Kestrell

And posted online at
https://sighttechglobal.com/agenda/?mc_cid=d44666e45e&mc_eid=503bb1e1d9
This virtual conference is free, and you can register here
https://sighttechglobal.com/conference-registration/

Here are some panel highlights:, with just brief descriptions, but I encourage readers to check out the entire agenda because, as usual, the speakers for this conference represent developers and researchers who are investigating the technology concerns which will be impacting blind and visually impaired people--and all disabled people--in the immediate future.

Day 1 (Wed., Dec. 7)

1. Virtual reality and Inclusion: What does non-visual access to the metaverse mean?
People with disabilities and accessibility advocates are working to make sure the metaverse is accessible to everyone. This panel will delve into research on the challenges current virtual and augmented reality tools create for people who are blind or have low vision.The panelists will share their experiences using immersive technologies and explore how these tools can be used to enhance employment opportunities in hybrid and remote workplaces – but only if they are built with inclusion in mind.

2. Inventing the "screenreader" for VR: Owlchemy Lab's Cosmonious High
For developers of virtual reality games, there's every reason to experiment with accessibility from the start, which is what the Owlchemy Labs team did with Cosmonious High, the 2022 release of a fun, first-person game situated in a inter-galactic high school that one reviewer said "has all the charm and cheek of a good Nickelodeon kids show." And it reveals some of the earliest approaches to acessibility in VR.

3. Audio Description the Pixar Way
AI-based, synthetic voice-based audio description may have a place in some forms of accessible video content, but the artistry of the entirely human-produced audio descriptions Pixar produces for its productions, set a creative standard no AI will never attain, and that's all for the good. Meet members of the Pixar team behind excellence in audio descriptions.

4. Accessibility is AI’s Biggest Challenge: How Alexa Aims to Make it Fairer for Everyone
Smart home technology, like Alexa, has been one of the biggest boons in recent years for people who are blind, and for people with disabilities altogether. Voice technology and AI help empower people in many ways, but one obstacle stands in its way: making it equitable. In this session, learn from Amazon about how they’re approaching the challenge ahead.

Day 2 (Thurs. Dec. 8)

1. The Problems with AI
Despite the stunning advances in AI over the past decade, the so-called "deep learning" AI technology prevalent today has under-appreciated limitations and even poses societal dangers. Our speakers are world-renowned AI experts and AI "dissenters" who believe we need an AI that's both more accountable and better able to produce common sense results.

2. Did Computer Vision AI Just Get Worse or Better?
The ability an assistive tech devices to recognize objects, faces, scenes is a type of AI called Computer Vision, which calls for building vast databases on images labeled by humans to train AI algorithms. A new technique called
"one-shot learning"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-shot_learning
learns dramatically faster because the AI trains itself on images across the Internet. No human supervision needed. Is that a good idea?

Two Special Events for All, but especially those people who are blind or have low vision and have little or no internet access. Please reach out to others and let them know that
the Council of Citizens With Low Vision International (CCLVI) and VISAbilities (Visually Impaired Seniors’ Abilities) will co-host a
one-hour presentation by the Federal Communications Commission on the new Affordable Connectivity Program. This program is meant to assist people with limited income or receiving government programs, such as SSI, get connected.
We are holding these two opportunities on Tuesday, February 8th,at 3:00 PM EST and Wednesday, February 9th, at 8:00 PM EST.
If you have any questions, please contact Terry Pacheco at VISAbilities50@gmail.com
These webinars will also be available to listen to on your Amazon device by saying “Alexa, Ask ACB Media to play 2.”
The zoom information is below for either call.

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.
When: Feb 8, 2022 03:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
or Feb 9, 2022 8:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Topic: Affordable Connectivity Program
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89405225341
Or One tap mobile :
+13017158592,,89405225341#
Or Telephone:
301-715-8592
Webinar ID: 894 0522 5341

I'm currently taking a number of Udemy beginner courses on hacking and cybersecurity, so I only understand some of the technical details in this article, but I do understand the core concept: Amazon Sidewalk, and similar technologies leave your wi-fi network wide open to neighbors but also potential hackers, which not only makes *your* network and your personal information vulnerable to attack, but all the *other* networks you are connected to, such as your work network, health network, and your kids's school network.
The Covid-19 has had a parallel affect on the world's cyberhealth as it has on our physical health: one individua becoming infected can easily spread to many becoming infected, and we need to become more conscious of how connected we all are now.

