Steve Sawczyn

  • The Ultimate Blog Challenge for October 2022 and a brief intro

    Many of you might remember that last year, I took part in something called the Ultimate Blog Challenge, a challenge that encourages bloggers to post every day over a given month. I really enjoyed the experience which not only helped me to write more regularly, but which also gave me the opportunity to connect with other really interesting bloggers who are passionate about so many fascinating things.

    I really enjoyed participating in the challenge last year and so am excited to be participating again for the month of October. I thought Just to mix things up a little bit, I thought that this year, in addition to writing, I might also try to produce more audio content because experiencing the world through audio is something that unfortunately, many people don't really take the time to do.

    So, who am I?

    For those who don't know me, let me give you a quick intro. I'm Steve Sawczyn and I’ve worked in the accessibility field for, well, for a very long time. I was born blind and over my life, have witnessed the incredible impact technology has had on my ability, and the ability of others, to have access to information. That access to information thing is incredibly impactful, paving the way for incredible possibilities. When people have access to information, they are empowered to make informed decisions and are better able to be an active part of society. I also view accessibility as a springboard for innovation, not something that impedes progress. Indeed, many of the things we take for granted resulted from some sort of accessibility-related innovation — maybe a topic for a future article?

    So, what do I blog about? Initially, I thought my blog should have a focus, a very specific focus and accessibility should be that focus. The thing is though, while accessibility is a big part of my life, my life is far more than just accessibility. I try and blog about a myriad of topics, accessibility being a big one, but certainly not the only one. After all, the URL for my blog is Steves.life, not Steves.profession. I also love it when people take the time to comment on posts because that introduces additional perspectives into the conversation and that's something from which everyone can learn.

    In closing, whether you have followed me and this blog for quite a while, or whether you have just discovered me, I want to thank you for reading, for joining me as I attempt the Ultimate Blog Challenge and most of all, for being part of the conversation.

  • My final thoughts as I wrap up the Ultimate Blog Challenge for August, 2021

    As August draws to a close, I wanted to blog about my final thoughts regarding the Ultimate Blog Challenge. The Ultimate Blog Challenge challenges blogger to publish a new post every day for the month of August. I decided to participate in the challenge in part because of the challenge aspect itself, but also because blogging is something I love doing, but have been hesitant to actually do. I'm the type of person that will start a draft five times, finally settle on a sixth beginning, doubt myself half way through, rewrite everything and long after I've finished, wonder if what was written was actually any good.

    When I started the challenge on August 1, I was not sure if I would manage to publish a single post, let alone more than one. The first time I saw the "Your post was published successfully" message, I was absolutely in shock. The second time I saw it, I thought that it was just the initial momentum of starting the challenge, but when I saw the message for the third time, I began to think that maybe, just maybe, I could actually get thoughts out of my head and into written form without it being a huge struggle. And so the challenge progressed, one day at a time, with each day's post getting a little bit easier to write and publish. Over the course of the challenge I blogged from my computer, from my iPad, and even from my phone building confidence that I could actually do this from different devices, while using different assistive technologies, even while on the road. In addition to helping me become a more confident blogger, the challenge has enabled me to meet some great new people, to learn some great new things, and engage in some great conversation. All-in-all, this has been a wonderful experience and I'm really glad I decided to step out of my comfort zone and give it a try.

    Unfortunately, I did not publish anything for the past three days and so technically, while I have a few drafts in progress, I cannot say that I successfully blogged every day for the month of August. While I am admittedly a little disappointed in myself, I've come to realize that for me, the true challenge was not in finishing the month, but in actually beginning it. After all, if people read and find value in my posts -- or even just a little humor -- it'll be because the post is written and published, not because someone is verifying how many days in August I did or didn't write. There are no rewards for this challenge (at least none that I know of), nobody's tracking anything, it's really just a way to motivate people to get out there and blog, and to encourage bloggers and readers to connect with one another.

    Now that August, and the challenge are over, I've given a lot of thought to how I want to move forward. While I don't plan to try and publish a post every day, I've come to realize that blogging is indeed something I enjoy, and the writing/publishing process is far less scarier than it was when I began. I also continue to see the value in sharing and in conversation and to that end, I am planning to make some changes to the blog to hopefully make the process of commenting and engaging with posts a little easier. There are still many things I would like to say and many thoughts I would like to share, and so while the Ultimate Blog Challenge is at its end, my enthusiasm for continuing on my blogging journey is certainly not.

    If you're reading this post and thinking that you might like to start a blog of your own, the best advice I can give you is to go ahead and do it. There are many different blogging platforms and many tools that can be used to help with the logistics of writing and publishing (future blog post maybe?), but ultimately, as I've learned, the biggest challenge is just getting started, taking that first step and writing something down. Don't worry about if what you have to say will matter to anyone because you already know it matters to your most important reader, you. Also don't think that you have to be highly technical to write a blog, some of the coolest blogs I've come across during this challenge have been written by non-technical people on non-technical subjects and I've enjoyed reading every word. Ultimately, you have thoughts and dreams and experiences and have lived a life that is uniquely your own and blogging is a way for you to share that as only you can.

    I want to thank everyone for reading my posts, for taking the time to comment, and for offering words of encouragement along the way. To the new bloggers I've discovered throughout the challenge, I want to say how glad I am that you've been willing to share and say how much I'm looking forward to your next posts. Thank you all for reading my blog, and please stay tuned as there's much more to come.

  • Take Control of just about anything with Take Control Books

    It's so rare to find reasonably priced, easy-to-understand books dealing with anything technical, that is unless you've heard of Take Control Books. The Take Control Books team publishes books on a wide variety of Apple and non-Apple related topics, most of which are priced below $15, even less if purchased as a bundle. I love the Take Control series for a number of reasons, the biggest though is that they break topics, even complex topics such as file permissions and WIFI network configuration, down in ways that make them easy to understand. From an accessibility perspective, I love that Take Control books are offered in multiple non-DRM formats including PDF, ePub, and Mobi format which makes it easy for me to read them on just about any device I choose. Yes, they do not use DRM or copy protection because, as they put it,

    No. Our ebooks do not use copy protection because it makes life harder for everyone. So we ask a favor of our readers. If you want to share your copy of an ebook you’ve bought with a friend, please do so as you would with a physical book, meaning that if your friend uses it regularly, they should buy a copy.

    From Take Control Books FAQ: [www.takecontrolbooks.com/faq/](https://www.takecontrolbooks.com/faq/)

    While the books do often contain screen shots, there's generally enough explanation for me to follow along.

    I purchased my first Take Control book, "Take Control of Sharing Files in Leopard" (Anyone remember Mac OS Leopard?) in December, 2008. I've since purchase 31 titles since that time and have not been disappointed by a single one. I've purchased titles ranging from technical topics such as Take Control of File Sharing, Take Control of File Permissions, and Take Control of the Mac Command Line, to non-technical topics like Take Control of Booking a Cheap Airline Ticket. I always learn something new with every book, even on topics I thought I already knew a lot about, such as Siri or Apple's Calendar and Mail apps which I use heavily every day. The $15 or less -- I tend to purchase books in bundles to get the discount and also because I'm a fan -- have saved me countless hours by increasing my productivity. And speaking of productivity, if you want to "take control" of your productivity, they have a book for that too.

    I wanted to share the Take Control series with all of you because it has been an invaluable resource for me. I should probably also comment at this point that I am in no way affiliated with Take Control -- they probably have no idea who I am -- I'm just a big fan who has enjoyed the series for over 12 years. While much of their library is Apple centric, there is definitely something for everyone. If you would like to browse the Take Control Books catalog, you can do so here and of course, let me know what you think in the comments.

  • Sharing some fun piano Medleys that bring me joy

    Today I thought I would do something different and share some piano medleysthat bring me joy.

    Kurt Hugo Schneider is a composer, music producer, and director. Most of his work is on his YouTube channel

    [www.kurthugoschneider.com/about/](https://www.kurthugoschneider.com/about/)

    I discovered Kurt once while having a bad day. I was searching on YouTube, just mindlessly looking for some music to distract me and I came across Kurtz Mario medley. This was one of the coolest medleys I had heard and I don’t know how long and I was immediately hooked.

    [youtu.be/3eKxxYlHb...](https://youtu.be/3eKxxYlHbJs)

    Chopsticks is one of the songs that many people learn when they first start with the piano, but nobody plays it quite like Kurt.

