In this day and age, putting Dark Mode behind your app's paywall will mean I don't even try your free version.

This is especially callous for #writing and world-building apps, where a white background can literally hurt my head.

#accessibility #darkmode

Stop the spread of AI Slop. Support your fellow human beings by investing your valuable time in their efforts. Not everything has to be a financial transaction. In this case, all it costs is a little time, which you’re clearly wasting right this very minute.

I invite you to come look around. Authentic stories, artfully told, and always 100% human. Sign up for free alerts to new stories. No spam. Just fantastic tales.

davidtoddmccarty.com

#Writing #Stories #Philosophy #Human #Creativity

Sometime around the 2020 era, we lost the right to be mediocre at things we love.

No longer can you just bake bread...you must start a sourdough side hustle lol. Wanna stay fit and go jogging or running? Nah, you gotta optimize your biometrics for a marathon. What my point is that every hobby has been enshittified and gentrified into a brand opportunity.

This strange infatuation with optimization culture is killing the human spirit.

So this new year, starting tomorrow, one of my resolutions is to do something bad but fun. Maybe I write a terrible poem. I like to draw and paint, so perhaps I will draw a horse that looks like a table or sing off-key in the showers or in front of my loved ones. The algorithm driving the mainstream social media wants me to be a polished product, but my humanity lives in these messy, unoptimized, cringe-inducing joyful failures.

I will try to reclaim the right to be an amateur. Will you join me?

#creativity #hobbies #art #depression #socialmedia #newyear #resolution #happynewyear #MentalHealth #Culture #enshittification #creative #design #writing #reading #books #drawing #music #gardening #nature #running #fitness

✔ Say you search for something and there's a list of smart results.

You have a toggle that enables something like 'strict keyword matching' - which means any result not having those keywords will be dealt with.

👀 Catch: Keep in mind that often search results can be indirectly related to what you looking for without containing those keywords.

Question is, how would you like them dealt with?

#askfedi #userresearch #ux #ui #linux #youtube #google #browsers #webdev #enshittification #firefox #chrome #writing #cooking #accessibility

• Lowered opacity (14%, 1 vote)
• Border around to show who's the odd one out (14%, 1 vote)
• Completely removed (57%, 4 votes)
• Other (please comment) (14%, 1 vote)

Edit: I should mention that I'm trying to integrate this word/phrase into a cyberpunk book title...

Fediverse hive mind: I'm looking for a word or phrase that means a windfall (receiving something unexpectedly), except to such a great extent that it's overwhelming and not actually that great (example: a previously unknown relative passes away and leaves you one million sheep but no land to house them). Ideally this phrase would be in English, but at this point I'm desperate and any language may be helpful.

Please boost for a bigger hive! ;)

#writing #WritingCommunity

I honestly think that AI does accelerate writing work but not in the way you think. Because it eases cognitive burden, it allows writers to create without burning out. Writers like me, anyway, whose day job involves writing cognitively demanding copy about high technical concepts 😅.

In the past, my work to so much of cognitive and creative energy out of me that there's often nothing left for my personal creative work. So I often have to sacrifice my personal writing. But due to the ability of AI to now help me with things that drain me, I can focus things that matter to me.

I like writing so yeah AI is never gonna take that away from me. (That's part of the reason why I don't pay for AI services because I don't really rely on it to generate much text.

(Writers often subscribe to models if they want to generate a lot of text as the free versions do not generate a large amount of text.) The open source Deep Seek is enough for me, because I use it mostly for planning and detail oriented work like editing. I also realize that I like to dictate my writing and I often use AI to help me organize my thoughts. And then I fix it by rewriting it. This has accelerated my blogging and writing.

Oddly I can't do it with fiction 😆. I usually use story beats to flesh out my chapter, and then use AI as a sophisticated swipe file to start my writing. And yes, I still write my fiction with my own fingers!

