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1000 results for “Just_UX”
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@d6 hello!
I've been working with your audio examples and and studied the synching so I wonder if a different timer port could be considered for #uxn tty?
As any other devices that needs timing depends on the screen device vector, or could fall back to 1 sec resolution with the time device.
Another alternative could be to implement the Screen vector in uxntty, but just call it Timer or something like that.
This would allow TUI games! :)
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2026 Update on the #opa plugins for #backstage !
Despite being insanely busy with work things, have been able to push some cool features and updates!
- Some slight UX/UI adjustments to the docs site
- Updated a lot of the docs for more clarity
- Added an `opa-node` package for plugin authors to use in their backend plugins and modules to protect their API routes (just provide an input and an entrypoint and you're good to go!)
- Some framework updates (from backstage)I am very happy with where these plugins are right now! Let's see if I get any other bright ideas 💡 to add some other features this year 👍
:github: -> https://github.com/Parsifal-M/backstage-opa-plugins
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I currently have to use a #Windows11 PC with #Office365 for a side gig. And holy crap, does that put all my (still valid, IMHO) complaining about #macOS26 and #LiquidGlass into perspective.
There is so much wrong with Windows’ interaction design, I just cannot comprehend how a company with that kind of resources can ship… this.
I still hope that Apple will get their act together, now that an actual #UX whiz is in charge of their #HCI. Windows, though, definitely is no viable alternative.
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#Norco is also very good and you’ll find some earlier thoughts from me on that hashtag. That’s one I can generally recommend.
I thought about Norco when playing #Earthbound for the first time last month! Both games, produced 25 years apart, play around with subverting CRPG expectations about the sanctity of the combat UX in this one specific way that makes me hoot and holler.
Look, just… come to Coop’s on Decatur Street in the next 30 minutes and I’ll explain.
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qsakaquick-send- Tired of wrestling with overly complex file transfer tools? Solution, the hidden gem of A-to-B file transfers.While alternatives like
crocandmagic-wormholeoften suffer from frustrating UX—requiring extensive manuals, relay configurations, slowness, custom scripts, and firewall tweaks—qsfocuses on simplicity and actually works.Why
qsstands out:- Zero installation: Ships as a single binary without unnecessary bloat.
- Frictionless UX: No 50-page
manpages or complex setup instructions; just run and transfer. - Reliability: Cuts out the hours of frustration and failed attempts common with over-engineered solutions.
If you need a tool that simply does exactly what it is supposed to do, check out the project and its excellent feature comparison checklist here: https://github.com/maxomatic458/quic-send
#filetransfer #datatransfer #magicwormhole #croc #quic #http3
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That priceless moment when you wonder:
A) is it easier to fix the local git mess you've made
B) Just start over in a fresh local copy#SoftwareDevelopment #git #WebDevelopment #ux #dx #SunkCost #WebDev #SunkCostFallacy
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Lockdown diaries, June 2020
🌱 If you’re following my website via RSS or subscription, please note that this is just a “seedling” or a post where it is a work in progress.
Jun 1, 2020
“For decades, Minneapolis has embraced its image as a progressive bastion. This week ripped that away, and left something behind much grimmer.” – @AdamMinterJun 1, 2020
At this stage we just need zombies and aliens https://t.co/3OBqKpD0EcJun 2, 2020
“Have you ever thought about how short life is?We only get 85 years if we’re lucky. Yet we spend the majority of our time acting like someone we’re not.”
Jun 2, 2020
You have to make a choice. Do you want to be number one, or do you want to be happy? You may become a victim of your success, but you can never become a victim of your happiness.- The Art of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh https://t.co/G6ZsokXPhG
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Jun 2, 2020
Mum’s usual unit of measurement: “A little bit of this, a lot of that.” https://t.co/KlvsOjsdwU
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I’m one of those annoyingly morning people. My bro needs 3 alarms to wake up. I just need a mental reminder the night before and poof, I’m awake at that time. A superpower I inherited from my dad. I 💕starting work at 7am when the sun’s just peeking out. No coffee needed.Jun 5, 2020
In Asia, where the elderly are respected and even revered, this would have been incomprehensible and these actions the lowest of the low. Our cops are not perfect, we have brutality here too. But I can’t help but think our abang police would approach this much differently. https://t.co/HL8NgmKcrbJun 6, 2020
I’ve been trying to finish the food I bought to get through the MCO/lockdown since May.
I am still trying.Jun 6, 2020
Ye Hua, you are still the one. #cdrama #tenmilesofpeachblossoms https://t.co/tSOvtLzBwe
GIFJun 6, 2020
Yes I am a super morning person. That also means I am a super non-night person. I am practically brain dead after 9pm and look half drunk if I had to stay up after 10pm.Jun 8, 2020
Dear @AskScribd I can’t pause my membership. The option is no longer available for me. Why? Can u only pause your membership at certain times? Once a year? What? https://t.co/X7hYrOcg7TJun 8, 2020
I use coconut oil or ghee most of the time. Sometimes, I use animal fat – such as the fat from chicken skin & bacon grease. https://t.co/v5SCWFITn4Jun 8, 2020
Yesterday, filled my Axia’s 🚘 tank. Have not topped up since March thanks to the lockdown.I paid RM35 (US$9) for a full tank. 😶 https://t.co/HrmnnBwY8F
GIFJun 8, 2020
You know the saying, “if you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything?” https://t.co/V1nkjW9bJeJun 8, 2020
Here’s an investment that many personal finance bloggers hardly talk about:
A vegetable garden. https://t.co/SW8enFROhOJun 8, 2020
When you’re #debtfree you have less stress & can take bigger risks. Here’s how to start your journey: https://t.co/YgXBiIwz1UJun 9, 2020
The dilemma of house owners in Malaysia in this age. I feel for them. And to think I used to fret over my RM120k house loan!! https://t.co/hTTf8S6RqeJun 9, 2020
Saying goodbye to journalism was so hard. I’m still grieving for that loss of identity as I move on without this career, which had defined me for almost two decades: https://t.co/ek4VjJTyohJun 9, 2020
📺 If you are a newbie to investing, do watch this great Explained episode on how the stock market works. Get educated before you invest! Via @netflix https://t.co/q1YX2eiQzjJun 9, 2020
Sam Neil cuddling with a duck is LIFE https://t.co/toNv7r4ghkJun 10, 2020
Financial burnout is real. I was so dogged & determined in pursuing early retirement that I made a lot of sacrifices. Sometimes to the detriment of my health. https://t.co/QqMleet8Y5Jun 10, 2020
Why do we name our pets after food? 🤔Jun 11, 2020
To date, this remains one of my most popular posts on the blog. I suppose not many people willingly give up a PR to make the journey back home to Malaysia. https://t.co/HqP3HAAddOJun 12, 2020
Because of my dogged pursuit of FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) I lost the courage to live life the way I want. Don’t be me. https://t.co/QqMleet8Y5Jun 12, 2020
Spending time in the garden has improved my well-being massively. In fact, I consider my vege patch a great investment for my mental health. I go there at least twice a week and I am rewarded with fat spinach 😄 https://t.co/T2AIKZMFxl
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Tell me about it. I went into nursing terrified. Wrote my first ebook terrified. Left journalism scared shitless. Getting used to failing on repeat is something I am learning to embrace. https://t.co/NNeNPtwYBMJun 13, 2020
If you find yourself feeling sad because you pulled the plug on an old career in exchange for a new one, don’t be surprised. It’s a natural part of the process.
https://t.co/ek4VjKb9MRJun 13, 2020
I completely redesigned my website today. And only slept an hour. Guys, don’t be me 🤣 Here’s my new web home 👇 https://t.co/FtCx5Lb1aIJun 13, 2020
Found out that there have been no briefings about the #COVID19 situation in the US for weeks. 😶 In Malaysia, we have DAILY briefings. Our poor Health DG @DGHisham has been working non-stop since the crisis began. So grateful. Thank you, sir!Jun 14, 2020
The nasi lemak makcik is back at the lrt station after months of MCO. Thank goodness!Jun 14, 2020
Just to torture myself I feel like taking up a wordpress developer course. Because, wtf notJun 14, 2020
I decided to take a nap at 2pm yesterday and woke up at 6am today. Wow that’s some nap!Jun 14, 2020
Ah so Singapore has come up with a list of non-essential workers. My my, salty! https://t.co/iB1DjiGLt0Jun 15, 2020
I’m just gonna post dog+cat photos today. https://t.co/B5ukEAUoPjJun 15, 2020
TNB is trending – apparently many are experiencing a huge spike in their electricity bills gulp Here’s a possible explanation by @twt_kerja https://t.co/Jcu681mYriJun 15, 2020
Malaysia is no.10 in producing solid waste. 😮 https://t.co/n7h1c5uKSnJun 15, 2020
“… our society will soon realise that academic qualifications will become increasingly irrelevant. The future of work globally will not be one with a clear blue- and white-collar job divide.”Jun 15, 2020
Did you lose income/job because of #COVID19?Jun 15, 2020
The children are back in the condo playground. Social distancing? Nawwww who needs them https://t.co/zrhfueI4nz
GIFJun 15, 2020
Stock market these days👇 https://t.co/fnj7jw62Tp
GIFJun 15, 2020
Man, I didn’t know poodle pigs existed! https://t.co/5hdcUkTKWSJun 15, 2020
EPIC 🤣 https://t.co/D2Qx3cnaqDJun 15, 2020
Living #debtfree is amazing. You’re less stressed & you can weather crisis better. Here’s how you can do it: https://t.co/YgXBiIwz1UJun 16, 2020
Anxious, stressed or depressed due to the massive changes caused by #COVID19? Please do yourself a favour and take this free online course by @Yale. You don’t just learn theory – you learn to implement in your life through “rewiring” projects. https://t.co/wW45Yqec6xJun 16, 2020
Rick Warren: God has a timetable for everything.