    [youtu.be/QPzjHgMEN...](https://youtu.be/QPzjHgMENrc)

    And of course nothing would be complete without Happy Birthday as only Kurt could play it.

    [youtu.be/VMttvKlOj...](https://youtu.be/VMttvKlOjEg)

    I think Kurt is absolutely amazing and what he has done with music is nothing short of genius. Whether you’re having a bad day, or just enjoy piano medleys, I hope these three videos from Kurt bring a smile.

  • What should I do when I meet a blind person?

    I remember the first time I was asked this question: I was giving a presentation after which a woman approached me and asked,

    "What should I do when I meet a blind person?"

    I was totally taken aback and had no idea how to answer her question.

    "Shake their hand?", I said in a faltering voice.

    "Oh", she said as she returned to the audience.

    "I think she was looking for something more profound.", said the gentleman next to me with a chuckle.

    I really wasn't trying to be insensitive to the woman's question, but this seemed like such a silly thing at the time. I mean meeting a blind person is no different than meeting a tall person, or a person with brown hair, or anyone else. I think the question she was perhaps trying to ask without actually asking it was,

    "What should I do or avoid doing when interacting with a blind person?"

    The golden rule

    When meeting or interacting with anyone, I think the most important thing is to treat the other person in the same way we would like to be treated ourselves. We all want to be treated with dignity and respect and if we focus on those things in every interaction, the experience is more likely to be a mutually positive one. So, in every interaction with a blind person, or anyone else for that matter, think of how you would feel if roles were reversed.

    Avoid making assumptions

    Again, this isn't unique to meeting or interacting with a blind person, but whenever we make assumptions, we are apt to make the wrong one. What follows are just some assumptions about me and my blindness that I've encountered; this list grows almost daily and so these are just some off the top of my head.

    He's blind, surely he needs my help.

    This is a super common assumption and to be fair, there are some times when I really could use a person's help. But here's the thing, I can speak up and ask for help if I need it. Not only that, but if people *offer* me help, I can accept it or not. Offering help is not difficult, simply asking, "Can I offer you any assistance? would do just fine. Again, don't over-think this, just offer assistance in a way that would feel good to you if you were offered assistance in that same way.

    He's lost, I have to rescue him.

    I remember one time I was attending the annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference in San Diego when this random person came up to me, grabbed my arm, and said,

    "You seem lost, let me take you to the front desk."

    There were a few things wrong with this interaction. First, the assumption that I must be lost. To be fair, I probably did look a bit lost as I was walking around a large central area of the hotel in which the conference was taking place. The thing is, I wasn't lost at all. What I was actually doing was familiarizing myself a bit more with the hotel. While I may have looked like a Roomba as I walked slowly around this large open area, what I was actually doing was creating a mental map for myself so that I could better conceptualize my surroundings. Ironically, what I was doing was something to help ensure I wouldn't actually get lost.

    The second aspect of this interaction which resulted from a wrong assumption is that I needed to be brought to the front desk. Why? What would the front desk do that this person who was trying to be helpful couldn't do? If I truly was lost, I could have asked the person for directions to get to wherever I needed to go and, if the person couldn't help, then the front desk might have been the next logical option. Another inherent assumption here is that the person at the front desk would have had time to help me: Those folks are generally pretty busy, especially in large hotels.

    The third, and most disturbing assumption to me was that the person obviously felt that it was totally fine to just grab my arm. Far as I know, people don't just go up to other people and grab ahold of them, that's kind of creepy. I mean a subtle shoulder tap might arguably have been more acceptable, but this person held on to me as if they feared I would float off into space if they dared let go. I've had people grab my arm, my hand, my elbow, my cane, even the handle on my backpack, none of these are OK. Being blind doesn't mean I forfeit my desire for personal space. In other situations, I might have walked with this person simply by following their voice, no awkward and creepy grabbing required.

    OK, it's confession time. I hope this won't come as a shock, but I really don't have super enhanced hearing abilities, I really don't. In fact, my hearing has gotten worse over the years to the point that I sometimes use hearing aids to help me better hear in public, especially in loud situations. I think that maybe I pay attention a bit more to what I'm hearing and this might come off to some as having some sort of superpower, but reality is, I'm probably just more focused in on what I'm hearing and so I notice things that others might not.

    Here's another fun fact, I'm nut inherently a great musician. I know there have been some incredibly fantastic blind musicians, but I'm definitely not one of them. The only way I might become even moderately able to play an instrument is by practicing, not by just being blind. I've actually had people come up to me and ask what instrument I play, I feel like I'm crushing their dreams when I tell them that I don't play any.

    It's a visual world

    We all live in a visual world and the language we use every day reflects this. I'm sure many of you 'watch' TV or 'look' where you're going, or if you're in the corporate world, you might have to 'see' the big picture. It's a sight-oriented world and that's OK. What's not so OK is when people try to change their language to try and strip away any visual reference.

    "Hey Steve, did you see, um, uh, um I mean hear the game on TV?"

    "Steve, did you see that movie that just came out? Well, I guess you probably heard it, huh."

    These sorts of things just sound silly when said out loud, not to mention it's really awkward and embarrassing for the person saying them. Visual references are OK, they're part of the language we use every day and there's no need to try and change that. I actually do 'watch' TV. I also might go to 'see' a baseball game if the weather is nice. I try to 'look where I'm going' when I'm walking outside and have a 'vision' of what I hope my future will be. I understand that many people are attempting to be sensitive when using language, but there is a line between sensitivity and trying to reframe common phrases on the fly. I have a friend who is in a wheelchair and she 'runs' errands all the time. There should be no guilt or shame in natural phrases, it's OK to use them.

    Some final thoughts.

    What should you do when you meet a blind person? First and most important, think of how you would want to be treated if someone was meeting you for the first time and proceed accordingly. If you're unsure if the person needs help, or how to be of help, the best course of action is to just ask and don't assume. Over the years I've come across many articles discussing disability etiquette and while they may provide practical suggestions, I feel that these articles often serve to create a divide where one shouldn't exist.

    If this is a topic of particular interest to you, or if you have questions, please leave me a comment or contact me as I'd love to continue the conversation. Thank you for reading and hey, it's great to meet you. :)

  • My experiences and thoughts on apple's MagSafe battery pack

    Ever since Apple's announcement of MagSafe in its iPhone 12 lineup, I thought the perfect application would be to connect an external battery pack. For those unfamiliar with MagSafe, it builds on existing wireless charging technologies, but because of what I call "Apple magic", it can provide more power and hence can charge devices more quickly. MagSafe devices attach to compatible devices using very strong magnets, so strong in fact that I can lift my MagSafe charging cable off my desk just by hovering my iPhone over the end of it.

    I have always struggled with having enough iPhone battery power to get me through the day. For the past few iPhone versions, my solution has been to use Apple smart cases. These cases contain their own battery from which the iPhone gets its power; once depleted, the iPhone switches to its own battery for power. The reason this solution has worked so well for me particularly is that there is no external battery pack for me to carry around or lose, and no cables to get knotted up or otherwise be in the way. Unfortunately, Apple did not make a case for the iPhone 12 mini and as that's my current device, I've struggled to make sure my phone has enough power to get through the day.

    I thought for sure that Apple would release a MagSafe battery pack, but it wasn't until July 13, 2021 that they actually announced it. To be fair, other companies have released MagSafe compatible battery packs (more about that later), but only Apple's is MagSafe certified. This might sound like a very small thing, but there is some functionality tied into that certification that does not exist on the non-Apple alternatives.

    What I love about it

    I love the design of the MagSafe battery pack, it's sleek, it's smooth, its corners are not sharp, it fits the back of my iPhone Mini perfectly, it's everything I would expect in an Apple-designed product. Using the battery pack couldn't be easier, I just attach it magnetically to the back of my iPhone and that's it. I don't have to push a button, don't have to flip a switch, just let the magnets attach themselves and charging just happens. Because of the strong magnets, the battery pack does not come off easily, not even when removing it from a pocket or when getting jostled around in a backpack. The battery pack itself is charged with a standard lightning cable and if my phone is on it while charging, both my phone and battery pack will charge at the same time. This is fantastic for me as I can charge both overnight with the same cable and if I need to use my phone for something, it's easy for me to just pull it off the magnetic pack, use it, then drop it back on the pack to continue charging. I've saved the coolest feature for last though: Apple's battery widget shows the actual status of the battery pack in addition to the iPhone's battery and other bluetooth devices. This means I can quickly look at the widget, or even the Lock Screen, to see how much charge my battery pack actually has and whether it's charging or not. For me, this is way more accessible than the tiny lights on most battery packs which I can't see -- I always had to sort of guess how much charge my battery packs might or might not have. The MagSafe battery pack also has circuitry that adjust power levels to avoid overheating, I haven't had a problem with this, so am just taking Apple's word that this works like it's supposed to.

