Sven Slootweg @joepie91@pixie.town

Minecraft Access: A World of Blocks, Blindness, and Brilliance 🌍💎 #MinecraftAccess #InclusiveGaming

Seven years ago, I lost my sight—and with it, I thought I’d lost the chance to play Minecraft. Back in my sighted days, Minecraft was my escape hatch to infinite creativity. Build a castle? Sure. Survive the night? Done. Accidentally set your house on fire because you put lava in the wrong place? Look, we’ve all been there.

But when I lost my vision, Minecraft felt like a closed door. And while games might not be life’s top priority, let’s admit it—they’re a fantastic way to unwind. Losing that world stung.

That’s where Minecraft Access comes in. It’s a mod that makes the game accessible for blind players. Sounds amazing, right? When I first tried it four months ago, though, things didn’t go as planned. I wandered aimlessly, got hopelessly lost, and rage-quit before a creeper even had the chance to blow me up. But yesterday, armed with more patience (and probably less sanity), I decided to give it another go.

And you know what? This time, I crushed it. Well, not literally—I didn’t fall into lava, for once! I set up an underground base, complete with a wheat farm and an infinite water source. I mined iron, found diamonds (yes, diamonds! I’m rich!), and lit up my surroundings so mobs wouldn’t spawn. Because let’s be honest, nothing says “bad day” like being smacked by a zombie you can’t even see.

So how does this all work? Minecraft Access narrates the block in your crosshair, tells you its position, and makes inventory and crafting fully accessible. I navigate with ASDW keys, craft like a pro, and honestly, I feel like I’ve rediscovered a part of myself I thought was gone.

Of course, it’s not all smooth sailing. Navigating the terrain is like playing a guessing game where the prize is not falling into a ravine. And while I can build functional stuff, making it visually appealing? Let’s just say my creations won’t win any beauty contests. But hey, I can still mine, explore, and survive—and that feels like magic.

The real heroes here are the developers of Minecraft Access. Turning a game this visual into something a blind player can enjoy is a Herculean task. They’ve done something incredible, and they deserve all the praise (and maybe some pizza, because who doesn’t love pizza?).

If you’re curious or want to say thank you to these legends, check out their GitHub page or hop on their Discord. They’ve made Minecraft a world for everyone, and that’s worth celebrating.

https://github.com/khanshoaib3/minecraft-access

Minecraft has always been about endless possibilities. Thanks to this mod, those possibilities now extend to players like me. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even build a castle someday... if I can figure out where the stairs go. 😅

#BlindGamer #GamingWithoutLimits #Accessibility #Minecraft

BREAKING: Are people criticising your behaviour? Researchers say these are likely "haters", jealous of your many accomplishments. Click here for more.

Cruel and ineffective policies and the culture of inaction from neoliberal governments often leave people to fend for themselves.

#FluConf2025 has a dedicated track for Solidarity Networks and Community Health, through which we aim to promote bottom-up efforts to organize our own social safety nets.

We want to hear from people raising awareness about policy vacuums, building coalitions between adjacent camps, and working at the margins to address underserved demographics. Share your stories about public infrastructure, mutual aid, boycotts, unionization, strikes, legal defense, debt-forgiveness, and other forms of collective action.

How are you countering misinformation about public health topics? How do we build resilience in our communities and welcome newcomers? How can we take care of each other in the wake of wars, climate disasters, lgbtq persecution, and unnecessary poverty.

Apply up until midnight, January 19th, 2025 (anywhere on Earth)

https://fluconf.online/apply/

#solarpunk #publicHealth #mutualAid #mutualism #solidarity #volunteering #cooperation #coop #coops #disasters #disaster #preparedness #poverty #healthcare #boycott #collectives #collectiveCare #collectiveAction #union #unions #unionize

if you aren't designing your thing so at any moment if the people who use it decide you have come under the thrall of some malevolent spirit they can boil you up and eat your ass like a soup then is it even really open source

@joepie91 nou idd, means testing is gewoon nooit de moeite waard en maakt altijd onbedoelde slachtoffers maar in Nederland weigeren we dat in te zien

Being #blind is fun. Just encountered a visual captcha with no audio option. So I used JAWS Picture Smart to get AI to read me the text of the visual clue, which I typed in and got through. So basically I'm a human who needs a robot to prove to another robot that I am not a robot. Without my robot, the other robot would have thought I was a robot. Also I was trying to make a payment on my PAP machine, which really should in itself indicate that I am not a robot. #Disability #Disabled

Hier worden gehandicapten tegen elkaar uitgespeeld en dat vind ik niet fraai. Als je hulp nodig hebt omdat je door je handicap iets niet kán zou je niet financieel veel slechter uit moeten zijn dan iemand met dezelfde baan zonder handicap. Een handicap hebben is al ontzettend duur, dat nog duurder maken met inkomensafhankelijke zorgkosten is geen solidariteit maar validisme.
https://mastodon.nl/@SandraDeHaan/113785667283788281

Microsoft’s tone-deaf advice to Windows 10 users: just buy a new PC, you’re all rich, right?

