A while ago I wrote about a somewhat complicated way to use Windows Quick Assist to connect to another computer for offering technical assistance that worked around the lack of audio redirection in the Quick Assist environment. That is, audio playing on the remote computer wasn’t heard on the local computer. I just discovered that audio redirection now appears to be supported with Quick Assist. I’m still learning what’s supported here myself so if you…
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If you use a screen reader, there’s a good chance you’ve used a web technology known as a live region. The short version of what this technology does is that it allows web developers to have screen readers automatically read certain text. This might be automatic reading of chat messages in a chat environment, notification about the number of characters you’ve entered in an edit box as you type each character and much more.…
Leave a CommentI am curious about the limits programmed into the different AI technologies. Ask the new Bing to write a country song on drinking or gambling and it will happily do so. Pick another mainstay of country music, cheating on your spouse, and you are told Bing isn’t able to do that and it is a behavior that shouldn’t be romanticized. Follow up asking for a country music song on guns though and Bing blasts away…
Leave a CommentAfter a 17-year run of providing the industry leading and in many cases only example of an accessible NCAA tourney bracket, Terrill Thompson announced his retirement from the bracket business in a thoughtful blog post yesterday. Thompson has pointed bracket enthusiasts to Yahoo’s Fantasy Tourney Pick’em and indicates having ongoing discussions with Yahoo staff about accessibility. In announcing his retirement, Thompson has directed users to groups for both the Men’s and Woman’s tournaments on Yahoo’s…
Leave a CommentThe age-old debate about the glass being half empty or half full is one I’ve had many times when discussing accessibility in both my personal and professional lives. For me it is true that technology has allowed me to do things that as a child I never thought would be possible. It is also true that technology, and the lack of accessibility at times, has cost me in multiple ways. Missed professional opportunities, judgement of…
Leave a CommentThe New Bing produces some interesting results when asking the technology to write news articles. I asked for a story on a hockey victory for the Wisconsin Badgers today along with an option for a different perspective on the story. I then asked for a story explaining the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. Next I asked for predictions on the Milwaukee Brewers for the 2023 season. I closed out my use of Bing as a news…
Leave a CommentAs far as I know, this is a relatively new development. If someone knows otherwise, feel free to correct. I was recently greeted by a nice surprise when using the iOS Weather app. I opened the Map and to my surprise heard the temperatures for surrounding cities to my area. The Apple Maps experience, whether in the default Weather app or other apps where it is used, has communicated items such as cities and streets…
Leave a CommentMy wife and I have been on what I’ve called the Escape Winter tour during part of the coldest part of the year for the past few years here in Wisconsin. We tend to book properties through various services, one of which is VRBO. Little did I know that property owners can you review you as a guest through VRBO’s system. Imagine my surprise when for the first time this year in renting multiple properties…
2 CommentsToday I asked the New Bing to write a rock song on accessibility. This was pretty interesting for the result. Sent message. write a rock song about accessibility. a common rock song structure is verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge. Here is an example of a rock song I wrote using this structure: Verse 1: We live in a world that’s not made for us We face barriers every day We struggle to be heard and seen and valued We…
Leave a CommentIt is amazingly wrong that in 2023 we are still having to advocate for accessible currency in the U.S. Others have written more authoritatively on this, so I’ll just say enough already with the delays, excuses and more. The rally takes place Saturday March 10 in Washington DC and is coordinated by the American Council of the Blind. Full details are at https://acb.org/currency-rally.
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