tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-264501512024-02-28T08:54:28.546-08:00Mitch11's Celebration BlogAll you need is love, curiosity, and celebration!Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-82763692077963953592020-11-06T03:10:00.008-08:002020-11-06T03:56:32.475-08:00What happens when ARIA conflicts with HTML?<div style="text-align: left;">I was trying to make sense of these issues, reported in 2020 against <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/html-aria/">ARIA in HTML</a>:</div><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://github.com/w3c/html-aria/issues/225">Incorrect or confusing description of aria-required usage #225</a></li><li><a href="https://github.com/w3c/html-aria/issues/241">Other aria-* attributes which should not be allowed on HTML elements #241</a></li></ul><p></p><p>My understanding of <i>strong native semantics</i> was hand-wavy, so I scrutinized <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-1.2/">the ARIA spec</a>. It gives us an interlocking set of requirements for web authors, ARIA conformance checkers, user agents, and the host language itself (usually HTML, but could be SVG or MathML).</p><p>To help myself understand the subtleties, I reorganized and rephrased these requirements in more formal language. Words in [square brackets] are my additions, but otherwise these are direct quotes from <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/2019/WD-wai-aria-1.2-20191218/#host_general_conflict">ARIA spec 1.2 (Working Draft 18 December 2019), section 8.5, Conflicts with Host Language Semantics</a>.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">How ARIA handles conflicts with a host language</h3><h4 style="text-align: left;">The ARIA spec's requirements for a host language spec (e.g, ARIA in HTML)</h4><p>[8.5.1 Attribute Conflicts:] Host languages MUST explicitly declare where the use of WAI-ARIA attributes on each host language element conflicts with native attributes for that element.</p><p>[8.5.2 Strong Native Semantics:] Host languages MAY document features that cannot be overridden with WAI-ARIA (these are called "strong native semantics").</p><p>[8.5.3] Host languages MUST NOT declare strong native semantics that prevent use of the following ARIA features: aria-describedby, aria-label, aria-labelledby</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">An ARIA requirement for web authors</h4><p>[8.5.4] When a feature in the host language with identical role semantics and values is available, ... authors SHOULD use the host language features rather than repurpose other elements with WAI-ARIA.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">Requirements for ARIA conformance checkers</h4><p>[8.5.5 (based on 3.4):] [Conformance checkers] SHOULD include a test for [requirement 8.5.4]. [If a conformance checker detects a failure of requirement 8.5.4, it] MUST issue a warning.</p><p>[8.5.6] When [an author uses a] WAI-ARIA role ... on [an element] with strong native semantics [as specified in the host language], conformance checkers MAY signal an error or warning.</p><h4 style="text-align: left;">ARIA requirements for user agents (e.g., browsers)</h4><p>[8.5.7] Except for the cases outlined below, user agents MUST... use the WAI-ARIA semantics to define how it exposes the element to accessibility APIs, rather than using the host language semantics. [This is true even when an author incorrectly uses] a WAI-ARIA role on [an element] with strong native semantics.</p><p>[8.5.8 Attribute Conflicts (exception to 8.5.7):] When a host language declares a WAI-ARIA attribute to be in direct semantic conflict with a native attribute for a given element, user agents MUST ignore the WAI-ARIA attribute and instead use the host language attribute with the same implicit semantic.</p><p>[8.5.9 Roles Disallowed by Attribute Conflicts (exception to 8.5.7:] [When a WAI-ARIA] role requires WAI-ARIA states and properties whose [equivalent native] attributes are explicitly forbidden on the native element by the host language, [user agents are not REQUIRED to] use the semantic of the WAI-ARIA role for processing.</p><p>[8.5.10 Roles Disallowed on Permanently Presentational Elements (exception to 8.5.7):] [When a host language, such as SVG, documents strong native semantics] that cannot be overridden with WAI-ARIA [and] the native host language semantic is permanently presentational, [and an author uses] a WAI-ARIA role on [an element] with strong native semantics, user agents [are not REQUIRED to] use the value of the semantic of the WAI-ARIA role when exposing the element to accessibility APIs.</p><h3 style="text-align: left;">Examples</h3><div>Attribute conflict: <code>aria-disabled</code> conflicts with the equivalent HTML <code>disabled</code> attribute.</div><div><br /></div><div>Role disallowed by an attribute conflict: (I'm not sure about this one, looking for a good example)</div><div><br /></div><div>Strong native semantics: You can't add an ARIA role to <code><input type=password></code></div><div><h3 style="text-align: left;">Is this clear enough?</h3><p>If any of this is unclear or incorrect, please let me know and we'll figure out how to fix it. If this leads to filing <a href="https://github.com/w3c/aria/issues/">issues on the ARIA spec</a>, we can make the spec clearer for everybody.</p><p>In particular, I interpreted some parts of the spec to say that user agents are "not REQUIRED" to do certain things. The spec is unclear; t's possible that these should actually say "MUST NOT" or "MAY" instead.</p></div>Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-65971880960682014332020-08-03T11:42:00.009-07:002020-08-03T12:04:44.785-07:00First-month impressions of Germany in the time of COVID<div>It's been a month now since we moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Berlin. It's easy to read the news and compare the vastly different per capita COVID statistics by city or region or country, but it's taking me a while to get a handle on what's really going on here.</div><div><br /></div><div>Obviously Germany is mostly open. Business and schools and many organizations have been busy. I've seen this at street level both in Berlin and in Saxony.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now I'm trying to reconcile my contradictory impressions. Sometimes it seems people are following the rules quite closely, yet at other times people's safety behaviors vary rather widely.</div><div><br /></div><div>My insight today is that people aren't actually following the rules -- they're following leaders' interpretations of the rules. Whoever is in charge of a restaurant, a family gathering, or a church sets the norms and everybody else mostly follows suit. Role models are more important than signage.</div><div><br /></div><div>Meanwhile, as far as I can tell tracking and testing are strong in Germany. I hope that these assets will be enough to prevent the missteps of hyper-local leaders from triggering population-level outbreaks.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXug12BjryX9V4nEGPYD9EhutOhVMODKRjWCnYCRv7Zyrm7B3L6NDS46TTHWkVoLc49d0fXAlkj3NXBCPZaFKaQ5z4RWr_8U8G5RJp_C5ZxyRgRHewreUCT3FNur4GV0Xb_BO4Kw/s1600/DSC_2412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Family of seven with small clusters of people walking across the plaza in the background" border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXug12BjryX9V4nEGPYD9EhutOhVMODKRjWCnYCRv7Zyrm7B3L6NDS46TTHWkVoLc49d0fXAlkj3NXBCPZaFKaQ5z4RWr_8U8G5RJp_C5ZxyRgRHewreUCT3FNur4GV0Xb_BO4Kw/w400-h225/DSC_2412.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div>We visited Königstein Fortress a week ago. Masks and distancing were required for all indoor areas and we saw visitors consistently following these rules.</div><div></div>Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-11178615019609503422020-07-20T03:31:00.001-07:002020-07-20T03:38:04.884-07:00My mind wanders. My mind is creative.Today after breakfast I took a walk in my Berlin neighborhood. I saw many homes, some businesses, and some public gathering places.<br />
<br />
I saw two glass collection locations, and I wondered if they would appear on a map. My first search result was <a href="https://entsorgen.org/glas/" lang="de">Glas entsorgen – Entsorgen.org</a>. The first commenter was a person with a disability seeking a pickup service for his glass recycling.<br />
<br />
This story so far portrays the tangential tendencies of my ADHD brain. Others have told this story before! Here's a fun version: <a href="https://youtu.be/8fnfeuoh4s8">Hal replacing a lightbulb (YouTube autoplay, 42 seconds)</a>.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, before I went to bed last night, I chose my goal for today: to categorize and prioritize the whole world of unsolved accessibility problems, with a focus on technology. Does that sound unrealistic? Well, I believe I can harness my creativity to tame this complexity.<br />
<br />
In fact, I can use this morning's tangential topic for my ambitious goal today. The commenter's need for a recycling pickup service is just one of our seemingly endless list of challenges in need of categorization.<br />
<br />
Tangents are good. Wandering toward a goal is called creativity.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-36836201291088854532020-07-19T03:08:00.000-07:002020-07-19T03:09:11.242-07:00My first in-person church visit in COVID-era BerlinWe visited the Lutheran church on Müllerstraße today in Zehlendorf. Today is the Sunday commemorating baptism.<br />
<br />
We sat in singles in pairs with social distance. The congregation is older than we are and equally white. A few people had evident disabilities.<br />
