’ll be travelling to Europe in March, 2026, to research the lives and work of Friedrich Dulon and Maria Theresia Von Paradis. They were contemporaries, classical musicians and composers who achieved renown in their lifetimes, who travelled to perform, worked hard at their art, and were both Blind. My interest is as a musician and storyteller. Michelle’s is as a music historian and flutist. As I think and plan ahead for our journey, I’m collecting my thoughts by writing them down, cause that’s what I do. I’m posting on Patreon. Check out my first post at this link. patreon.com/posts/dulon-von-bl…
Glen Gordon reflects on his 32-year career at Vispero, his pioneering role in the development of JAWS for Windows, and the evolution of assistive technology amid industry-wide changes.
Amazon says it is rolling out a tougher approach to combat illegal sports streaming on Fire TV Stick devices, aiming to block apps that stream pirated content (Adam Leventhal/The Athletic)
The bug where after being on for 24-36 hours, the second hard drive on my #framework 16 laptop just...disappears...is getting really, really old. I thought it was temperature, so I started logging that. But nope. It's not an issue with the flash, because the data always comes back just fine, and there are no read errors or anything. It just gets tired after a day and decides to go for a nap. This is the problem with a fully repairable laptop: I installed it, so whatever's wrong, it's now my problem. I can't just go bother Del or whomever. It's running #Windows 11 because screen readers on Linux are still terrible, so anyone suggesting "install Linux" as the answer gets blocked. But I really don't think it's a Windows thing; it's not in device manager, or anywhere. Only fully powering down the machine and turning it back on again helps. A restart isn't enough. So it has to be a hardware thing!
I also don't love that I had to install two firmware updates on my #framework 16: one for the number pad, and one for the keyboard. But I was able to do so without an admin prompt! What firmware does this thing run? What can it do? How does it communicate with the system? Can someone just install a keylogger directly into my keyboard firmware without me even having to grant any kind of permission or be admin? This is...worrying. github.com/FrameworkComputer/qmk_firmware/releases/tag/v0.3.1
Compatibility
This will need the following BIOS:
Framework 16 AMD Ryzen 7040 Series: BIOS 4.01 or later
Framework 16 AMD Ryzen AI 300: BIOS 3.00 or later (shipping from the factory)
Changes compa...
@mcourcel Yup. I thought that might be the issue, so I set it to always on for the hard discs. But there was no change. I also turned off sleep and hibernate, in case those were causing problems.
Okay, I'm not going to suggest anything, because I know your level of knowlege and I'm sure you made the same searches that I did. There was a patch done back in August that broke a bunch of stuff for hard drives, but I'm sure you saw that.
@mcourcel I did! I'm on the latest Windows update available, and my understanding is that this was fixed at some point? I installed the second drive back in January, and this only started at the beginning of October. So...I'm baffled. I'm also bothered, bewildered, bamboozled, and buffaloed.
You should switch to Linux. *ducks* But on a more serious note, you're not gonna like it but it sounds like a drive issue. If you go get yourself a USB enclosure and slap that drive in there, do you still have that problem after 24 hours? If yes, definitely drive. If not, connection issue internally.
@quanin@mcourcel Yeah, that's the next step. I got myself the upgraded motherboard and graphics module, so once they arrive I'll be opening up the machine again anyway, so I'll do more drive testing at that point. I intend to reuse the old motherboard to build a little media PC, so I might just put a new drive in the laptop, and put this drive in there and see what it does. That way if it is the drive it'll be easier for me to access, and I need a drive for the media PC anyway.
@quanin@mcourcel The Framework is...not bad to work on, for a laptop. So still bad and horrible obviously. But it's worth it to have a laptop I can actually upgrade; I'm sick and tired of a new laptop every three years. And I wanted a media PC anyway, so reusing the old parts fits perfectly into my life.
So I shouldn't tell you I bought my current laptop 5 years ago and it still works flawlessly then, right? LOL Even runs Windows 11 if I feel like brain damage.
