The first text message was sent on this day in 1992 by then a 22-year-old engineer Neil Papworth to wish "Merry Christmas" to his colleague.

"It didn't feel momentous at all. For me it was just getting my job done on the day and ensuring that our software that we'd been developing for a good year was working OK."

history.com/this-day-in-histor…

#OTD #OnThisDay #technology #history #phone #TextMessage #MerryChristmas

Long term technologies, waiting in the background

Once in a while, there is a disaster. Phone lines go out, the Internet breaks down, and mobiles don't work⁰. Then the Ham Radio Operators save the day.

Amateur radio is one of those things I'm only vaguely aware of. It chugs along in the background unnoticed. It doesn't follow the fashion of today's industry, nor does it chase growth at all costs. It is an open standard, run by a decentralised group of people rather than a corporation, and it favours relentless practicality rather than KPIs.

I love technologies like this.

The recent stratospheric rise in popularity of the QR Code is a example of where these long-term technologies work well.

I've been banging on about QR codes for over a decade - while marketers sneered and tech companies tried to usurp, QR codes kept chugging away in the background. When the pandemic hit, and people needed a way to scan in to venues or present a vaccine certificate, QR codes were ready. They were an open standard, completely decentralised, relentlessly practical, and battle tested. They were rolled out in a variety of situations.

Every contender who has come at them with a proprietary barcode has failed. And because people have had a chance to get used to QR codes, they're not seen as weird any more.

They are boring magic. Decentralised and free.

The Fediverse is similar. It powers Mastodon and other social networks. At the moment, proprietary networks like Twitter are dying and new networks like BlueSky are in their ascendency. But BSky will eventually get bought out by cryptoloons, or will shit the bed in some other spectacular fashion.

The Fediverse will have been rumbling on the the background. Slowly gathering momentum. Waiting for an implosion or emergency.

There are various other technologies like this. Built in to the fabric of online society, quietly ploughing their own furrow, increasing resilience, despite being unfashionable.

What technologies do you think are waiting to be rediscovered in times of change?

1. Sounds like fun! ↩︎

#technology

The End of MS Tag

Three years ago, I wrote about the deficiencies in Microsoft's Tag system. It was painfully obvious even then that MS had no desire to back the "standard" they'd tried to create.

^{Terence Eden’s Blog}

Mária Telkes died #OTD in 1980. She was a Hungarian-American biophysicist, engineer, & inventor who worked on solar energy technologies.

During World War II, she developed a solar water distillation device, deployed at the end of the war, which saved the lives of downed airmen and torpedoed sailors. In the 1940s she and architect Eleanor Raymond created one of the first solar-heated houses, Dover Sun House, by storing energy each day.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A1r…

#science #technology #WomenInSTEM

Super interesting fellowship for people who have been displaced and forced to migrate. The Migration + Tech Monitor is looking for fellows with lived experience to work on pressing issues in these topics. Stipend is U$30 000 for 12 months

migrationtechmonitor.com/about…

#Fellowships #Migration #Migrant #Technology

There's an interesting #accessibility webinar next Tuesday by Funka on EN301549 requirements that go beyond WCAG.

Especially relevant for public sector bodies, which must fulfil EN301549 Annex A, some of which is beyond the scope of WCAG.

Free registration: us06web.zoom.us/webinar/regist…

#accessibility #standards #ElectronicAdministration #PublicSector #technology

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: IAAP Nordic Webinar: EN301549 requirements that go beyond WCAG - 15.00-16.00 CET - 26 November 2024. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

^Zoom

Are you in Melbourne today? Come down to Statewide Vision Resource Centre in Donvale and see Sascha and Quentin, learn about what's new with NVDA, and check out everything else at SVRC's Tech Expo!

#NVDA #technology #accessibility

Interesting job, keeping old technology running.