<br />
The pastor is engaging. His speech and movement convey energy. The sermon started with the idea of <i lang="de">Erwaehlung</i> — I tried to look it up in Google Translate, then I got Silke's help. <i lang="de">"Gott liebt mich grundlos."</i> The pastor connects the traditional Lutheran message to our contemporary world. Examples: it's a mistake to play on a computer to avoid feeling pain. He said something about #BlackLivesMatter but as a language learner I didn't understand the context. I went in with low expectations of understanding everything, then the experience beat my expectations — I understood 75% of everything spoken.<br />
<br />
<i lang="de">Du oder Sie?</i> I know we say <i lang="de">Du</i> to God. Does God say <i lang="de">Du</i> to me?<br />
<br />
The organist today played the hymns clearly and confidently — dare I say unapologetically? Back at Christ Lutheran in El Cerrito, I enjoyed each song individually, yet our alternation between musical styles would make the musical program feel slightly labored overall.<br />
<br />
I understood that the bell tower at the entrance was meant to be boldly welcoming, but for me it was oppressively loud. When we go again, I'll want to arrive early so we can be seated in the church when the bells sound.<br />
<br />
I felt welcome at this church today. I am also curious to explore other churches. After landing in Berlin this is a good moment to sample from the buffet.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-59068788302159027152020-07-17T11:34:00.002-07:002020-07-17T11:51:58.443-07:00WCAG reporting for non-web software<h4>
Are companies using WCAG for non-web software?</h4>
Short answer: Yes!<br />
<br />
<h4>
This is important for standards education.</h4>
The question came up because I <a href="https://github.com/w3c/wcag-em-report-tool/issues/348">recommended</a> that the <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/eval/report-tool/#!/">WCAG-EM Report Tool</a> not hard-code the words "websites" and "web pages" into its reports. I said the tool should also include suitable language for non-web software, such as mobile apps.<br />
<br />
Personally I've written a lot of WCAG reports in VPAT format for non-web software, but I wondered... Is this my weird specialty, or is it common?<br />
<br />
<h4>
So I asked the Internet.</h4>
I looked at the <a href="https://www.forbes.com/top-digital-companies/list/">ten biggest digital companies</a> because I had a hunch they might publish their VPAT reports online for all to see. I was right — after a few simple web searches, I found six out of ten of these large companies publishing their VPAT reports online.<br />
<br />
A few clicks later, I had the data I was looking for. <b>Five out of six</b> large technology companies have published at least one VPAT report for non-web software.<br />
<br />
I was disappointed to notice that too many of those VPAT reports were over three years old, before the <a href="https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/communications-and-it/about-the-ict-refresh">Section 508 refresh</a>, so WCAG was not yet part of the report. However, my conclusion is still valid. The moment these companies update their software conformance reports they'll have to include WCAG.<br />
<br />
<h4>
What the Internet told me</h4>
Apple - yes native apps<br />
https://support.apple.com/accessibility/vpat<br />
<br />
Microsoft - yes native apps<br />
https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/industry-blog/government/2018/09/11/accessibility-conformance-reports/<br />
<br />
Samsung - cannot determine (reports are behind login)<br />
https://www.samsung.com/us/business/solutions/industries/government/compliance-certification/<br />
<br />
Google - no native app reports found online, web only<br />
https://www.google.com/accessibility/customers-partners/<br />
<br />
AT&T - yes native apps by reference to partners<br />
https://www.business.att.com/industries/family/public-sector/vpats.html<br />
Referenced partners include:<br />
https://www.poly.com/us/en/legal/compliance/vpat<br />
https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/about/accessibility/voluntary-product-accessibility-templates.html<br />
<br />
Amazon - yes native apps (reports are behind login but the AWS VPAT page mentions one)<br />
https://aws.amazon.com/compliance/vpat/<br />
Mentions:<br />
https://aws.amazon.com/tools/aws-elasticwolf-client-console/<br />
<br />
Verizon - yes native apps (Network Manager apps)<br />
https://enterprise.verizon.com/solutions/public-sector/federal/contracts/eis/contract-info/vpat/<br />
<br />
China Mobile - n/a - no reports found online<br />
<br />
Disney - n/a - no reports found online<br />
<br />
Facebook - n/a - no reports found online<br />
https://www.facebook.com/help/273947702950567<br />
Also searched for Oculus, Instagram<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4>
More questions, more answers</h4>
Do you have a larger sample? A different approach to these questions? Let's discuss.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-90667909655946129922018-12-05T22:43:00.000-08:002018-12-05T23:42:54.073-08:00How do you pronounce the web?<p>Thank you to Irfan Ali and Janina Sajka for starting the <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/APA/task-forces/pronunciation/">Spoken Pronunciation Task Force</a> in the W3C Accessible Platform Architectures (APA) Working Group. As an accessibility professional, amateur linguist, and <a href="https://www.blogger.com/2017/10/disclosing-adhd.html">person with a cognitive disability</a>, I'm offering this blog post as a perspective and a starting point for discussion.</p>
<p>What would happen if we use lexical markup in HTML for improving pronunciation in text to speech (TTS)? Lexical markup specifies the <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lexeme">lexeme</a> of a word or phrase, not its phonemes.</p>
<ul>
<li>Lexical markup can help language learners as a basis for more efficient translation.</li>
<li>Lexical markup can help end users with cognitive disabilities through more accurate <a href="https://blog.changedyslexia.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/PhD_Thesis-Luz_Rello.pdf">presentation of lexical synonyms (PDF)</a> or conversion to <a href="https://www.ibm.com/blogs/age-and-ability/2016/09/21/simplifying-content-for-people-with-cognitive-disabilities/">simplified language</a>.</li>
<li>Existing W3C standards already offer lexical markup as a basis for pronunciation. In the <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/pronunciation-lexicon/#S4.4">Pronunciation Lexicon Specification (PLS)</a> and <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/speech-synthesis11/#S3.1.8.2">Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML)</a>, the role attribute and token element provide this capability.</li>
<li>Implementations exist which offer lexical markup as an option, such as <a href="https://docs.aws.amazon.com/polly/latest/dg/supported-ssml.html#w-tag">Amazon Polly</a>.</li>
<li>For authors, lexical specification can be simpler than phonetic specification, which encourages better quality for TTS end users. For example, consider which of these Amazon examples seems easier for authors to get right:
<p><samp>I read a lot of <w role="amazon:NN">content</w> <!-- interpret the word as a noun --></samp></p>
<p><samp>I read a lot of <phoneme alphabet="ipa" ph="ˈkɑn.tɛnt">content</phoneme> <-- use the specified IPA pronunciation (International Phonetic Alphabet) --></samp></p></li>
<li>Phonetic markup breaks regional accents in TTS, while lexical markup allows them.</li>
<li>Lexical markup makes it easier for search to match meaning.</li>
<li>Example of the last two points: An author marks up "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_Cars">Jaguar</a>" and "<a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jaguar#Pronunciation">jaguar</a>" lexically, not phonetically. TTS pronounces it correctly in both American and British English. Searches for "jaguar car" and "jaguar cat" match the right content.</li>
</ul>
<p>At the same time, the markup specification should also allow authors to express their desired pronunciation phonetically. This is important for some cases, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Where a pronunciation lexicon is not yet available, such as specialized technical vocabularies, or quotations of minority languages.</li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonce_word">Nonce words</a>.</li>
<li>Situations where precise pronunciation is more important than interoperability, such as a language comprehension test.</li>
</ul>
<p>This task force will hit an existing limitation of HTML: there's no way for authors to mark up individual words in a flat text string such as an <code>aria-label</code> value, <code>title</code> attribute value, or <code><title></code> element text. Today, this limitation prevents authors from applying a <code>lang</code> attribute to a substring. Is now the time to devise a solution in the HTML spec?</p>