Me: Can I have a peek at the timetable? Just a quick one? 😇Jun 16, 2020
I finally listed all the books I’ve written on one page. It feels really good to see that I’ve produced these. Now … to market them!
https://t.co/4YMqfO3JVPJun 16, 2020
When you walk around the mall wondering why the world is in a blur and wondering if your eyesight has worsened… Only to realise you’ve been walking around with your reading glasses. https://t.co/yDp5QL35aI
GIFJun 16, 2020
“Tomorrow isn’t promised. Live in the moment. You think you have time, but you don’t.” We all need to remember this. Via @DebtAscent https://t.co/chdtMtGDIe https://t.co/chdtMtGDIeJun 16, 2020
5 things I learned from Korean dramas:- Men brood in showers
- Kisses happen in slow motion
- Stare and freeze when someone kisses you
- People die at zebra crossings a lot
- Chaebols are always cold MOFO. But hawt. Always hawt.
Right, @kfangurl ?? https://t.co/RKsHoZXapb
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Jun 18, 2020
Just had a wonderful chat with @FinancialGory today at 11am. He has done more in his life than I did at his age! With a good financial foundation, you can really pursue your dreams. Thanks for your time @azraeimuhamad 😃Jun 18, 2020
Woohoo I think I got it! Making boba pearls – it’s white cos I didn’t bother getting dark brown sugar. https://t.co/Ez0hKKVpdaJun 18, 2020
Wow never thought I would be able to make boba pearls from scratch. It’s not terribly hard but it’s tedious https://t.co/2Mn5RYpQqBJun 18, 2020
I ❤️ their friendship. Much prayers for James who must feel the loss keenly. https://t.co/HrlCSkQbeqJun 19, 2020
RM2 can’t even buy you a packet of nasi lemak these days. https://t.co/Qrg9W70uHvJun 20, 2020
My bro just bought RM200 worth of durian. It’s not like, berlambak lambak k? It’s four tiny boxes. Maybe I should consider becoming a durian seller?🤔Jun 20, 2020
So apparently, when you finally get an SSL certificate you’d be rewarded with a precipitous drop in traffic. Lovely. Here’s what I should’v done after getting a https address: https://t.co/Tu8GhLQHW9Jun 20, 2020
I have Denmark bike envy 😑 oh Malaysia, wil we ever have this? https://t.co/gUZv28rfVmJun 20, 2020
When a company or department is run by folks in fear, the results are less than optimal. Goals end up being sabotaged by self preservation and insecurity. https://t.co/YP8MWFiB7DJun 20, 2020
I so agree with this. When I worked with the newspaper, my editors were brutal with my copy. But I sure learned a lot about writing great articles. https://t.co/1EjScbTNfVJun 21, 2020
This week’s boba pearls. It costs only RM1 but lots of labour involved. Phew. https://t.co/FgohfeXlTO
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I still can’t get over how obvious & plentiful the product placements in #TheEternalKingMonarch was. https://t.co/B5t897e4KgJun 22, 2020
The boba pearls I made are blue because I boiled some butterfly pea flowers (Bunga telang) in the mix. A nice, safe form of colouring 😊 https://t.co/latOMZq5oT
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It’s so sad that such a well-known brand has such a toxic workplace. Why does this keep happening and is there a way to prevent it? https://t.co/qYrhhHLzg0Jun 22, 2020
Just post it! https://t.co/vH6zr7Ni0dJun 22, 2020
20 yo Robinhood trader commits suicide after seeing -$US730k balance 😩 https://t.co/nfI97zHFXeJun 22, 2020
A few days ago, a 20yo investor committed suicide after he discovered a -$750k balance. He thought he was nearly a mil in debt 😟 His cousin Bill Brewster talks about this incident in his own words 👇 https://t.co/8V5Gt787WRJun 22, 2020
Yup, I was thinking this was a UX problem https://t.co/DUAsRkdKNbJun 23, 2020
Guys, don’t invest unless you know what you’re investing in, what risks are related to the investment vehicles and how it works.Jun 23, 2020
I only buy new things when the old one completely disintegrates, falls apart and collapses into a pitiful wreck. I guess it’s time for a new case. https://t.co/mGtBlx5IJb
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The coronavirus also doesn’t care if you think it no longer exists. https://t.co/5qAjEb6g2SJun 23, 2020
A Melbournian got upset when I asked for Vienna coffee in Melbourne. “We take our coffee seriously, so of course we won’t have coffee of the Viennese variety here!”
But I just want whipped cream on my coffee, is that too much to ask? https://t.co/a5zcTANTPK
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This is @RobinhoodApp’s response to Alex Kearns’ suicide. I think education is really, really important right now. And safeguards. Lots of it. https://t.co/02Gi1BkOYdJun 23, 2020
Is this a case of bad UX? Or irresponsible UX? https://t.co/VqGk5oCWlWJun 23, 2020
I had to lol at my apartment management’s exhortation that kids need to maintain 1m distance from each other at the play area. I can most assuredly tell you they are happily ignoring that rule.And that their parents couldn’t care less.
Jun 24, 2020
Even pros struggle with personal finance https://t.co/iKPKnuBKA4Jun 24, 2020
I am actually the same, but only in Malaysia. In Australia I bought my second hand Toyota for $6k. Damn I miss that car. https://t.co/WNlkulEZyqJun 24, 2020
Oh good then. I am tots a generalist when it comes to writing https://t.co/3LvsUv6MXsJun 24, 2020
This is totally me. https://t.co/ywdOuvatxzJun 26, 2020
I feel this. I once was asked to talk to a group of B40 folks about personal finance and I knew it would be insulting of me to tell them to “save better”. The PF community in Malaysia needs to do better to serve folks who are struggling financially, B40, M40 or whatever group https://t.co/Wr9VArQTfPJun 26, 2020
Are you stressed by debts? I know how it’s like. Years ago, I had owed RM20k+ (credit card debts & car loan). Here’s how I managed the stress as I paid off my debts. Much thanks to AIA Malaysia for letting me to share my experience with Malaysians! Read: 👇https://t.co/ho6a20hQesJun 26, 2020
As I grew up, my frugalistas maximus parents lectured me about saving $, buying property & not being an idiot with credit cards. You think I’d be set for life. But noooo, I rebelled by being the opposite. By 25, I racked up enough credit card debt to make them weep 1/3Jun 26, 2020
Advice from mum and dad! haha https://t.co/k6FPJTZhg8Jun 26, 2020
If you have debts in your life, it can get really stressful. You constantly wonder if you have enough money. Here an article I wrote for AIA on the ways to manage the stress when you’re trying to pay down your debt. Read: 👉 https://t.co/wPRe7Cs33K https://t.co/K4J3BRBbfk
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If these are Malaysians, we are huge savers! https://t.co/hsfEg2qHcaJun 27, 2020
Last week, I read about the tragic story of an investor who killed himself because he thought he lost nearly -US$750k. Robinhood investor Alex Kearns’ tragic story highlights our need for financial education and a healthy relationship to money.Jun 29, 2020
This is still important to say: Suicide isn’t the answer to your money or debt problems. If you are struggling right now, please seek help. https://t.co/cXTfWZswkhJun 29, 2020
I’m in a co-working space now and it’s uncomfortably packed. Oof.Jun 29, 2020
You know what’s more annoying? There’s a person with a full-blown cold in the coworking space. There were no screenings for temperature, or check-ins. Nopes. This is not good.Jun 29, 2020
“No matter how bad the economy gets, you will pull through financially and come out on the other side OK” – @JessGarbarino https://t.co/NgVdTwzVU9Jun 29, 2020
I want my own booty pillow https://t.co/NYsoqihLHK - The Art of Living by Thich Nhat Hanh https://t.co/G6ZsokXPhG
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The most important part of designing small is understanding the core goal of the feature or product you’re creating. If your goal is too big or poorly understood, it’s very easy to just continue adding feature after feature because “somebody might want it.” https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/designing-the-smallest-possible-thing by Laura #Klein #UX #UXDesign #WebDev #frontEnd #design #deathOfManagement #dev
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MYSTERY IN BLUE
A TRAVEL TROUBLES NOTES STORY
THE ECHO OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
Book III: An Australia Day Mystery
CHAPTER 1: THE TIMEOUT TRAPIt was Australia Day, and the heat was enough to melt the CSS off a stylesheet. The Three Best Friends—Liam, Dax, and Dev—were driving their trusty 4WD up the winding roads of the Blue Mountains. The esky was chockers with lamingtons and snags, and the mood was “she’ll be right”.