@quanin@mcourcel See, I have that with my macs. But every Windows laptop I've ever had, even though the CPU etc are still fine, something always goes wrong by between three and five years. Sometimes it's the fans, or the keyboard, or the screen hinge, or the USB plugs get wonky, or the headphone jack stops working, or...something. And then it's out of warranty so it'd cost so much to fix it I might as well just get a new one. I've tossed so many perfectly good components for that reason over the years that it makes me cry.
How long have you had your current laptop? To be clear I'm not knocking the strategy at all but it sounds like you just shortened the timeline on that pattern. Also you just explained why I tend to lean toward Dell over places like HP. They're the only one with a 4-year warranty. It's not perfect but if the motherboard goes in year 3 I'm still covered. That's never happened.
@quanin@mcourcel I've had the laptop for a year. I don't actually need to upgrade the motherboard; I'm only doing it because I was otherwise going to build a media PC anyway, and this way I get two for the price of one. I wouldn't recommend any other blind Framework 16 owner to upgrade unless they have some use for the old motherboard. The second hard drive that is having issues is one I installed in January myself. So if I wasn't upgrading the laptop, I would just replace it and things would be fine. Nothing else is wrong with the machine. And if it was, all of the ports are expansion cards that I can replace for between $5 and $15 depending on the port in question.
You're jumping ahead a little. IF the drive is fine then it's a problem with where it's connected to the laptop internally. That's why I suggested a USB enclosure as a step. If the problem is internal, you might be transferring that problem to your media PC.
@quanin@mcourcel Yup, and that would be annoying. But the motherboard has two drive slots, so it wouldn't be the end of the world. Somehow, though, I doubt it. I installed the drive in January and it worked perfectly until October. That kind of connection doesn't usually just die. Or if it does, other things on the board usually die alongside it.
@quanin@mcourcel I'm also starting to wonder about something being underpowered. The USBC adapter is 180w, but at full load the machine pulls 240w. In theory, it should pull from the battery to make up the difference until the load goes back down. But, well, you know. Theory. I'm also grabbing myself a 240w USBC adapter, and I'm interested to see if that changes anything.
@quanin@mcourcel I don't even have another 180w USBC adapter to test with. And these things run super hot! So...I'm also giving this adapter a side-eye. I don't have a meter handy. But if I did...I wonder...
I mean, anything's possible (see my comment about hardware being weird, bro), but presumably you've been pulling 240 at full load since January. If that's your issue, you should have seen it before now. Also why does it specifically become underpowered after 24 hours? Yeah, that's *a* problem and you should definitely replace that adaptor, but I don't think that's *the* problem.
@quanin@mcourcel Well, why would a connection on the board die after 24 hours? And then be fine the minute I shut down the machine and power it back on? Neither make sense to me. But if I run Forza at the max settings, I can watch the battery discharge even while the laptop is plugged in. It's fun! It makes me wonder about some kind of power management thing in the BIOS? Framework did release a BIOS update recently, that lets the laptop charge to a max of 80 percent for battery protection if it hasn't been unplugged in over a week.
When did you install that bios update? Before, or after your hard drive started taking its daily naps? If before, that's definitely a factor and you should probably yell at Framework. If after, I'm still leaning hardware issue.
This has been edited to make more sense re: what I was trying to say.
@quanin@mcourcel The problem is...I...don't know? I don't always leave the laptop on all the time, obviously. And sometimes, of course, Windows just crashes for one reason or another. Or it installs an update overnight or whatever. And then the first few times I noticed it I went "Huh." and rebooted before I noticed the pattern. And of course it's my secondary drive, so I only notice it's gone when I go to play a game (it's where Steam installs all the games); if I'm just browsing the web or whatever it could be gone without me even noticing. October is when I noticed the pattern, started leaving the laptop on 24/7, and checking the drive frequently.
You wouldn't happen to be able to get your hands on the bios you were previously using, would you? If you could, that'd rule that out quick, fast and in a hurry.
@quanin@mcourcel I could, but Framework doesn't allow downgrading to older BIOS versions because they changed the CA and key for secure boot and code signing.
Welp, if it were me, I'd be on the phone or email or whatever with Framework. "This is my problem, these are my symptoms, I installed this bios version and can't be sure it's not my cause." I mean, it might not be, but if it is that's a manufacturer issue.