<p>With the rise of <a href="https://seoexpertbrad.com/voice-search-statistics/">voice search</a> and ubiquitous <a href="https://cloud.google.com/text-to-speech/">mainstream text-to-speech</a>, accessibility specification writers will be wise to design for simultaneous benefits in mainstream voice applications. Avoiding changes to the mainstream browsing experience was a good choice for <a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/aria/">ARIA</a>, but this philosophy should not be overextended. In most cases, pronunciation goals are the same for screen readers, <a href="http://www.boundlessat.com/Learning/Reading">literacy software</a>, speech output as a mainstream feature in visual browsers, and voice-first or voice-only mainstream user agents such as smart speakers. Authors might wish to optimize speech for different use cases such as "read this text naturally for my enjoyment" and "speak all information literally," but these minor variants are not enough to justify making assistive speech pronunciation completely separate from mainstream speech pronunciation. On the contrary, if accessibility can pull in the same direction as other technology interests, then good web pronunciation won't end up isolated in an education niche.</p>
<p>I've heard concerns that standardization of pronunciation technology infrastructure could lead to (or could only succeed with) a high degree of pronunciation standardization that does not represent the diversity of real-world human speech. These concerns are valid, but not new. In traditional print dictionaries, lexicographers have always had to choose a specific midpoint between <a href="https://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2011/08/22/describe-or-prescribe-poll/">description and prescription</a>. Fortunately, the PLS standard already supports more pronunciation options than print dictionaries could, by allowing authors to choose a pronunciation lexicon appropriate for their content and audience.</p>
<ul>
<li>A highly descriptive lexicon can be derived automatically from statistical analysis of a speech performance corpus.</li>
<li>A balanced descriptive–prescriptive lexicon could be derived from community consensus sources such as Wikipedia and Wiktionary.</li>
<li>A highly prescriptive lexicon could be written as a speech output style guide for a particular context, such as a foreign language course.</li>
</ul>
<p>Likewise, TTS developers will expect the freedom to choose pronunciation lexicons that range from descriptive to prescriptive. In the future, TTS developers may want to give users a choice of lexicons along the descriptiveness range, as they already offer voice options for accent or gender. So web standards should apply the principle of "author proposes, user disposes" to the choice of lexicon.</p>
<p>Where privacy allows, speech-to-text (STT) applications are a rich source for descriptive pronunciation lexicons. I don't know how STT might interoperate with pronunciation markup. At a minimum, STT developers should be invited for their input to the task force.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/12/03/5-important-artificial-intelligence-predictions-for-2019-everyone-should-read/">Enterprise-scale machine learning</a> is already using human speech sources to create pronunciation lexicons. Profit motives have funded spectacular progress, but there have been problematic side effects. Corporations have zealously protected their data sets inside of walled gardens, while adding languages slowly. This currently leaves assistive technology TTS users excluded from the web's promise of <a href="https://www.w3.org/International/participate">cultural and linguistic inclusion</a>. I would love to see open transparent processes for creating descriptive pronunciation lexicons from community sources like Wiktionary and linguistic research corpora.</p>
<p>Lexicon publication standards could yield some useful results. I bet a lot of people would like to define the pronunciation of their own name in their native language and in a dominant culture language. I also bet companies would like to define one or more pronunciations of their brand names – if this provides even a slight boost in organic search engine optimization (SEO) for voice search (analogous to <a href="https://schema.org/Product">schema markup</a> for traditional search), then somebody will make a lot of money.</p>Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-11704254709145942902018-05-18T22:18:00.002-07:002018-05-18T22:18:55.082-07:00Accessibility experts are farmers, not manure shovelers<p>As an accessibility subject matter expert (SME) watching another <a href="http://globalaccessibilityawarenessday.org/">Global Accessibility Awareness Day</a> come and go, sometimes I feel like a manure shoveler. No matter how carefully I shovel (or test), it will always stink.</p>
<p>Instead, as SMEs we must remember to be farmers. With patient perseverance, we sow the seeds and nurture the cycles of life – or the lifecycles of digital products.</p>
<p>Actually, many analogies are apt...</p>
<ul>
<li>the accessibility job most days :: the accessibility job as it should be</li>
<li>manure shoveler :: farmer</li>
<li>cop (traditionally gaining respect through fear) :: <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/johnfoliot/fireman-cop">firefighter</a> (traditionally gaining respect through protection)
<li>factory worker :: global logistics consultant</li>
<li>number cruncher :: polymath</li>
<li>heart surgeon :: nutritionist</li>
</ul>
<p>No analogy is perfect. In reality the manure will always need shoveling, the factory will need greasing, numbers will need crunching, and digital products will need auditing. The power of these analogies is to remind us that the left side is just a task we must do, while the right side is who we are.</p>
<p>So the next time I'm in the middle of a hard day of shoveling manure, I will remember to preserve my energy and time, and get up the next day bright and early as the nurturing farmer.<p>Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-89280412941995068442018-02-24T11:07:00.000-08:002018-02-24T15:25:14.564-08:00Learning from Yucatán and Quintana RooAs we started driving out of Cancún, I couldn't help looking for patterns. How is this place the same or different from the parts of the U.S. and Germany that I know? After a week with my family in Valladolid, Tulum, and Playa del Carmen, I still have more questions than answers.<br>
<br>
In Puerto Morelos yesterday, I bought a book called "Mañana Forever? Mexico and the Mexicans" from a lovely bookstore called Alma Libre. I'll see if I can put together some answers.<br>
<br>
I'm not looking for the "national character" of Mexico or of any place, just patterns of prevailing beliefs of the people who live there. Before diving into that book, here are my initial observations and hypotheses.<br>
<br>
More people smile back to me in Mexico than in San Francisco.<br>
<br>
People spend more time face to face with friends and acquaintances. They share a vehicle, sit together without devices, talk and laugh. I saw three young women in the Tulum library doing crafts together.<br>
<br>
People "give it everything they've got" as [xxxx] put it in [xxxx link]. Yet they also rest more consistently.<br>
<br>
People spend a lot of their time tired or happy or both. Most don't try to hide these feelings, except in more polished service jobs, where they put on happy faces like in the U.S. with which they only partially convince themselves and their patrons.<br>
<br>
People living in shacks across the street from our Tulum hotel are certainly poor, but in a particular way which rarely exists in the San Francisco Bay Area. The closest I've seen was the squatter settlement on Albany Bulb before it was shut down. These are working poor people, in a lifestyle which could be sustainable if job and health allow. The book [squatter cities xxxx] has influenced my perceptions.<br>
<br>
Like anywhere, the written rules and the unwritten ones overlap and coexist. I would like to learn the different ways Mexicans feel and talk about rules and laws.<br>
<br>
Official communications from the government make it sound like Mexicans are proud of their government institutions, but I haven't yet noticed that vibe from individuals. National treasures like Chichén Itsá and Sian Ka'an are possible exceptions.<br>
<br>
I talked the most with Joaquín. He is writing a multilingual primer on a contemporary Mayan language. Mayans are proud of their culture, but resent a pattern of lack of access to opportunities.<br>
<br>
People resent smug entrenched wealth, represented not just by US tourists like me but also by Mexican oligarchs and corporations. When I am kind, someone like Santos our boat pilot can feel good about me as a person while continuing to resent the inaccessible wealth that I represent. Building these bridges requires two people to communicate; it doesn't extend to two degrees of separation.<br>
<br>
I expected conversations to land more decisively on English or Spanish. It took me a few days to become comfortable switching between Spanish and English within a single conversation or even a single thought, whatever got the message across. This pattern was quite common where we were.<br>
<br>
Only in our last evening in Playa del Carmen I realized that the insulated tourist zones are legitimately part of Mexico, just as San Francisco is so different yet a genuine part of the United States. (Moxie convinced me over dinner.)<br>
<br>
These are all first impressions. I've not had enough experiences to be confident about any of these generalizations, even within the communities I visited.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-15260525128696748582017-10-02T22:24:00.002-07:002022-05-04T04:56:07.842-07:00Is disclosing ADHD a good idea? Let's find outIt's time. In recognition of <a href="http://www.who.int/mental_health/world-mental-health-day/2017/en/">World Mental Health Day</a> and <a href="http://www.adhdawarenessmonth.org/">ADHD Awareness Month</a>, I've decided to start telling everybody about my ADHD brain.