“I reckon we camp near the Three Sisters,” Dax said, adjusting his sunglasses. “Great view, high contrast, easy navigation.”
But as they approached Katoomba, the car’s dashboard display flickered. A countdown timer appeared on the GPS screen:
SESSION EXPIRING IN 10 SECONDS.“Dev, extend the session!” Liam yelled.
Dev reached for the “Continue” button, but the car hit a pothole. His finger slipped.
3… 2… 1…
The GPS went black. The engine sputtered. The car rolled to a halt on the shoulder of the highway.
“It’s the Timeout Trap,” Dev groaned. “The system didn’t give us enough time to interact. It violated the rule: Provide users enough time to read and use content”.
The Genial Fix
“A standard timeout is fine for security,” Liam said, wiping sweat from his brow. “But for a critical task like driving? We need an option to turn off, adjust, or extend the time limit”.
Liam pried open the dashboard panel. He found the physical timer relay. “I’m bypassing the default setting. I’m hard-coding an exception for ‘Real-time Activity’.”
He twisted two wires together. The screen roared back to life, but the map was different. The roads weren’t marked with names; they were marked with code.
“We aren’t in Katoomba anymore,” Dax whispered. “We’re in the Source Code.”
CHAPTER 2: THE RECURSIVE RAVINE
They hiked into the valley, but the path was behaving strangely. Every time they walked 100 meters, they found themselves passing the same gum tree.
“It’s an infinite loop!” Dax cried. “We’re stuck in a recursive function without an exit condition!”
“It’s worse,” Dev said, pointing to a signpost. It spun wildly, the arrows changing direction every second. “The navigation is inconsistent. One minute the ‘Home’ link is on the left, the next it’s in the footer.”
A voice boomed from the canyon walls—a distorted, echoing laugh.
“Welcome to the Echo. Navigation is fluid here. Try to find the breadcrumb trail.”
“Breadcrumbs!” Liam realized. “The Echo is mocking us. We need to create a Site Map to understand the structure of the valley.”
The Physical Site Map
Dax grabbed a stick and began drawing in the red dirt. “If the visual path is broken, we rely on the DOM order.”
He mapped the landmarks like HTML elements: : The Sky (Always visible) : The Valley Floor (Where the content is) : The River (The end of the page)
“The Loop is in the ,” Dev noticed, looking at Dax’s map. “We’ve been walking in a sidebar! We need to Skip to Main Content.”
“Skip Links!” Liam shouted. “Find the anchor!”
They spotted a hidden trail marker labeled #main-content. They jumped over the barrier, breaking the loop and landing on the true path toward the Three Sisters.
CHAPTER 3: THE VOICE OF THE SISTERS
They reached the famous rock formation, but the viewing platform was deserted. A single, massive microphone stood at the edge of the cliff, pointing at the rocks.
“To pass,” the Echo’s voice thundered, “You must speak the Password. But be warned: The Echo listens to all inputs.”
“It’s a Voice Input Control,” Dev said. “But look at the wind. It’s blowing a gale. The background noise is too high.”
Liam stepped up to the mic. “Open Sesame!”
The wind howled. The system responded: “Did you say ‘Open Salami’?”
“No!” Liam yelled. “Cancel! Undo!”
The system processed the command: “Ordering Salami.”
“It’s an Error Prevention nightmare!” Dax panicked. “For inputs that cause legal commitments or financial transactions, we must be able to reversible, checked, or confirmed”.
The Modal Trap
A holographic receipt appeared in the air, blocking their path.
CONFIRM PURCHASE?There was no “Cancel” button. Only “Yes.”
“It’s a Focus Trap,” Dev said. “I can’t tab away from the ‘Yes’ button. We need to force a keyboard interrupt.”
“Don’t speak,” Liam whispered. “Switch input modalities. The WCAG guidelines say users should be able to switch between input modes (voice, keyboard, mouse) at any time.”
Liam plugged his portable keyboard into the base of the microphone. He typed: ESCAPE.
The receipt vanished. The “Salami” order was cancelled.
“Fair crack of the whip,” Liam muttered. “That was close.”
CHAPTER 4: THE FOG OF #CCCCCC
They descended the Giant Stairway, but a thick fog rolled in. It wasn’t just white; it was a flat, featureless gray.
“I can’t see the steps,” Dax said, freezing in place. “The contrast ratio between the stone and the fog is 1:1. It’s invisible.”
“The Echo has lowered the contrast of the world,” Dev realized. “It’s targeting users with low vision.”
Dax, the designer, pulled out his “High Contrast” visor—a pair of augmented reality goggles he used for testing.
“I’m switching to High Contrast Mode,” Dax announced. “I’m inverting the colors.”
Through the goggles, the gray fog turned black, and the stone steps glowed neon yellow.
“Follow me!” Dax shouted. “I’ve got sufficient contrast!”
The Text-Only Fallback
But then the fog thickened, blocking even the AR signal. Dax stopped. “I’ve lost the visual.”
“Don’t rely on sensory characteristics alone,” Liam recited. “Don’t rely on shape, size, or visual location”.
Liam closed his eyes. He reached out and felt the railing. It had Braille markings etched into the steel.
“The railing has a text alternative!” Liam said. “It says: ‘Step 842. Turn Left.'”
They descended the rest of the stairs by touch, guided by the tactile “Alt-Text” of the mountain.
CHAPTER 5: THE PHANTOM’S SERVER
At the bottom of the valley, they found it. Not a cave, but a bunker. The door was marked with the “Echo” symbol—a sound wave eating its own tail.
“This is where the Australian Day broadcast is coming from,” Dev said. “If we don’t fix the accessibility settings, the Prime Minister’s speech will be broadcast without captions, without Audio Description, and in a font size no one can read.”
They burst inside. The server room was unguarded, but the console was protected by the ultimate barrier.
A CAPTCHA.
But not just any CAPTCHA. It was a grid of 16 images of Australian animals.
“Select all the Quokkas,” the computer sneered.
“They all look like Quokkas!” Liam yelled. “That one might be a Wallaby! Or a small Kangaroo!”
“It’s a cognitive barrier,” Dev said. “It relies on cultural knowledge and visual acuity. It’s inaccessible.”
The Biometric Twist
“We need an alternative,” Dax said. “Look for the audio icon.”
There was none.
“Wait,” Liam said. “This system is old. It’s running on Legacy Code. It probably supports ‘Device Authentication’.”
Liam pulled out his USB key—his “Authorized User” token.
“Not requiring CAPTCHAs for authorized users,” Liam grinned, plugging it in.
The screen flashed green. AUTHENTICATED.
CHAPTER 6: THE FINAL REFACTOR
They had access. Now they had to patch the broadcast before it went live in 5 minutes.
Dev worked on the player. “I’m adding a transcript toggle. I’m ensuring the media player keyboard controls are standard.”
Dax worked on the visuals. “I’m fixing the color palette. No more red-on-green text. I’m boosting the luminance.”
Liam worked on the content. The speech was written in dense, academic English.
“I’m simplifying,” Liam muttered. “Short sentences. Plain Language. Expanding acronyms.”
3… 2… 1…
The “On Air” light turned red.
On screens all across Australia—from the pubs in Sydney to the stations in the Outback—the broadcast appeared.
It was perfect.
The captions were synced.
The Audio Description described the flag waving in the wind.
The text was readable, high-contrast, and clear.
“She’ll be right,” the Prime Minister said on screen.
“She certainly will be,” Liam smiled, collapsing into a beanbag chair in the corner of the bunker.
EPILOGUE: THE NULL ISLAND
The sun was setting over the Blue Mountains, painting the Three Sisters in gold and purple. The Three Best Friends sat on the bunker roof, eating the lamingtons that had miraculously survived the trek.
“We did good,” Dax said. “We made Australia Day accessible.”
“But who built the Echo?” Dev asked, holding up a strange, black microchip he had pulled from the server.
Liam took it. Etched into the silicon were coordinates.
0°N 0°E.
“Zero Zero,” Liam whispered. “That’s Null Island. The place where bad data goes to die.”
“There’s no land there,” Dax said. “It’s just ocean off the coast of Africa.”
“That’s what the maps say,” Dev said, his eyes gleaming with a new mystery. “But the code says otherwise. Someone is building a digital fortress at Null Island. And they just pinged us.”
Liam stood up, dusting the crumbs off his shorts.
“Well,” he grinned. “I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise.”
“Pack your togs,” Dax laughed.
“And your keyboards,” Dev added.
The Three Best Friends looked at the horizon. The Blue Mountains were behind them, but the Ocean of Null was waiting.
