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Apple Releases iOS 9.2 With a Number of Fixes for Blind and Low Vision Users
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Posterous will turn off on April 30
Posterous will turn off on April 30
As many know, I’ve been a fan of both Posterous and Tumblr for a number of years. Although I’ve switched back to Tumblr as my primary blogging platform of choice, Posterous added a great deal of value and I’m saddened to see it going away. After all, Posterous could be almost completely controlled via Email and what could be more simple than that?
In case anyone reading this has Posterous spaces, the article linked here describes how to backup those spaces, something that needs to be done by the end of April.
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Do blind people hallucinate on LSD? « Mind Hacks
Do blind people hallucinate on LSD? « Mind Hacks
I confess, I’ve always wondered about this, although not enough to actually try it. You’d think one of my druggy blind friends could have provided me some insight here, but alas, they’ve let me down. Thanks to @seeingwithsound , I now know the answer.
http://mindhacks.com/2009/11/18/do-blind-people-hallucinate-on-lsd/ -
Can anyone in space hear you scream? Scientists try to find out |
Can anyone in space hear you scream? Scientists try to find out |
OK, the big question I have here is: why? Also, isn’t space a vacuum and wouldn’t that prevent a scream from being heard, regardless of how loud or awful it might be?
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Braille is Not a Language | BrailleWorks Blog
Braille is Not a Language | BrailleWorks Blog
A great description of what Braille *is* and more important, what it is not. If Braille is something you’re curious about, this is worth a read.
http://www.brailleworks.com/blog/index.php/braille-is-not-a-language/
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How much data will Skype use on my phone?
How much data will Skype use on my phone?
As I’m on a very limited data plan, I’ve been hesitant to try Skype over 3G until I could figure out approximately how much of my limited data, Skype might actually use. The following article, shared by Skype Support, answers this question very well.
https://support.skype.com/en/faq/FA10853/how-much-data-will-skype-use-on-my-mobile-phone
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The tech behind Felix Baumgartner’s stratospheric skydive
The tech behind Felix Baumgartner’s stratospheric skydive
Almost as fascinating as the jump itself, the technology that made it a success is simply incredible. This has certainly been the year for science.
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/137521-the-tech-behind-felix-baumgartners-stratospheric-skydive
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Passing gas is an art and science - Salon.com
Passing gas is an art and science - Salon.com
To my surprise, this article is not only interesting, but dare I say informative?
http://www.salon.com/2012/08/23/passing_gas_is_an_art_and_science/
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Pooled mining - Bitcoin
Although the article linked below is very helpful for those trying to understand Bitcoin mining pools, I confess that trying to understand it all has left my head hurting.
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Blue Microphones Tiki a thumbdrive-sized mic for mobile recording
Blue Microphones Tiki a thumbdrive-sized mic for mobile recording
Although I’m certainly no audio professional, Blue Microphones have always sounded pretty good to me. Based on its specifications, I’m wondering how this new model will compare to the Blue Snowflake, this certainly seems more convenient for mobile recording.
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Mudder, A Mud client for the Mac with accessibility
Mudder, A Mud client for the Mac with accessibility
Ever since the evolution of VoiceOver, blind folks have been looking for accessible Mac-based MUD clients. MUDs, because of their text-based nature, tend themselves to be very accessible. Unfortunately, due to the way that VoiceOver reads application screens and terminal windows, most Mac-based MUD clients have not made for a great solution. The main problem is that VoiceOver doesn’t read new text as it presents itself within an application window, the user may review this text, but it’s not read out automatically. In the case of terminal windows, incoming text is read, however, it is interrupted with any newer incoming text meaning that Voiceover essentially interrupts itself.
This client strives to create a balance between the need to review text and having new text auto-spoken. I’m still playing around with it, but so far, i’m finding this very promising. If you’re a Mac user and are still looking for an accessible MUD client, you may want to check this out. Confused about what MUDs actually are? There’s certainly much better information out there, but in a nutshell, they’re text-based adventure type games that allow the player to play with and interact with other people in the game. Depending on how well this client works for me, I may be writing a follow-up article in the near future.