Also: I'm very sad to hear about the denial of service attack on the Boston Public Library. I realize that nothing is sacred in this world, but somehow, I do still think of libraries as sacred, because they always were a refuge to me when I was a child, and desperately needed a refuge, and for this to occur during a pandemic, when so many people desperately need the services and joys that libraries can offer...I won't even dignify that kind of destruction by calling those people hackers. I just want to send out a thank you to all the people who worked so hard to get the BPL up and running again.

https://www.ehackingnews.com/2021/08/houdini-malware-is-back-and-amazon.html

Kes: I like that this article by Motherboard gets into the larger implications of how this affects women in technology, but I'm always surprised that no one ever comments that these voices are not just feminine, they are ultra-feminine, and sometimes, such as the voice for the elevator that was in the hotel where WisCon used to be hosted, even sounded like a Stepford wife on valium, wich really creeped me out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBlPxpaum6U

That's what I call the big closet in the hall which I intend on decluttering today--or, rather, beginning to declutter, since it's a pretty vast closet (many spaces in the attic, including the aerye itself, seem to have non-Euclidean architecture).

It's been a while since I played the aerye's theme song, so here it is.
Note: I've discovered a way to use wildcards when speaking to Alexa: in this example, I could remember the full name of the performer, so I just said the first part of his name, like this:
Alexa, play The Attic by Professor ...
But you could also leave that little silent beat--it should be the same length it would be to say the word you can't remember--in the Alexa command, like this:
Alexa, play the Attic by ... Elemental
Here's the song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvLqgwu-XHI

This year's Alexa Superbowl commercial. Seriously. Nice. Voice. Also, the joke he and Alexa share about taking a bath on TV now makes a lot more sense.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/2/2/22262400/amazon-super-bowl-ad-michael-b-jordan-alexa

I was linking my Bookshare account to the Alexa skill through the Alexa app on my iPhone, and VoiceOver read out the invocation and Alexa immediately did her bidding. This never happened before I gave VoiceOver the British accent.

Last time I checked which, granted, was some months ago, Alexa couldn't define a smoot: now, she actually has two definitions, although I am pleased that the MIT-related one comes first.

Kes: Ironically, I spent this morning talking to a healthcare consumer group about failures in healthcare, and one of the things I mentioned is that actually, yes, health insurance groups do consider smart home tech, including something as inexpensive as an Alexa, a luxury, and are always turning down requests for these technologies, although the companies themselves do not seem to employ assistive technology professionals who are qualified to conduct evaluations of consumers's needs and make appropriate recommendations.

How Smart Home Tech Is Making Tasks Easier, Improving Accessibility
November 17, 2020
https://www.boia.org/blog/how-smart-home-tech-is-making-tasks-easier-improving-accessibility

As the Internet of Things (IoT) continues to grow, smart devices keep getting smarter. Consumers can now find affordably priced smart speakers, smart locks, video doorbells, and even smart window coverings — and for the
61 million American adults living with disabilities,
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/infographic-disability-impacts-all.html
smart home devices aren’t mere novelties. IoT tech has significantly improved accessibility by opening up new ways to interact with devices, often at a fraction of the cost of traditional assistive technologies.

And because smart home devices can be programmed to interact and change based on conditions, users have considerable control over the way that they function. Exploring a few real-world applications of smart home technology provides some insight into the way that real people live — and how new technologies can promote accessibility.

Some smart devices tend to follow the principles of accessibility by default
Smart gadgets cut down on labor and make many tasks easier, and because the devices don’t rely on a single set of controls, they can remove some challenges for people with disabilities. People with vision disabilities can use voice commands, while people with speech disabilities can input commands via smartphones, tablets, or other devices
(Google’s Assistant app,
https://www.androidcentral.com/google-assistant-finally-same-phones-and-google-home

...for instance, now provides the same functionality through text as the Google Home, the company’s voice assistant technology).

In the smart home ecosystem, people have options. Tasks can be automated, controlled remotely, or scheduled to the user’s preferences, which opens up thousands of possible accommodations.

That’s important because people don’t follow a script. For a smart home device to be truly "smart," it needs to be adaptive, capable of changing to meet the needs of the consumer. By virtue of their design, smart home devices fulfill many of the
goals of accessibility
https://www.boia.org/blog/what-are-the-four-major-categories-of-accessibility
— they’re operable, adaptive to different types of users, perceivable in their functions, and robust enough to adapt to future technologies.

I haven't had a problem with Alexa being activated by VoiceOver, the built-in screen reader on my iPhone, since the first week I got my iPhone, but i recently switched VoiceOver to a British accented voice, and now Alexa is really anxious to fulfill my iPhone's every whim.

I thought Alexa was supposed to be *my* familiar...

On a related note, I've spent the past hour attempting to set up Spotify on Alexa...