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	<title>tim o'brien photos &#187; rant</title>
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	<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com</link>
	<description>A blind photographer's exploration of his vision through photography and accessibility.</description>
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		<title>Save Energy, Save Eyestrain &#8211; Try a Different Color Scheme</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2009/04/save-energy-save-eyestrain-try-a-different-color-scheme/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2009/04/save-energy-save-eyestrain-try-a-different-color-scheme/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Apr 2009 14:35:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[color scheme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[contrast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gripe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=1885</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Cost of Ink or Why History Trumps Common Sense Open up Microsoft Word or most web sites and the type is laid out in black against a white background like most books or newspapers. Like most books or newspapers? Why? Dark ink on white pages made more sense than white ink on dyed pages when ink is costly. It is a lot cheaper to bleach paper white and then cover a tiny portion with a bit of black ink than to ink every page completely black and then use white out to add text. This is true despite the easier read being the losing color scheme. Economics wins, every time. Do we need to follow this tradition in the digital age? Electronic ink costs nothing. As a matter of fact, bright white screens must draw more electricity. So alternate color schemes are probably more environmental than the old standard. Save energy, save eyestrain. Go light on dark. Changing Color Schemes is Tricky Let&#8217;s assume that I have convinced you to change color schemes. How do you do it? If you have a screen magnifying software, such as ZoomText, this may be easy. Many such programs offers an &#8216;inverse&#8217; color [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2009/04/save-energy-save-eyestrain-try-a-different-color-scheme/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Blount Bluntly Dismisses the Blind on the NYTimes&#8217; Op-Ed Page</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2009/02/blount-bluntly-dismisses-the-blind-on-the-nytimes-op-ed-page/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2009/02/blount-bluntly-dismisses-the-blind-on-the-nytimes-op-ed-page/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Feb 2009 20:33:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[blount]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gripe]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kindle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[new york times]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nytimes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reading]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=1917</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On today&#8217;s Op-Ed page in the New York Times, Roy Blount, Jr, head of the Author&#8217;s Guild, has penned a piece, The Kindle Swindle?, defending his organizations attack on the new text to speech (TTS) feature in the new Amazon Kindle 2. Over at O&#8221;Reill Media, there is An Open Letter to Roy Blount, Jr. on the Occasion of Him Speaking Like a Dinosaur, which offers good counterarguments on the issue of TTS and audio rights. My purpose is to point out his ingorant dismissal of the blind. In his words: What the guild is asserting is that authors have a right to a fair share of the value that audio adds to Kindle 2’s version of books. For this, the guild is being assailed. On the National Federation of the Blind’s Web site, the guild is accused of arguing that it is illegal for blind people to use “readers, either human or machine, to access books that are not available in alternative formats like Braille or audio.” In fact, publishers, authors and American copyright laws have long provided for free audio availability to the blind and the guild is all for technologies that expand that availability. (The federation, though, [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2009/02/blount-bluntly-dismisses-the-blind-on-the-nytimes-op-ed-page/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Open Captions for the Visually Impaired</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2008/12/open-captions-for-the-visually-impaired/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2008/12/open-captions-for-the-visually-impaired/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Dec 2008 13:52:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[inertia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[subtitles]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=1264</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Inertia is not just a physical phenomenon. Inertia, through habit and tradition, also slows humanity. Many inefficiencies, big and small, clutter our lives unnecessarily. Many began as quirks of history, gaining traction only as the inertia of habit and tradition set in. One famous example is the so-called QWERTY keyboard layout that we are so familiar with. Despite more efficient layouts being designed on the heels of the QWERTY roll out early last century, no one bothered to make the switch. Despite proven efficiency gains, early adopters would not spare the time to relearn to type. Now, QWERTY is an entrenched fixture in today&#8217;s society. There is little chance now that it will ever be dethroned. The point here is about another ineffiiency mired in history, television and movie subtitles. For historic reasons, except for closded captioning fo rthe hearing impaired, these subtitles tend to be white. Given that modern technology allows a broader palette of colors and style to choose from, something different makes sense. To be legible a white subtitle needs to be shown against a darkerbsckground. As we have all noticed, this is not always the case. So why not design a better subtitle? Simply outlining each [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2008/12/open-captions-for-the-visually-impaired/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>De