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How To Be a Genius: This Is Apple's Secret Employee Training Manual
How To Be a Genius: This Is Apple’s Secret Employee Training Manual
Having visited the Apple store many times, I was amazed to read this article as indeed, this is the type of Genius/customer interaction I’ve observed. Psychology and selling stuff have always gone hand in hand, I’m just surprised Apple have elevated it to what one might almost consider an art form.
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FAQ - Bitcoin
I am absolutely fascinated with the concept of a virtual currency.
Bitcoin is something I’ve been hearing about for quite some time, but
have never really understood. This page describes, among other things,
the theory behind bit coin and how it works. So, is anyone out there
actually using it? I would be very curious to hear about
actualexperiences. -
30 Unintentionally Inappropriate Domain Names
30 Unintentionally Inappropriate Domain Names
Laughing so hard I have tears in my eyes, a big thanks to Kerry for retweeting this.
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Facebook officially launches its App Center with access to 600 apps
Facebook officially launches its App Center with access to 600 apps
Is anyone else as unenthused about this as I am? I mean Facebook already pushes tons of stuff on its users based on what it thinks they might want (which friends they should add, which things they should buy, which lists friends should be grouped in) do we really need more? Rather than pushing even more content, I personally wish Facebook would just focus on simplifying their overly-complicated interface…. And maybe let things go for a few months without changing them.
http://9to5mac.com/2012/06/07/facebook-officially-launches-its-app-center/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed: 9To5Mac-MacAllDay (9 to 5 Mac - Apple Intelligence)
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What happens when a couple never strays more than 15 feet from each other? - Slate Magazine
What happens when a couple never strays more than 15 feet from each other? - Slate Magazine
I have to say, as crazy as this sounds, I think it would be a rather neat experiment. Of course this is just my point of view, Jenn might think of it as a cruel and inhumane torture. :)
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2008/06/on_a_short_leash.single.html
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Big River by Johnny Cash
I absolutely love this song.
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What exactly was a 'Telex' number? [
What exactly was a ‘Telex’ number? [
I used to have a telex number and was wondering what had become of the network and the many phone numbers reserved for it. I came across the above article which, if you’re interested in telex or communications in general, makes for some real interesting reading.
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BNO News to discontinue iPhone app
BNO News to discontinue iPhone app
A real shame as this was one of my favorite apps. Pity they didn’t opt to offer a subscription based service to end users, I, and I’m sure many others would have definitely paid up.
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Top 10 Facebook Fixes
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OREO & Fudge Ice Cream Cake recipe
OREO & Fudge Ice Cream Cake recipe
Yep, this would be mighty tasty right about now.
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Whistling Languages in Kuskoy, Turkey
Whistling Languages in Kuskoy, Turkey
Absolutely fascinating, I had no idea such languages existed.
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Pandora and screen reader support
Pandora and screen reader support
Pandora leaves a lot to be desired in terms of accessibility. Indeed, I can’t even log into the service from my Mac and am not sure if Windows users can interact with their vast Flash content. Interestingly enough though, Pandora does address accessibility in this FAQ page providing hot links to pages that allow a user to create new stations and change the currently playing station. Pandora also offers keyboard shortcuts which could certainly come in handy.
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7 ways to listen to Pandora without a web browser
7 ways to listen to Pandora without a web browser
Since discovering that the Pandora music service is very accessible on the iStuff earlier today, I’m now curious how to bring an accessible experience to both the Mac and Windows. Sadly, my understanding is that the Pandora web site leaves a lot to be desired in terms of accessibility. So, just what is Pandora anyway? Well, in a nutshell, you can create a station based on an artist, group of artists or song. Pandora plays something by that artist and then starts looking for tracks that are similar. As a song plays, you can give it a “thumbs up,” or a “thumbs down” essentially letting the service know how good it’s choice was. Over time, the service perfects its suggestions meaning that in the end, you hear the type of music you want to hear. And with it available via the web, via the iThings and possibly other platforms as well, you can hear what you want, virtually where you want.
For more info, check out Pandora’s web site.
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Papers, Please!
An absolutely fascinating blog discussing privacy issues and legislation.
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