oliveremberton
Joined 15 years ago
Karma
525
Submissions
44
Member since
May 31
Recent submissions
Comment · 9 months ago
https://www.oliveremberton.com
Vibe coded in 3.5 hrs (content was older, natch), wrote a block-based, WYSIWYG block based CMS from scratch to power it.
Comment · 7 years ago
Interesting refutation by IBM here:
In the preprint, it is argued that their device reached “quantum supremacy” and that “a state-of-the-art supercomputer would require approximately 10,000 years to perform the equivalent task.” We argue that an ideal simulation of the same task can be performed on a classical system in 2.5 days and with far greater fidelity.
https://www.ibm.com/blogs/research/2019/10/on-quantum-suprem...
Comment · 7 years ago
You can figure out the basics in about 20-60 minutes.
If you use a Mac, just enable VoiceOver: https://www.apple.com/voiceover/info/guide/_1121.html
If you use Windows, I suggest NVDA - it's a free screen reader that's similar to the most-popular-but-expensive one (JAWS): https://www.nvaccess.org/download/
IMHO the best screen readers are on your phone / tablet. This might sound crazy (how can a touchscreen work when you can't see it?) but they're much better designed than their desktop equivalents. Mobile software tends to be simpler, resulting in a better experience:
iOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDm7GiKra28
Android: https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6007...
If you work in web tech and take 1-2 hours to learn one of these you'll be able to dazzle others with it for the rest of your life.
Comment · 7 years ago
Pathological myopia can't be corrected with glasses.
TBH we call it "myopia" in the plugin because it's short and what we think most users would understand. Many visual disabilities cause a similar blurring effect, such as cataracts.
Comment · 7 years ago
We wrote a free screen reader simulator for this purpose (Chrome plugin):
https://silktide.com/resources/toolbar
It’s not a substitute for real-world testing, but it should help you appreciate the basics without having to learn a full screen reader.
We’re also working on some accessibility games right now (scores challenges for you to complete in a browser with a simulated disability), which sound a lot like what you’re suggesting.
Comment · 7 years ago
"It's for the big abusers, like Google".
If the law actually said that, it would be great.
You never want laws to be ambiguously applied and to presume exemption because "it wouldn't happen to me". People will abuse laws: there will be spam scams aplenty selling snake-oil solutions, and ambulance chasers threatening to sue companies because they can. Excess legislation comes at a cost.
I am in favour of better privacy but I fail to see how counting unique visitors on a blog should become a crime. By setting the standard that everyone is violating the law, you encourage everyone to ignore your law.
Comment · 7 years ago
Author here. What’s new is the ICO has changed their guidance: they had explicitly stated analytics was acceptable in the past. The law itself hasn’t changed, but what most people thought was compliant is now unambiguously not.
Comment · 9 years ago
https://insites.com/ crawls your website in a cloud-based Chrome for both mobile and desktop, so you can check spelling, broken links, JS errors, layout etc.
Or if you prefer something free and lightweight: http://nibbler.silktide.com/
Disclaimer: I work here.
Comment · 12 years ago
Things that are popular are incendiary to those who don't like them.
If an obscure artist makes some music you don't like, nobody cares. But if that artist sells a million records, you'll see an online explosion of rage.
It seems we're wired to react when our tastes don't match those of the groups we hang around in.
Comment · 12 years ago
Author here. Originally I had a lot of blather in that section, but given:
1. It's a long post 2. Most of my readers are presumably >15 yrs old 3. I honestly think most people up to age 15 have limited control over their lives
I decided to trim it down. Obviously I am not literally saying that a 14-and-11-months year old has no influence over their destiny but a 15 year old does. But superfluous precision is the enemy of effective writing; you end up with a legal document.
Comment · 12 years ago
Sorry – "crossing"?
Comment · 12 years ago
Thanks! I've not really posted much on HN before, although I've had a few of my posts turn up in here by themselves, and I thought it would be worth trying myself.
crosses fingers
I blog on life and improving it here: http://oliveremberton.com/