#AccessibleCoding #art #AssistiveTechnology #AustraliaDay #AustralianSlang #bloganuary #bloganuary202401 #bloganuary202402 #bloganuary202403 #bloganuary202404 #bloganuary202405 #bloganuary202408 #bloganuary202409 #bloganuary202411 #bloganuary202416 #bloganuary202428 #bloganuary202429 #bloganuary202430 #BlueMountains #books #castles #cocktail #ComedyFiction #CreativeWriting #culture #curiosity #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1805 #dailyprompt1806 #dailyprompt1807 #dailyprompt1808 #dailyprompt1811 #dailyprompt1812 #dailyprompt1814 #dailyprompt1819 #dailyprompt1832 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1851 #dailyprompt1859 #dailyprompt1860 #dailyprompt1891 #dailyprompt1975 #dailyprompt1976 #dailyprompt1978 #dailyprompt1981 #dailyprompt1982 #dailyprompt1983 #dailyprompt1984 #dailyprompt1985 #dailyprompt1987 #dailyprompt1988 #dailyprompt1990 #dailyprompt1993 #dailyprompt1994 #dailyprompt2007 #dailyprompt2008 #dailyprompt2010 #dailyprompt2011 #dailyprompt2012 #dailyprompt2013 #dailyprompt2014 #dailyprompt2089 #dailyprompt2099 #dailyprompt2112 #dailyprompt2113 #dailyprompt2115 #dailyprompt2124 #dailyprompt2125 #dailyprompt2126 #dailyprompt2127 #dailyprompt2129 #dailyprompt2132 #dailyprompt2134 #dailyprompt2137 #dailyprompt2138 #dailyprompt2145 #dailyprompt2146 #dailyprompt2152 #dailyprompt2153 #dailyprompt2159 #dailyprompt2167 #DANCESPIRITCOLOROFPEACE #DigitalInclusion #DOLOMITES #drinks #EmotionsFeelingsSundayPowerOfASmileMyLifeWithYouSOULCHEERFULNESSFEELINGSHOPETearsSometimesAKissIsAllYouNeedTheSilenceLifeSelfWords #ErrorPrevention #Evernote #everyday #Facebook #facts #food #hiking #HISTORY #IFTTT #InclusiveDesign #Instagram #InteractiveDesign #Ireland #Irish #Island #Italy #kitchen #language #learning #LifeAndAGIRLINTERRUPTEDFriendshipAndPoisonBULLIEDKLDONNOneDayAtOfficeESSENTIALFORSURVIVINGTheBreathOfASoulMePastPresentFutureYesUAreIGotItSome #mountains #MYCOCKTAILWORLD #noMatterHow #noMatterHowBadIsTogetherWeCanWin #photography #pictures #Pinterest #RECIPES #ScreenReaders #SemanticHTML #social #SUMMER #SUMMERBOMB #summersimoBestTouristGuidesAreYourTasteBuds #SUMMERSIMOTHEUNDERWORLD #SUMMERSIMOCOMPASS #SUMMERSIMOSCOCKTAILS #SUMMERSIMOSCOMPASS #SUMMERSIMOSGLITTERWAR #SUMMERSIMOSRECIPES #TechMystery #technology #TheBestTouristGuidesAreYourTasteBuds #TheCaseOfTheSilentNightingaleAndTheEtruscanDeception #ThePurringPage #TheSoundOfSmile #TheThreeBestFriends #TOURISM #travel #TRENTINOALTOADIGE #UserExperience #UXDesign #VoiceRecognition #WAIARIA #WCAG22 #WebAccessibility #WithASummersimoSmile -
MYSTERY IN BLUE
A TRAVEL TROUBLES NOTES STORY
THE ECHO OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
Book III: An Australia Day Mystery
CHAPTER 1: THE TIMEOUT TRAPIt was Australia Day, and the heat was enough to melt the CSS off a stylesheet. The Three Best Friends—Liam, Dax, and Dev—were driving their trusty 4WD up the winding roads of the Blue Mountains. The esky was chockers with lamingtons and snags, and the mood was “she’ll be right”.
“I reckon we camp near the Three Sisters,” Dax said, adjusting his sunglasses. “Great view, high contrast, easy navigation.”
But as they approached Katoomba, the car’s dashboard display flickered. A countdown timer appeared on the GPS screen:
SESSION EXPIRING IN 10 SECONDS.“Dev, extend the session!” Liam yelled.
Dev reached for the “Continue” button, but the car hit a pothole. His finger slipped.
3… 2… 1…
The GPS went black. The engine sputtered. The car rolled to a halt on the shoulder of the highway.
“It’s the Timeout Trap,” Dev groaned. “The system didn’t give us enough time to interact. It violated the rule: Provide users enough time to read and use content”.
The Genial Fix
“A standard timeout is fine for security,” Liam said, wiping sweat from his brow. “But for a critical task like driving? We need an option to turn off, adjust, or extend the time limit”.
Liam pried open the dashboard panel. He found the physical timer relay. “I’m bypassing the default setting. I’m hard-coding an exception for ‘Real-time Activity’.”
He twisted two wires together. The screen roared back to life, but the map was different. The roads weren’t marked with names; they were marked with code.
“We aren’t in Katoomba anymore,” Dax whispered. “We’re in the Source Code.”
CHAPTER 2: THE RECURSIVE RAVINE
They hiked into the valley, but the path was behaving strangely. Every time they walked 100 meters, they found themselves passing the same gum tree.
“It’s an infinite loop!” Dax cried. “We’re stuck in a recursive function without an exit condition!”
“It’s worse,” Dev said, pointing to a signpost. It spun wildly, the arrows changing direction every second. “The navigation is inconsistent. One minute the ‘Home’ link is on the left, the next it’s in the footer.”
A voice boomed from the canyon walls—a distorted, echoing laugh.
“Welcome to the Echo. Navigation is fluid here. Try to find the breadcrumb trail.”
“Breadcrumbs!” Liam realized. “The Echo is mocking us. We need to create a Site Map to understand the structure of the valley.”
The Physical Site Map
Dax grabbed a stick and began drawing in the red dirt. “If the visual path is broken, we rely on the DOM order.”
He mapped the landmarks like HTML elements: : The Sky (Always visible) : The Valley Floor (Where the content is) : The River (The end of the page)
“The Loop is in the ,” Dev noticed, looking at Dax’s map. “We’ve been walking in a sidebar! We need to Skip to Main Content.”
“Skip Links!” Liam shouted. “Find the anchor!”
They spotted a hidden trail marker labeled #main-content. They jumped over the barrier, breaking the loop and landing on the true path toward the Three Sisters.
CHAPTER 3: THE VOICE OF THE SISTERS
They reached the famous rock formation, but the viewing platform was deserted. A single, massive microphone stood at the edge of the cliff, pointing at the rocks.
“To pass,” the Echo’s voice thundered, “You must speak the Password. But be warned: The Echo listens to all inputs.”
“It’s a Voice Input Control,” Dev said. “But look at the wind. It’s blowing a gale. The background noise is too high.”
Liam stepped up to the mic. “Open Sesame!”
The wind howled. The system responded: “Did you say ‘Open Salami’?”
“No!” Liam yelled. “Cancel! Undo!”
The system processed the command: “Ordering Salami.”
“It’s an Error Prevention nightmare!” Dax panicked. “For inputs that cause legal commitments or financial transactions, we must be able to reversible, checked, or confirmed”.
The Modal Trap
A holographic receipt appeared in the air, blocking their path.
CONFIRM PURCHASE?There was no “Cancel” button. Only “Yes.”
“It’s a Focus Trap,” Dev said. “I can’t tab away from the ‘Yes’ button. We need to force a keyboard interrupt.”
“Don’t speak,” Liam whispered. “Switch input modalities. The WCAG guidelines say users should be able to switch between input modes (voice, keyboard, mouse) at any time.”
Liam plugged his portable keyboard into the base of the microphone. He typed: ESCAPE.
The receipt vanished. The “Salami” order was cancelled.
“Fair crack of the whip,” Liam muttered. “That was close.”
CHAPTER 4: THE FOG OF #CCCCCC
They descended the Giant Stairway, but a thick fog rolled in. It wasn’t just white; it was a flat, featureless gray.
“I can’t see the steps,” Dax said, freezing in place. “The contrast ratio between the stone and the fog is 1:1. It’s invisible.”
“The Echo has lowered the contrast of the world,” Dev realized. “It’s targeting users with low vision.”
Dax, the designer, pulled out his “High Contrast” visor—a pair of augmented reality goggles he used for testing.
“I’m switching to High Contrast Mode,” Dax announced. “I’m inverting the colors.”
Through the goggles, the gray fog turned black, and the stone steps glowed neon yellow.
“Follow me!” Dax shouted. “I’ve got sufficient contrast!”
The Text-Only Fallback
But then the fog thickened, blocking even the AR signal. Dax stopped. “I’ve lost the visual.”
“Don’t rely on sensory characteristics alone,” Liam recited. “Don’t rely on shape, size, or visual location”.
Liam closed his eyes. He reached out and felt the railing. It had Braille markings etched into the steel.
“The railing has a text alternative!” Liam said. “It says: ‘Step 842. Turn Left.'”
They descended the rest of the stairs by touch, guided by the tactile “Alt-Text” of the mountain.
CHAPTER 5: THE PHANTOM’S SERVER
At the bottom of the valley, they found it. Not a cave, but a bunker. The door was marked with the “Echo” symbol—a sound wave eating its own tail.
“This is where the Australian Day broadcast is coming from,” Dev said. “If we don’t fix the accessibility settings, the Prime Minister’s speech will be broadcast without captions, without Audio Description, and in a font size no one can read.”
They burst inside. The server room was unguarded, but the console was protected by the ultimate barrier.
A CAPTCHA.
But not just any CAPTCHA. It was a grid of 16 images of Australian animals.