    What I don't love about it

    The first reason I almost didn't get Apple's MagSafe battery pack was its price. At $99, it's more expensive than alternative battery packs -- more than twice as expensive as some. For me personally, the ability to know the current status of the battery from Apple's battery widget or from the Lock Screen makes this price difference worth it, but it's still a drawback. In terms of specifications, Apple is not super transparent about how many MA the battery provides and so it's hard to make a direct comparison with other battery packs. What Apple does tell us is this:

    Up to 70% additional charge with iPhone 12 mini and MagSafe Battery Pack*

    Up to 60% additional charge with iPhone 12 and MagSafe Battery Pack*

    Up to 60% additional charge with iPhone 12 Pro and MagSafe Battery Pack*

    Up to 40% additional charge with iPhone 12 Pro Max and MagSafe Battery Pack*

    Info from Apple's MagSafe online store page

    This tells me that the battery pack does not have the ability to fully charge any of the iPhone 12 lineup, however that additional battery will likely be enough extra to get one through the day, it's certainly enough for me. That said, alternatives exist with greater power capacities and so I'm listing it as a drawback. As mentioned above, the MagSafe battery pack charges with a lightning cable, this could be a drawback if you prefer battery packs that charge with USBC cables. Actually, to add to this a bit, the MagSafe doesn't come with any charging cable at all: Most batteries have at least a cheap cable for charging, but with the MagSafe pack, you're on your own.

    Conclusion

    I really love the Apple MagSafe battery pack and am glad I purchased it. For me, it provides enough power to ensure I can get through my day while being a slim and convenient solution that I can use at home, or on the go. The strong magnets provide a very solid-feeling connection and I absolutely love being able to check my battery status from the iPhone Lock Screen or battery widget. I realize though that at the $99 price point alone, many might choose to go with alternatives to Apple's solution. Ultimately, the thing that keeps drawing me to Apple solutions is the same thing that makes me happy with the MagSafe battery pack; it's elegant and it simply just works.

    Alternative solutions

    I have not tried any of the following solutions, but have seen them mentioned in various articles and other places so thought I would list them here for anyone who might want to make their own comparisons. If you do try any of the following solutions, or if you're happy with one I haven't listed, let me know in the comments as I'd love to share it with others.

  • Hourly chimes on the Apple Watch, a little known feature, but one I absolutely love and which many people don't even know exists

    Ever since I stayed up way too late, refreshing my browser in a frantic attempt to pre-order my first Apple Watch, there is one feature that I always wanted to have: the ability for my watch to chime on the hour, every hour. Growing up, I remember everyone seemed to have a watch that could do this, even inexpensive Casio watches had the ability to beep on the hour. To be fair, the talking watches of my youth sometimes had this ability, but the hourly time announcement generally consisted of this loud bong followed by the readout of the time by an extremely loud and tinny-sounding female speech synthesizer. I'm talking seriously tinny, often I had the impression that the synthesizer was coming out of a giant can, or pipe, or from the bottom of a very deep well. I used to think that if a genie were stuck in a lamp, surely she would sound like the synthesizers in those old watches. Anyway, the point is that while the feature sometimes existed, it was anything but inconspicuous and in a room in which many watches were chiming or beeping at the top of the hour, I often found myself the object of unwanted attention. I remember one professor saying, "Well, Steve's watch is telling us that our class time is up for today.", as if 25 other beeping watches, and students putting their things away, didn't tell him the same thing.

    I received my first Apple Watch and was absolutely surprised not to find this feature. I mean this feature had been a staple of watches, even inexpensive watches, for so long, how could it not be on a device that seemingly costs more than the Gross Domestic Product of a small nation? Alas, no hourly chime was to be found. I thought for sure people would rise up in protest and the feature would be added in a software update, but watchOS 2, 3, and 4 came and went, all with no hourly chime. And, by the time three more generations of Apple Watch came out, not to mention numerous software updates, I had all but given up. And so imagine my surprise when I read an article talking about the hourly Taptic Chimes which were finally introduced in watchOs 6.

    There were many cool features introduced in watchOS 6, but the hourly chime thing was by far my favorite. I don't even really know why except, for me, there is something significant about marking the passing of an hour, there is something grounding in knowing that a new hour has begun -- maybe a microsecond of mindfulness? Apple's implementation of an hourly chime feature is very unobtrusive. Users can choose from a bird or bell sound and both sounds are played quietly and discretely. Even better, since this is a standard feature that can be enabled in all Apple watches running watchOS 6 or newer, I don't stand out like a sore thumb at the top of every hour. Apple's feature also provides "Taptic" feedback making the feature useful even when the watch sounds are muted.

    How to use the Apple Watch hourly chime feature

    Enabling the hourly chime feature on the Apple Watch is very simple, although maybe not intuitive especially if you've upgraded to watchOS 6 and beyond. Like many things Apple, there is more than one way to enable and configure this feature, this way is probably the easiest and yields more configuration options.

    1. Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
    2. Choose Accessibility. Note, you can also choose Clock, but you will have fewer options. Also, this is a great opportunity to check out accessibility settings, especially if you've never looked at them.
    3. Choose chimes.
    4. Toggle Chimes to on.
    5. Schedule is set to hourly, but you can change it to chime on the quarter and half hour if you want more microseconds of mindfulness.
    6. Sounds, birds is the default, but you can change the sound to a very quiet-sounding bell if that's more you thing. I recommend trying out both options and deciding what works best for you, birds is my favorite setting though.
    7. Press back until you're out of chimes > accessibility and then close the Watch app. You probably don't have to do this last step, but I always do just to make sure things save and sync as they're supposed to -- I'm old fashioned like that.
    Screen shot showing the chimes settings screen under accessibility
    Screen shot of chimes settings screen

    I absolutely love the hourly chime feature of the Apple Watch and am surprised more people aren't aware of it. I also like that Apple has allowed notification sounds that are specific to this feature to be chosen rather than the default notification sound that applies to all third party app notifications. For me, this little feature is a wonderful addition to my Apple Watch, it's a very small thing, but it helps to keep me grounded as I go through my day. Also, Do Not Disturb and Sleep settings are respected, so it doesn't interrupt me when sleeping, or if I have Do Not Disturb on for any other reason. I find this feature to be incredibly useful and hope others will as well.

  • Gabby's all moved in, and I'm all tired out.

    Today's post will be a short post because I'm just getting home after what has been a long and emotional day. As I've already blogged about, my daughter, Gabby, is starting at North Dakota State University and today was move-in day. In preparation for an early move-in this morning, we traveled to Fargo yesterday and, along with what seemed like half the population of North Dakota, arrived at the university just after 8:00.

    Despite all the chaos of everyone trying to figure out where to go and how to get there, the move was incredibly smooth. I was impressed that student volunteers were on-hand to help confused people like us get stuff to where it needed to go. Of course there were last minute things she absolutely needed and so again, along with what seemed to be half the population of North Dakota, we swarmed the near-by stores trying to find everything. I kind of want to apologize to the good people of Fargo, with everyone totally confused and frantically running around, they must really hate the chaos of move-in day.

    And so now I'm back home, just starting to notice that the house is a little quieter and a lot emptier. I hope she's having fun settling in, meeting new people, and beginning her own journey. I know this was a very exciting time of academic and personal growth in my own life, and I hope it will be so for her. Good luck, Gabby, I'll miss you, but am very proud of all you have done and am excited to see all you have yet to do.

  • Hello from Fargo!

    We just arrived in Fargo a little wile ago in preparation for moving our daughter, Gabby, into college. This is Gabby’s first year at North Dakota State and she is very excited. Of course we hadn’t been in Fargo for more than ten minutes before we just had to go shopping for some stuff she absolutely can’t live without. So, while she’s shopping, I thought I would write a quick blog entry.

    I’m surprised at just how many things there seem to be to do in Fargo. For example, next week is the Sister Cities Smokeout 2021.