@quanin@mcourcel If it wasn't a third party drive that I'd installed myself, I would be. But I hate to be "that guy": I opened the laptop and did things to it and now I want you to fix my problems!
I mean, the entire point of Framework is the opening it up and doing things to it. What did they expect you were gonna do? And honestly, I mean, when you upgrade your motherboard you're basically replacing your bios anyway, so if it's a bios issue you've just solved it. What you want to make sure is you're not transferring a failing motherboard to your media PC.
I'm also keeping a close eye on the Framework Community forums, and I haven't seen anyone else reporting this type of issue. So...yeah. Once I get the new motherboard I'll have a lot more testing options, and almost none of them will involve opening the laptop multiple times. And if the motherboard is failing, it's still under warranty, so I can go through the replacement process on the media PC while still having a working laptop. If the drive is failing, it's mine and I'll be sad and replace it. If the BIOS is failing, I'll at least have more proof of that.
That's a valid approach, absolutely. Do you have somewhere you can stash that data temporarily on the off chance it's the drive? The thing is right now it's just annoying. I don't want you waking up next week and it's a disaster.
@quanin@mcourcel The only things on the drive are steam games, and files synced to it from iCloud and Dropbox. So it's pretty much impossible for me to lose any data. Downloading almost 1 TB of steam games and another TB of synced files would be annoying, but not the end of the world.
@quanin@mcourcel Just the two The Last of Us Games are close to 500 gigs all by themselves. Then Forza is like another hundred, AS Dusk Falls is multiple gigs, etc. A terabyte of games is surprisingly few games, these days.
@quanin@mcourcel Heck, even hearthstone, a turn based card game, is five gigs! Stuff like The Last of Us is a 100 gig download, but then it decompresses itself and caches all of its shaders and so on and so on.
@quanin@mcourcel The nice thing about Steam is your saves are stored to the cloud. So assuming you have lots of Internet, you could get away with a 500 gig drive and only install the game you're currently playing. If you uninstall it, you can generally just reinstall and pick back up again and all your saves will be there. Also there are smaller games like Stardew Valley that's only like 500 megs or slay the spire that I think is under a gig. It's just the AAA titles that are huge.
Has Steam gotten around to indicating on its platform which games are actually accessible for us or are we still left with trolling places like Audiogames?
@quanin@mcourcel They...uh...sort of have? But a game can have all of the accessibility features and still not be fully playable without vision. But if you've played a game for less than two hours, Steam will issue an automatic refund, no questions asked. partner.steamgames.com/doc/accessibility_features
@quanin@mcourcel You can also find other completely blind folks on steam, and follow them. Someone's steam profile shows every game they've played, how long they've played it, and the achievements they have (if the game supports achievements). However, some games may have accessibility mods, so once you find a blind person who plays something, you then need to do a quick internet search for game+accessible mod or whatever.
