Sven Slootweg @joepie91@pixie.town

a reminder to US folks that you can see how much your doctor has been bribed at https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov

#PSA

As an antidote to all the horrible US Tech Bros in the news, what are some nice, encouraging stories about thoughtful/ slow/ kind/ humane tech catching on and doing well?

It's funny to see how Eugen went from "shut up, Zuck" to "omg yes, we're federating with Threads 😍 " back to "Zuck is a threat"

If you are planning to attend the event, please do make sure you're vaccinated, mask up, take rapid tests.

Most importantly, if you have any suspicion that you are starting to get sick do not hesitate to skip the day's talks and stay home. It is unlikely that any of the talks will be good enough to justify spreading covid and any of the other pathogens that tend to spread during this season.

#covidIsNotOver

@time_for_kindness A note for men who think "I couldn't help her because she'd think I was a creep too": you can absolutely help her. You go up to the dude and say something along the lines of "hey man, great to see you again - didn't we meet at that conference (party, concert, etc)? The one with whats-his-face?" and get him talking to you instead of to her. And if he follows her anyway, then you start in on "hey man, I don't think she wants to talk to you - leave her alone”.

I wish people would spend more time thinking about what is possible, and less about what isn't possible. Don't let your thoughts be a prison

This is a really excellent read - @cafkafk going out to Eurorust to essentially investigate the military contractor Helsing and their footing in the Rust community, to determine the impact of such contractors on FOSS communities.

https://cafkafk.dev/p/eurorust-2024-helsing/

I know some furries fall back on AI because they worry about art skill, and the thing about AI is that it's not bad because you're "shortcutting" art, it's bad because it defeats the purpose of art.

The point of art is communicative. It says something about you. It shares an idea in a way that words can't.

Your crappiest artwork is already enough if it does that. Fuck gatekeeping, be proud of the things you draw.

Next free idea: e-reader with bellows, so you can roughly feel when you’ve got one of those long ones to get through.

Since I know you’re going to ask: yes—it makes a wheezing, honking sound if you collapse it quickly for travel and/or amusement.

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