Month / February 2015

by crowfooted

neil-gaiman:

salon:

The rules reclassify Internet as Title II of the Telecommunications Act, making it a utility

The FCC voted in favor of the Open Internet Order, new net neutrality rules that would prohibit paid Internet paid fast lanes, and reclassify broadband providers as telecommunication services under the Title II of the Telecommunications Act, among other regulations. The rules were passed by a 3-2 vote along party lines, with Commissioners Ajut Pai and Michael O’Rielly (Republicans) voting against the measure and Commissioners Mignon Clyburn, Jessica Rosenworcel and Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler (Democrats) voting in favor of the order.

The Internet is saved…for now.

You know, I hear too much of “it doesn’t matter who you vote for, they’re all the same” and “why bother to vote…?” And then you see something big like this, split on party lines, and you are, if you are me, pleased that there were three democrats and two republicans, because it could just as easily have gone the other way…

by crowfooted

bjornwilde:

camwyn:

actuallyclintbarton:

superheronamesforspoonies:

Here’s a thing that is helpful and free! It’s a plugin that uses a dyslexic-friendly font and color coding to make reading easier for everyone, but especially for those of us with dyslexia, ADHD, or other learning disabilities.

Above text reads: “Make reading easier and faster with BeeLine Reader! BeeLine uses a color gradient to guide your eyes from the end of one line to the beginning of the next. This seemingly simple tweak makes reading substantially easier and faster because it allows you to transition between lines quickly and effortlessly. Thousands of people have taken our online diagnostic test, and over 90% of them saw a benefit from BeeLine. Many people are able to read 20% or 30% faster with BeeLine, even on their first try. 

Our Chrome extension works great on news articles, wikipedia pages, and other text-heavy websites. You can choose between several different color schemes, and more features will be coming soon.”

I love this plugin so freaking much you guys.

Anybody who follows this journal, can you report on whether this works for you?

I use it, as I tend to get lost in big blocks of text, and love it. Can’t say how it works for dyslexia though.

by crowfooted

child-of-thecosmos:

Carl Sagan recognised that the Voyager mission offered two free tickets to something approaching eternity. He assembled a small team to create a message to any civilisation that might, one day, encounter the derelict spacecraft.

Become an extraterrestrial archaeologist for a few moments. An artefact has been fished out of the interstellar ocean. It was made by beings that lived about a billion years ago. What would you make of them and their world? They sent us their music, greetings in 59 human languages, and one whale language; and a sound essay that includes a Saturn V rocket launch, a mother’s first words to her newborn baby, the brainwaves of a young woman newly fallen in love, and the sound of a pulsar.

– Episode 13: Unafraid of the Dark, Cosmos: A SpaceTime Odyssey

You can listen to the contents of the Voyager Golden Record here.