    Baked into the heart of Moorhead and its sister city, Fargo, are the common bonds of beer-safe cooking (safely grilling food with a beer in one hand) and giving your ears equal love with great tunes. Even better is having someone else wrestle up some good meat, pour a tall one and crank up the summer’s hottest playlist. You’re invited to Sister Cities Smokeout three full days of – Hot BBQ, Live Tunes and Cold Beer.

    From Fargo current events page

    A parade more your thing? Fargo has you covered there too with The Greater Moorhead Days Parade.

    The Greater Moorhead Days Parade is back and will be better than ever! In an effort to continue to activate downtown Moorhead the Parade will be shifted to Center Ave this year. Join us as our community steps out to shine with floats and fleets from area businesses and organizations to this year’s theme: “Our Hometown- Celebrate Moorhead!”

    Events page

    And what better way to discover a city than through live music?

    Events pageH2M is proud to announce the inaugural “Live & Local” concert series taking place throughout the summer of 2021. Produced by the Downtown Community Partnership (DCP) and Jade Presents, the primary goal of this free, family-friendly series aims to encourage attendees to explore new and exciting locations around Downtown Fargo and showcase the talent we have right here in our community and region. Each live music event will feature food and beverages as well as auxiliary activities for the whole family.

    The thing I’m looking forward to the most though is Frostival, #ColdIsCool, six weeks of winter-themed events held during the coldest part of winter. While the 2022 Frostival schedule hasn’t been posted yet, check out the 2021 schedule and tell me some of these events don’t seem like a lot of fun.

    And I’ve hardly scratched the surface of the many things that seem to be going on in Fargo. The neat thing is that, at least judging by all the events, there definitely seems to be a sense of community in Fargo and being able to find and connect to community is such an important thing in my opinion. I’m really excited for Gabby because not only will she have the opportunity to have a fantastic college experience, but she’ll have the opportunity to find her own sense of community and that’s something that can benefit her throughout her life..

  • This Day in History, a really cool site I just discovered

    I wanted to share a site which I've always assumed must exist, but have never actually seen prior to today. This Day in History is a site which allows you to choose a date and see significant events that happened on that particular day. I confess I've been a bit mesmerized by this site over the past few hours, just picking various days and reading. It's really kind of fascinating to choose a significant date and read what comes up.

    For anyone who may want to use This Day in History with a screen reader, its quite doable. The currently selected date is a button, choosing that will allow the month to be changed by activating either the 'previous' or 'next' links. Once you've chosen the correct month, simply continue scrolling with the screen reader to activate the specific day. Events are structured with level 2 headings making it relatively easy to jump from event to event.

    So, if you're curious what event historical events may have happened on a particular day, This Day in History, might be worth checking out. Wish you could have a summary of the current day's historical events Emailed to you every morning? You actually can! Subscribe here to have the current day's historical events delivered directly to your inbox every morning.

    I hope others enjoy This Day in History as much as I'm enjoying it. Now that I've learned that I can get the summaries Emailed to me, I may start adding them as entries to my Day One journal just to provide some additional context for the day.

  • It's an AMA, Ask Me Anything, kind of day.

    One of the really cool things about participating in the Ultimate Blog Challenge is that I receive daily ideas about topics on which I might want to blog. The challenge doesn't require that I follow these suggestions at all, they're just ideas.

    Day 15's suggestion was a particularly interesting one: Create an AMA, Ask Me Anything kind of post. The idea is simple: invite readers to use the comments area to ask questions and then I answer those questions as replies to the comments.

    And so, in the interest of being brave and being open/curious to see where this might lead, you are invited to ask me anything. Have a question, but don't want to ask it publicly? That's perfectly fine, just ask your question via my contact form.

    Remembering Formspring

    This Ask Me Anything concept reminds me of a service that used to exist called Formspring. Formspring was a service that would allow people to ask questions anonymously. Answers to those questions would be posted, but would also be sent back to whomever asked the question. I had signed up with Formspring simply because I was curious about the service, not because I actually thought anyone would ask me anything. To my surprise, people did ask questions and the questions were not weird at all, OK some were, but most of them weren't. The anonymity of the service made it possible for people to ask questions they might not otherwise feel comfortable asking: questions about blindness, questions about how I do certain things in daily life, questions about things I had been blogging about at the time. Unfortunately, the very anonymity that was so empowering, eventually helped lead to Formspring's downfall. I found a great article answering the question of 'What happened to Formspring?' if anyone is curious. I'm sad that Formspring is gone because I never found a substitute quite as good.

    So, if there's anything you'd like to ask me, please feel free to do so either in the comments or via the contact form. I have no idea if this AMA concept will lead anywhere at all, but I'm definitely excited to see what happens and always willing to share.

  • The very unfortunate discontinuation of FlickType and some reflections on accessibility and innovation

    One of the things that most excites me about accessibility is that it has proven Time and time again to be a springboard for innovation. Speech to text, text to speech, curb cuts and ramps, the Segway, and even the typewriter keyboard are examples of how thinking about a problem from an accessibility perspective has lead to incredible innovations that we all benefit from every day. In the digital space, we see numerous accessibility-driven innovations: image/object recognition, and speech to text devices (Hey Siri!) being examples that immediately come to mind. I love innovation and love that I get to work in a field that can be a springboard for that innovation because innovation is something that can improve the world for everyone, not just for those with disabilities.

    And so it was with much sadness that I came across the following tweet earlier today:

    https://twitter.com/FlickType/status/1427292830523744257?s=20
    Tweet from FlickType

    FlickType, and its predecessor, sought to solve a very particular problem: how to type more accurately, and with more speed on a tiny screen-based keyboard such as that on iOS devices or even the Apple Watch. Their solution is both elegant and ingenious: essentially map out where the user's fingers make contact with the screen and determine what that user is trying to type regardless of whether the correct keys are actually pressed or not. Typing on a phone screen, accurately and with speed, is challenging for many people, myself included. In my case, I often attempt to type with my phone in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other and typing one-handed like this is even more challenging. Of course typing one-handed is a particular user preference of mine -- I could very theoretically put down my coffee -- but for people with the use of only one hand, that option is not available. FlickType didn't totally eliminate all challenges with on-screen typing, but the accuracy with which it predicts what the user is trying to type significantly reduced those barriers. In my mind, FlickType didn't think about what is possible, but rethought what possibility could be.

    Today's tweet from FlickType is very sad for me because it is a very modern, and for me very real, example of how accessibility can be a springboard for innovation that can improve experiences for everyone. I'm not sure what will come next for the FlickType team, but whatever they do, I hope they approach their next endeavor with the same passion, drive, and innovation with which they reinvented the experience of on-screen typing. Thank you, FlickType, for all you have done to reduce barriers, and thank you for bravely innovating to get it done.

  • Are you familiar with Penny Forward – financial guidance for people who are blind?

    Today I would like to talk about a really cool resource that I think everyone should know about, Penny Forward. I am passionate about finance and financial literacy and find it unfortunate that so many people who are blind struggle to understand and navigate this complex landscape. Penny Forward is a group devoted to trying to bridge that gap by providing accessible resources, and a community where people can connect with each other to discuss all things relating to finance. From the Penny Forward mission statement:

    Penny Forward’s mission is to help blind people build the knowledge to confidently navigate the complicated landscape of personal finance through education, mentoring, and mutual support.

    Mission statement found on Penny Forward's About page

    Penny Forward envisions a world where blind people have the financial knowledge and resources to confidently whether hard times, take advantage of rare opportunities, and more powerfully support causes they deeply care about. 

    Penny Forward's vision statement

    I've really enjoyed participating in and interacting with the Penny Forward community. I've found that a variety of financial aspects are discussed: Accessibility of financial resources, information about understanding and establishing credit, information about Able accounts and how to take advantage of them, discussions around budgeting and budgeting apps, discussions for people who are new to investing, and much much more. I've found the community to be one built on respect and comprised of people with a desire to help one another.

    In addition to the Penny Forward FaceBook group, Penny Forward has a vibrant podcast which covers an incredible amount of topics in a very easy-to-understand way. I also love that many of the podcasts focus on people with their own stories of success, success as defined by them whether that be purchasing a home, retiring, or anything else related in some way to finances. These stories help me to remember that success is really an individualized thing and that helps me better refine what success means to me personally.

    If you would like to learn more about Penny Forward, the podcast, the community, or what it's all about, check out the Penny Forward home page. I have found Penny Forward to be a fantastic community and resource and hope you will too.