“Select all the Quokkas,” the computer sneered.
“They all look like Quokkas!” Liam yelled. “That one might be a Wallaby! Or a small Kangaroo!”
“It’s a cognitive barrier,” Dev said. “It relies on cultural knowledge and visual acuity. It’s inaccessible.”
The Biometric Twist
“We need an alternative,” Dax said. “Look for the audio icon.”
There was none.
“Wait,” Liam said. “This system is old. It’s running on Legacy Code. It probably supports ‘Device Authentication’.”
Liam pulled out his USB key—his “Authorized User” token.
“Not requiring CAPTCHAs for authorized users,” Liam grinned, plugging it in.
The screen flashed green. AUTHENTICATED.
CHAPTER 6: THE FINAL REFACTOR
They had access. Now they had to patch the broadcast before it went live in 5 minutes.
Dev worked on the player. “I’m adding a transcript toggle. I’m ensuring the media player keyboard controls are standard.”
Dax worked on the visuals. “I’m fixing the color palette. No more red-on-green text. I’m boosting the luminance.”
Liam worked on the content. The speech was written in dense, academic English.
“I’m simplifying,” Liam muttered. “Short sentences. Plain Language. Expanding acronyms.”
3… 2… 1…
The “On Air” light turned red.
On screens all across Australia—from the pubs in Sydney to the stations in the Outback—the broadcast appeared.
It was perfect.
The captions were synced.
The Audio Description described the flag waving in the wind.
The text was readable, high-contrast, and clear.
“She’ll be right,” the Prime Minister said on screen.
“She certainly will be,” Liam smiled, collapsing into a beanbag chair in the corner of the bunker.
EPILOGUE: THE NULL ISLAND
The sun was setting over the Blue Mountains, painting the Three Sisters in gold and purple. The Three Best Friends sat on the bunker roof, eating the lamingtons that had miraculously survived the trek.
“We did good,” Dax said. “We made Australia Day accessible.”
“But who built the Echo?” Dev asked, holding up a strange, black microchip he had pulled from the server.
Liam took it. Etched into the silicon were coordinates.
0°N 0°E.
“Zero Zero,” Liam whispered. “That’s Null Island. The place where bad data goes to die.”
“There’s no land there,” Dax said. “It’s just ocean off the coast of Africa.”
“That’s what the maps say,” Dev said, his eyes gleaming with a new mystery. “But the code says otherwise. Someone is building a digital fortress at Null Island. And they just pinged us.”
Liam stood up, dusting the crumbs off his shorts.
“Well,” he grinned. “I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise.”
“Pack your togs,” Dax laughed.
“And your keyboards,” Dev added.
The Three Best Friends looked at the horizon. The Blue Mountains were behind them, but the Ocean of Null was waiting.
#AccessibleCoding #art #AssistiveTechnology #AustraliaDay #AustralianSlang #bloganuary #bloganuary202401 #bloganuary202402 #bloganuary202403 #bloganuary202404 #bloganuary202405 #bloganuary202408 #bloganuary202409 #bloganuary202411 #bloganuary202416 #bloganuary202428 #bloganuary202429 #bloganuary202430 #BlueMountains #books #castles #cocktail #ComedyFiction #CreativeWriting #culture #curiosity #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1805 #dailyprompt1806 #dailyprompt1807 #dailyprompt1808 #dailyprompt1811 #dailyprompt1812 #dailyprompt1814 #dailyprompt1819 #dailyprompt1832 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1851 #dailyprompt1859 #dailyprompt1860 #dailyprompt1891 #dailyprompt1975 #dailyprompt1976 #dailyprompt1978 #dailyprompt1981 #dailyprompt1982 #dailyprompt1983 #dailyprompt1984 #dailyprompt1985 #dailyprompt1987 #dailyprompt1988 #dailyprompt1990 #dailyprompt1993 #dailyprompt1994 #dailyprompt2007 #dailyprompt2008 #dailyprompt2010 #dailyprompt2011 #dailyprompt2012 #dailyprompt2013 #dailyprompt2014 #dailyprompt2089 #dailyprompt2099 #dailyprompt2112 #dailyprompt2113 #dailyprompt2115 #dailyprompt2124 #dailyprompt2125 #dailyprompt2126 #dailyprompt2127 #dailyprompt2129 #dailyprompt2132 #dailyprompt2134 #dailyprompt2137 #dailyprompt2138 #dailyprompt2145 #dailyprompt2146 #dailyprompt2152 #dailyprompt2153 #dailyprompt2159 #dailyprompt2167 #DANCESPIRITCOLOROFPEACE #DigitalInclusion #DOLOMITES #drinks #EmotionsFeelingsSundayPowerOfASmileMyLifeWithYouSOULCHEERFULNESSFEELINGSHOPETearsSometimesAKissIsAllYouNeedTheSilenceLifeSelfWords #ErrorPrevention #Evernote #everyday #Facebook #facts #food #hiking #HISTORY #IFTTT #InclusiveDesign #Instagram #InteractiveDesign #Ireland #Irish #Island #Italy #kitchen #language #learning #LifeAndAGIRLINTERRUPTEDFriendshipAndPoisonBULLIEDKLDONNOneDayAtOfficeESSENTIALFORSURVIVINGTheBreathOfASoulMePastPresentFutureYesUAreIGotItSome #mountains #MYCOCKTAILWORLD #noMatterHow #noMatterHowBadIsTogetherWeCanWin #photography #pictures #Pinterest #RECIPES #ScreenReaders #SemanticHTML #social #SUMMER #SUMMERBOMB #summersimoBestTouristGuidesAreYourTasteBuds #SUMMERSIMOTHEUNDERWORLD #SUMMERSIMOCOMPASS #SUMMERSIMOSCOCKTAILS #SUMMERSIMOSCOMPASS #SUMMERSIMOSGLITTERWAR #SUMMERSIMOSRECIPES #TechMystery #technology #TheBestTouristGuidesAreYourTasteBuds #TheCaseOfTheSilentNightingaleAndTheEtruscanDeception #ThePurringPage #TheSoundOfSmile #TheThreeBestFriends #TOURISM #travel #TRENTINOALTOADIGE #UserExperience #UXDesign #VoiceRecognition #WAIARIA #WCAG22 #WebAccessibility #WithASummersimoSmile -
MYSTERY IN BLUE
A TRAVEL TROUBLES NOTES STORY
THE ECHO OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
Book III: An Australia Day Mystery
CHAPTER 1: THE TIMEOUT TRAPIt was Australia Day, and the heat was enough to melt the CSS off a stylesheet. The Three Best Friends—Liam, Dax, and Dev—were driving their trusty 4WD up the winding roads of the Blue Mountains. The esky was chockers with lamingtons and snags, and the mood was “she’ll be right”.
“I reckon we camp near the Three Sisters,” Dax said, adjusting his sunglasses. “Great view, high contrast, easy navigation.”
But as they approached Katoomba, the car’s dashboard display flickered. A countdown timer appeared on the GPS screen:
SESSION EXPIRING IN 10 SECONDS.“Dev, extend the session!” Liam yelled.
Dev reached for the “Continue” button, but the car hit a pothole. His finger slipped.
3… 2… 1…
The GPS went black. The engine sputtered. The car rolled to a halt on the shoulder of the highway.
“It’s the Timeout Trap,” Dev groaned. “The system didn’t give us enough time to interact. It violated the rule: Provide users enough time to read and use content”.
The Genial Fix
“A standard timeout is fine for security,” Liam said, wiping sweat from his brow. “But for a critical task like driving? We need an option to turn off, adjust, or extend the time limit”.
Liam pried open the dashboard panel. He found the physical timer relay. “I’m bypassing the default setting. I’m hard-coding an exception for ‘Real-time Activity’.”
He twisted two wires together. The screen roared back to life, but the map was different. The roads weren’t marked with names; they were marked with code.
“We aren’t in Katoomba anymore,” Dax whispered. “We’re in the Source Code.”
CHAPTER 2: THE RECURSIVE RAVINE
They hiked into the valley, but the path was behaving strangely. Every time they walked 100 meters, they found themselves passing the same gum tree.
“It’s an infinite loop!” Dax cried. “We’re stuck in a recursive function without an exit condition!”
“It’s worse,” Dev said, pointing to a signpost. It spun wildly, the arrows changing direction every second. “The navigation is inconsistent. One minute the ‘Home’ link is on the left, the next it’s in the footer.”
A voice boomed from the canyon walls—a distorted, echoing laugh.
“Welcome to the Echo. Navigation is fluid here. Try to find the breadcrumb trail.”
“Breadcrumbs!” Liam realized. “The Echo is mocking us. We need to create a Site Map to understand the structure of the valley.”
The Physical Site Map
Dax grabbed a stick and began drawing in the red dirt. “If the visual path is broken, we rely on the DOM order.”
He mapped the landmarks like HTML elements: : The Sky (Always visible) : The Valley Floor (Where the content is) : The River (The end of the page)
“The Loop is in the ,” Dev noticed, looking at Dax’s map. “We’ve been walking in a sidebar! We need to Skip to Main Content.”
“Skip Links!” Liam shouted. “Find the anchor!”
They spotted a hidden trail marker labeled #main-content. They jumped over the barrier, breaking the loop and landing on the true path toward the Three Sisters.
