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A Small Refinement to iOS 18 Audio Ducking

A few months ago, I wrote about audio ducking in iOS 18. Since the initial release came out, there has been a small refinement to what I originally described.

The ducking choices themselves remain the same: off, when speaking and always. The ducking amount, however, has been moved to a separate setting by the name of Ducking Amount that you can add to the VoiceOver rotor.

To find this setting, open Settings, Accessibility, VoiceOver, Rotor Items and add Ducking Amount.

The Ducking Amount setting allows you to adjust the amount from zero to 100 percent. This is far less confusing than having this controlled by setting volume percentages of greater than 100, as it used to work.

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A Nice Enhancement for Voice Access on Windows

As a matter of choice, not necessity, I try from time to time to use the various speech and voice input systems in operating systems. My ideal scenario is still to be able to use the computer by voice entirely as well as running a screen meter. I’ve not found a reliable solution as of yet that meets my needs completely.

I know there are combinations of solutions that have made great strides in this area largely using Dragon products and screen readers but as the basis of what I use, I try to use either Voice Access on windows or Voice Control on the Mac. Both platforms also have solutions, as I expect many know, for strictly text input.

I no longer recall how long ago this was but the Voice Access product on Windows did make one change that helps with using screen readers. As a start, Voice Access produces notifications of what Voice Access has heard so that screen readers can echo this back. It is fairly basic and in need of much refinement  it’s at least a start.

I am mentioning this here because in trying voice access this week, I noticed a change that is another step in helping Improve the experience. I do not know when this change was made to be clear. It is just that I noticed it this week. I also run Insider builds of Windows so if this does not work for you, that may be why.

When you’re trying to control the computer by voice, it is common to issue commands such as click and then an item that you want to activate. The challenge becomes that if there is more than 1 item with the same name, you are usually presented some experience to disambiguate what you want to click on.

When I first tried voice access, to the best of my recollection, the experience of identifying what you wanted to activate was not usable with a screen reader. It has been enhanced a bit so that now when that list of choices comes up, the list of choices is echoed back similar to how what Voice Access heard is repeated. Again this needs extensive refinement because it is kind of like a one time listen or read and Braille experience with no way to have the list repeated, step through the list in item at a time or otherwise understand what was said.

As an example of using the feature to identify what I want to click, here was what was read when I asked for the word paste to be clicked.

click paste. Which one?
There are 2 options available. (1) Paste, (2) Paste

Here is another example when I said “click login” on the Fidelity home page.

Click login. Which one?
There are 2 options available. (1) LOG IN, (2) Open login link

It is also worth noting that these disambiguation choices if using Braille appear as flash messages. For those unfamiliar with how Braille displays and screen readers work, this means that the messages stick around for a set period of time and then disappear from the display.

. Here is one last example when I tried to activate the OK button with my voice after running a spell check on an email message. Note, I intentionally replaced the actual email address with email@provider.com.

Click ok. Which one?
There are 2 options available. (1) OK, (2) Sent – email@provider.com – Outlook – 2 running windows

The experiences I’ve described work independent of what screen reader is being used.

Again this experience overall of using the computer with a screen reader and voice on Windows as far from finished. In fact one of the key experiences for correcting words that have not been recognized correctly does not work at all with screen readers. Voice access in fact gives the following notification when you try and correct something and a screen reader is running:

Alert: This experience is not optimized for use with screen readers. Say “Cancel” to exit.

Microsoft has a document on using Voice Access in general. If they have screen reader-specific documentation, I wasn’t able to find it.

If you do try Voice Access, two important hotkeys to know are Alt+Shift+b for toggling the microphone between sleep and awake and Alt+shift+c for toggling the Microphone off and on. When sleeping, the microphone remains on to listen for certain words. See the support article or say, “what can I say,” when Voice Access is running for a full list of commands.

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Command Customization in Mac OS 15 with VoiceOver

One of the larger changes I’ve encountered in the Mac OS 15 betas is not immediately obvious unless you know to hunt for it. The VoiceOver Commanders item within VoiceOver Settings has been replaced with an item named Commands. But this is far more than just the renaming of the same old controls.

The various tabs for the different commanders such as Numpad and Trackpad have been replaced with check boxes to turn control on or off with each of those items as well as the Option key. Again none of this is new, just a bit of a different way to turn things on or off.

However, move past all those check boxes and you’ll find the new and powerful ability to customize VoiceOver commands. First off is a set of radio buttons to choose if you want to control VoiceOver with Built-In commands or Custom commands. Choose built-in and VoiceOver works the way it always has. Pick Custom commands and that’s where the power for customization appears.