@quanin@mcourcel Okay, here's a list of the games I have: * Alcyone: The Last City: fully playable, but only with annoying SAPI text to speech * Alt-Frequencies: fully playable * Arcade Spirits: fully playable, outputs text to the clipboard, so you need autoclip * Arcade Spirits: The New Challengers: same * As Dusk Falls: fully playable * Balatro: you need a mod but installation is easy * BROK the InvestiGator: fully playable * Citizen of Rome - Dynasty Ascendant: fully playable * Conjury: fully playable * cyberpunkdreams: fully playable * Dark Passenger: fully playable * Diablo: mostly playable * Doki Doki Literature Club: you need a mod and installing it is irritating * Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!: this is a remastered version of the above game and the mod is much easier to install and better in every way * Escape from Norwood: fully playable * Factorio: fully playable with mods * Firebird: fully playable * Forza Motorsport: fully playable * Hearthstone: fully playable with mods * Heroes Rise: The Prodigy: fully playable * Kilta: fully playable * The Last of Us™ Part I: fully playable * The Last of Us™ Part II: fully playable * Lost and Hound: fully playable * Luck be a Landlord: fully playable * Magic Research: fully playable * Magic Research 2: fully playable * Microsoft Flight Simulator: only playable if you devote your entire life to it and pay a monthly subscription for the mod and make the correct pagan sacrifices * Night of the Full Moon: fully playable * Penny Larceny: Gig Economy Supervillain: fully playable * Periphery Synthetic: fully playable * Pizza Game: fully playable * Sanctuary in Time: fully playable * The Secret of Darkwoods: fully playable * SEQUENCE STORM: fully playable * Shining Song Starnova: fully playable with autoclip * Skullgirls: fully playable if you own a controller * Slay the Spire: fully playable with a mod called say the spire * Smugglers 5: Invasion: playable if you like using object navigation and OCR * soundStrider: fully playable * Stardew Valley: playable with mods * Thaumistry: In Charm's Way: fully playable * Trawel: fully playable * Warsim: The Realm of Aslona: fully playable * World Empire 2027: fully playable
I would recommend sequence storm as your first place to start. Good fun, finishable in a few days, requires no modding. Then maybe move on to Slay The Spire and Balatro to get used to modding stuff and how that feels. Both excellent games that take months to master. There are many more mainstream accessible games, these are just the ones I've personally played.
1. Doesn't Kilta have long delays between it reading various menus, making it a chore to navigate the UI. 2. How strategic is Night of the Full Moon? I love the difficulty of Dawncaster and Slay The Spire. How accurate is its description of "Mild strategic turn-based card battle"? 3. How do you get past the huge list of countries to select from in World Empire 2027? I couldn't get past that in the demo.
One day I might encounter a Framework owner whose laptop isn't broken in at least one way. Or then again maybe not given that people are angry at them for giving money to fascists.
@jscholes I mean I was one of those people until the start of October! I got the Framework 16 the day it came out, and installed the hard drive a couple months later. So I had a long time of perfect service.
I feel like websites/apps that don't list password requirements right off the bat are disrespectful to users. Nobody has time or patients to play guessing games with the submit button until they squeeze all your password requirements out of you, one error at a time.
The government of the wealthiest nation on earth shut down over whether people should be able to eat AND get affordable healthcare but the media says a few "moderates" might reopen the government by deciding that it's okay for some people to have to go without one or both.
Mastodon folks, stay tuned because our micronews are back after a brief outage! And BTW did we mention there will a trixie point release next weekend?! #debian #trixie #11
Tonight's Low Quality Ad is for this Plant Sticker. Come on guys, this is a family friendly platform. Either keep it in your pots or get a field already. collabs.shop/eco6yk
Reads: "Cactus in the Streets Tender Succulent in the Streets". Theme: pun, punny quotes, plant lovers Our glossy finish protects stickers from harmful UV rays, so they will stay vibrant on laptops, water bottles, bikes, and more.
Eminem sorta-discovering Ez Mil and bringin him on a track to drop this ridiculous tongue twister in tagalog is nuts
Rookie Gs actin' thuggish, you pawns to me, shut the fuck up Annihilation's what we love, steady hittin', gettin' dubs Just wait 'til we get the guns out Kwarenta-singko na kalibre o nuwebe, 'kaw na bahala Sa dinami-rami mong mali, utak mo lang may tama Sa kitid mo mag-isip, pare, 'la ka man lang nabanat Naglalim-laliman, ang sarap mong ilublob sa dagat 'Di kailangang magpatunay sa sinuman ang nakikinig 'Di masasalag ng sintido o ng iyong bibig Picture this, I might be a hero to your little kid Or a villain, either way, I'm the fuckin' head honcho
"45 caliber or 9, your choice You have made a lot of mistakes (Out of all your misses) (You have lots of defects) Your brain will take the hit (Only your brain took the hit) (Only your brain was correct - It's sarcastic because it also implies that even your brain has its flaws) With your narrow thinking, you couldn’t even respond Delving Depths/Feigning depth, I'd love to submerge you in the ocean No need to prove anything to those who are listening Won't be deflected by reason or your words (Your temple or mouth will not stop this)"
Xander Fwoof
in reply to Borris • • •