Steve Sawczyn

  • I encounter so many inaccessible apps developed with Electron and I wonder why: Are developers limited in what they can do compared to the web? Is there automated testing that could be done, but generally isn’t? Does Electron just suck? I thought maybe it’s my choice of apps, but I’m talking about numerous apps from numerous developers, so I don’t think it’s just me, not unless I’m just really good at picking apps with poor accessibility. Ultimately, I’d like to know what advice – helpful advice – I can give to a developer if I’m told their app is built with Electron because basic web remediation advice, like labeling controls, seems to be a struggle and a half for them to implement and I’m just getting so so tired of it.

  • How many people hear about an app, get excited about the app, download the app, forget all about the app…and then, months later, get surprised to find such an awesome app in their apps list? Totally asking for a friend. ;)

  • I know it doesn’t have the same multi-modal features of Gemini and ChatGPT, but I really love using Claude for help with most tasks. Claude provides explanations such that I always come away feeling like I’ve learned something new in addition to getting something done.

  • It’s been a while since I installed Firefox on my Mac or iOS device, curious to see what has changed in terms of accessibility since I last used it.

  • Checked in at Minneapolis Convention Center Auditorium. Here for Gabby’s graduation. We’re very proud, but it’s going to be a long time before we get to the “S” section.

  • Checked in at Minneapolis Community & Technical College. Here for Gabby’s pinning ceremony, we’re so proud out her.

  • Super excited that so many individuals and organizations are celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day, #GAAD, today, but let’s not forget, there are 364 other days in the year too.

  • Checked in at G&M Restaurant. Absolutely amazing crab cakes, I now see what all the fuss is about. :)

  • Bad news: the flight I’m currently on is completely full. good news, at least according to the guy next to me: I will get my eyesight back, all I have to do is believe in Jesus… and of course die. Told him I’m fine for now, and he was like you don’t want to follow jesus? And I’m like, well, it’s more that dying thing, I mean, that could really mess up my plans for the week. I don’t think he’s very amused, although the woman behind me is laughing. 🙂

  • Checked in at Gate H13. Off to ghaltimorwh,

  • Checked in at Gai Noi

  • It strikes me as strange that there doesn’t seem to be a way to filter messages in Apple’s Messages apps. Like it should be easy to just see unread messages. I wonder if I’m missing something or if this really doesn’t exist?

  • I’m reading, “Stock Ticker History: The Rainstorm That Changed Information Forever” What a fascinating article, the ticker tape has just always been a thing, I’ve never given any thought to how it actually came to be.

  • I’m reading Your WordPress as Your Personal Mastodon Instance and this seems like almost the ideal setup for me. The thing I particularly love about this – and really wish Micro.blog would support – is the ability to use 3rd party Mastodon clients to browse and interact with the timeline.

    To be fair, my understanding is that Micro.blog has a very extensive API, so Mastodon apps like Mona, @MonaApp@mastodon.social, could potentially implement Micro.blog support. However, this approach opens up the possibility to use a number of apps without each one having to implement Micro.blog support.

    Why does this matter to me? Unfortunately, experience has shown me that accessibility comes and goes. It’s not uncommon for an app that’s totally accessible today to become inaccessible tomorrow because of some unexpected regression. For example, Facebook recently released an update which made the ability to comment on posts inaccessible. They’ve since fixed it, but commenting is kind of a major part of that platform, and suddenly not being able to do it left me, and many others, shut out.

    This isn’t a one-off issue. Amazon has occasionally broken their Kindle app in ways that have made my entire library temporarily inaccessible, and Microsoft has broken things in ways that have made it impossible for me to actually do my job for days. Fickle accessibility is unfortunately a fact of life for many of us, and despite the very best intentions of companies and developers, well, shit happens.

    This is why whenever there’s the possibility to use a service with even more apps, I fully support it. Accessibility issues aside, apps very often take different approaches to accomplishing tasks, which is often what differentiates them from one another. As an end-user, this opens up a world of possibilities because I get to choose to do things in the way that works best for me.

    To be fair to Micro.blog, while I would absolutely love the ability to use it with Mastodon clients, I recognize that this would likely involve a huge technical lift. Whereas this is possible to address in WordPress with a few plugins, a WordPress blog instance is likely used by one person while Micro.blog is a platform used by many. In addition, Micro.blog does not support certain Mastodon concepts, such as “boosting” or reposting posts. Personally, I wish this were supported as well, but I certainly respect that Micro.blog is its own platform for a reason.

    Ultimately, I know I can’t have it all, but that certainly isn’t going to stop me from wanting it.

  • Today it is 71 degrees. Tomorrow, we have a winter advisory in effect with the possibility of four inches of snow. I guess the thing is to just enjoy today and take tomorrow as it comes?

  • I don’t think I’ve used a single desktop or web app this week without needing to overcome some sort of accessibility issue. I just wonder if accessibility is getting worse across the board, or is using a Mac instead of Windows adding to the struggle? What I do know is that I just want to get things done and I’m so so tired of constantly needing to troubleshoot and find work-arounds for just about everything.

  • Checked in at Kobe Steakhouse. Great place to be celebrating a birthday. :)

  • Checked in at Northbound Smokehouse and Brewpub. Most amazing BBQ food ever :)

  • Just filed my first ever homeowners insurance claim. Who would have thought being an adult could be so much fun?

  • Hmm, I see that I have a unique “Read later” feed for my Micro.blog bookmarks, but there doesn’t seem to be a way to generate a post when I add something to bookmarks. Tried adding the feed as a source and got an error. I know there are obviously other ways to share a link as a new post, but thinking adding to Bookmarks and sharing directly, all in one step, would make things easier.

  • Last night, we discovered that our laundry room had about a quarter inch of water on the floor because our main drain somehow got clogged. I tried contacting nine different plumbing companies that offer “emergency service” only to find that all of them were booked throughout the night. Finally got someone to come this morning which was fantastic, getting estimates for cleanup and other repairs, not so fantastic. I’d say that this is a sh*tty way to begin the week, but even trying to joke about this hurts too much right now. Oh well, at least my entire weekend didn’t go down the tubes. Huh, maybe it isn’t so hard to joke about this after all.

  • Sometimes I get the craziest spam: this one is wrong on so many levels that it’s hard to know where to even begin. :)

    The United Nation Compensation Commission has decided to pay you $ 8,500,000 USD via the New Trump Administration, You are listed and approved for this payment as one of the scammed victims to be paid this amount as a Compensation from the new Trump Administration.

  • As recalls go, this one is more than just a little terrifying. Igloo recalls more than 1 million coolers over concerns about fingertip amputation

  • The more I play around with it, the more I see the appeal of @castropodcasts@mastodon.social . Being able to triage episodes seems like such a simple concept, but it’s one that I don’t think is doable with any other podcatcher.

  • Checked in at HealthPartners Corporate Building. Back at it again. Just doing the work thing. Being a partnfor for good. :)

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