An edit button becomes enabled and activating that you can customize more than 350 VoiceOver commands.

For each command the customization options are wide-ranging. You can capture a keyboard command, assign a trackpad gesture, assign a numpad command, assign a QuickNav gesture and an option key command.

Choices within the dialog allow you to filter the command list by the areas you’d expect including tables, text, information and the remaining VoiceOver command areas that appear when you bring up the VoiceOver command list. You can also filter based on the different command types, such as trackpad, numpad, assigned commands, unassigned commands, commands that are not able to be changed and more.

Using all of this is quite straight forward and a welcome enhancement for VoiceOver.

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Using Rufus to Install Windows 11 on Unsupported Hardware

If you are not comfortable tinkering with your OS install and potential consequences, please ignore the rest of this post.

I have a range of computers I use, several of which do not meet the official hardware requirements to run Windows 11. Most notably, they either do not support what is known as Secure Boot and or do not have a TPM 2.0 chip. Every few months I see another mainstream publication write an article about how to install Windows 11 on such hardware. These all basically say the same thing, go set a few registry keys and run Windows setup. Sometimes this has worked for me and sometimes not.

Recently I tried what has proven for me to be the most reliable and easiest option here. This involves using an open-source program called Rufus to create a bootable USB drive. Note, even though you are creating a bootable drive, you do not have to boot off the drive. You simply need to run the setup off the created drive.

Rufus can be downloaded from https://rufus.ie/en/

Take note, use the download links within the table of product versions. The other download links are for different ads on the site as near as I can tell.

The author of Rufus has an extensive FAQ on Rufus at https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/wiki/FAQ.

In addition to downloading Rufus, you’ll want to download an ISO file. Windows 11 ISO files can be downloaded from https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11

Locate the heading that says, “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices” and then download the ISO file.

Once you have these two downloads, run Rufus, ensure you’ve selected a USB drive and the ISO file from within Rufus and choose to start. Another dialog will come up with various setup options including a check box to bypass the Windows 11 hardware requirements. This is checked by default. Start the USB creation process at this point.

Once your USB drive is created, open it from within Windows and run Setup. Again, you should not need to boot off the USB drive. Finish setup and your OS will be updated.

Within Rufus as I mentioned you can select an ISO file. Although it isn’t announced as a split button, the select button here does support that functionality. Instead of pressing space or enter, press Alt+Down arrow and you can choose between select and download. If you do not have an ISO file, arrow down to download and press enter. You’ll return to the same button but this time it will be named download. Now press space or enter.

You are then given choices for Windows version, edition, and language. Each of these are separate selections where you pick from a list, choose continue and advance to the next choice. Eventually you reach the standard file save as dialog.

Note, although this process will update your computer to a released Windows 11 version, if you try and take actions such as joining the Insider program, the hardware checks for those installs will still fail. Additionally, the process of creating a bootable USB drive from a Windows Insider ISO is not supported by Rufus. You can create the drive, but it too will fail hardware checks. The Rufus FAQ clearly says insider ISOs are not supported.

As far as I can tell, if you put your machine into this sort of a state, Windows updates for security and such appear to download properly. I suspect when the next official OS release happens, that install will not work and you’ll need to update through another Rufus-created bootable USB.

Finally, although I’ve outlined using Rufus for Windows 11, it supports creation of more than just a bootable Windows USB drive. You can explore other options from within the program.

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The Text of The Section 508 Refresh Act of 2024

In late July, Senator Bob Casey introduced the Section 508 Refresh Act of 2024. The text of the law has not been published online as far as I can find. The senator’s office sent me a PDF of the proposed legislation and I’m sharing it here with their permission.

I’m told the bill text should show up as S.4766 at https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4766/text?s=8&r=16 but that there can be a backlog for legislation to show up here.

In an election year I don’t know how much traction a bill like this is going to receive but some of the accountability requirements proposed are stronger than I’ve seen before.

Section 7 of the legislation outlines the procurement process requirements. They include:

  • 30 days for an agency to report a violation of Section 508 from the time they are notified.
  • Mandatory civil penalties for delivering technology that violates Section 508 that is not less than 3 percent of the contract value.
  • A requirement that Section 508 defects be addressed within six months of being reported or the vendor faces termination of the entire contract.

There is much more in the legislation and I’m sure policy and legal experts will have more analysis in the coming months. This though is long overdue legislation in my opinion.

Any factual errors in this posting about requirements are my error. I’ve made every attempt to summarize what I’ve read correctly but please review the actual document.

If you are reading this document with a screen reader, I’ve found it reads more accurately in the full Adobe software then the PDF interpretations in Edge or Chrome.