<br>
<br>
For people who know me, the revelation that I go off on mental tangents might be the least surprising news of the day. Yet I struggled with the decision to say "I have ADHD" out loud in a public forum, and I won't claim that disclosure is for everybody.
<br>
<br>
According to a <a href="https://add.org/should-you-disclose-your-adhd-at-work/">2015 survey of ADHD disclosure</a>, respondents were evenly split on whether outcomes in the workplace were positive or negative. "The severity of negative outcomes varied. Some were fired, passed over for promotion, ridiculed, or the ADHD disclosure was ignored by the employer and no attempts were made to implement or offer accommodations."
<br>
<br>
On the other hand, it's easier and safer for me to talk about my ADHD than it is for a lot of other people. As a white male in the United States, I started at a spot near the front of the line which I never earned. Maybe because of a strong moral compass that I got from my parents, my impulsivity has always made me look like a goody-goody, instead of taking me in <a href="https://add.org/undiagnosed-adult-adhd-a-high-cost-for-society/">less productive directions</a>. I'm blessed with strong literacy and analytical skills, for which I'm particularly grateful since <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23144063">others with ADHD are not so fortunate</a>. Today I work in a growing specialty field called <a href="https://youtu.be/8Ik_LHmZx8Y">digital accessibility (auto-play video)</a> where my colleagues celebrate our diversity every day. With a lot of luck, and some hard work especially in recent years, my life looks like a success story according to today's mainstream norms.
<br>
<br>
The stigmas around ADHD are unacceptable, and hiding just reinforces them. So if I don't take this risk, who will?
<br>
<br>
Ask me questions. Don't worry about how to phrase the questions. It'll be fine. I used to be less-than-completely comfortable talking about this, but only because I was managing who knows and who doesn't. Now that I've blogged about it, I've shed that layer of hesitation.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-67089196490639139932016-02-26T02:41:00.000-08:002016-02-26T03:13:23.477-08:00Can JavaScript set a Sequential Focus Navigation Starting Point?This is a follow-up from my <a href="http://mitch11.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-sequential-focus-navigation.html">last blog post</a>. Should a web author be able to explicitly <i>set</i> a Sequential Focus Navigation Starting Point using JavaScript?<br />
<br />
There are several reasons why the answer should be "yes."<br />
<br />
<h4>
It can improve user experience in some cases</h4>
Today, for accessibility it's often necessary to set focus on a div or static text. If browsers and assistive technologies will provide a consistent experience for anchor links, then instead of setting focus on non-actionable content, it would be more like native browser behavior to set a Sequential Focus Navigation Starting Point. In such cases users would expect to see the element in the viewport, so the author should also use <code>Element.scrollIntoView()</code>.<br />
<br />
Less often, this same technique can solve a usability problem when JavaScript sets focus on a text input. In devices with virtual keyboards (iOS Safari at least), <code>input.focus()</code> causes the virtual keyboard to appear. This is appropriate in some cases, where the design intent is to strongly prompt the user to enter something. But what if the intent is only to start the user at a logical spot in the form? For example, after the user cancels out of a modal dialog. In this case using JavaScript to set a Sequential Focus Navigation Starting Point would provide a better experience.<br />
<br />
<h4>
It conforms to WCAG 2.0 as well as anchor links do</h4>
I've never heard of failing Success Criterion 2.4.3 Focus Order or 2.4.7 Focus Visible because of the browser-default behavior of anchor links. This JavaScript technique would do the same thing.<br />
<br />
<h4>
There are good technical precedents</h4>
Setting <code>window.location.href</code> creates the same effect as a user clicking a link to a new page.<br />
<br />
In most browsers, <code>Element.focus()</code> creates the same effect as a user clicking an anchor link to land on a <i>focusable</i> element.<br />
<br />
So if JavaScript can create the effect of an anchor link landing on a <i>non-focusable</i> element, it would be very consistent with those existing capabilities.<br />
<br />
<h4>
It might already work</h4>
When an element has focus, then the expected behavior of <code>Element.blur()</code> -- after <a href="https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=454172">Chromium issue 454172</a> -- is to create a Sequential Focus Navigation Starting Point.<br />
<br />
So what should happen if the author invokes <code>Element.blur()</code> on an element that does not currently have focus? The logical consequence would be for this element to become the Sequential Focus Navigation Starting Point.<br />
<br />
I could live with this counterintuitive behavior of <code>Element.blur()</code>, like we've all learned to live with <code>tabindex="-1"</code>. I'm also open to adding a more aptly named method to browser-native JavaScript.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-20876689205650549952016-02-23T22:12:00.004-08:002016-02-23T22:16:18.254-08:00The "sequential focus navigation starting point" in WebKit and ChromiumBoth from a user perspective and from a technical perspective, I like the way <a href="https://bugs.chromium.org/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=454172">Chromium is formalizing the "sequential focus navigation starting point"</a>.<br />
<br />
A few highlights of this change:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If a navigation to a url with fragment identifier happened, an element pointed by the fragment is set as sequential focus navigation starting point.</blockquote>
In other words, anchor links like #skip_to_main will now work for keyboard users, without any JavaScript. We've only been <a href="http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/Addressing/BNF.html#47">waiting for this since 1990</a>!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
If the element pointed by sequential focus navigation starting point is removed from the document tree, a point where there was the element at would be the starting point.</blockquote>
This is good for accessibility in modern web sites, such as single-page apps. We'll first need to see some follow-on improvements in browsers and assistive technologies, but eventually this might allow web authors to simplify focus management, as DOM elements are removed and changed.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Implementation: Sequential focus navigation starting point is represented as a Range object, and it is owned by a Document.</blockquote>
This is the technically elegant part. It builds on existing patterns, to achieve something new.<br />
<br />
Now I have a few questions for the community. The behavior is already looking good for users, so these questions are mainly geared toward supporting web authors.<br />
<ol>
<li>There's a standard and <a href="http://caniuse.com/#feat=dom-range">widely supported Range object</a>. What's the interface to access this new special Range? Maybe as a property of the Document?</li>
<li>The <a href="https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=116046">related WebKit ticket</a> points out that Gecko (Firefox) and Trident (Internet Explorer) already have their own implementations. Can this interface be standardized across browsers, or is it too late for that?</li>
<li>As the Chromium issue points out, there are several kinds of scripted behaviors and user behaviors which cause the Sequential Focus Navigation Starting Point to occur. Although not mentioned specifically, presumably the point could change any number of times before any DOM element gets focus. Given that these various behaviors all lead to a single thing happening from a user perspective, could we fire a device-independent JavaScript events? It would be a mouthful -- "onSequentialFocusNavigationStartingPointChange" (?!?) -- but you get the idea.</li>
<li>Would it make sense for this Range object to be the relatedTarget of blur events?</li>
</ol>
Finally, I have a couple of more questions that are geared toward making life easier for developers of browsers and assistive technologies.<br />
<ol start="5">
<li>Is there a consistent behavior in browsers for caret navigation?</li>
<li>What are the use cases for mobile browsers?</li>
<li>Similar to the JavaScript event questions -- can there be a related event in accessibility APIs? Screen readers have tried to compensate for browser differences, but this could lead to more consistency in the future.</li>
</ol>
Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-14189447397652270982015-01-17T23:20:00.001-08:002015-01-17T23:20:41.224-08:00Raw notes while reading Paul's book<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here's some decidedly gray literature: my raw notes about Paul Saint-Amour's new book.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reaching page 6, I was struck by a hypothesis: people's tendency to underestimate the likelihood of unlikely negative events, although irrational, is nevertheless adaptive.</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-826a193c-fbde-04d4-dd9e-d277f2fde17e" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reaching page 9:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What about Carthage? What about Vietnam?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the more recent modern era, have people found new strength from being targeted by total war or by a merciless or indiscriminate enemy with massive destructive capability? Namely, the clarity of the choice to fight when flight is no option. Or is there nothing recent about that response, other than new technological means of responding -- the tools of what we call terrorism?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Back to page 8, footnote:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">maybe later I’ll look up "perdure" and "sequelae"</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(earlier I looked up "frisson", and "index" as a verb)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">noting his use of scare quotes: "conventional" wars</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">transgenerational injury -- are the long-term effects of America's slavery another example?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">somewhere in here… “longue durée”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">page 10:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"unprecedented proliferation and destruction of written records" -- DARPA anticipated the need for communication resiliency, and created internetworking. (Did I get this history right?) Organizations like Archive.org and Long Now noticed the fragility of our digital information riches. I wonder how well we are collectively doing at their goals.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">page 11:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m reflecting now on how Paul took ten years to create this. Maybe I should work on a project or two like that.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">page 14:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Will these encyclopedic works be the only suggestion of hope? What about the optimism of literally designing or inventing the future?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">page 16:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m skimming now.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m interested in how the subcortical parts of the brain give rise to these responses to war, and how the cortex attempts to integrate them into a concept of reality.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Ah, here we go, application to today.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By the way: a few of us saw through the Threat Level from the start. (The colors were transparent.)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All this about anticipation. We could use some Landmark Education here: be -> have -> do. Of course we put our past into our future, but it’s a choice.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Page 19:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I notice I’m biased against Freud, and against the language of literary criticism.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Page 20:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So far I’m seeing too much focus on fear of one’s own death. What about caring for others? Seeing harm inspires some to love more generously.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Page 21:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I’m emboldened to be smart. Yet I’m also reminded of the feeling of when Ben beat me twice at <a href="http://counterminegame.com/">Countermine</a>: it can feel uncomfortable in the presence of towering intellect. Do I want others to feel that?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Page 22:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I googled and found “counterfactual history”</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“What if… the debris left by the catastrophe of history were partially constituted of futures seen by the past as barred?” I’m getting it, it’s sinking in. To me, this is very hopeful.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I should note what I’ve been reading:</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=Mv0bBgAAQBAJ&lpg=PR4&ots=scMSrbtQ5K&dq=tense%20future%20saint-amour&pg=PA23#v=onepage&q=tense%20future%20saint-amour&f=false" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://books.google.com/books?id=Mv0bBgAAQBAJ&lpg=PR4&ots=scMSrbtQ5K&dq=tense%20future%20saint-amour&pg=PA23#v=onepage&q=tense%20future%20saint-amour&f=false</span></a></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Page 23:</span></div>
<br />
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I agree. Contemporary dialog about global warming is certainly evidence that a population’s views of the future can influence historically significant events in the present.</span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That's all Google Books will let me read for free. Ah well, it's probably enough fun for me.</span></div>
Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-64138661916568706512014-07-20T23:05:00.001-07:002014-07-20T23:05:56.560-07:00Our three-words-at-a-time gameTonight I played the <a href="http://dramaresource.com/games/story-telling/one-word-at-a-time">three-words-at-a-time story game</a> with Silke, Moxie, and Hannah. I promise, we weren't even eating sugar. We must simply be this twisted...<br />
<br />
Once upon a time there was a girl. Her name was Alex. She always wanted to play with her neighbors' kids. It was creepy because the neighbors were skeletons. They had died 200 milleniums ago. Alex dug up some skeletons and put them in a body bag, then offered them to stay with her while her aunt moved out. Unfortunately the skeletons started after her and she ran into a demon. The Queen of England tried to stop this nonsense. However the demon ate the queen, and then the demons had a party. The good news was that they were near a cemetery. So they unearthed King Arthur to rescue them. And it worked! The demon was cordially invited to a grand ball. Arthur and Lancelot were there too. The skeletons all posted pictures of the party on Instagram. They got Alex and Arthur. Then they were satisfied and died. Dead on dancefloor. Dead on dancefloor. And the queen went home. The most unfortunate end.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-8044435509919055312014-05-22T06:48:00.002-07:002014-05-22T06:57:55.599-07:00Cancelling my Planet Fitness membership was easySunday 5/18/2014: I went into my Planet Fitness in Richmond, California, and said I'd like to cancel my membership. The staff person said I could cancel there in person, but not at that moment, because it was 15 minutes before closing on a Sunday. (This location closes at 7:00 PM on a Sunday.) I asked him whether actually I need to send a certified letter, which I had heard was necessary. The staff person said yes that works too, but the easier way is to put it into the computer right there in the franchise. He said I'm already being billed for May; if I cancel by June 10 them I avoid the June 19 bill.<br />
<br />
Next day, Monday 5/19/2014: I successfully cancelled, 9:45 p.m. They have a standard process with a paper form which they then entered into the computer. It was so fast, I asked the guy if we were all done. He turned his computer screen around and showed me the word "Cancelled" on my record.<br />
<br />
I wouldn't expect every cancellation experience to go just as smoothly as mine did. You might encounter an irritable staff person, perhaps tied down by a manager who pushes the staff to slow down the cancellation process. My point is, the corporate parent definitely does offer a standard, convenient way to cancel -- paper form plus computer update, right there while you wait. If you experience something different, it might be the individual location departing from the standard corporate process.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqAfOrOjhU8K4OlAOT8Jg7VLwDO3TVSI2JWVhnx4UIby1kvpJR09Q2owiQ4N4dxQPeskwntZPbVvhPOa2y9w3E6xgxAaWEbSuZW6Tz2f_V9no61AdVvHOUz28iWl9Zvy2SY3ssg/s1600/cancel-planet-fitness-2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqAfOrOjhU8K4OlAOT8Jg7VLwDO3TVSI2JWVhnx4UIby1kvpJR09Q2owiQ4N4dxQPeskwntZPbVvhPOa2y9w3E6xgxAaWEbSuZW6Tz2f_V9no61AdVvHOUz28iWl9Zvy2SY3ssg/s1600/cancel-planet-fitness-2014.jpg" height="320" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planet Fitness Cancellation Form. J: 1/23/13. L: 2/16/14. Club: Richmond. Date: 5/19/14. Notice: Any membership can be cancelled with 30 days written notice, preferably by certified mail. If this membership has a "minimum" term, and you wish to cancel prematurely, a "Buy Out" fee is required for cancellation. Membership #: (redacted). Name: Mitchell Evan. Reason For Membership Being Cancelled? not using. Any comments or suggestions? blank. By my signature below, I have read, understand and agree to the "Notice" section of this form. Member's Signature (redacted). Date: 5/19/14. Office use only section. This Planet Fitness is a franchise of Pla-Fit Franchise, L.L.C. and is independently owned and operated.</td></tr>
