Excellent article! My life would be pretty grim without modern technology. You're talking about real accessibility tools; they're no different to mobility aids, they help us to stay independent. And I want to emphasise, using technology that makes life accessible is not the same as proactively supporting everything that its creator stands for. It would be like blaming cancer patients using radiotherapy for atomic bombs in Japan.
I always say that most technology is not inherently evil (though of course, we do have to take into account that the creation of some technologies such as genAI are harming people and environments), but that it's how you use it. So much discourse around social media is about how bad it is for people, but for me it has been a lifeline - a way to connect and learn with others while being mostly housebound.
So much technology provides accessibility (I have light bulbs I can control from my phone so I don't need to physically move to turn the light on/off, and change the colour which is amazing when I have a migraine) which is often missing from the conversation. And, of course, when it is designed just for accessibility it often comes with a huge price hike (my tipping kettle was 4 times more expensive than a regular kettle, and mobility aids are ridiculously expensive), making it harder to access for a group that are far more likely to live in poverty.
I love, love, love this post. You did an excellent job outlining the Visible wearable.
I’ve been thinking about selling my Honda civic because it’s worth more to me in the bank than my driveway. I’ve never considered getting a self driving car, and it was interesting to read your take on that as well. Thank you for writing this.
If you have the energy sometime, book a Tesla test drive. You can try FSD and judge for yourself. If you do, let me know. I’d like to hear how it goes. Take care.
Excellent article! My life would be pretty grim without modern technology. You're talking about real accessibility tools; they're no different to mobility aids, they help us to stay independent. And I want to emphasise, using technology that makes life accessible is not the same as proactively supporting everything that its creator stands for. It would be like blaming cancer patients using radiotherapy for atomic bombs in Japan.
I always say that most technology is not inherently evil (though of course, we do have to take into account that the creation of some technologies such as genAI are harming people and environments), but that it's how you use it. So much discourse around social media is about how bad it is for people, but for me it has been a lifeline - a way to connect and learn with others while being mostly housebound.
So much technology provides accessibility (I have light bulbs I can control from my phone so I don't need to physically move to turn the light on/off, and change the colour which is amazing when I have a migraine) which is often missing from the conversation. And, of course, when it is designed just for accessibility it often comes with a huge price hike (my tipping kettle was 4 times more expensive than a regular kettle, and mobility aids are ridiculously expensive), making it harder to access for a group that are far more likely to live in poverty.
I love, love, love this post. You did an excellent job outlining the Visible wearable.
I’ve been thinking about selling my Honda civic because it’s worth more to me in the bank than my driveway. I’ve never considered getting a self driving car, and it was interesting to read your take on that as well. Thank you for writing this.
If you have the energy sometime, book a Tesla test drive. You can try FSD and judge for yourself. If you do, let me know. I’d like to hear how it goes. Take care.
Absolutely, thanks Fred.