  • What is your favorite season?

    I thought I'd ask a question in this blog post because I find it interesting to learn what peoples' favorite seasons are and why. My favorite season happens to be fall. No, not because pumpkin spice everything makes an appearance -- I actually don't like pumpkin spice -- but because everything feels somehow sharper, fresher, as if there's an energy as nature prepares for winter. Fall is filled with so many characteristics that I love: The sound of leaves crunching beneath my feet as I walk outside, the crisp air that doesn't seem to be able to make up its mind about whether to be cold or warm, the birds as they frantically seem to migrate south. Winters are cold here in Minnesota and it's almost as if everything around me, the trees, the birds, even the people are united in a common desire to get ready for whatever's coming.

    As I sit outside composing this blog post, I can feel, somewhere deep within me, that fall is fast approaching. It's not a chill in the air -- it's actually a balmy 72 degrees (f), 22 (C). I hear the crickets and other insects around me chirping, not a fast chirp as they do when the temperature starts to drop, but a louder chirp, as if they're asking each other, "are you ready yet?" There's a gentle breeze blowing, very gentle, but strong enough to stir the very first leaves that have begun falling from the trees in my yard. As I sense the fast approach of fall, I am filled both with excitement and sadness. Excitement because there are so many aspects of fall that I love, but sadness because it means that summer is slowly coming to an end. I think I feel it especially this year since this has been a summer of connection, connection with people and with a slowly normalizing world and I don't want those things to end.

    So, what is your favorite season? What about it makes it your favorite?

  • Why is accessibility often referred to as A11y?

    I remember the first time I came across the term 'A11y'. I had just discovered Twitter and I noticed that very often, the word accessibility was being replaced with this a11y thing. I was very confused, I mean what the heck does A11y mean and how did it come to represent accessibility?

    numeronyms

    Numeronyms are something you may not have ever heard of, but you've probably come across them without realizing it. I found some great examples on the A11Y Project of numeronyms we frequently use, such as Y2K, 24/7, or even 911. These all contain numbers, but are synonymous with other phrases. We generally know that Y2K refers to the year 2000, that 24/7 means 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 911, at least in the US, means help! But how does accessibility fit into this? Accessibility is a long word and this can be problematic, especially in the old days of Twitter when tweets were limited to a maximum of 140 characters. When we look at the word 'accessibility', we find that there are eleven letters between the 'a' and the 'y'. If we remove all those letters and substitute them with the number 11, we magically have A11y, clear as mud, right? Unfortunately, it's not always clear and for many people, including yours truly, it's confusing when first encountered. But, where space is at a premium, changing accessibility to A11y can be very useful. On Twitter -- yeah I'm kind of addicted to Twitter -- A11y is often used as a hashtag, a method for quickly finding Tweets related to a particular subject.

    It's A11y, NOT Ally!

    I remember the first time I heard the term 'ally' in reference to accessibility, it was my first day at Deque Systems. I was super excited and honored to be part of Deque's awesome team and even better for me, I joined just before Deque's annual meeting and so I got to meet my co-workers in person. At that meeting, my boss at the time was distributing these 'Ally' stickers that we could proudly display on our laptops. I had no idea what 'ally' meant, but being the new guy, I didn't want to ask what seemed like a really stupid question. Besides, I really wanted the sticker, I mean who doesn't want a really cool shiny laptop sticker? And so I got my sticker, I put it on my laptop, and six months later, I finally figured out the mystery. Apparently, the number 1 looks like a lower case 'l'. Having never read print though, this was totally not obvious to me. Once I understood that the number 1 and lower case 'l' look similar, this made total sense, but only because someone explained to this non-print reader that the number 1 and lower case 'l' look similar. Making this even more confusing, screen readers don't pronounce the word 'ally' the same way. They probably should, but sometimes, they pronounce 'ally' as 'alley' as in a path between two buildings, and those are two very different words indeed. The point is, while A11y may be confusing, using the word 'ally' could exacerbate that confusion, especially for non-print readers. As an aside, I still have that sticker and think fondly of my wonderful time at Deque whenever I come across it. :)

    So, that's the big mystery of how A11y came to represent accessibility. A11y is just one of many numeronyms, it's just not one that people use every day and so it's not readily apparent what it means. If you use 'A11y, especially in presentations, try whenever possible to also use the word accessibility, so that others make the association. And if you use the word 'ally' for 'A11y', just know that this may be confusing for people who rely on screen readers, or who do not read print. Oh, and of course, if you use 'ally', be sure to follow it up with a shiny sticker, because laptop stickers are just awesome.

  • Connections and reflections

    For today's blog entry, I wanted to try and find two words that could sum up my day and I learned that it's not really that easy to sum up an entire day in just two words. The more I thought about it, the more difficult this became. The thing is, a lot of things happened in my day and I don't think I truly realized that until I tried to sum it up. I spent time outside in my little vegetable garden, I attended meetings, did work stuff, met some co-workers for lunch, had a nice long chat with friends, had a game night with friends and family, exercised, ate some really incredible food, read articles on a variety of topics, received a package from a friend; How can that be summed up in just two words?

    For me though, one of the things about my day which has kind of been thematic is connection. I had lots of opportunities today to just connect with others and I'm truly grateful for those opportunities. I connected with some people in person, others over FaceTime, a few over Zoom, and of course there's always social media. The important thing is that with each connection, I got to be part of someone else's world and had the opportunity to let them be part of mine, even if ever so briefly. Regardless of whatever form it may take, connection is such an important thing to me, it's how I learn, it's how I share, it's how I grow. For me, connection is often my source for inspiration and motivation.

    Today, we have more options than ever before to connect with others and yet as I think about my own life, especially over this past year, I think I connect with others less often than ever before. Oh sure, I frequently have text conversations with people, and I social media a lot (can that be a verb?) and I may even call a friend from time-to-time, but today I had an opportunity to connect with two friends, in different parts of the world. We chatted for hours and it was absolutely wonderful just to catch up with each other and to learn about what has transpired in each other's lives since we last spoke. And while it was wonderful to catch up, I feel a little bad because it truly has been a while. I mean, connecting couldn't be easier and it's cheaper than ever before. And yet I know I don't connect with people, really connect, with people as often as I probably should. So that's something I'm going to definitely work on because while we have more asynchronous ways to connect than ever before, there's nothing quite as awesome as just having a good ol' conversation with friends.

  • A high-level overview and comparison of Apple's Fitness Plus and Peloton, from my perspective

    In an effort to become more fit, I've been exploring a variety of apps and services and in this post, I thought I would provide a high-level comparison of two popular options: Apple Fitness Plus and Peloton. I should note that I do not currently own any Peloton equipment, so I'm specifically comparing their streaming class offering in this post.

    As I wrote an in earlier post, I'm all about gamification as this is an incredible motivator for me. Applying this to exercise though has been a real challenge. My relationship with exercise is, well, it's complicated. Actually it's not really that complicated, it's down-right adversarial. I hate exercising, I've never enjoyed it. I know people say that exercise makes them feel alive and wonderful, but as I sit here with my feet up after having completed back-to-back bike workouts in preparation for this post, I am not among that group. That said, I know exercise is important, and I know it's essential if I am going to reach my fitness goals, not that knowing any of that helps me like exercise any better.

    Apple Fitness Plus

    I was really excited when I heard that Apple was launching their Fitness Plus service. Apple makes everything seem incredibly cool, and so I immediately wondered: Could they have somehow found a way to make that apply to exercise? In order to use Fitness Plus, you need both an iOS device and an Apple Watch. The Apple Watch part is the most important as without that, you can view the catalog of workouts, but can't participate in any of them. Signing up is incredibly easy as Fitness Plus is just a tab in the Fitness app which is pre-installed with iOS. The really cool thing with Fitness Plus is that while I'm doing a workout, your metrics such as heart rate and Apple Watch rings progress (calorie burn, exercise minutes and stand minutes) are displayed on-screen. Fitness Plus also has something called the "burn bar" which allows me to see how I stack up against others who have recently completed the same workout. This can be either motivating or discouraging, but fortunately, it can be turned off. From an accessibility perspective, Apple has really done a great job with Fitness Plus. When an instructor wants to draw attention to a particular ring, such as the exercise ring, VoiceOver automatically reads the ring's current progress. If the instructor wants to draw attention to heart rate, those numbers are also automatically announced. Most importantly, at least for me, VoiceOver reads when a timer starts and stops, along with the timer's duration, timers are used in the workouts to time all-outs, or similar intervals. I am able to find whatever data I need on-screen, but having data automatically announced when the instructor is focusing on it is really convenient. Closed captioning is also available for many, if not all of the workouts. Unfortunately, audio description is not available, so if I'm not sure how to do a particular exercise, I'm kind of stuck. That said, many of the instructors try to be descriptive which definitely helps.

