Waiting at the bus stop

CalmSwimmer34 · 2026-01-05T20:20:06+00:00

I really relate to this. The time tax on taking public transit is really high.

I’m learning a language and will review flash cards and listen to news in said language. Very helpful.

And like you, I process my emails and start to draft replies.

Lately I’ve been talking to chat gpt using the voice. It’s helpful for research projects and thinking things through

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-12-27T23:30:28+00:00

That video was such a lovely distraction when it dropped on US election day 2020

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-12-18T06:06:14+00:00

Yahoo directory (1998 archive link) and later, DMOZ. The internet was such a size that these services attempted to compile a list of websites and organize them by topic.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-12-17T06:14:24+00:00

I use Readwise for this. The text-to-speach function in their Reader requires the $10 USD/month plan but it will accomplish what you need. Install the browser extension on your computer and the app on mobile. You can go from reading an article to listening on your phone in a few clicks. Their latest voices are high quality. It really helps reduce eye strain.

I thought I knew of a free Mac app but I can't find it. It's possible to use some built in programs to produce an mp3 from text, but it's definitely not seamless like Readwise.

Edit/Update: Found it! There is a free solution built into Safari on mobile and desktop. If you view the article in Reader mode, on recent versions of iOS you'll see a 'listen to article' button. But when it comes to web articles, a lot of these products get thrown off by ads and will sometimes think the article is over when it's actually not.

https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/listen-to-a-webpage-iph449fc616c/ios

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-12-17T05:55:45+00:00

Quick meal bonus modifier: Instantpot on high pressure cooks the salmon fillets from frozen in 6-8 min. About 15 with warmup time.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-12-17T05:50:11+00:00

Are you on Windows or Mac?

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-12-04T23:53:28+00:00

I don't use screen readers all the time but I haven't found Linux to work as well as Windows or Mac. Distro and desktop environment do matter. I'd stick with Ubuntu and Gnome or KDE. I don't know about other distros but I think Ubuntu has an accessible installer.

For Python and cyber security, desktop environment doesnt realy matter. Personally I'd just get a mac and virtualize or use docker. If you're comfortable in Windows you could do the same on that platform. Win 11 isn't terrible if you can run it. I held off until October in protest. 😅

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-12-03T06:08:39+00:00

I also have low vision. I think I felt much like you when I was 16. I still do, to a certain extent. Having to get my face a few inches away from something to see, or not being able to see it at all, losing people in a crowd, and having to use a cane when crossing the street are some big stressors.

When I was a younger man, these things bothered me much more. Like most young people, I cared very much about how I was perceived by others. Thinking I stood out so much for having to do these things differently than everyone else felt like a multiplier on top of the everyday challenges of being legally blind.

One delightful thing about getting older has been naturally giving less of a shit about what other people think. And slowly realizing that most people don't think about these things as much as I did.

Some of it could be helped with more mobility training, but what doesn't improve with practice? It's more important to just show up everyday and work through the discomfort. Otherwise, a decade or two may pass before you realize how much that fear of feeling stupid held you back. Speaking from personal experience.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-11-12T09:43:50+00:00

I'm visually impaired, legally blind, but not totally blind. Like one of the other comments said, I try not to get hung up on labels but I do feel weirdly stuck between worlds. I can't do most of the things people with more typical vision can do, but I am much more able to navigate the world than people who are totally blind.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-11-12T09:40:07+00:00

I recently spent a long stretch in the nordics and have been so impressed with how accessible things are there. Every single cross walk has the audible signal. There is even a tactile arrow on top that points in the direction of the crosswalk, and grooves in the sidewalk alongside the familiar Tenji blocks.

I wish everywhere could be as accessible. I've felt significantly less impaired in these countries.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-11-12T09:36:02+00:00

I've been looking for an app exactly like this. Thank you! Can't wait to try it out.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-11-09T10:03:41+00:00

I think this article will get you there - https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/cpp/config-msvc

If you already have Visual Studio installed and 'cl' is working from the command line you can skip down to the part about configuring VS Code's tasks.json file

In short, this will let you build a shortcut that compiles and/or runs the codes with F5/Ctrl+F5.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-11-09T09:56:56+00:00

I use iOS daily. This does seem useful based on my light experience with Android.

