Disaster Area

Accessible Technology - On the Road to CSUN with Gary and Dan

Some friends of mine, Gary and Dan, who work at Microsoft in their accessibility organization are videoblogging and tweeting their way from Seattle to San Diego this past week on their road trip to the 27th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference aka CSUN (for Cal State Uni Northridge, where the conference originated).

One of the things I have come to appreciate as I have been exposed to it over the years is accessible technology. What is accessible technology? Basically anything that allows people with disabilities or functional limitations to participate fully in society - limited by only their own desires rather than as lack of access to all that life has to offer.

The earliest accessible technologies were things like braille and guide dogs for the blind. These are still of immense importance in the world of accessibility, but the meteoric rise in the capability of personal computers and the internet has created both a fantastic opportunity to connect people and a great challenge to make it accessible to everyone.

How accessibility technology advances in the connected world is a complex interweaving of hardware companies, software companies, advocacy organizations, charitable foundations, government policy making and the sheer determination of individuals coming up with solutions to problems they deal with every day.

Dan and Gary have an itinerary that has them dropping in on many companies and agancies on their way down the west coast. Fortunately, the west coast is ripe with opportunities to find out more about accessible technologies.

From a senior center to Boundless Technology and ViewPlus Technologies to rural communities and guide dogs for the blind, the video snippets do a great job of highlighting the need for assistive technologies and how those needs are being met.

My favorite though is when Dan and Gary visit Yahoo! which highlights how technology companies can collaborate to provide the best possible experience for the end user. Alan Brightman, Yahoo's Chief of Accessibility is a great interview. Biggest takeway -building in accessiblity from the start costs about 2% of the cost of a project. Adding it later the cost is 100% - i.e. you have to spend all that money all over again. The same general principle holds for all kinds of desing - airplanes included. It's best just to get the requirements right at the beginning...

Flying Cars - Sigh...

 

Well, take your pick:

Be aware they all fall prey to one or more of a few fatal flaws:

• Made of Unobtainium
• Violate laws of physics
• Suck as both a car and a plane

Seattle from the water

Beautiful view at 9 pm on New Year's eve

Happy New Year Almost

Downtown Seattle New Year's Eve

Manta Rays

Here's a shot from the video - Bonnie is upper right with the purple noodle. I was just out of shot above her.

And one of the manta on it's own...

and one more with Bonnie and I in the upper left as the manta ray swoops by...

 

And Now... Manta Rays

Went snorkeling Thursday night with the same outfit that took us on the cruise Wednesday (Sea Paradise - highly recommended). I didn't get to take any pictures during the snorkeling (which was actually hard work hanging on to a float for 45 minutes while watching the manta ray(s) swirl and dance around us, but I did get this lovely sunset picture in the harbor just before we set sail.

The manta rays aren't very far out - they hang out right at the rock at the left hand side of the picture (so yes, it's only a five minute trip to get there.) In the meantime, there's some nice video on the Sea Paradise website.

Snorkeling and Dolphins

Went on a lovely small snorkeling trip today - just four couple on the boat. Went snorkleing at the Captain Cook monument at Kealakekua Bay. On the way back a couple of bottlenose dolphins swam with our boat for about twenty minutes, playing with us. Here's a little clip:

More Turtles

Bon and I went down to the black sand beach at Punalu'u this afternoon. It's famous not just for it's sand but for the fact that it's a pretty solid turtle habitat. We had barely walked onto the beach when we saw this guy (or more likely gal...)

 

There were at least five others cavorting in the water (well, mostly sort of lying there - turtles aren't much for the boogying lifestyle). Much like this:

There are three turtles in the picture - the obvious one in the middle and one either side just behind him/her doing their best submerged rock impersonations.

Then there''s the video:

Or the other video:

And finally, on the way out, the first turtle we saw had managed to do this:

Which made us think it was probably a she settling in to lay some eggs. None of which was helped by the idiots who apparently couldn't read the sign to stay at least 15 feet away.

Dolphins (and Turtles)

Spending a week in Hawaii for my birthday. Bonnie and I went snorkeling Monday at Honaunau Bay (Place of Refuge), famous for its turtles. It also happens to be home right now to a school of spinner dolphins. Within five minutes of being in the water we got to see both. Sadly, I didn't have the underwater camera with me for the turtle encounter (with us keeping a sensible distance, of course), but I did have the camera for the dolphin encounter. Given that it's a cheap fixed focus simple camera, the results aren't spectacular, but I did get some half decent shots. Here's one:

And here are Bonnie's flippers in a picture with the dolphins...

San Francisco in a Few Pictures

Alcatraz Island...

Hills and fog...

 

Kearn(e)y Street...

The Transamerica Pyramid in less interesting light...

Dave & Bonnie hanging out at Fisherman's Wharf...

Ghirardelli Square...

 

The Golden Gate Bridge...

 

And finally, the journey home...