With that cognitive savings I gained from using AI, I could now write fiction, or my newsletters and #Cdrama reviews without feeling like I am draining my brain dry or burn out every month.

So I think AI doesn't exactly accelerate my work. It enables me to produce more because I no longer am exhausted as quickly or as often.

#Ai #Writing #Blogging

Each ivory rose glistened sweetly in the twilight, each petal as perfect as porcelain.

Little white butterflies flitted through the last strands of fading light, dancing on tender, tantalizing scents.

The Gardener packed up their gear, secretly smiling as a rival hid poorly behind the old oak, straightening the "Beware The Thorns" sign as they headed inside.

The next morning the blooms were exceptionally voluptuous, and for now, satiated.

#TootFic #MicroFiction #Writing #TerylsTales #Fantasy

Just had auto-correct change chevalier to Chevrolet. Again. Capitalisation and all. Do you have a word that the computer just can't seem to learn?

#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #writing #autocorrect #DuckOff

Don't trust cloud services with your creative work.

#enshittification #privacy #infosec #security #cybersecurity #writing #art

My book Drystone – A Life Rebuilt is out in just three weeks.

I really believe in this book. It’s honest about important things, quietly subversive, funny, easy to read, and I’ve poured everything into writing it and getting it into the world as far as I can.

If you can, I’d love your help. A share, a preorder, a message to someone who might love it, it all makes a difference.

Info and links below.

#Books #Bookstodon #Scotland #Writing #Reading #Women

It's my pleasure to announce storyseedlibrary.org/ - a #library of #solarpunk #art and story seeds to help you imagine a better #climate future!

Huge thanks to all the artists who shared their art under various #creativeCommons licenses, including @the_lemonaut , @NiwlCraft and @jacobcoffin ! No AI will replace handcrafted art!

If you liked our @SolarpunkPrompts #podcast , the Story Seeds are expanding its concept - soon with more, unpublished ones!

#climateChange #illustration #writing

Welcome to Story Seed Library!

A library of Solarpunk art and story seeds helping you imagine a better climate future!

^{Story Seed Library}

So I'm working on this hybrid audiobook/ebook setup. The page scrolls to follow the audio, keeping the section being read roughly in the middle of the page. Continuous scroll made me queasy, so instead it scrolls every few seconds.

I made a custom chapter selector rather than a dropdown box, because I'm an eejit prone to reinventing the wheel, when the wheel isn't aesthetically pleasing to me. Do you think it works? Or should I go trad on this part of the UI?

splinterton.com/audiobooks/pf

#writing

Mastoart.social is a friendly creative Mastodon server that welcomes all skill levels of visual art, crafts, music, writing and more. (AI is not allowed.)

mastoart.social

Languages on this server include English and German.

You can find out more at mastoart.social/about or contact the admins @artmin, @bestiaexmachina & @Kitty

#FeaturedServer #Creative #Art #VisualArt #Crafts #Music #Writing #Mastodon #Fediverse #FreeFediverse

mastoart.social

mastoart.social is a creative space for you to share your art and be part of a friendly creative community. A Mastodon instance that's hosted in Germany and runs on 100% green energy.

^{Mastodon hosted on mastoart.social}

This story bundle with many African scifi books, including mine, ends in 16 days. If there are any "book influencers" here, or perhaps you want to run a campaign of some sort and need to give people a gift or bonus or something, let me know and I can get you gift codes.

storybundle.com/scifi

@bookstodon #writing #writingcommunity #sffbooks #sff #africa

StoryBundle

Pay what you like and get a bundle of awesome ebooks and more!