    Peloton

    Until very recently, I was under the impression that in order to use any of Peloton's services, I would first need to own Peloton equipment such as their bike or treadmill. This is not true though as their streaming class offering does not require one to have Peloton equipment. Setup of the Peloton app was pretty straight-forward although I ran into a few accessibility issues during the setup process, most notably, I had a heck of a time checking the checkbox indicating that I agree with their terms of service.

    Peloton offers both live and on-demand classes which is really neat. In theory, if someone wanted to exercise with me, we could agree to both attend the same live class. While in a class, I can see who else is in the class with me (there user names, not video or anything like that) and sometimes the instructors will shout out encouragement to a specific person. I love this because it provides the feel of being in an actual class. Peloton allows me to add friends and then it's apparently possible to share workout histories with one another, in addition to participating in challenges. Since I have just very recently started trying Peloton, I do not currently have any friends on the app, so haven't gotten to play with the friend-related features yet -- I'm SteveOfMaine by the way, if anyone wants to add me. :)

    The other thing I like about Peloton is that while they offer fewer workout categories than Apple Fitness Plus, they have a more extensive library of classes, and as just mentioned, many are live. One additional feature that I particularly like is that classes can be scheduled right within the app. For me, my calendar is sacrosanct and if I schedule classes, I'm way more likely to hold myself accountable. Each class also has a difficulty rating and a brief plan of what to expect, in contrast, Apple Fitness Plus workouts are available "to all abilities with modification", whatever the heck that really means. Peloton's class description is more specific than Fitness Plus, and as someone who likes knowing what's about to happen and when, I really appreciate that.

    Summary

    I've only written a high-level comparison of Apple Fitness Plus and Peloton. There are many features of both apps which I didn't discuss and in the case of Peloton, probably many features I haven't even discovered yet. In terms of Apple Fitness Plus: I love the very tight integration with Apple Watch, I love how VoiceOver automatically announces metrics and other data when it's being focused on by the instructor, and I love that there are numerous workout categories available. In terms of Peloton: I love the social aspect of it, especially since I'm not brave enough to attend classes in person. In addition Peloton offers many challenges and the possibility to unlock achievements -- can we say gamification? Also, with Peloton, I have a better idea of how difficult a class may be and also a clearer description of exactly what will be coming up in a class and when.

    Ultimately I'm not sure which service will be best for me long-term, but I'm at least a little more excited about exercise than I was before discovering these services. As far as cost, both services are priced similarly with Apple Fitness Plus costing roughly $10/month and Peloton around $13/month. Fitness Plus is also part of Apple's Apple One bundle and I believe Peloton has different pricing if you own their equipment.

    As I'm still exploring both apps, I may have more information to share as I discover it. If there's a particular aspect you'd like me to write more about, let me know and I will certainly do my best. On that note, I should probably publish this and get to bed, after all, I'm going to need to rest up for tomorrow's workout. :)

  • Gabby's last day at work.

    Today was Gabby's last day at work. For those who don't know, Gabby is my daughter and in just ten days, she will be off to North Dakota State University where she plans to major in pediatric nursing. I'm super proud of her, she's overcome a lot of medical and other challenges to get to this point and I know that she is going to make a fantastic pediatric nurse. Gabby's passion for nursing really began because when she was going through her own medical issues, the pediatric nurses made such a difference in her life. And so today was her last day at work. She's been working at two jobs and unlike so many kids today, has been saving her money for college. I'm super proud of her, but also a bit sad that in ten short days, she'll be off to college and and whatever life holds in store for her.

    And so while she prepares to journey forth and begin living the rest of her life, I need to start figuring out what comes next for mine. It truly is amazing just how fast time flies.

    I know this blog entry is not very long, but today has been a day of reflection for me. And while I will certainly miss Gabby as she goes off to find her own path in life, I am very proud of the young woman she has become and I am excited to see how her life's story will unfold.

  • QWERKYWRITER, one of the coolest keyboards I've ever used

    Steve holding the QWERKYWRITER keyboard
    Steve holding the QWERKYWRITER keyboard

    Inspired by the classic typewriter, the QWERKYWRITEr is one of the coolest and most interesting mechanical computer keyboards I've ever used. Now, I realize that some of my readers may never have used a good ol' typewriter which is kind of sad. I mean they will never know the joy of erasing character by character, just hoping the correction ribbon hadn't run out yet. They will never understand the feelings that come after typing a masterpiece only to realize that the latest few sentences were permanently inked on the roller because the paper had run out minutes earlier. Ah, but these were the norm for those of us who used typewriters back in the day and did we complain? ... Yes, yes we did. . :)

    Typewriters weren't all struggle though, they had many advantages that one just doesn't find in most computer keyboards these days. For one thing, a typewriter was a solid, almost immoveable object. Generations of people might come and go, but the typewriter would remain where it was, impervious to it all. I used to drum my fingers on the edge of the typewriter while I pondered what I planned to write next, something that is challenging for me now that so many keyboards hardly have edges anymore. There was never any question as to whether a key was pressed hard enough or not because a hard click would signify success, almost as if the typewriter were saying, "Hey friend, I got you..". And of course there was a certain gratification that could only be realized after hammering on the return key at the end of an angry letter or memo, as if that would truly help to emphasize the point. I found out that this isn't very advisable with modern keyboards after I once hit the spacebar with a little too much vigor: The spacebar flew across the desk, a little plastic piece flew across the room, and I'm pretty sure the spring is still in orbit somewhere around the Moon.

    When I first heard about the QWERKYWRITER, I wasn't sure what to think about it. It wasn't until I listened to a wonderful podcast demo by David Woodbridge that I decided that this was something I really just had to have. The QWERKYWRITER looks and feels like a typewriter. The case is made out of solid aluminum and while it's much easier to transport than its namesake, it's still very solid. On the top of the unit, toward the back, is what looks like the old paper trays that used to collect page after page of writing. This has been repurposed into a stand that can accommodate many tablets. On the sides of the unit, again toward the back, are roller knobs, one on each side. These even have the little grooves on them, just like the knobs that were used to roll paper in or out of the typewriter. Of course these too have been made modern and functional, one serves as a volume control wheel and the other as a scroll wheel. Along the right-hand edge of the unit is a rocker-switch, yep an honest-to-goodness rocker switch that is used to turn the unit on or off. The keycaps are also very solid-feeling with a gap between the cap and the metal platform beneath the key. In order to create a similar feel to the typewriter, German engineered Cherry MX "clicky" switches  are used creating an experience that is incredibly smooth, while retaining a solid click sound as each key is pressed. And oh my gosh! I almost forgot about the cast metal return macro bar which is found along the top left-hand edge of the unit. Yep, while this bar used to advance the paper in the typewriter, it's a programmable key on the QWERKYWRITER that can be programmed to type up to fifteen characters. I have this programmed to type my name -- just type Sawczyn a few times to see why it's so incredibly handy to relegate this to a press of a lever.

    Of course there are some differences between the modern QWERKYWRITER and a typewriter, there's no 10-key number pad for instance. I know, I know, many people love their numpad, but the typewriter didn't have one either, so if they had added it, it'd kind of be cheating. The QWERKYWRITER also supports bluetooth connectivity with up to three devices, and also USB connectivity. The QWERKYWRITER does not come with a dust cover, but if you really miss that, or if you just need to have a carrying case, wrist rest, or other accessory, they have plenty available.

    Curious what the QWERKYWRITER, with its mechanical switches, return bar, and rocker-switch sounds like? I've made a brief recording.

    Sound clip of the QWERKYWRITER as recorded by Steve

    I really love this keyboard and truly appreciate having received it as a very unexpected gift. Not only is the typing experience absolutely fantastic and comfortable, but this keyboard brings back memories, memories of a time that unfortunately, many people will not be able to appreciate in quite the way I did. Sure the typewriter might be considered old fashioned these days, but for me, the typewriter opened up my entire world. The typewriter allowed me to produce documents that sighted people could read. The typewriter allowed me to write letters to friends and businesses, complete my own homework assignments independently, and so much more. Having a reminder of that on a device I get to use every day is incredibly powerful for me because it helps me realize that while technology continues to evolve, I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for the typewriter of yesterday.