IEEE Spectrum: What It Takes To Let People Play With the Past spectrum.ieee.org/vintage-tech #vintagecomputing #computers #technology

What It Takes To Let People Play With the Past

Libi Rose keeps obsolete technologies running at the Media Archaeology Lab

^{Stephen Cass (IEEE Spectrum)}

I can't even find the words. Like, just stop being weird to women.

#tech #infosec #technology

Congratulations to our newest NVDA Certified Expert, Victor-Daniel Dima!

If you'd like to become an NVDA Certified Expert, you can sit the exam for FREE here: certification.nvaccess.org/

(There is a cost to receive the certificate, with all money helping keep NVDA free for all!)

#NVDA #NVDAsr #ScreenReader #Accessibility #Certification #Qualification #Study #AmStudying #Exam #Leadership #Technology

Accessibility is not a loud, one-time event; it's a quiet revolution. It's also isn't about quick fixes or public shaming.

it's about the power of ongoing action like watering a plant – splash it once, and you'll make a mess; nurture it daily, and you'll watch it thrive.

#Disability #HumanRights #a11y #Accessibility #SDGs #Poverty #Technology

“If the bees disappear off the surface of the globe then man would only have four years of life left. No more bees, no more pollination, no more plants, no more animals, no more man.”

#SaveTheBees #ActOnClimate #HumanRights #Technology #ClimateEmergency #Climate #nature #GreenDisability #biodiversity

Paperless-ngx is an open-source document management system that transforms your physical documents into a searchable online archive

You can either scan or upload various document formats into Paperless-ngx.

It will organise and index your scanned documents with tags, correspondents, types, and more. Your data is stored locally on your server and is never transmitted or shared ...continues

See gadgeteer.co.za/paperless-ngx-…

#archiving #documents #opensource #technology

Paperless-ngx is an open-source document management system that transforms your physical documents into a

^{Danie (GadgeteerZA)}

65% of vision impaired people are over 50 years of age, despite making up only 20% of the world's population.

Accessible technology benefits everyone. As we age vision impairment becomes more likely. NVDA's free and open-source technology ensures no one is unfairly disadvantaged because of their vision.

You can support NV Access providing accessible technology by donating:

nvaccess.org/support-us/#donat….

#Donate #NVDA #Support #Blindness #Accessibility #Technology #FOSS #SupportUs

New instance, new introduction. Hello, I am Adam from Ottawa Canada. I am a totally blind man, identifying as he/him.
My primary interests are technology and music. I was a former professional drummer, playing the bar stages of Ottawa and the ocasional out-of-town show.
I've always been rhythmical, annoying the heck out of my parents at the tendor age of four on up banging on pots, pans, spoons, and whatever else I could get my grubby little hands on.
I got my first drum kit when I was 12, back in 1999. I got a couple of upgrades over the years, and then switched to electronic kits in 2007 when I managed to save and purchase a Roland TD-12 kit with my own money. That was like buying a car for me, LOL.
I was professionally active from 2007 until 2019.
Some hearing issues with extended loudness causing anxiety and unease started my issues with playing live shows, and then COVID19 really finished that career.

I've been interested in technology from a young age as well, receiving my first electronic note taker for the blind, a Blazie Engineering Braille Lite in 1996 at the age of 9.
I then got my first computer in the summer of 1998, learned DOS, then eventually Windows 3.1, 95, and on up.
I've had many, many, many computers and other technological devices since those days, and I have done any serious compute work in Linux, where in I am mostly referring to running servers, hosting things, and distributed compute projects.
Professionally, I am currently a systems/server administrator, backend web developer, database administrator, and infrastructure administrator.
Other interests include animals, documentaries, listening to most kinds of music, having deep intellectual conversations, and pondering the meaning of life.
#Mastodon #Introduction #Ottawa #Canada #Blind #Music #Technology

🦋 If you struggle with ADHD or have your focus constantly ruined by a whirlwind of thoughts, then you probably use productivity tools that can help crush those distractions and give you some peace of mind.