^{storybundle.com}

I almost forgot, but I posted chapter 10 of my Phoenix Academy story: This is not primary school. royalroad.com/fiction/109929/p…

#AmWriting #writing #WebStory #fiction #RoyalRoad #DarkAcademia

Today the 9th chapter of my Phoenix Academy story is out: Table manners. royalroad.com/fiction/109929/p…

#AmWriting #writing #WebStory #RoyalRoad #fiction #DarkAcademia

This is chapter 8 of my Phoenix Academy story: Shared warmth, forced coolness. royalroad.com/fiction/109929/p…

#AmWriting #writing RoyalRoad #webStory #fiction

chapter 7 of my story, Phoenix Academy, is out: Daughters. royalroad.com/fiction/109929/p…

This chapter doesn't have the girls, but shows the places they left behind.

#AmWriting #writing #fiction #WebStory #RoyalRoad #PhoenixAcademy

Anyone who is blind, or who has worked with the blind, knows how expensive our technology can be. This couldn't be more true with relation to braille displays. Even the cheapest costs at least $799, and it's already behind the newest in that line, at $899. This is the Orbit Reader 20 and 20+. Now, a student in India wants to change that by creating a display that is truly affordable (under $50)! Please pass this on, so that we can give him greater recognition within the blind community. Even if it costs a bit more than he initially suspected it would, there is no excuse for the $2,000 to $5,000 average price of such technology when cheaper alternatives can be designed! He is determined to bring this to market, so let's help him do it and show our appreciation for his hard work on this life-changing project!

forbes.com/sites/kevinanderton…

#access #ACB #accessibility #affordability #blind #braille #BrailleDisplays #children #education #employment #independence #India #learning #NFB #ocr #parent #reading #science #school #students #teachers #technology #work #writing

Chapter 6 of my story, Phoenix Academy is out. Uses for girls: royalroad.com/fiction/109929/p…

#AmWriting #RoyalRoad #writing #fiction #WebStory

Here's the new chapter of my Phoenix Academy story. Eyes closed: royalroad.com/fiction/109929/p…

If you have thoughts about it, good or bad, let me know here or on RR.

#AmWriting #writing #fiction #WebStory #RoyalRoad

There goes chapter 4 of my Phoenix Academy story: Trust the system. royalroad.com/fiction/109929/p…

#AmWriting #RoyalRoad #writing #WebFiction #WebStory #fiction

Chapter 2 of my story, Phoenix Academy, is out now. The first one was just escape, the second begins to show us the strangeness: royalroad.com/fiction/109929/p…

#AmWriting #fiction #writing #WebStory

Hey, if you, like me, are a US citizen who's had your books/stories/articles stolen by Meta to train AI, you can submit your name to the class action suit using this easy contact form for one of the law firms involved:

saverilawfirm.com/meta-languag…

#ai #meta #writing

I wrote something a bit experimental. A story set in a world without planning, hierarchy, coercion; where decisions are made in the moment. It's a little weird, but someone may like it.

Silly fixer: modulus.isonomia.net/writing/s…

#writing #fiction #story

Several great resources for accessibility / inclusive writing:

webaim.org/techniques/writing/
webaim.org/techniques/alttext/
w3.org/WAI/tips/writing/
uidaho.edu/brand/print-digital…
bristol.ac.uk/style-guides/wri…

#a11y #writing #webcontent #tips

Writing for Web Accessibility – Tips for Getting Started

Summary

^{W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) (Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI))}

There are so many words missing from #Emacs's iSpell dictionary that I feel like I'm being constantly gaslit.

"That's not a word." "That's not how you spell that."

Just now it was "smattered" As in "her skin was smattered with freckles"

Fucking A. As I type this even macOS doesn't think it's a word despite the fact that it's in the dictionary app that ships with the system.

#Writing

My favourite part of this interview? Hmmm...maybe this?

Vikander: What did you learn about craft while writing this, your first book?