  • Day One, the app that has made journaling fun for me.

    Today, I'd like to talk about Day one, a cross-platform journaling app that, for me, has made journaling a joy. Journaling is something I've done on and off throughout my life, but definitely not with any consistency. The one time I did journal regularly though was during a year I spent in Germany as an exchange student. I'm super glad I did as I was able to capture many fond memories of my time there; maybe a topic for future blog posts. Anyway, I was talking to a friend about that experience and he asked why, if I enjoyed it, didn't I continue journaling regularly? I had all kinds of excuses: not enough time, I was too tired by the end of the day, and many more.. My friend told me about Day One and as he was so passionate about it, I decided to give it a try.

    The thing I really love about Day One is that it's really a lot more than a traditional journal. Sure it's possible to write a journal entry, but it's also possible to capture audio, video, and images. There are also multiple ways to submit content to Day one: the Day One app (iOs, Android, and Apple Watch), Email, the iOS share sheet, SMS text message, even IFTTT can be used. Being able to capture all of these things in a single app makes it much easier to journal life as it happens and that's very powerful. In addition, Day One can gather data in the background such as your location, the current weather, what music you might happen to be listening to, and more. This extra data is added to a special section of the journal entry and while it might not always matter what kind of weather I'm experiencing or what music I might happen to be listening to, that extra data adds context that I probably wouldn't have added on my own.

    One of my favorite Day One features is On This Day, a feature that shows all entries that were made, well, on this day. I find that I use this feature every day before bed, just to see what I was up to on any given day, last year, two years ago, or even further back. I find it so interesting to read my perspective on things and then to think about how those perspectives have changed. This has been especially interesting as I look back at my life last year during the pandemic. Entries can also be searched by tag or location making it easy to find entries pertaining to a particular place or event.

    I'm admittedly a bit of a privacy nut and the idea of entrusting private data to any app or service was initially incredibly terrifying to me. In addition, I didn't want to invest significant time putting data into an app that I couldn't get it back out of if needed. Day One has put my fears to rest on both counts. Day One Protects journals with biometric security, end-to-end encryption, and automatic backups with the ability to export data anytime. Day One is also extremely transparent about the cryptographic methods they use and have published papers on the subject. Finally, and most important to me, Day One is very accessible and any time I've found an issue, the team has gotten it fixed extremely quickly. There's a reason they are an award-winning app and I think their commitment to accessibility helps with that.

    I realize journaling isn't everyone's thing, but especially if it's something you've never done, using Day One might make the process fun and enjoyable for you, just as it has for me. Day One is available in both a free and premium version, I think I used the free version for about an hour before deciding that the upgrade to premium was well worth it. For me, journaling has gone from something I thought I would dread doing, to something I look forward to doing and I credit Day One for making the entire process, from capturing memories to recalling them later, very easy and enjoyable.

  • A picture may be worth a thousand words, but for me, it's all about the audio

    I've always loved recording and listening to audio, ever since I received a Fisher Price tape recorder as a child. Indeed while so many people capture their world in photos, I capture mine as much as possible in audio. And just like with photos and video, evolving technology has made it easier to capture audio more easily and in much higher quality.

    Note, all of the clips in this post should be listened to while wearing headphones, you will not have the same effect if listening through speakers.

    Virtual haircut

    I'll never forget the day I learned about binaural recording. Binaural recording is a technique which allows audio to be captured in more than just stereo, it's recorded almost exactly as the listener hears it, with the audio surrounding the listener. Anyway, I first discovered this when a friend told me about this incredible video of a virtual barber shop. I listened to the video and was totally blown away by just how realistic everything sounded. For the first time, I felt like I was truly part of the audio scene, not just listening to it.

    https://youtu.be/BWKH2HRFw8E
    Virtual hair cut on YouTube

    I was absolutely blown away. I immediately thought of all the things in life I wanted to record with that same level of audio quality. I no longer just wanted to listen to recordings, I wanted those recordings to transport me back to exactly where I was when they were made. And so I set out to figure out how I might be able to do this.

    Hooke Verse

    I soon discovered Hooke Verse, a bluetooth binaural recording headset. The way it works is very simple, the headset, which is like a pair of earbuds connected to each other with a wire connects to my phone via bluetooth. Each earbud has some additional microphones, so while I'm wearing them, audio is captured in the same way my ears would capture that same audio. In addition, the microphones allow me to hear what's being recorded, so I can hear what's going on while I'm recording. I received my Hooke Verse the day before leaving for a conference and so I decided to try and record the sounds of my flight getting ready to take off. The following is an excerpt of that first recording.

    Excerpt of my first recording with Hooke Verse

    Since acquiring Hooke Verse, I've made all kinds of recordings: Christmases, my children's school concerts, audio while traveling, and so much more. It's been wonderful to be able to listen to these recordings and to experience them exactly as they were originally recorded.

    Sennheiser AMBEO

    One thing that always bothers me is being dependent on a single solution, what happens if that solution goes away? And so I wanted to find another method for making binaural recordings. Eventually, I discovered another binaural headset, the Senheiser AMBEO. While somewhat similar in earbud-type design to Hooke Verse, the main difference with the AMBEO is that it is not bluetooth. As such I need to be tethered via cable to my phone while using it. One advantage though is that I can use it to record directly in multiple iOS applications. I decided to test the AMBEO by recording a rain shower at my house (yeah, going out in the rain with new technology somehow seemed like a good idea at the time). While I'm on my covered back stoop when this recording starts, I eventually walk into the rain; listening to the audio, see if you can tell the difference.

    Recording in the rain with the AMBEO

    I love binaural recording, I think it makes audio come to life in ways never before possible. Binaural recording can also be combined with video providing a truly immersive experience. I suspect this technology will only continue to improve and as someone who loves experiencing the world through audio, I'm excited to see what comes next.

    Thank you for coming on this little audio adventure with me, I hope this has helped give you a taste of just how amazing capturing the world in audio can be.

  • For me, streaks are such a powerful motivator and I have no idea why.

    Originally, I was going to title this post, "My Thoughts On Streaking", but at the last moment, I thought that just might seriously send the wrong message and draw the wrong kind of attention. :). But I do want to talk about streaks today because I've come to recognize that for me, they're an incredible motivator and I'd really love to figure out why.

    What do I mean by streak? You've probably come across them in apps that recognize you for using them consistently. For example, yesterday, I got a notification from WordPress recognizing my 6-day streak because I've posted to my blog consistently for the past six days. But these streaks are everywhere: My journaling app, Day One, shows my current streak which is based on my writing at least one entry per day. The app I use to help me manage weight loss, Lose It!, shows a streak based on the number of days I log all my meals. And these are just two examples, my phone and digital life are filled with many many more.

    I think the first time I really started noticing and paying attention to streaks was with the old version of what is now called Swarm. Swarm is a check-in app that allows you to virtually "check in" to a location and share that check-in with your friends. I thought the idea behind this was cool because seeing the places that my friends were checking in to, gave me ideas on places I might want to visit. In fact, I've tried many restaurants and attended many events inspired by the check-ins of my friends. Swarm took this concept one step further though and made it possible for users to become a virtual mayor of a place if they had the most check-ins at that place. I absolutely loved this concept and collected many virtual mayorships; I was even the proud virtual mayor of a number of bus stops in Minneapolis at one point. And while these virtual mayorships didn't have any real value, I was absolutely hooked by the gamification of it all. In fact, I was even a tiny bit sad when my little mayorship empire was overthrown after a job change no longer necessitated my visiting my usual bus stops.

    And so I'm curious, is anyone else motivated by streaks? I mean I figure people must connect with them in some way as otherwise apps wouldn't have them, and yet, I haven't heard anyone really talking about this topic or the psychology behind it. So, what do you think, or what have your own experiences been with streaks? Let me know in the comments below. And with that, I better get this entry posted quickly, so that I hit my 7-day blogging streak. :)

  • Microsoft To Do, my current favorite app for getting things I need to do, to done.