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Be My AI in the Clouds

Be My AI in the Clouds

Although it has been close to 40 years now, there was a time when I had enough vision to see the sky and the color and shape of clouds. I’ve been intrigued by trying Be My AI on pictures of the sky because I guess I still have memory of the different colors and shapes clouds can take.

Here is the result of one such exploration. Assuming the descriptions are accurate, the level of detail you can get is fascinating.

The accuracy of how to complete tasks, such as saving the full text chat and picture do need improvement. The current instructions from within the overall Be My Eyes app simply do not work.

Note: I recognize a blog post focusing on an image without that image is a bit empty. Unfortunately, a phone change and some editing seems to have lost the original picture.

Be My AI: The picture you’ve shared is of a beautiful sky. The sky is a light blue color and there are fluffy white clouds scattered throughout. The clouds vary in size and shape, some are wispy while others are more dense. The sunlight is subtly shining through the clouds, giving the sky a serene and peaceful appearance.

Kelly: Give me as much detail as you can about the shapes, sizes and colors of the clouds.

Be My AI: Certainly! In the picture, the clouds are predominantly white with varying shades of gray due to the shadows. There are several clusters of clouds. On the top left, there is a cluster of clouds that are wispy and spread out, resembling cotton candy. They are medium in size and have a slightly irregular shape.

Towards the center, there is a small patch of clouds that are more dense and compact. They are smaller in size compared to the ones on the top left.

On the right side, there is a larger cluster of clouds that are denser and have a more defined shape. They are fluffy and have a slight billowing appearance, similar to a heap of cotton balls. The sunlight is shining from behind these clouds, giving them a soft glow around the edges.

The background sky is a light blue color which provides a beautiful contrast to the white clouds. The overall scene is very calming and picturesque.

Kelly: I’d like to know more about the precise shapes of the clouds.

Be My AI: Certainly! The clouds in the picture have various shapes that are not very distinct but I’ll describe them as precisely as I can:

  1. On the top left, the clouds are wispy and spread out. They somewhat resemble elongated swirls or stretched cotton. They don’t have a defined shape but are more like irregular patches.
  2. In the center, the small patch of clouds is more like a shapeless mass. It’s dense and compact, but doesn’t have a distinct shape. It’s more like a random assortment of small cloud puffs clustered together.
  3. On the right side, the larger cluster of clouds has a slightly more defined shape. One of the clouds in this cluster somewhat resembles a sideways heart or a pair of wings. The others around it are more irregular but collectively they form a billowing mass.

The shapes are not very distinct and resemble abstract forms. They are natural cloud formations, so they don’t have precise geometrical shapes.

Kelly: What percentage of the sky is blue and what percentage is covered by clouds?

Be My AI: In the picture, approximately 70% of the sky is blue, while around 30% is covered by clouds. The clouds are scattered throughout the sky in clusters, with the majority of the sky remaining clear and blue.

Kelly: Tell me about everything in the picture again giving me percentages for each cluster of cloud as far as how much of the picture they represent. Also, give me more details about the sunlight.

Be My AI: Certainly! In the picture:

  1. The top left cluster of clouds, which are wispy and spread out, covers about 10% of the picture.
  2. The small patch of clouds in the center covers approximately 5% of the picture. They are dense and compact.
  3. The larger cluster of clouds on the right side covers about 15% of the picture. These clouds are fluffy and have a slight billowing appearance.

The remaining 70% of the picture is the clear light blue sky.

Regarding the sunlight, it appears to be diffused through the clouds, especially through the larger cluster on the right. The sunlight is not directly visible, but you can see its effect as it creates a soft glow around the edges of the clouds on the right side. This gives the clouds a slightly silver lining. The light is subtle and adds a serene and peaceful atmosphere to the sky. The overall lighting in the picture is bright but not harsh.

Kelly: Tell me more about the coloring of the clouds. For example, are all the clouds colored the same or are they different shades of white? B as descriptive as possible.

Be My AI: The clouds in the picture have varying shades of white and gray.

  1. The wispy clouds in the top left are a lighter shade of white, almost blending with the blue sky. They have a very faint gray tint in some areas, likely due to shadows.
  2. The small patch of clouds in the center is a bit denser, and they are a pure white color. They appear to be slightly brighter compared to the wispy clouds on the top left.
  3. The larger cluster of clouds on the right side has the most variation in color. The edges of these clouds are bright white, likely because they are closer to the sunlight. As you move towards the center of this cluster, the clouds have shadows which give them a grayish tint. The gray is not very dark but adds depth to the clouds, making them appear more three-dimensional.