De Garis: Craft is a conversation with your materials. It can’t be hurried. It requires attention, patience, and humility. Writing also taught me that craft resists capitalism—not just in theory but in practice. Eighteen months of work for £1250 made that point clearer than any philosophical argument.

kristie-de-garis.ghost.io/inte…

#Writing #Scotland #Books #Author

Call for Proposals: New short fiction – Applied African Speculative Fiction
appliedafricansf.com/2025/02/0…

#writing #amwriting #amwritingsf

Call for Proposals: New short fiction

Applied African Science Fiction (SF) is a project funded by Imperial College London that, together in collaboration with the University of Nairobi, the African Speculative Fiction Society, Vector a…

^{Applied African Speculative Fiction}

google’s latest fuckery: if you write online, read this

The Google app for iOS now adds THEIR links to YOUR posts from YOUR website unless you opt-out.

Their links lead people away from your site and back to Google. Because that’s definitely what you want, right? That’s why you have a blog or portal or web site or whatever. You want people to leave your site and go back to Google.

Oh, it’s not?

If you don’t like it, you can “Opt out.” Opting out is a pain in the ass. Here’s where you go to do it. You have to enter every variation of each of your domains or it won’t work. It will take up to 30 days, during which time Google will continue to pollute your work and your writing and your website with their modifications and their added links to take people away from your site and back to themselves.

For example, here’s the list of what I need to opt-out just for this one blog:
solarbird.nethttp://solarbird.nethttps://solarbird.netwww.solarbird.nethttp://www.solarbird.nethttps://www.solarbird.netweb.solarbird.nethttp://web.solarbird.nethttps://web.solarbird.net
Yes, you explicitly have to file no prefix, http:, and https: variants separately. They say so.

Making it difficult like this is 100% intentional and entirely designed to make it as annoying as possible, and also, to make sure you slip up if at all possible and forget one or more combinations.

(Tho’ I am just going to depreciate web. as a prefix right now, to bring down the load a little. Still gonna list ’em, though, because spite is why.)

Right now it’s only in the Google app for iOS and it’s probably a test to see whether they can get away with it without complaint, and how much revenue it generates. Let’s make that a combination of no and as close to zero as possible. Because otherwise they’ll roll it out everywhere, and probably derank you if you don’t go along.

Fucking hell, Google. Fuck you. Just… fuck you.

#art #t0000000000bs_ #writing

Opt out from Page Annotation in Google App browser for iOS

To opt out of this annotation feature for pages , fill out the following fields. The Page Annotation feature triggered on your site will be disabled within 30 days after you submitting this form. You only need to submit it once.

^{Google Docs}

My new narrated audio fiction project An Invisible Sun launches on August 1st!

Go to invisiblesunpod.com to hear the teaser, subscribe on your fav pod app, and get more information!

But if you can't wait, members of my Patreon can hear the episodes early and ad-free! patreon.com/wkeithtims

I hope you'll listen!

#audiodrama #audiofiction #fiction #podcast #fictionpodcast #sff #specfic #writingcommunity #writing #indie

Your characters realise they have been working for the bad guy all along.

#WritingPrompt #AmWriting #writing #ttrpg #dnd #authodons

April 1, and sadly not a joke: Dictionary.com and Thesaurus.com get acquired:
finance.yahoo.com/news/ixl-lea…

April 12: The entire team of lexicographers at Dictionary.com gets laid off.
bsky.app/profile/korystamper.b…

#dictionaries #writing #words

VocalEye Almost Live host Amy Amantea is joined by blind, gay, disabled author of fiction and non-fiction, Robert Kingett.

Robert returns to the Almost Live space to share a sampling of his own short stories from a variety of genres including romance, sci-fi and fantasy.

0:00 -- Title card intro
1:10 -- Land Acknowledgement
4:20 -- Pre-show Introduction with Amy and Fiona
13:50 -- Pointy Chances
43:39 -- A Deserving Conference
1:22:53 -- Super Date
1:49:50 -- Conversation and Q&A with Amy and Robert

If you enjoyed this video, please Like and Subscribe.
Buy Amy a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/vocaleye
Make a donation: canadahelps.org/en/charities/v…

For more information on Robert Kingett, visit:
robertkingett.com

For more information on events and programs from VocalEye, visit: vocaleye.ca/