CHAPTER 3: THE VOICE OF THE SISTERS
They reached the famous rock formation, but the viewing platform was deserted. A single, massive microphone stood at the edge of the cliff, pointing at the rocks.
“To pass,” the Echo’s voice thundered, “You must speak the Password. But be warned: The Echo listens to all inputs.”
“It’s a Voice Input Control,” Dev said. “But look at the wind. It’s blowing a gale. The background noise is too high.”
Liam stepped up to the mic. “Open Sesame!”
The wind howled. The system responded: “Did you say ‘Open Salami’?”
“No!” Liam yelled. “Cancel! Undo!”
The system processed the command: “Ordering Salami.”
“It’s an Error Prevention nightmare!” Dax panicked. “For inputs that cause legal commitments or financial transactions, we must be able to reversible, checked, or confirmed”.
The Modal Trap
A holographic receipt appeared in the air, blocking their path.
CONFIRM PURCHASE?There was no “Cancel” button. Only “Yes.”
“It’s a Focus Trap,” Dev said. “I can’t tab away from the ‘Yes’ button. We need to force a keyboard interrupt.”
“Don’t speak,” Liam whispered. “Switch input modalities. The WCAG guidelines say users should be able to switch between input modes (voice, keyboard, mouse) at any time.”
Liam plugged his portable keyboard into the base of the microphone. He typed: ESCAPE.
The receipt vanished. The “Salami” order was cancelled.
“Fair crack of the whip,” Liam muttered. “That was close.”
CHAPTER 4: THE FOG OF #CCCCCC
They descended the Giant Stairway, but a thick fog rolled in. It wasn’t just white; it was a flat, featureless gray.
“I can’t see the steps,” Dax said, freezing in place. “The contrast ratio between the stone and the fog is 1:1. It’s invisible.”
“The Echo has lowered the contrast of the world,” Dev realized. “It’s targeting users with low vision.”
Dax, the designer, pulled out his “High Contrast” visor—a pair of augmented reality goggles he used for testing.
“I’m switching to High Contrast Mode,” Dax announced. “I’m inverting the colors.”
Through the goggles, the gray fog turned black, and the stone steps glowed neon yellow.
“Follow me!” Dax shouted. “I’ve got sufficient contrast!”
The Text-Only Fallback
But then the fog thickened, blocking even the AR signal. Dax stopped. “I’ve lost the visual.”
“Don’t rely on sensory characteristics alone,” Liam recited. “Don’t rely on shape, size, or visual location”.
Liam closed his eyes. He reached out and felt the railing. It had Braille markings etched into the steel.
“The railing has a text alternative!” Liam said. “It says: ‘Step 842. Turn Left.'”
They descended the rest of the stairs by touch, guided by the tactile “Alt-Text” of the mountain.
CHAPTER 5: THE PHANTOM’S SERVER
At the bottom of the valley, they found it. Not a cave, but a bunker. The door was marked with the “Echo” symbol—a sound wave eating its own tail.
“This is where the Australian Day broadcast is coming from,” Dev said. “If we don’t fix the accessibility settings, the Prime Minister’s speech will be broadcast without captions, without Audio Description, and in a font size no one can read.”
They burst inside. The server room was unguarded, but the console was protected by the ultimate barrier.
A CAPTCHA.
But not just any CAPTCHA. It was a grid of 16 images of Australian animals.
“Select all the Quokkas,” the computer sneered.
“They all look like Quokkas!” Liam yelled. “That one might be a Wallaby! Or a small Kangaroo!”
“It’s a cognitive barrier,” Dev said. “It relies on cultural knowledge and visual acuity. It’s inaccessible.”
The Biometric Twist
“We need an alternative,” Dax said. “Look for the audio icon.”
There was none.
“Wait,” Liam said. “This system is old. It’s running on Legacy Code. It probably supports ‘Device Authentication’.”
Liam pulled out his USB key—his “Authorized User” token.
“Not requiring CAPTCHAs for authorized users,” Liam grinned, plugging it in.
The screen flashed green. AUTHENTICATED.
CHAPTER 6: THE FINAL REFACTOR
They had access. Now they had to patch the broadcast before it went live in 5 minutes.
Dev worked on the player. “I’m adding a transcript toggle. I’m ensuring the media player keyboard controls are standard.”
Dax worked on the visuals. “I’m fixing the color palette. No more red-on-green text. I’m boosting the luminance.”
Liam worked on the content. The speech was written in dense, academic English.
“I’m simplifying,” Liam muttered. “Short sentences. Plain Language. Expanding acronyms.”
3… 2… 1…
The “On Air” light turned red.
On screens all across Australia—from the pubs in Sydney to the stations in the Outback—the broadcast appeared.
It was perfect.
The captions were synced.
The Audio Description described the flag waving in the wind.
The text was readable, high-contrast, and clear.
“She’ll be right,” the Prime Minister said on screen.
“She certainly will be,” Liam smiled, collapsing into a beanbag chair in the corner of the bunker.
EPILOGUE: THE NULL ISLAND
The sun was setting over the Blue Mountains, painting the Three Sisters in gold and purple. The Three Best Friends sat on the bunker roof, eating the lamingtons that had miraculously survived the trek.
“We did good,” Dax said. “We made Australia Day accessible.”
“But who built the Echo?” Dev asked, holding up a strange, black microchip he had pulled from the server.
Liam took it. Etched into the silicon were coordinates.
0°N 0°E.
“Zero Zero,” Liam whispered. “That’s Null Island. The place where bad data goes to die.”
“There’s no land there,” Dax said. “It’s just ocean off the coast of Africa.”
“That’s what the maps say,” Dev said, his eyes gleaming with a new mystery. “But the code says otherwise. Someone is building a digital fortress at Null Island. And they just pinged us.”
Liam stood up, dusting the crumbs off his shorts.
“Well,” he grinned. “I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise.”
“Pack your togs,” Dax laughed.
“And your keyboards,” Dev added.
The Three Best Friends looked at the horizon. The Blue Mountains were behind them, but the Ocean of Null was waiting.
#AccessibleCoding #art #AssistiveTechnology #AustraliaDay #AustralianSlang #bloganuary #bloganuary202401 #bloganuary202402 #bloganuary202403 #bloganuary202404 #bloganuary202405 #bloganuary202408 #bloganuary202409 #bloganuary202411 #bloganuary202416 #bloganuary202428 #bloganuary202429 #bloganuary202430 #BlueMountains #books #castles #cocktail #ComedyFiction #CreativeWriting #culture #curiosity #dailyprompt #dailyprompt1804 #dailyprompt1805 #dailyprompt1806 #dailyprompt1807 #dailyprompt1808 #dailyprompt1811 #dailyprompt1812 #dailyprompt1814 #dailyprompt1819 #dailyprompt1832 #dailyprompt1839 #dailyprompt1851 #dailyprompt1859 #dailyprompt1860 #dailyprompt1891 #dailyprompt1975 #dailyprompt1976 #dailyprompt1978 #dailyprompt1981 #dailyprompt1982 #dailyprompt1983 #dailyprompt1984 #dailyprompt1985 #dailyprompt1987 #dailyprompt1988 #dailyprompt1990 #dailyprompt1993 #dailyprompt1994 #dailyprompt2007 #dailyprompt2008 #dailyprompt2010 #dailyprompt2011 #dailyprompt2012 #dailyprompt2013 #dailyprompt2014 #dailyprompt2089 #dailyprompt2099 #dailyprompt2112 #dailyprompt2113 #dailyprompt2115 #dailyprompt2124 #dailyprompt2125 #dailyprompt2126 #dailyprompt2127 #dailyprompt2129 #dailyprompt2132 #dailyprompt2134 #dailyprompt2137 #dailyprompt2138 #dailyprompt2145 #dailyprompt2146 #dailyprompt2152 #dailyprompt2153 #dailyprompt2159 #dailyprompt2167 #DANCESPIRITCOLOROFPEACE #DigitalInclusion #DOLOMITES #drinks #EmotionsFeelingsSundayPowerOfASmileMyLifeWithYouSOULCHEERFULNESSFEELINGSHOPETearsSometimesAKissIsAllYouNeedTheSilenceLifeSelfWords #ErrorPrevention #Evernote #everyday #Facebook #facts #food #hiking #HISTORY #IFTTT #InclusiveDesign #Instagram #InteractiveDesign #Ireland #Irish #Island #Italy #kitchen #language #learning #LifeAndAGIRLINTERRUPTEDFriendshipAndPoisonBULLIEDKLDONNOneDayAtOfficeESSENTIALFORSURVIVINGTheBreathOfASoulMePastPresentFutureYesUAreIGotItSome #mountains #MYCOCKTAILWORLD #noMatterHow #noMatterHowBadIsTogetherWeCanWin #photography #pictures #Pinterest #RECIPES #ScreenReaders #SemanticHTML #social #SUMMER #SUMMERBOMB #summersimoBestTouristGuidesAreYourTasteBuds #SUMMERSIMOTHEUNDERWORLD #SUMMERSIMOCOMPASS #SUMMERSIMOSCOCKTAILS #SUMMERSIMOSCOMPASS #SUMMERSIMOSGLITTERWAR #SUMMERSIMOSRECIPES #TechMystery #technology #TheBestTouristGuidesAreYourTasteBuds #TheCaseOfTheSilentNightingaleAndTheEtruscanDeception #ThePurringPage #TheSoundOfSmile #TheThreeBestFriends #TOURISM #travel #TRENTINOALTOADIGE #UserExperience #UXDesign #VoiceRecognition #WAIARIA #WCAG22 #WebAccessibility #WithASummersimoSmile -
MYSTERY IN BLUE
A TRAVEL TROUBLES NOTES STORY
THE ECHO OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS
Book III: An Australia Day Mystery
CHAPTER 1: THE TIMEOUT TRAPIt was Australia Day, and the heat was enough to melt the CSS off a stylesheet. The Three Best Friends—Liam, Dax, and Dev—were driving their trusty 4WD up the winding roads of the Blue Mountains. The esky was chockers with lamingtons and snags, and the mood was “she’ll be right”.