The variation in shades of white and gray in the clouds adds texture and depth to the picture, making it more visually interesting.

Kelly: Now do the same for the blue sky are there any differences you can detect in the blue?

Be My AI: In the picture, the blue sky appears to be fairly uniform in color, which is a light blue. However, there are subtle variations:

  1. Towards the top of the picture, the blue is slightly darker. It’s still a light blue, but with a hint more depth compared to the rest of the sky.
  2. As you move towards the center and bottom of the picture, the blue lightens a bit. This is likely due to the sunlight diffusing through the clouds and reflecting on the sky, giving it a slightly paler shade of blue.
  3. Near the clouds, especially the larger cluster on the right, the blue has a very slight grayish tint. This is likely because of the shadows from the clouds.

The variations are subtle and the sky predominantly appears as a calm and light blue. The slight changes in shade contribute to the serene atmosphere of the picture.

Kelly: Reviewing everything you have indicated about the picture, can you identify at least two things that you haven’t told me about?

Be My AI: Upon reviewing the description I provided earlier, it seems that I have covered the main elements of the picture which are the clouds, the sky, and the sunlight. The picture primarily focuses on the sky and clouds, and there doesn’t appear to be any other distinct elements or objects in the image. If you have any specific questions or if there’s something else you would like to know about the picture, please let me know and I’ll do my best to assist you. If you need further assistance, you can also press the “Call a volunteer” button for guidance.

Kelly: Is the quality of the picture suitable for sharing?

Be My AI: Yes, the quality of the picture is suitable for sharing. It’s clear and has good resolution. The colors are vibrant and the clouds are well-defined against the blue sky. It’s a beautiful and serene image that captures the natural beauty of the sky and clouds, and it would likely be appreciated by others if shared.

Kelly: How can I save the picture that started this conversation?

Be My AI: To save the picture that started this conversation on your device, you can follow these steps:

  1. If you are on a smartphone, tap and hold on the picture until a menu pops up. Select “Save Image” or “Download Image” from the menu.
  2. If you are on a computer, right-click on the picture. A menu will appear, and you can select “Save Image As…” Choose the location on your computer where you want to save it and click “Save”.

Please note that the steps might vary slightly depending on the device and browser you are using. If you need further assistance or if these steps don’t work for you, I would suggest pressing the “Call a volunteer” button for guidance.

Kelly: How do I do this with voiceover? There is no image I can tap on.

Be My AI: Using VoiceOver on an iPhone, you can save the image by following these steps:

  1. Swipe right or left to navigate through the elements on the screen until VoiceOver reads out the description or label of the image.
  2. Once you are on the image, double-tap and hold until you hear a sound indicating that additional options are available.
  3. Swipe up or down to navigate through the options and VoiceOver will read them aloud.
  4. When you hear “Save Image” or “Share Image”, double-tap the screen to select that option.

If you are using a different device or if you find these steps challenging, I would recommend pressing the “Call a volunteer” button for further assistance.

Kelly: Can I copy this entire chat instead of individual items? If so, how?

Be My AI: Yes, you can copy the entire chat. Here’s how you can do it on different devices:

On a Computer:

  1. Click anywhere inside the chat window.
  2. Press “Ctrl + A” on Windows or “Command + A” on Mac to select all the text in the chat.
  3. Press “Ctrl + C” on Windows or “Command + C” on Mac to copy the selected text.

On a Smartphone:

  1. Tap and hold on any part of the chat until a magnifier appears.
  2. Release your finger and you should see options to “Select” or “Select All”.
  3. Choose “Select All” to highlight the entire chat.
  4. Tap “Copy” to copy the text.

Once you have copied the chat, you can paste it into a text document, note, or any other application by using “Ctrl + V” on Windows, “Command + V” on Mac, or by tapping and holding in the text field on your smartphone and selecting “Paste”.

If you are using VoiceOver on iPhone:

  1. Navigate to the first message in the chat.
  2. Use the rotor action by twisting two fingers on the screen until you hear “Select”.
  3. Swipe down with one finger to select the first message

Kelly: Those instructions do not work for voiceover on the iPhone. There is no select in the rotor.

Be My AI: I apologize for the confusion. To copy the entire chat using VoiceOver on an iPhone, please follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to the first message in the chat by swiping right or left.
  2. Once you are on the first message, use the rotor action by twisting two fingers on the screen until you hear “Edit”.
  3. Swipe down with one finger until you hear “Select All”.
  4. Double-tap to select all the text in the chat.
  5. Once all the text is selected, swipe down again until you hear “Copy”.
  6. Double-tap to copy the text.