Facto Foolishness</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2008/12/de-facto-foolishness-is-inaccessability-a-form-of-segregation/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2008/12/de-facto-foolishness-is-inaccessability-a-form-of-segregation/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:07:37 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iPod]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=1020</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, I posted about the new design for a tactile interface for the iPhone. While getting my thoughts together to write the post, I read and responded to the comments on Yanko Design article where I first read about this iPhone case. Some of the comments were, in my opinion, insensitive on the issue of product accessibility. Foolishly, I responded and let myself become embroiled in a debate on how accessibility products should be. I would like to share some excerpts from the comments so far. From the second comment: First thought that came to my mind: “What’s the use of an iPhone to a visually impaired person. It’s only about the looks anyway.” Enough said on this.The next is from someone with whom I wholeheartedly agree: I think a lot of people underestimate the ‘fashion’ aspects of devices for the visually impaired (VI). VI users still upgrade their phone every year, its about having the most up to date technology just like everyone else. (&#8230;) The reason you see VI users struggling with “talks” software on a modern mobile phone is because the offerings from organisations such as the RNIB are horrible pieces of design, which have the same [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2008/12/de-facto-foolishness-is-inaccessability-a-form-of-segregation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Call for Alternative Google Color Schemes</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2008/08/alternative-google-color-schemes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2008/08/alternative-google-color-schemes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:26:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[call]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[color scheme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[firefox]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fonts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[idea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[search]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[text]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[themes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vista]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[windows]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=350</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Following up on my earlier post about the lack of accessible Vista themes and my current feelings on standard internet color schemes, I posted the following to the accessible Google Group: Alternative Google Color Schemes &#8211; accessible &#124; Google Groups&#60; For the visually impaired, Google&#8217;s (as well as MS and most websites) color scheme is downright bad. Does Google have or could it develop an alternative accessible co or scheme? Not only should it be high contrast, but also light-on-dark. For me, I like yellow-on-black. Firefox and IE allow users to impose color schemes while browsing, but this method changes all text and background to the same two colors. This ruins the full use of each page. For example, in Gmail, the star feature becomes useless.For another, regular text and hyperlinks become indistinguishable. So this solution is only partial. This remains true for other websites and for Windows as well. Both Vista and XP have high-contrast color schemes, but there are both aesthetically unappealing (Visually impaired does not equal aesthetically unaware) and more problematic then helpful. Is this something that Google could/will implement? Is this something a third-party could do well? There are some third party tools (e.g. Firefox&#8217;s Accessibar), [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2008/08/alternative-google-color-schemes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Fast Food Menus</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2007/09/fast-food-menus/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2007/09/fast-food-menus/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 15 Sep 2007 20:19:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[call]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[campaign]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[idea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[menus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=337</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yet another gripe I have are the wall menus at fast food joints. From food court Burger King to local McAlister&#8217;s Deli to the airport Starbuck&#8217;s, all of these places have their menus on the wall, but no handy large print paper menu on hand. Asking the over-worked and under-trained cashier for help picking your meal either ends up in confusion or inappropriate questions and always holds up the line full of hungry folks. When I was a kid, I always picked and memorized one thing, &#8220;doublecheeseburgerlargefiriesandacoke&#8220;. This worked well for McDonald&#8217;s and BK&#8217;s, but did not extend well to other spots. It definitely does not work today since I do not eat at either burger joint anymore. [See Fast Food Nation.] Why can&#8217;t these places have a hard copy of the menu available? I know that some do, usually a take-out menu. This is useful, but it would not cost these big franchisers a lot to design and distribute a large print version. Some might say that the menus are available (mostly) on the web, but who is going to print out and carry around a binder full of menus on the off-chance they hit a fast food spot [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2007/09/fast-food-menus/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Inaccessible Web Design</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/12/inaccessible-web-design/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/12/inaccessible-web-design/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 