Sven Slootweg @joepie91@pixie.town

Hey fedi, so I have this cheap doohickey for using computers away from a desk. It's got a touch pad and keys and is absolutely the right solution for the problem

But it sucks. The keys start bad and if used too much stop registering reliably, the touch pad ain't great, and it keeps losing connection to the dongle despite it being like 8 feet away

Is there some kind of premium version of these that exists? So far I've only ever seen the terrible dirt cheap ones for sale anywhere

(If you don't mind plz boost for reach I am *desperate*)

EDIT: to be clear the handheld/gamepad-like form factor is what makes this work so a more traditionally keyboard shaped device with an additional trackpad isn't really a suitable replacement

Spent an afternoon at @hackalot shifting furniture around. A “new” free stuff cabinet, and the big storage rack moved to the main space to vastly increase storage around the soldering table. We then added a bunch of light to make the table more attractive and usable. Also added a light above the 3d printers.

It's that time of the year again, huh?

Yep, spring is upon us, so aside from seasonal flu and rainfalls - we have #kittens raining down!

Here's a thread-report on how that goes.

1/7

#Kitten #Cat #Cats #CatsOfMastodon #Spring

Who needs #Keukenhof anyway? #Bloomscrolling #Tulips #Florespondence

Say, hypothetically, if I wanted to start a pubmed.gov equivalent in Canada and I wanted the Canadian gov to fund that. What would the process look like?

#cdnpoli #science #pubmed

23andMe just declared bankruptcy. They're selling the gathered data.

If you have used their services, delete it *now*.

https://youtu.be/vUngYIRd4qk

#politics #genetics

Autistic people should unite against RFK's eugenicism (as well as the army of "autism moms" who oppose vaccines and hit their kids for being autistic)

Autism doesn't have a "root cause".
It is not a disease.
Vaccines don't "cause" autism.

Autism doesn't need a "cure".
Autistic people need socioeconomic justice.

"checking that organic chemistry is possible in this universe..."

the configure script on its way to check the value of the cosmological constant, vacuum magnetic permeability, and the mass of the electron

Need a recommendation please.

My mother uses Paint Shop Pro 8 (from the mid-2000s) to print greetings cards. There are print templates on there, which she fills with artwork she has made and uses them to print onto cards to prepare for Christmas or when she has art fairs coming up.

My parents' laptop runs on Windows 10, and recently it has been offered a free upgrade to Windows 11, which a) has failed because the laptop is too old and b) they don't want anyway.

I don't know if they are thinking of transferring to Linux, but if they do, does anyone know of any similar software that's easy for someone non-technical to learn?

I doubt they're thinking of getting a new laptop, just a new OS on it.

Hashtag list:
#recommendation #PaintShopPro #software #Windows #Linux #DesktopPublishing #AskFedi

PSA: Firefox 139 Nightly has a new feature: AI-summarized link previews. It requires opt-in currently.

When Firefox fetches the preview, it does so with the X-Firefox-AI header set to 1.

Use this knowledge as you see fit.

This aged... https://www.emptywheel.net/2017/09/14/software-is-a-long-con/
...not at all.

Anyone who is blind, or who has worked with the blind, knows how expensive our technology can be. This couldn't be more true with relation to braille displays. Even the cheapest costs at least $799, and it's already behind the newest in that line, at $899. This is the Orbit Reader 20 and 20+. Now, a student in India wants to change that by creating a display that is truly affordable (under $50)! Please pass this on, so that we can give him greater recognition within the blind community. Even if it costs a bit more than he initially suspected it would, there is no excuse for the $2,000 to $5,000 average price of such technology when cheaper alternatives can be designed! He is determined to bring this to market, so let's help him do it and show our appreciation for his hard work on this life-changing project!

forbes.com/sites/kevinanderton…

#access #ACB #accessibility #affordability #blind #braille #BrailleDisplays #children #education #employment #independence #India #learning #NFB #ocr #parent #reading #science #school #students #teachers #technology #work #writing

Hey plural friends how who have hallucinations how do differentiate your hallucinations to potentially head mates? Also any ocd plural systems and how it works for yall? I’m starting to question if I’m plural but it’s hard to differentiate some this works in my mind.

My wife and I started up a small press! We're focusing on hopepunk novellas for adults, and today I've written a bit about how and why we're doing that.

https://joshsutphin.com/blog/introducing-shiraki-press.html

Also, submissions are now open!

#hopepunk #bookstodon #books #smallpress #publishing