Now you can paste the copied text into a note or any other application by navigating to the text field, using the rotor action to find the “Edit” option, and then swiping down until you hear “Paste”, and double-tap to paste.

If you find these steps challenging, I would recommend pressing the “Call a volunteer” button for further assistance.

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What To Trust in AI Answers

With AI being touted repeatedly as the answer for almost anything, I tried obtaining an answer to a basic question as the U.S. reaches the 2023 4th of July holiday. My question posed to both Microsoft’s Bing and Google’s Bard:

Q: Write an article detailing the spending on fireworks in the US and break the spending down.

Below are the answers. In my opinion neither is acceptable for different reasons. Bing’s answer is incomplete on multiple fronts, such as not giving a total for the 2022 spending where it says it will be up. Additionally, the entire answer reads like what it is, which is a stitched together combination of different facts. It simply isn’t a cohesive answer.

BARD fairs a bit better but the failure for example to qualify the $70 number in one of the sentences is simply confusing. Bard says in part, “The APA estimates that Americans will purchase an average of $70 worth of fireworks this year.” Is that $70 figure per person or what?

The failure to qualify a number happens again when breaking down the spending by state. Is that again per person or what and if it is per person, how do those numbers square with the $70 number mentioned earlier.

Bing: According to the American Pyrotechnics Association, Americans spend more than $1 billion on fireworks each year. In 2022 alone, Americans spent a record amount on pyrotechnics with sales expected to hit an ‘all-time high’, with figures suggesting fireworks market should increase by $100m from last year. The annual amount that Americans spent on fireworks per person in 2021-2022 ranges between $0 and $13.36. The exact cost depends on location, show length, size of event, and type of fireworks used. I hope this helps!

BARD: Americans Spend $2.3 Billion on Fireworks Annually

July 3, 2023

(CNN) — Americans are expected to spend a record $2.3 billion on fireworks this year, according to the American Pyrotechnics Association (APA).

That’s up from $1.9 billion in 2020 and $2.2 billion in 2021. The APA attributes the increase in spending to a number of factors, including the ongoing pandemic, which has led to more people celebrating at home, and the rising popularity of backyard fireworks displays.

The majority of fireworks sales (70%) occur in the two weeks leading up to the Fourth of July. The APA estimates that Americans will purchase an average of $70 worth of fireworks this year.

The spending breaks down as follows:

Retail sales: $1.9 billion

Display fireworks: $400 million

Consumer fireworks: $1.9 billion

The top 10 states in terms of firework spending per person are:

Missouri – $20.40

Nebraska – $11.83

Kansas – $10.70

Alabama – $8.19

North Dakota – $7.50

Wyoming – $6.40

Indiana – $5.21

South Carolina – $4.71

Iowa – $4.68

Tennessee – $4.65

The APA warns that consumers should only purchase fireworks from licensed retailers and should follow all safety guidelines when using them.

“Fireworks are a fun and festive way to celebrate the Fourth of July, but it’s important to use them safely,” said Julie Heckman, executive director of the APA. “We urge consumers to only purchase fireworks from licensed retailers and to follow all safety guidelines.”

The APA also recommends that consumers never use fireworks while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

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2023 NFL Schedule in Excel

The NFL released the 2023 schedule earlier this week. I wanted a version I could use in Excel and am sharing it here. It is a slightly modified version of a file I obtained online from Draft Kings.

I made two changes to the file so it would read column headers and row headers automatically with most screen readers.

  1. I converted the grid to an actual Excel table. This adds actual column headers and should cause a screen reader to read the column header as you arrow through a row. Dates are used as the column headers.
  2. I made the first column a header column by choosing the First Column check box under Table:Design:Style Options in the Excel ribbon. This turns the left most column into a header row. Each team has a row in the grid, with their schedule then being in the columns of that row.

The end result is to me the desired reading experience. Arrow over a row and you hear the date and the opposing team for the given team row. Arrow down a column and you hear the matchups for that week.

The file is available at this location.

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VOCR Belongs in Your Mac VoiceOver Toolbox

I’m definitely late to the party on this one but recently learned about an app called VOCR. As the name implies, it adds OCR (optical character recognition) ability to VoiceOver on the Mac.

The concept behind what the app does is straight forward. Run OCR on a full window or whatever is in the VoiceOver cursor, present the to the user with commands to move around and allow mouse clicks to be issued on the items detected. The app allows for positional audio to be turned on as well, giving you a sense of where on the screen items are appearing.

I’ve been using VOCR for a couple of days now to resolve some long-standing challenges with Parallels virtualization software on the Mac and VOCR has worked flawlessly.

You can download the app from https://github.com/chigkim/VOCR. Installation details are provided on the page.

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