23 Dec 2006 19:04:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[audible]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[text]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=333</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is what a bad website looks like after I have set the font sizes so that I can read them. This is from Audible.com. [Audible] If you find this post useful or interesting, please consider buying me a cup of coffee.Related Posts:Dimensions d&#8217;IstanbulRE:UP ArticleImage Zoom : Firefox Add-onTogetherHydrant]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/12/inaccessible-web-design/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Pogueâ€™s Posts &#8211; As We Get Older, Type Gets Smaller &#8211; Technology &#8211; New York Times Blog</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/08/pogue%e2%80%99s-posts-as-we-get-older-type-gets-smaller-technology-new-york-times-blog/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/08/pogue%e2%80%99s-posts-as-we-get-older-type-gets-smaller-technology-new-york-times-blog/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 17 Aug 2006 23:30:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fonts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pogue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[size]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[text]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=328</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pogue&#8217;s post this past week, As We Get Older, Type Gets Smaller, addresses a major issue that I think about too much. I reset the screen resolution, override default fonts and sometimes use Zoomtext. If you find this post useful or interesting, please consider buying me a cup of coffee.Related Posts:Finally, Pogue Speaks to USPogue Asks: Why Are PDFs Still in Portrait Orientation?On the Side: Inaccessible accessibilityAccessibility SwitchNYT&#8217;s Tip of the Week: Desktop Magnifying Glass]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/08/pogue%e2%80%99s-posts-as-we-get-older-type-gets-smaller-technology-new-york-times-blog/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Off-Topic: Changing Things</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/07/off-topic-changing-things/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/07/off-topic-changing-things/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 19 Jul 2006 19:06:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[in other news]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[call]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[campaign]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=326</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am a big believer in fixing problems that I find. I recently discovered some locations incorrectly mapped on Google. I submitted a correction to Google, but I also let the affected businesses know. Here is a copy of my exchange with one of them. Their response: wecare@m400.alexlee.com to me Good afternoon, Thank you for contacting the Lowes Foods Customer Care Center. Thank you for bring this to our attention. We have forwarded your comments to the appropriate company official. Thank you for giving Lowes Foods the opportunity to serve you better and for shopping at Lowes Foods. Leslie Robbins Lowes Foods Customer Care Center My email: to lfscustomercare Your location at the Chatham Crossing Shopping Center in Chapel hIll is incorrectly mapped on Google Maps. It shown across from Southern Village here, As you know, it should be listed here. I submitted this to their contact us page, buy I am only a user. As an effected business, your request is more likely to be heeded. The reason I am sending you this is that I am legally blind. I live in &#8230; and google mapped some nearby stores (CVS, Lowes, etc.) and found them to be &#8230; Imagine [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/07/off-topic-changing-things/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Response on Cell Phone High-Contrast Color Schemes</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/04/response-on-cell-phon-high-contrast-color-schemes/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/04/response-on-cell-phon-high-contrast-color-schemes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Apr 2006 21:14:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[campaign]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[contrast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fonts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[phones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=324</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I had a response form Verizon (who obviously did not read my initial message carefully) which just blew me off. Here is the response and my response: As I said in the original message, I had difficulty testing each phone in the store. First, the store&#8217;s inventory did not match the online store&#8217;s inventory. Second, I was unable to turn on many models. Lastly, it was not easy to search for the correct font/display.color/theme settings on each phone that I could turn on since I am legally blind. Can you at least suggest it to Verizon&#8217;s accessibility team that they (1) test each phone for high-contrast color scheme options and publish the results and (2) they suggest /require the suppliers to add high-contrast color scheme options if they do not already have them? Thank you. On 4/27/06, Verizon Wireless Customer Service S - Hide quoted text - wrote: Thank you for contacting Verizon Wireless through our website. I appreciate your inquiry regarding starting service with Verizon Wireless. My name is Desmond, and I am happy to assist you today. Unfortunately, I am unable to inform you which handsets have the contrast capabilities you are in need of because I do [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/04/response-on-cell-phon-high-contrast-color-schemes/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>High-contrast Cell Phones</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/04/high-contrast-cell-phones/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/04/high-contrast-cell-phones/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 27 Apr 2006 