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Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-32943382572487908952013-02-07T23:30:00.000-08:002013-02-08T00:06:10.312-08:00My web accessibility ReadMe fileMy "start here" list for web accessibility is a short list, but the drilldown is deep.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG/">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0</a> - Level AA is a de facto standard for a solid level of web accessibility.</li>
<li><a href="http://paciellogroup.com/">The Paciello Group (TPG)</a> - I like Steve Faulkner's focus on standards-based development, tempered with a disciplined testing approach.</li>
<li><a href="http://webaim.org/discussion/archives">WebAIM mailing list archives</a> - I often search the discussions, to make sure I'm not reinventing the wheel. It can be up-to-the-minute but you must test and validate whatever you read.</li>
</ul>
I'm a big believer in testing everything. If you don't have a test that shows that it works, then you must assume it does not work. Even for stuff that Steve says works, or I do. Prove me wrong, make the Internet better.<br />
<div>
</div>
I typically test on:<br />
<ul>
<li>Keyboard-only in one Windows browser.</li>
<li>JAWS and NVDA</li>
<li>IE8 and latest Firefox. I call this my "bookend strategy." If something works on both a modern standards-compliant browser and on an older but still widely used browser, then I stand a good chance of working on the stuff in the middle.</li>
<li>Ignore Colors in one Windows browser. "Ignore Colors" is the IE term, but Firefox has pretty much the same thing.</li>
<li>Browser zoom to 200%</li>
<li>I should test more on VoiceOver, but I don't have good access to that right now.</li>
</ul>
Whenever I can, I test on more combinations. But I would usually only have time to go further if I were proving out a piece of code that is going to be widely deployed, without a lot of chance to go back and fix it. Again, with this list tell me where I'm wrong! There's always room for improving or complementing a solution.<br />
<br />
I actually believe there is not just one single ideal list of target client technologies. But I do believe each developer needs to make a clear, rational decision about whom they're developing for. I start by trying to understand the range of disabilities my customers could have, and how those disabilities would affect their choice of technologies. Then I gather whatever data I can on disabilities and assistive technologies (ATs). Here are a couple of sources - I might or might not agree with their conclusions, but they give me their data and methodologies, so I can make my own judgments.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/Presentations/2012/Aug/Disability-in-the-Digital-Age.aspx">Pew Internet Research - Disability in the Digital Age</a></li>
<li><a href="http://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey4/">WebAIM Screen Reader Survey</a></li>
</ul>
Finally, I devise a "graded support" approach for how to deal with the world of users and ATs, inspired by <a href="http://yuilibrary.com/yui/docs/tutorials/gbs/">Yahoo's graded browser support</a> model. Unlike Yahoo's model, targeting is not usually possible, since there is no reliable sniffing for ATs.<br />
Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-26091733457109012682012-11-21T01:09:00.003-08:002012-11-21T01:22:15.487-08:00My notes from W3C "Readability"<p>Last week I attended the <a href="http://www.w3.org/WAI/RD/2012/text-customization/Overview.html">W3C symposium on Text Customization for Readability</a>. That's a mouthful... We explored ways that a reader can change the way text looks, to make it easier to read.</p>
<h4>If you have low vision, how do you read online?</h4>
<p>David Sloan says people like himself with low vision can have great difficulty reading text with <strong>subpixel rendering</strong>, e.g. ClearType which is no longer configurable in Internet Explorer 9.</p>
<p>Eileen Rivera enlarges text significantly in order to read it. Her wish list item is to <strong>allow all text to wrap</strong> so she does not have to scroll horizontally. She added that content authors should watch the "gymnastics" that low vision readers go through, which should inspire content authors to work on improving the experience.</p>
<p>Suzette is dealing with the effects of cataract surgery. For her, increased font size is necessary, but makes it difficult to skim. <strong>Increased line spacing</strong> makes reading more comfortable for her.</p>
<p>Anthony Lee says web browers need to <strong>make adjustments very easy</strong>. Easy like adjusting volume on your TV, or pinching and zooming on a tablet.</p>
<h4>What have we learned from research?</h4>
<p>Shawn Henry studied <strong>people who customize their CSS</strong>. The most popular changes were: font size, font family, colors such as background color and text color, and line height. Less common CSS customizations were text decoration, text alignment, font weight, and margin.</p>
<p>Whitney worked at an online university, and researched what default text styles would be most usable for a broad audience. Specific audiences were teenagers, older adults, people with reading disabilities, people with low literacy, and English learners. It turns out these <strong>varied groups had some common needs</strong>: larger text size, meaningful images, plain language, and "breaking up walls of words" e.g. clear headings, short paragraphs, and lists. Things that allow people to find the key points.</p>
<p>Luz Rello, studying <strong>people with dyslexia</strong>, found that personal preference for text presentation was important but not optimal. Authors presented solutions that the readers had not tried, and reading performance improved measurably. The conclusion is that we should base our standards and designs on both kinds of research.</p>
<p>When adapting text, is it better in general to preserve layout or allow reflow? This question came in the context of dyslexia research. Wayne Dick pointed out that we are already creating a reasonable linear reading order for screen readers, so <strong>reflowing text</strong> looks like a winning strategy.</p>
<h4>Tools for readability</h4>
<p>Wayne Dick is a researcher who has low vision. He is designing an interactive tool to help each reader find their own best customizations.</p>
<p>Olaf Drümmer and Vasile Topac discussed PDFs. They evaluated tools which convert tagged PDFs to HTML, so that greater customization is possible.</p>
<p>Olaf also commented that mobile is "our best friend" because mobile platforms often require responsive design and customizable text for all users, not just for people with disabilities.</p>
<h4>Ideas for the future</h4>
<p>Some emails allow reflow, others do not. Will email clients become web authoring tools?</p>
<p>Will we build machines that can analyze a visual layout to infer semantics?</p>
<p>Can research tools become tools for customers, to make customization easier?</p>
<p>Do innovations in e-readers help us design a better web?</p>
<h4>Conclusions</h4>
<p>In web accessibility standards, text customization should be an important checkpoint.</p>
<p>A common theme is "<strong>one size fits one</strong>." We need to build things so readers can adjust their text.</p>Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-55373409869078701042012-05-11T12:01:00.003-07:002012-05-11T12:01:34.509-07:00WebAIM survey of screen reader usersIf you use a screen reader, please fill out the <a href="http://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey4/">2012 WebAIM Screen Reader User Survey</a>. The survey closes on May 25.<br />
<br />