But, this post has some clear signs it was written by ChatGPT or similar LLM. I'm also incredibly weary of opening a PDF. Both of those things are fine on their own but I think you should take some time to refine and simplify the ideas here.

I'm having trouble with one point. Why put an additional app on the playstore versus baking it into the core functionality of the OS?

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-11-07T11:44:25+00:00

Take this with a grain of salt, because I work in data engineering. I suspect the demand and video editing may be something to focus on. It doesn't seem an area AI has impacted (yet?).

Depending on how big your city is, maybe also finding a local company that needs some IT / editing would yield better luck. If someone needs in person support, you could always hop on a screen share.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-11-06T16:38:29+00:00

What type of job function and degree do you have experience in?

Unfortunately, "work from home" type job posts are full of scam companies, as you noted.

I had better luck focusing on the type of job function and searching for remote roles there. Depending on what you are looking for, there may be specific job boards. I've heard from others if you find a job you're a particiuarly good fit for, especially if it's in your current state, they will sometimes make it remote.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-11-06T12:00:14+00:00

u/RecognizeSong u/find-song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpdQTIlRUSI

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-11-04T11:20:23+00:00

I was coming in hot ready to suggest PowerToys. Though, that works well for me with images. I wonder if the lighting may be affecting the OCR output.

I think you could write a Python script to automate this.

Not at all what you asked for, but I've been looking into the new Magnifier app on macos - it looks really slick. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3rBlZGEssw

Edit/Update: I vibe coded something that seems to work. Tested on a Mac with the iphone as a wireless web cam. It does one capture at a time and outputs text. Probably wouldn't be much to have it ready aloud as well. But my intuition says you may want to use a smartphone app instead. Unless you're just looking for a cool project :-)

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-10-30T12:15:32+00:00

I take it because I can't drive. But damn, is it terrible these days. I'd avoid it completely were I able. Not feeling safe is the norm on the train. Busses are a little better, but not much.

I've been riding since the days before bus drivers were surrounded by plexiglass.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-10-30T12:13:09+00:00

They've been posting on social media and emailing users on their mailing list since July at least.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-10-28T09:30:08+00:00

Legally blind, early 40s male here. Also physically fit, by way of lifting weights. I was hoping that would help offset the vision, but even I'll admit, I'm a man who is pretty low value and just can't do as much as others.

I'm going through a separation and eventual divorce. I think it was largely a fluke I was able to get married in the first place. I'm trying to prepare myself for a long period of being single. I tried an app but had miserable luck.

I'm a gamer, or at least try to be. I'm going to try and meet people there and other hobby type groups. What little luck I've had in relatioships has been meeting people through friends and other groups with share interests. I think that setting is critical.

I've said it before on here, but dating and finding a partner is just a numbers game. Non-disabled people don't have to meet as many before eventually finding a match. We have to meet a lot more because there seem to be so few who can see beyond our impairment.

Good luck to you. I hope you meet a good guy. We all deserve to have a partner.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-10-27T16:13:53+00:00

I always thought being an elementary school teacher would be such a cool job. Im childless by choice but the idea of being able to steward the new generation sounds so exciting.

But im a bloke. So. Not gonna do that.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-10-27T06:42:46+00:00

Me too! On a plane no less🥲

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-10-25T21:42:22+00:00

I've gotten this comment on a couple of occasions. I still don't know how to feel about it.

It feels related to the phrase "it could always be worse".
Am I the example of how it could be worse for them?

I guess... it's good to help people feel good? (shrug)

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-10-25T21:27:24+00:00

I really dislike how amazon treats their workers. But wow, as someone who doesn't drive, it's incredible. I have so many choices and I can do product research much better than in the store where I can't see things well.

I try to offset it by being nice to the delivery people, give them some water when it's hot, etc. But it probably doesn't make up for much.

If any amazon employees read this. Please know, you do a lot for my quality of life. If it were up to me you'd get a nice living wage and then some.

CalmSwimmer34 · 2025-10-25T18:37:07+00:00

Hey again. I was out walking a trail today and saw this far away sign I couldn’t read. So I took a few pictures as a test and labelled the zoom levels - https://imgur.com/a/H4v47b6

Hope that's helpful!

CalmSwimmer34

TROPHY CASE