“I reckon we camp near the Three Sisters,” Dax said, adjusting his sunglasses. “Great view, high contrast, easy navigation.”
But as they approached Katoomba, the car’s dashboard display flickered. A countdown timer appeared on the GPS screen:
SESSION EXPIRING IN 10 SECONDS.“Dev, extend the session!” Liam yelled.
Dev reached for the “Continue” button, but the car hit a pothole. His finger slipped.
3… 2… 1…
The GPS went black. The engine sputtered. The car rolled to a halt on the shoulder of the highway.
“It’s the Timeout Trap,” Dev groaned. “The system didn’t give us enough time to interact. It violated the rule: Provide users enough time to read and use content”.
The Genial Fix
“A standard timeout is fine for security,” Liam said, wiping sweat from his brow. “But for a critical task like driving? We need an option to turn off, adjust, or extend the time limit”.
Liam pried open the dashboard panel. He found the physical timer relay. “I’m bypassing the default setting. I’m hard-coding an exception for ‘Real-time Activity’.”
He twisted two wires together. The screen roared back to life, but the map was different. The roads weren’t marked with names; they were marked with code.
“We aren’t in Katoomba anymore,” Dax whispered. “We’re in the Source Code.”
CHAPTER 2: THE RECURSIVE RAVINE
They hiked into the valley, but the path was behaving strangely. Every time they walked 100 meters, they found themselves passing the same gum tree.
“It’s an infinite loop!” Dax cried. “We’re stuck in a recursive function without an exit condition!”
“It’s worse,” Dev said, pointing to a signpost. It spun wildly, the arrows changing direction every second. “The navigation is inconsistent. One minute the ‘Home’ link is on the left, the next it’s in the footer.”
A voice boomed from the canyon walls—a distorted, echoing laugh.
“Welcome to the Echo. Navigation is fluid here. Try to find the breadcrumb trail.”
“Breadcrumbs!” Liam realized. “The Echo is mocking us. We need to create a Site Map to understand the structure of the valley.”
The Physical Site Map
Dax grabbed a stick and began drawing in the red dirt. “If the visual path is broken, we rely on the DOM order.”
He mapped the landmarks like HTML elements: : The Sky (Always visible) : The Valley Floor (Where the content is) : The River (The end of the page)
“The Loop is in the ,” Dev noticed, looking at Dax’s map. “We’ve been walking in a sidebar! We need to Skip to Main Content.”
“Skip Links!” Liam shouted. “Find the anchor!”
They spotted a hidden trail marker labeled #main-content. They jumped over the barrier, breaking the loop and landing on the true path toward the Three Sisters.
CHAPTER 3: THE VOICE OF THE SISTERS
They reached the famous rock formation, but the viewing platform was deserted. A single, massive microphone stood at the edge of the cliff, pointing at the rocks.
“To pass,” the Echo’s voice thundered, “You must speak the Password. But be warned: The Echo listens to all inputs.”
“It’s a Voice Input Control,” Dev said. “But look at the wind. It’s blowing a gale. The background noise is too high.”
Liam stepped up to the mic. “Open Sesame!”
The wind howled. The system responded: “Did you say ‘Open Salami’?”
“No!” Liam yelled. “Cancel! Undo!”
The system processed the command: “Ordering Salami.”
“It’s an Error Prevention nightmare!” Dax panicked. “For inputs that cause legal commitments or financial transactions, we must be able to reversible, checked, or confirmed”.
The Modal Trap
A holographic receipt appeared in the air, blocking their path.
CONFIRM PURCHASE?There was no “Cancel” button. Only “Yes.”
“It’s a Focus Trap,” Dev said. “I can’t tab away from the ‘Yes’ button. We need to force a keyboard interrupt.”
“Don’t speak,” Liam whispered. “Switch input modalities. The WCAG guidelines say users should be able to switch between input modes (voice, keyboard, mouse) at any time.”
Liam plugged his portable keyboard into the base of the microphone. He typed: ESCAPE.
The receipt vanished. The “Salami” order was cancelled.
“Fair crack of the whip,” Liam muttered. “That was close.”
CHAPTER 4: THE FOG OF #CCCCCC
They descended the Giant Stairway, but a thick fog rolled in. It wasn’t just white; it was a flat, featureless gray.
“I can’t see the steps,” Dax said, freezing in place. “The contrast ratio between the stone and the fog is 1:1. It’s invisible.”
“The Echo has lowered the contrast of the world,” Dev realized. “It’s targeting users with low vision.”
Dax, the designer, pulled out his “High Contrast” visor—a pair of augmented reality goggles he used for testing.
“I’m switching to High Contrast Mode,” Dax announced. “I’m inverting the colors.”
Through the goggles, the gray fog turned black, and the stone steps glowed neon yellow.
“Follow me!” Dax shouted. “I’ve got sufficient contrast!”
The Text-Only Fallback
But then the fog thickened, blocking even the AR signal. Dax stopped. “I’ve lost the visual.”
“Don’t rely on sensory characteristics alone,” Liam recited. “Don’t rely on shape, size, or visual location”.
Liam closed his eyes. He reached out and felt the railing. It had Braille markings etched into the steel.
“The railing has a text alternative!” Liam said. “It says: ‘Step 842. Turn Left.'”
They descended the rest of the stairs by touch, guided by the tactile “Alt-Text” of the mountain.
CHAPTER 5: THE PHANTOM’S SERVER
At the bottom of the valley, they found it. Not a cave, but a bunker. The door was marked with the “Echo” symbol—a sound wave eating its own tail.
“This is where the Australian Day broadcast is coming from,” Dev said. “If we don’t fix the accessibility settings, the Prime Minister’s speech will be broadcast without captions, without Audio Description, and in a font size no one can read.”
They burst inside. The server room was unguarded, but the console was protected by the ultimate barrier.
A CAPTCHA.
But not just any CAPTCHA. It was a grid of 16 images of Australian animals.
“Select all the Quokkas,” the computer sneered.
“They all look like Quokkas!” Liam yelled. “That one might be a Wallaby! Or a small Kangaroo!”
“It’s a cognitive barrier,” Dev said. “It relies on cultural knowledge and visual acuity. It’s inaccessible.”
The Biometric Twist
“We need an alternative,” Dax said. “Look for the audio icon.”
There was none.
“Wait,” Liam said. “This system is old. It’s running on Legacy Code. It probably supports ‘Device Authentication’.”
Liam pulled out his USB key—his “Authorized User” token.
“Not requiring CAPTCHAs for authorized users,” Liam grinned, plugging it in.
The screen flashed green. AUTHENTICATED.
CHAPTER 6: THE FINAL REFACTOR
They had access. Now they had to patch the broadcast before it went live in 5 minutes.
Dev worked on the player. “I’m adding a transcript toggle. I’m ensuring the media player keyboard controls are standard.”
Dax worked on the visuals. “I’m fixing the color palette. No more red-on-green text. I’m boosting the luminance.”
Liam worked on the content. The speech was written in dense, academic English.
“I’m simplifying,” Liam muttered. “Short sentences. Plain Language. Expanding acronyms.”
3… 2… 1…
The “On Air” light turned red.
On screens all across Australia—from the pubs in Sydney to the stations in the Outback—the broadcast appeared.
It was perfect.
The captions were synced.
The Audio Description described the flag waving in the wind.
The text was readable, high-contrast, and clear.
“She’ll be right,” the Prime Minister said on screen.
“She certainly will be,” Liam smiled, collapsing into a beanbag chair in the corner of the bunker.
EPILOGUE: THE NULL ISLAND
The sun was setting over the Blue Mountains, painting the Three Sisters in gold and purple. The Three Best Friends sat on the bunker roof, eating the lamingtons that had miraculously survived the trek.
“We did good,” Dax said. “We made Australia Day accessible.”
“But who built the Echo?” Dev asked, holding up a strange, black microchip he had pulled from the server.
Liam took it. Etched into the silicon were coordinates.
0°N 0°E.
“Zero Zero,” Liam whispered. “That’s Null Island. The place where bad data goes to die.”
“There’s no land there,” Dax said. “It’s just ocean off the coast of Africa.”
“That’s what the maps say,” Dev said, his eyes gleaming with a new mystery. “But the code says otherwise. Someone is building a digital fortress at Null Island. And they just pinged us.”