Sharing for the accessibility nerds out there... At the end of the survey, I added these comments... Let's see if I get a response!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When you report the results, I would be curious to know how you solicited people to fill in this survey. Was it just through the WebAIM email list, or did you take steps to get some kind of broad cross-section of users worldwide? In you report, will you analyze possible effects of selection bias in the results? I'm not complaining (all questionnaires have some selection bias) but I would like to hear your perspective on how much the respondents represent the whole world of web users.<br /><br />Also, in a future survey, it would be interesting to use Adobe Flash Accessibility.isActive, to detect and report the respondent's use of MSAA while filling the survey. I don't advocate using this method to customize content. But I believe it could be a good analytic tool. For example, if I knew that 80% of survey respondents who said "I use a screen reader for a disability" have MSAA active, then on my own web sites this would allow me to sample my own customers to see how many have MSAA, and it would strengthen my case that yes, we do have customers using these technologies. If you are interested in adding this capability, let me know, I could donate some development time - [my email]</blockquote>Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-50581397007411422192012-04-26T23:53:00.000-07:002012-04-26T23:53:12.394-07:00Walmart Grocery opening half a mile away? Good, bad, or indifferent?This Contra Costa Times article was the first time I have heard of a "Walmart Grocery" store.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_20487002/richmond-plans-vacant-grocery-raise-neighboring-concerns">http://www.contracostatimes.com/breaking-news/ci_20487002/richmond-plans-vacant-grocery-raise-neighboring-concerns</a><br /><br />A chain store wouldn't be my first choice for our neighborhood, but on the other hand it does seem to be a real grocery store... We need more information. At the Planning Commission meeting we can scrutinize the proposal, demand transparency, and speak out on the issues we care about.<br /><br />Our attendance could really make a difference! The same story played out with a Walmart Grocery in Austin, Texas. As a result of citizen pressure, the over-large plan was modified, but not cancelled...<br /><br /><a href="http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/284412/locals-warming-up-to-northcross-walmart">http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/284412/locals-warming-up-to-northcross-walmart</a><br /><br />The Planning Commission will meet May 3, 6:30pm, in Richmond City Hall, 450 Civic Center Plaza. Cross streets are 25th and Barrett.<br /><br />It is appropriate for both Richmond and El Cerrito residents to attend, since the property is on the border of El Cerrito Gateway Park and Baxter Creek.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-54129571378059535372012-03-20T06:23:00.002-07:002012-03-20T06:27:49.970-07:00Reflections during LentWhen I was a kid, we sometimes went to the Unitarian church in Yakima. I don't remember it very much, but there was a church hall, and a sermon, and songs I think. It felt good to go and listen. I laugh now when I hear Garrison Keillor's caricature of Unitarians as vague and noncommittal. He's absolutely right, but I would say it another way. The Unitarians I know are highly committed: they are committed to questioning everything, committed to seeking. So that's me in a nutshell - one part of me.<br /><br />I attended <a href="http://www.york.org">York School</a>, a private Episcopal high school in Monterey. I needed and appreciated the rich connectedness at York: connections between people, the tapestries of ideas. At the time if you asked me whether I believed in God, I would say that I always get a glimpse of God through music. This is where I became a singer. We held occasional services in the chapel, but there were no efforts to convert the diverse student body to any religion. Now when I look back, I realize that this place was a perfect example of evangelism. The people there lived their lives committed to fairness and caring, and were proud to tell the world about it.<br /><br />I kept on singing. Now in the Bay Area, I was drawn to the radical inclusiveness of <a href="http://www.glide.org">Glide Church</a>, and the raw energy of the music hit me in the gut. So I joined the Glide Ensemble, a hundred strong gospel choir. I was there for just half a year, which coincided with a difficult pregnancy. I continued to be a seeker, but my heart was closed up and tangled. One day something burst. We were singing this song, crying out: <em>You are the source of my strength! You are the strength of my life! I lift my head in total praise to you.</em> I cry again now feeling the words burst through me. Truly, faith is not something we work to achieve. It is a gift given to us.<br /><br />So I arrive at <a href="http://www.christlutheranelcerrito.org">Christ Lutheran Church</a>, a hodgepodge of beliefs and ideas. It was easy to make friends here. But I wanted to know, do I belong here? I tried one of the study groups. That's where I learned to drop my stereotype of what it means to belong in a church. It does not mean you need to look or act a particular way. I learned that God made me like this, just as I am -- with my complicated brain, my untangling heart, and my confusion and doubt. I am welcome here.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-3720445345976690682011-12-26T06:51:00.000-08:002011-12-26T07:44:24.864-08:00Can't catch me! The zfsendtotarget telemarketing scamBy posting this, I hope I can help you avoid the same "zfsendtotarget" telemarketing scammers that tried to catch me.<br /><br />I submitted the following complaint to the <a href="https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/Consumer_Home.htm">U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)</a> today:<br /><br /><blockquote>The caller said she had information that my computer was infected, and she was calling to help fix it. She said she had a secure code from my computer. She said the secure information had been given to her company from Microsoft. She said her company employs Microsoft and Cisco certified technicians.<br /><br />She reached me on my home landline, which is in the National Do-Not-Call registry.<br /><br />I asked for her name and company. She identified herself as "Rose" from Zion Technology. There was a delay (latency) in the call that sounded like an offshore company. I heard other voices in the background that sounded like a call center.<br /><br />I asked for her company's street or mailing address, or any other contact information she was able to give. I said I believed she was legally required to give me this information, but she did not give me any other contact information. I do not have caller ID on my phone.<br /><br />She asked me to start my Windows computer and go through a series of steps: Start menu > Run > cmd > assoc<br><br />She called my attention to this line on my screen:<br><br />.zfsendtotarget=CLSID\{888DCA60-FC0A-11CF-8F0F-00C04FD7D062}<br /><br />She then read aloud that same series of numbers and letters, and claimed that this proves their company already has access to my personal computer data. This statement was false. By researching quickly online, I found that the number she read to me is actually the same on all Windows computers.<br /><br />Next she asked me to do these steps: Start menu > Run > cmd > eventvwr. She asked me if I saw this on my screen: Event Viewer > Custom View > Windows Log. I did not answer that question, but instead tried to delay her by claiming that my computer was not an English language computer and I could not answer her question. I did not want to reveal anything that might help her compromise my system.<br /><br />I said I was willing to keep going, but only if she told me the web site of her company. She did not answer, but instead pressed on asking me to follow her instructions<br /><br />I then told her that I was aware of this web site: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2011/mar/01/microsoft-virus-scam-continues<br />and said I believed she was not telling me the truth about the secure code. I asked her again for the contact information for her company. She cursed me ("your are a bullshit") and hung up.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />After filling the FTC online form, the FTC web site gave me this additional info:<br /><br /><blockquote><br />http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/phone.shtm<br /><br />If you have done the above steps and have any additional questions or any additional information you would like to add to your file, please call 877-382-4357 to speak with a counselor. When you call, please have this reference number: ******** to help us quickly retrieve your information.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />I don't blame the caller. She is just a corporate wage slave like the rest of us. And if you read the Guardian article, you'll see they really are selling something - an antivirus product, probably marked up 500%. It's just that they violated Federal law at least twice - by lying on a telemarketing call, and refusing to give contact info.<br /><br />I hope this might help you avoid the zfsendtotarget scam!Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-52624704356861521702011-10-13T23:26:00.000-07:002011-10-14T20:40:24.053-07:00One college senior graduates debt-free, and is grateful for minimum wage jobsThis one is circulating: <a href="http://www.dougberger.net/archive/2011/10/sign-from-cheap-labor-conservative-doesnt-add-up.html">College senior graduates completely debt-free</a> ... Never mind that it's a professionally shot and Photoshopped image. I do believe in the virtues of hard work and frugality -- but I do not agree with the implication that our collective suffering is caused mainly by a bunch of lazy people on the dole.<br /><br />So anyway, I liked one commenter's reply :)<br /><blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmobplighhlWG0EtrkYN1hplOeRWR9WuFN_WWJGY7wEZOFgjeqqYpcKhbCH98QIopjvq14FqMFwbGruRtaXWo3hLcpNnk8J9efVTRBxlctnAMVXOfQNyMemr2JL-I-0jJW16lKQ/s1600/sasquatch-living-completely-debt-free.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 205px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmobplighhlWG0EtrkYN1hplOeRWR9WuFN_WWJGY7wEZOFgjeqqYpcKhbCH98QIopjvq14FqMFwbGruRtaXWo3hLcpNnk8J9efVTRBxlctnAMVXOfQNyMemr2JL-I-0jJW16lKQ/s320/sasquatch-living-completely-debt-free.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5663231528475799490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Text of image:</span><br /><br />I am a sasquatch, living completely debt-free.<br />I pay for all of my expenses by working scale and occasionally tipping off tabloid reporters looking for a Big Foot sighting.<br />I chose to live in a state park instead of a fancy private zoo. I get leftover picnic spreads which cover 90% of my meals, the rest I have to forage for.<br />I live comfortably in the forest, knowing I can't have everything I want. I don't have a credit card or new car, and my Blackberry is as good as dead these days. I get all my news from month old newspapers instead one of those fancy tablets. I'll also have to wait until Footloose comes to Qwikster instead of seeing it in the theatre. If I did have debt, I would not blame Wall St or the government for my own bad decisions. I would probably blame the Loch Ness Monster.<br />I am NOT the 99% because I don't exist.<br />Whether or not you choose to believe in fairytales is YOUR decision.<br /></blockquote>On a more serious note: Here's the same work ethic, more believable, and without the "do this or you're stupid" attitude: <a href="http://www.freemoneywisdom.com/how-i-graduated-college-debt-free-and-survived/">How I Graduated College Debt Free and Survived</a>Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-68227989345301848632011-08-29T01:23:00.000-07:002011-08-29T01:27:06.516-07:00Refuel the economyThe economy is not a <span style="font-style: italic;">person</span> who needs to "tighten the belt."
<br />
<br />The economy is a <span style="font-style: italic;">vehicle</span> that can "carry us forward." If government "paves the way" and we workers "energize" the economy with our ingenuity and hard work (not to mention our "drive"), then we will "reach our goals".
<br />
<br />Naysayers who insist "don't tinker with it" will seem amateurish. Move on, hire a real mechanic.
<br />
<br />Not my idea... <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/08/2011821102242384922.html">Al Jazeera English: <span id="DetailedTitle">The economy is a 'machine', not a 'body'</span></a>
<br />Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-48248256326440379532011-08-23T21:24:00.000-07:002011-08-23T21:29:20.562-07:00My answers. Sticking to em.I put some thought into last week's <a href="http://www.wellstoneclub.org/">Wellstone Club</a> questionnaire. Here are two of my answers.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Agree or Disagree? "I would like the Wellstone Club to be more engaged in ISSUE-ORIENTED organizing (in contrast to "electoral" organizing.)"</span>
<br />
<br />My answer: Disagree
<br />
<br />I thought hard about how to answer this. I knew what "issue-oriented" meant, but I was unclear whether "electoral organizing" referred to taking sides in elections, or working to improve democratic institutions. So I googled "electoral organizing" and voila, I found the Wellstone Triangle: <a href="http://www.organizingupgrade.com/2010/01/fast-forum-electoral-organizing/">http://www.organizingupgrade.com/2010/01/fast-forum-electoral-organizing/</a>
<br />
<br />So now I can state my views in your terms. I strongly believe that we need to gather passionate people with *somewhat divergent* views, find common ground, then choose candidates and campaigns that most closely match our collective values. So, even though I'd like my issues represented, we can speak even louder for *our* issues. Form coalitions with existing issue-based organizations that are already doing great work, rather than taking a narrower stance on particular issues. Of course, we need to stand for something; we need planks in the platform, values in the mission statement that lead us to choose our electoral causes.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Agree or Disagree? "I would like the Wellstone Club to work for the reelection of Barack Obama."</span>
<br />
<br />Answer: Agree
<br />
<br />I would break the question into stages. (1) Whom should we endorse in the Democratic primary? Nobody; keep quiet. In 2008, I voted for a bridge-builder, and I got an appeaser, so I will make a protest vote -- privately. Publicly, I don't want to raise hell, because... (2) Should we endorse Barack Obama in the general election? Yes. Surely the alternative will be much worse. (3) How hard should we work for his reelection? We should do our part, but save our real energy for the openly progressive candidates (which is not to say ideologues) who can win and make a difference at all levels of politics.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-86810450468308110242010-10-28T23:45:00.000-07:002010-10-29T00:02:52.533-07:00VegetablizingI was at a gala tonight celebrating 40 years of NRDC and 10 years of E2. Thank you to the generosity of Jack Stephenson for sharing the tickets.<br /><br />The second-most inspiring words came from Governor Schwarzenegger. This surprised me because I'm not used to saying nice things about Republicans. I found his past timing suspect - all he could support at first was the hydrogen highway, and his later environmental votes seemed timed for political gain. And I don't care for his political allies. But I do believe he is sincere when he says that business and environmentalists can and should work together. So there's one thing we can agree on. He had to deliver a classic Arnoldism and it was this: after the election we can demand more stuff from Washington, after the politicians are done "vegetablizing". Nice.<br /><br />The most inspiring words came from Bobby Kennedy. He articulated a radical vision of kilowatts becoming as cheap as phone card minutes, and reducing U.S. reliance on coal and oil in power plants to zero. He claimed this will lead to democratization of the country, which sounds great but that's where he lost me... Maybe something to do with ending U.S. foreign military adventurism? I wondered if he is satisfied working at NRDC, which is an effective organization but which only works within the range of the status quo. I did not have a chance to ask him. It would have been a selfish question anyway. I may have to answer it for myself.<br /><br />Also presenting were Peter L executive director of NRDC, Bob & Nicole for E2, the president of NRDC. Matt Nathanson played well to a very inattentive audience - tough gig. The governor of Colorado sat at the table next to ours.Will Durst was emcee and cracked some good jokes.<br /><br />Last but not least: The bathroom attendant was Carlos Dubose. He is a kind hearted man with a good post-game analysis. (Go Giants!) He plans to vote. Pay attention to him; his vote matters.Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26450151.post-64054568837263169332010-06-11T12:09:00.000-07:002010-06-11T12:21:46.612-07:00I always wondered why "globalization" bothered other progressives, more than it bothered me. Now I think I was lost in the terminology. There's nothing inherently wrong with international trade. What's worth getting angry about is patterns of exponential exploitation.<br /><br />I recently learned the term "neoliberal." It's also a confusing term, but this <a href="http://web.inter.nl.net/users/Paul.Treanor/neoliberalism.html">article on neoliberalism</a> brought some things into perspective for me.<br /><br />Hey, you can't say markets don't work. In fact, they sometimes work too well. Read <a href="http://www.natcap.org/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Natural Capitalism</span></a> for ideas on how to harness the power of markets, without externalizing costs (i.e. hurting people and the environment).Mitch11yhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12103363482604892079noreply@blogger.com0