Over 60% of Windows users are still using Windows 10, with only about 35% or so - and falling! - of them opting to use Windows 11. As we've talked about many times before, this is a major issue going into 2025, since Windows 10's support will end in Octob

https://www.osnews.com/story/141491/microsofts-tone-deaf-advice-to-windows-10-users-just-buy-a-new-pc-youre-all-rich-right/

#Windows

🥳En weer is Nederland een prachtige bibliotheek rijker. Dit keer in Nieuwegein waar het gemeentehuis en de bibliotheek het gebouw nóg meer delen met elkaar https://nos.nl/regio/utrecht/artikel/593000-rijbewijs-ophalen-tussen-de-duizenden-boeken-nieuwegeins-stadhuis-heeft-spectaculaire-nieuwe-look

I had to triple check this that I got it right — but senseiron has a new CO2 sensor that has a package size of just 3 x 3.5 x 1.2 mm (!):

https://sensirion.com/products/catalog/STC31-C

For comparison: the Senseair S8 sensor is fairly popular and has a package size of 33.9 x 19.8 x 8.7 mm:

https://senseair.com/product/s8/

Edit: the error on this is too big for indoor use. This one should be used instead: https://sensirion.com/products/catalog/SCD40

1. Beware consent while horny.

2. Beware negotiation of the form "I want you to try out things, I'll tell you if it gets too much". (By "beware" I don't mean "never do this" but, consider it risky, take appropriate measures.)

3. You can go a long way by paying attention to a sub's bodily reactions. You can't go all the way, you're not a telepath. Be aware of subspace mindmush and, even worse, the fawn reaction.

4. Even gold standard consent—given beforehand, with a cool head, verbally, enthusiastically, with space to change mind and ask to stop at any point—may still not be enough. Sometimes it takes people days or weeks to process an experience and realise it was bad for them.

5. Therefore there's no SSC. All BDSM is RACK. Both sides have to be aware of the risks, including the risk of the consentiest, most consented of consents still not being enough to prevent hurt.

6. It follows that the submissive has a share of responsibility. The dominant is the scene conductor, and as such bears the brunt of responsibility. But the submissive needs to be conscious of the possibility of harm even if all safety measures are taken and no one has ill intent, and that this is a risk they're taking together.

7. It follows that the dominant needs a high level of trust in the submissive, too. The harder the play the more mutual trust needed, "mutual" as in "in both directions".

8. It follows that promiscuity doesn't play well with hard kink. This type of trust cannot exist between strangers and new acquaintances.

9. That's also the case when the submissive is experienced. Obviously you need to move cautiously with someone new to kink. But with an experienced one, there's a natural dommy impulse to prove your worth, to show that you can make them come hard. This impulse has to be identified and calmly set aside. You have to edge yourself and them, too, until trust is built.

10. If you're promiscuous you end up learning a few tricks that you repeat because they are so well received. By the nature of kink, what makes 9/10 submissives melt in an orgasmic puddle will be a trauma trigger for the 10th. Until you know them well, assume each new person may be the 10th.

11. Radical honesty increases trust. From the domme side, this honesty includes not only talking about your past mistakes but going off-character to express vulnerability, insecurities etc. That will help the submissive feel comfortable in surrendering more, not less.

12. Bondage causes a "drunk" state comparable to subspace, and will affect their awareness similarly. Even light casual clothed bondage can have this effect.

13. If you do non-sexual bondage and there's any underlying sexual attraction between you two, it *will* come out. Again: as the conductor, be prepared to resist their soft moaning and arched back at the touch of our fingertips, and edge. Do not escalate to sexual touch even if they're literally begging for it, do it later after cold-headed consent is acquired. Instead of ceding to your attraction, get off on the feeling of power of being in control of it. That negotiation of the form "dunno, you can try things and I'll see how I feel" mixes very badly with rope.

14. Submissives rarely want a scene to be over and may suppress bad feelings with the goal of proving themselves. It follows that you have to be very good at "yellow", at redirecting over a bump. It's impossible to avoid a bump; some mood is always lost at "yellow"; talk with them beforehand to prepare them for that feeling, and let them know that they're in good hands and things will be picked up again soon enough.

15. Always actively thank a submissive every time they say no or yellow, show you're proud of them, both mid-scene and afterwards. Reward this behaviour, create an atmosphere of safety. It's natural to feel rejected, disappointed etc. if you were looking forward for something and it doesn't pan out. These feelings are yours to handle. The sub isn't to be made guilty for them, even accidentally. Rather, concentrate on fact that every "no" increases the trust you can put in a "yes", and use the genuine gratitude for that trust to shape your voice, facial expression etc.

16. Dommes, riggers, and sadists have boundaries too and need for aftercare too. Sometimes you need to assert them strongly.

17. I probably shouldn't operate heavy machinery after play. Even light play leaves me in an altered, elated state.

18. When starting a new kink relationship, put thought also on the non-kink part. Will there be romance? Is affectionate touching wanted? In public? Will you meet their parents as a "girlfriend" for dinner, or will you be "friends" before society? The Relationship Anarchy Smorgasbord is as useful to a new kink relation as a BDSM consent form.

19. Be prepared to unexpectedly meet your most suppressed inner demons, somehow aroused by a play session, for a late-night confrontation. But you'll be glad you did.

Ik heb gewonnen van de sunk cost fallacy.

Na 10 minuten fietsen ben ik terug naar huis gegaan (en dat ging met wind mee een stuk sneller) en nu ga ik alsnog met de auto.