    I've been obsessed with task management, or to-do type apps for years in an effort to keep my life running as organized and as smoothly as possible. Like most folks, I have many things going on in both my personal and professional lives, all requiring some degree of my attention and focus. Unfortunately, if left to my own devices, I frequently lose track of tasks I need to do, especially if my mind has jumped to something else. I used to consider this a personal failing of mine, but I've long made peace with the fact that where task management is concerned, relying on technology is going to work far better than relying on my brain. And so I started down the rabbit hole of trying to find the perfect task management app because surely that must exist.

    Initially I discovered -- and fell in love with -- OmniFocus, a task management app that has just about every feature one could ask for in such an app. The thing I really loved about OmniFocus is that it is very context-oriented. So, for example, let's say I have some time and I want to return phone calls, I can easily pull up those tasks, and only those tasks, that require me to use a phone to get them done. Late at night and I have time to get things done? I could pull up tasks that require Email or writing, while ignoring those tasks that require me to return phone calls. If I'm at work, I wouldn't get a reminder to take out the trash, because taking out the trash requires that I be home. And vice versa, that task to complete my time sheet wouldn't show up when I'm at home because that one requires that I be at work. I absolutely love OmniFocus for its incredibly rich features. Unfortunately for me, OmniFocus has so many powerful features that I found myself often getting lost in it. What with all the customizations and tweaks I could make to my task management workflow, I hardly had any time to actually get anything done. Certainly this isn't their fault, I just get distracted whenever there's something I can tweak or configure. The other problem that I ran into is that while OmniFocus is a wonderful solution on iOS, I'm not exclusively on iOS and so I sometimes found myself needing to work between two devices. Full disclosure, OmniFocus does have a web-based service now, but I encountered accessibility issues significant enough to impact my productivity.

    Eventually, I got around to trying Microsoft To Do, the solution that is my current favorite. While I initially dismissed To Do because it does not have all the granular context functionality of OmniFocus, I've found that the lack of some of that functionality has made it much easier for me to remain focused since there's fewer things to distract me. To Do is essentially based around task lists and if further grouping is needed, those lists can be grouped into folders. For example, I have folders for home and work. Within those folders, I have lists representing various contexts such as phone, Email, research, and other lists for specific projects. Adding a task is super simple, there's an "add a task" button toward the bottom of each list, I tap that and can just add my task. While entering the task, I also have options to set due date and to add reminders. To Do also has a list called "My Day" which is designed to show just those tasks that need to get done, well, today. To help support that, To Do can suggest tasks that should be added to this list, tasks such as any that are past due, tasks that have a due date of today, or tasks that are coming up soon. This suggestions feature is very handy because it saves me from having to go through each list individually just to find the tasks I want or need to do today. Oh, one more very small but kind of cool thing, To Do can play a ding sound when tasks are marked as complete, yay for positive reinforcement, am I right?

    I've tried To Do on multiple platforms including iOS, Mac, Windows, Android, and the web, and have found it to be a wonderful and accessible experience. While To Do doesn't have all the granular context stuff I had come to love in OmniFocus, I love that I can use it regardless of whether I'm on iOS, Windows, Android, the Mac, or even just the web. As an extra bonus, my workplace uses Microsoft OutLook and Microsoft Planner and I can manage those tasks as well in To Do. Oh, one more thing: To Do is free, totally and completely free.

    In this post I've highlighted only two of my favorite task management apps, but there are many many more out there. If you have a favorite, definitely let me know in the comments and if I haven't tried it out yet, I'd be glad to do so. For those who are thinking that a task management app might be useful, Microsoft's To Do is a great app to get you started. Microsoft To Do can be found on the iOS, Mac, Google Play, and Windows app stores, or can be accessed via the web at https://todo.microsoft.com

  • Feeling tired and uninspired, but why let that hold me back?

    OK I know that's not my best post title ever, but as the day winds down, it's a title that honestly reflects how I'm feeling. The tired thing is explainable, I've had a long work day and then I helped a friend with some technology stuff during the evening. But it's the uninspired part I want to write about today.

    Often, when I've asked people why they don't start their own blog, a common response I get is something like, "oh, nobody would be interested in anything I have to write about." This makes me sad because I firmly believe that every life contains a story and blogging is a fantastic way to tell that story. And while it would be cool to have thousands of readers -- it'd be one heck of an ego trip -- the reality is that a story does not require readership to make it valid or meaningful.

    I find inspiration in stories, I love reading about the things people do, the experiences people have, the passions that drive them. I consider it an honor when someone is willing to share their story with me because it gives me an opportunity to have a rare glimpse into their life, to learn something new, to maybe shift my own understanding or perceptions about things and that helps me grow as a person.

    So, while I might be feeling tired and uninspired, I hope that someone, somewhere, will read this and maybe be inspired to start their own blog someday. Remember, you have your own fascinating story to tell and whether you have a thousand readers or none, your story is unique in only a way that you can tell it.

    So, what to blog about? I've blogged about a variety of things such as my experiences with Android in 2016, I blogged about how I used OneNote to help me manage a medical crisis, I blogged about the first time I drank coconut milk, directly from a coconut, I blogged about my first impressions of India when I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit. I have no idea how many people read those entries -- maybe nobody -- but all of them make up just a fraction of the story that is my life. In short if you're remotely considering starting a blog, but aren't sure where to begin, don't over-think it, just write. Write about what you're doing right now. Write about what you hope to do. Write about a trip you're taking, or maybe one you've already taken. Write about something you believe in. Write about something that has meaning to you. And if you do start that blog, let me know in the comments here or on my contact form as I'd love to check it out.

  • An open thank-you to @YNAB for improving accessibility in an incredibly meaningful way..

    For years, I've been a fan of YNAB, You Need a Budget. I love the principles behind their budgeting methodology, I love the app, I love the company, I'm just a really huge fan. YNAB has helped me to pay down debt, feel more confident about where my money is coming from, and going to, and generally feel way more in control of my financial life. Unfortunately, on 07/14, I downloaded an update to YNAB's iOS app, an update that contained significant accessibility issues.

    [twitter.com/SteveOfMa...](https://twitter.com/SteveOfMaine/status/1415307175648452612)
    Tweet from Steve

    I was hurt. I was up-set. I was not sure if I had set enough money aside to cover my rent payment -- in short, it was not a very good day.

    When it comes to making products and services accessible, it's really important to understand that accessibility isn't a nice-to-have, or a feature request. This is especially true if you offer a product or service that people might depend on. Sure I could have changed to another app, but I also would likely have had to change my budgeting method to one that would align with whatever new app I had chosen. That would have been especially challenging as I couldn't put my financial life on pause while I figured it all out.

    Fortunately, the fine folks at YNAB were extremely responsive and understanding, indicating that they were already working on fixes and, more importantly, were working to ensure that issues like this wouldn't happen again.

    And so here we are, roughly three weeks later, and I again get a notification that an update to the YNAB app is available. Even better, the "What's new" section of YNAB's App Store entry mentions:

    • Two major accessibility wins:

    ◦ We made many improvements to VoiceOver interactions.

    ◦ We changed our background colors so that the Increase Contrast accessibility setting will now apply to the YNAB app and actually increase the contrast.

    What's New section in YNAB's Apple App Store entry for version 3.01

    I downloaded the app and was absolutely blown away. YNAB is now more accessible than ever, it's a complete accessibility transformation. Because of their work on accessibility, I can use the YNAB iOS app way more efficiently than ever before.

    [twitter.com/SteveOfMa...](https://twitter.com/SteveOfMaine/status/1423032166942924806)
    Steve's tweet thanking YNAB after being blown away with their 3.01 update

    So, what does all this mean? Certainly this is a win for me personally, but it goes way beyond that. By

    working to improve our approach to accessibility concerns to prevent instances like this in the future

    Mentioned by YNAB in a follow-up tweet

    YNAB has helped ensure that I remain a loyal customer: I'm happy to continue using their product, and I'm happy to continue paying for it because I feel listened to and I feel valued. And that's a big part of accessibility that often gets left out of the conversation; accessibility is about equal access to products and services, but it's also about listening to, and responding to, customer needs; and isn't that a key component of many brands? When a company values me, and goes the extra mile to show me that I am valued, they create loyalty because like most consumers, I appreciate companies and brands that appreciate me.

    So Thank you, YNAB team, for your work on accessibility over these past few weeks. Not only have you transformed your iOS app in an incredible way, but you've also demonstrated, by taking action, that you value me and others who use assistive technologies. I'm proud of the tremendous amount you've accomplished and am excited to see what comes next.

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