Liam stood up, dusting the crumbs off his shorts.
“Well,” he grinned. “I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise.”
“Pack your togs,” Dax laughed.
“And your keyboards,” Dev added.
The Three Best Friends looked at the horizon. The Blue Mountains were behind them, but the Ocean of Null was waiting.
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Some non-US company needs to build a hardware phone set around Postmarket OS and just 'get on with it'. There's an obvious appetite for something other than Google Android or Apple iOS phones.
I mean, the OS is there just waiting; throw some professional engineering effort around power management, cameras, and UX and it's a good jump into a practical, commodity phone that is open with a lot of heavy lifting already done. If that corp was practical and ethical it even could be a decent technology and social "good".
In Canada I'd hope a company like BlackBerry could do something like this but, do they even make hardware anymore, do they exist in the mobile space? If they exist would they even still have the talent to pull off something like this?
It doesn't have to be an expensive premium device, it just needs to be decent enough, affordable device with open software like an unencumbered browser, tethering, ability to run Signal...
Random thoughts...
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The #Volvo #EX30 #EV #car has to have one of the dumbest #UX designs I have ever seen. When pressing buttons it helpfully reduces the music volume. Presumably to play some beep or something I don’t know. INCLUDING WHEN YOU ADJUST VOLUME!
Thus making it really difficult to actually adjust the volume to a suitable level. Sometimes it takes some time to bump the music volume back. WTH?!?
Honestly I sometimes think companies don’t even need to hire UX designers. Just bloody use your own product!
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I improved the UX today and am pretty happy with the result.
TIL: UX is at least as important as UI. It just feels more right in terms of operation. (1/2)#ShipATon, #BuildInPublic, #Foosball, #ShipFoosball, #iosDev
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Just in case I’m the only one for this dead obvious thing: #QR payments are amazing, but as a user I would like them to be treated as a bill rather than command.
If I scan the code (again) I want to know whether it has been paid? By whom? When? Has the payment been returned? Can I get a link to the payment in case it has been done by me? Etc…
This would prevent me in so many cases panicking and digging through atrocious #UX of my banks to find what has happened. -
Just in case I’m the only one for this dead obvious thing: #QR payments are amazing, but as a user I would like them to be treated as a bill rather than command.
If I scan the code (again) I want to know whether it has been paid? By whom? When? Has the payment been returned? Can I get a link to the payment in case it has been done by me? Etc…
This would prevent me in so many cases panicking and digging through atrocious #UX of my banks to find what has happened. -
Just in case I’m the only one for this dead obvious thing: #QR payments are amazing, but as a user I would like them to be treated as a bill rather than command.
If I scan the code (again) I want to know whether it has been paid? By whom? When? Has the payment been returned? Can I get a link to the payment in case it has been done by me? Etc…
This would prevent me in so many cases panicking and digging through atrocious #UX of my banks to find what has happened. -
Just in case I’m the only one for this dead obvious thing: #QR payments are amazing, but as a user I would like them to be treated as a bill rather than command.
If I scan the code (again) I want to know whether it has been paid? By whom? When? Has the payment been returned? Can I get a link to the payment in case it has been done by me? Etc…
This would prevent me in so many cases panicking and digging through atrocious #UX of my banks to find what has happened. -
Just in case I’m the only one for this dead obvious thing: #QR payments are amazing, but as a user I would like them to be treated as a bill rather than command.
If I scan the code (again) I want to know whether it has been paid? By whom? When? Has the payment been returned? Can I get a link to the payment in case it has been done by me? Etc…
This would prevent me in so many cases panicking and digging through atrocious #UX of my banks to find what has happened. -
Is Tailwind CSS passé? 🤔 In 2026, with modern CSS and the SDC approach in Symfony UX, it just might be.
I’m sharing how to write isolated components with PHP, Twig, CSS, and JS all in one place.
My journey and the new bundle are here https://github.com/tito10047/ux-sdc🖋️
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Is Tailwind CSS passé? 🤔 In 2026, with modern CSS and the SDC approach in Symfony UX, it just might be.
I’m sharing how to write isolated components with PHP, Twig, CSS, and JS all in one place.
My journey and the new bundle are here https://github.com/tito10047/ux-sdc🖋️
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Oh my - the UX on cff.ch just got way worse... Where I could change the date and enter the time with 2 clicks, I need 10+ clicks now to change the date and the time. Definitely a FAIL...
Did they even test this on real users?
Is there an alternative interface somewhere?
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When we implemented live log display in #FRR|'s CLI client, it was an amazing feature but I didn't think much of it. Now I've seen #strongSwan|'s swanctl do even better (it seems to explicitly show logs related to the SA you're dealing with), and it's driving me to a conclusion:
All long-running daemons with a control interface need to do this. It's a basic UX requirement.
And this shouldn't just be "tail -f" on the log, it should show context-relevant low priority messages disabled elsewhere.
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#Keet & #Holepunch @holepunch_to teams- following up from yesterday:
Pragmatically, I'll still use your software (though it makes trusting proprietary modules feel even more sketchy tbh). Yours is probably the one #TechnoFascist project I'm aware of that actually has good code & UX. And it's self sovereign, so.
If your response goes further into a downward spiral of innocense & virtue instead of some amends, accountability and recovery, I'll just do what we're doing for #Holochain. Authoring politically assertive #governance processes around my collective's & partnership's use of their software, explicitly calling out the harm and creating guardrails to prevent any upstream contributions (intellectual, social or otherwise). And then we'll open source those docs, surface them everywhere, and make them easily adoptable & forkable.
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So quoting has arrived on my instance, and ... I'm not impressed with the UI choices made. Making the boost button now bring up a menu - a 2-item menu FFS - instead of just boosting is like a speedbump, constantly reminding me "Hey, this doesn't work with your workflow".
If it has to be a menu, can it least be on the "reply" button instead of the boost button? Seems more natural there anyway.
#boost #quote #mastodon #UI #UX #UIUX #feature #mastobug #argh
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just saw a startup pitching "Uber for weather updates" and I'm really excited to invest in forgetting how phones work
truly the golden age of reinventing notifications with worse UX and a $9.99/mo subscription 🔔☁️ #innovation #founderlife
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For some years now the UI design and interaction methods shown in sci-fi movies have become ever more abstract & complex, driven by minimalist aesthetics utilizing high-res graphics, a design philosophy based on total omniscient access, heavy information density and interactive realtime visualizations (and/or visual ways of browsing) to aid exploration & expose patterns/relationships, the use of layered/spatial layouts, capable of customization/personalization, programmability (of sorts), shared state with contextually morphing representations and relying on gestural/voice controls, all designed to empower people in changing (often urgent) situations and enabling them to manage/filter a large information space.
Whilst a lot of these fantasy UIs are also just that: eye candy, clichéd kitsch and completely nonsensical graphic design wanks, in the real world instead, mainstream UI/UX design has largely moved towards becoming a bastion of boring blandness, caused by a frequently encountered design attitude which outright patronizes potential users and rejects their agency by considering everyone to be part of an homogeneous group and designers only ever wanting to cater for the lowest most "simple" (but actually simplistic!) approach. Design by template (and I don't just mean the graphic parts). This is amplified by lack of user interaction research & testing, but also by designing for the lowest common denominators of mobile OS platforms, by the guidelines imposed by app store approval processes etc.
The same patterns are everywhere, from smart watches, to ovens, cars, even in a lot of games, but especially bad on mobile. Entire generations of _people_ (not "users"!) are being conditioned to interact with machines and information systems in the form of endless self-similar sequences of deeply nested menus, popovers/modals, lists & grids and a handful of standard widgets (mostly buttons of some sort) via which every single task, large or small has to be solved. Scrolling everywhere, and maximizing whitespace of course, because what else are all these modern high res screens really for? We expect so little by now, no wonder people are considering LLMs a magic breakthrough! Meanwhile, basic text editing on a phone is still unfathomably bad and a constant, impossibly fiddly source of frustration... A general lack of undo/redo too (not just mobile, also most web apps).
We have the most capable of machines ever, incl. sensors which could be used to augment mobile interactions for so many people. Yet for many in the current breed of "professionals" in UI/UX, the design space and horizon of imagination what's possible and/or acceptable has shrunk down to the size of a shoe box and it's being defended and post-rationalized for the most inane of reasons... Liquid Glass™ on one hand, "LLM-ing all the things" on the other, relying on planet-scale infrastructure to pull off some form of glossy "intelligent assistant/slave" is NOT a scalable or even desirable solution! These are the wet dreams of aesthetes, graphic & product designers who never seem to use their own creations even just once (else they would very quickly realize the error of their ways...)
It just doesn't have to be like that! It also wasn't always like that... As with politics, we've allowed the bad-faith and/or lazy players to take over and let them dictate their overly simplistic (and frequently inconsiderate, if not abusive) world view on everyone and everything...
"I still have a dream..."
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Hello Mastodon. I have a problem. The course I’m studying which is information design and front end development has a semester beginning in end of march that involves a work placement for a month. I’m looking to find somewhere to do my practical. Is anyone in the #uxdesign #ux #informationdesign spheres could help a girl out? It’s four weeks, full time, doesn’t need to be a project, can just be busy body work.
Mastodon! Save me!