15:15:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[call]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[campaign]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cell phone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[contrast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fonts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[phones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=323</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I am looking at getting a new cell phone. I don&#8217;t need a fully voice-controlled, phone, but I would like one where the text is large and easy to read. I am having a hard time finding one. Companies do not advertise high contrast text settings, even if they have them. My wife and I are currently planning to leave our current cell phone provider and are strongly considering Verizon. The main issue is that I am legally blind with partial sight. I don&#8217;t need the text-to-speech features of the LG VX 4500. I need a phone with a clearly legible text where the font color contrasts sharply with the background color (black on white, white 0r yellow on black, etc). I went to a Verizon store to check the phones, but it was not possible to check many phone (the stores inventory did not match the website, many of the phone on display could not be turned on and it was not easy to check the Display Settings of the phones that were on). Is there a way to find out which phones have high-contrast color themes? The only one I could find is the CDM 8945, but I [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/04/high-contrast-cell-phones/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>4</slash:comments>
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		<title>Font Size in Balloons</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/03/font-size-in-balloons/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2006/03/font-size-in-balloons/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Mar 2006 23:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[fonts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[size]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[tip]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=320</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[PC Magazine has a tip on dealing with Font Size in Balloons. This should help you resize the font in those little comment balloons in Word. If you find this post useful or interesting, please consider buying me a cup of coffee.Related Posts:Firefox Tip: Increase Font SizeInternet Explorer: Increasing Font SizeNYT&#8217;s Tip of the Week: Desktop Magnifying GlassIncreasing Font SizeFormatting multiple equations in Word]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>On the Side: Inaccessible accessibility</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2005/08/on-the-side-inaccessible-accessibility/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2005/08/on-the-side-inaccessible-accessibility/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Aug 2005 23:39:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[tip]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=310</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A couple of months ago, the Times&#8217; David Pogue wrote an article, Spending Time to Save Time, about why we do not take enough advantage of available computer technology that could make our lives easier, more productive or both. The lessons Pogue discusses apply directly to adoption of any level of &#8216;assistive technology&#8217; whether it is a fancy screen reader or a simple Internet Explorer trick to make the text larger. I have spent countless hours finding these little ways to make using my computer easier and it has been an investment too high for most people. I would like to extend Mr. Pogue&#8217;s call on software makers to make accessibility feature more accessible. If you find this post useful or interesting, please consider buying me a cup of coffee.Related Posts:More Unabridged Auiobooks!Medialoper Â» Thatâ€™s What I Like: Audible.comMFA: Ansel AdamsFirst success with &#34;More Unabridged Auiobooks!&#34;AIC: From Darkroom to Digital: Photographic Variations]]></description>
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		<title>Accessibility Switch</title>
		<link>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2005/05/accessibility-switch/</link>
		<comments>http://www.timobrienphotos.com/2005/05/accessibility-switch/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 23 May 2005 14:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[large print]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accessibility]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[accessiblitly switch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[campaign]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pogue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tip]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.timobrienphotos.com/?p=307</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The technology guy for the NY Times posted some thought about an issue that had not crossed my mind, &#8220;But What About the Color Blind?&#8220;. I think that browsers should come with some default accessibility option. I do not mean the complicated range of options available now, but a simple on/off switch. This switch would automatically reformat all websites in some easy to read, high contrast and nice looking style, something that uniformly addresses the widest range of accessibility issues. For more advanced users, they could leave all the tweaks available now. For those who prefer simplicity, this accessibility switch could make a huge difference in the quality of internet life. Such a feature on publicly available machines, at kiosks or in computer labs for example, would allow anyone to make the web accessible with the touch of a single button. I suspect that the technology exists already. There is something called a style sheet that controls the look and feel of a web site. All it would take is a web designer could develop a style sheet with the characteristics listed above and the browser designers incorporated a single button that strained all web content through that style sheet. [...]]]></description>
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