Find out how you can say goodbye to those scattered thoughts by customizing the Vivaldi browser to work for your needs and preferences 👇🏻

vivaldi.com/blog/kill-distract…

#adhd #Productivity #tech #Technology #browser #vivaldi #tips #hacks

Who controls the tech stack❓

When choosing a secure solution for your data, this one of the most important questions❗

Here's why: ➡️ tuta.com/blog/what-is-a-tech-s…

#security #technology #opensource #foss

Top Tech Tidbits for Thursday, May 2, 2024 - Volume 961
toptechtidbits.com/tidbits2024…

The Week's News in Access Technology
A Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. Publication
#news #technology #accessibility #a11y #disability #blind #deaf #deafblind #toptechtidbits

Top Tech Tidbits. The world's #1 online resource for current news and trends in access technology.

Subscribers: 17,060 Opt-In Subscribers were sent this issue via email. 170 Premium Subscribers were sent this issue via email.

All of a sudden it starts raining handmaids in handcuffs:

erosblog.com/2024/04/06/its-ra…

#Facism #Handmaids #HandmaidsTale #Privacy #ReproductiveRights #BurnThePatriarchy #Technology #Patriarchy #Christofacism #Christianity #Ovulation #OvulationTracker #Ovia #Tech #Danger #ReproductiveFreedom

Freedom in technology must include freedom from technology.

We must not create societies where the price of admission is owning a device controlled by one of two trillion-dollar US corporations.

We must safeguard people’s access to public services and the everyday necessities of life via alternate methods.

Technology should always be a progressive enhancement.

Do not let Silicon Valley privatise your access to modern life.

mastodon.ar.al/@lrvick@mastodo…

#technology #society #access #humanRights

With the launch of our new post-quantum #encryption your data will now be safe from "Harvest Now, Decrypt Later" tactics. 👨‍🌾🔓

Find out all the ways the #NSA can get at your data and how Tuta Mail protects you! 👉 tuta.com/blog/post-quantum-cry…

This approach is often taken by government agencies like the NSA or #FBI in order to decrypt encrypted messages once the #technology is available. 🕵️

AI-Weekly for Tuesday, February 27, 2024 - Volume 101
ai-weekly.ai/newsletter-02-27-…

The Week's News in Artificial Intelligence
A Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd. Publication
#ai #news #ainews #artificialintelligence #aiweekly #technology #tech #technews #techtrends #machinelearning #robotics #datascience #airesearch #futuretech

AI-Weekly. The world's #1 online resource for current news and trends in artificial intelligence.

Subscribers: 14,444 Opt-In Subscribers were sent this issue via email.

NEW: WhatsApp will soon make it possible to chat with people who use other messaging apps. It's revealed some more details on how that will work.

— Apps will need to sign an agreement with Meta, then connect to its servers.
— Meta wants people to use the Signal Protocol, but also says other encryption protocols can be used if they can meet WhatsApp's standards
— WhatsApp has been testing with Matrix in recent months, although nothing is agreed yet. Swiss app Threema says it won't become interoperable

wired.com/story/whatsapp-inter… #tech #whatsapp #dma #infosec #news #technology

WhatsApp Chats Will Soon Work With Other Encrypted Messaging Apps

New EU rules mean WhatsApp and Messenger must be interoperable with other chat apps. Here’s how that will work.

^{Matt Burgess (WIRED)}

📱 Facebook is 20. Author Jamie Bartlett investigates the new digital elite and the power of the vast platforms they control.

Gatekeepers, a new podcast on BBC Sounds bbc.in/4boLlHB

#Facebook #SocialMedia #PlatformEconomy #JamieBartlett #podcast #technology

#XMPP Community

Join the upcoming XMPP #Vision & Strategic #Workshop to discuss and understand our #community better, but also ask for your input on different topics around our federated network and #technology.

Date: Tue, 14th November 2023
Time: 6:00 - 9:00 pm UTC
Online & in English (details will follow)
Questions: xmpp.org/chat?xsf

Everyone welcome - spread the word!

#jabber #chat #rtc #standards #interoperability #standards
#federation #decentralization #OpenSource