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ISSUE 19.29 • 2022-07-18 ACCESSIBILITY By Chris Husted The future of technology is in your hands, hands-free. Whether people know it or not, many of t
[See the full post at: Welcome to assistive and adaptive technology]

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lmacri, abbodi86, OscarCP

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Apple, mentioned in the Newsletter article by Husted, has introduced the first Mac with an M2 chip that includes an 8-core  RISC CPU, a 10-core GPU and in particular a “Neural Engine” (NE) with more capacity than the one in the previous M1 chip. I think this NE can be used to implement neural network-based applications providing new and, or better assistive features. Features that can be considerably more helpful to users than the ones now available, particularly to those with severe disabilities.

I hope that is the case and developers that understand how to do this will bring new applications to market that might make a big change for the better in the lives of many people.

Apple is pioneering this, but there is no reason why something similar, perhaps in a dedicated chip, not an SoC like the M2, cannot become part of machines from other manufacturers and those new capabilities mentioned then become incorporated in Windows and Linux PCs.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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Thank you for this article. Our grandson Ryker has severe cerebral palsy with symptoms that include inability to speak. Years ago he was given an IPad with special adaptive speech software. As a result he uses this system as a substitute for speaking. It is used to communicate to family as well as a tool to graduate from high school. It IS a big deal. Thanks.

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wavy

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I saw a thing on Bloomberg about neural adaptive technology and they had these poor people who were so paralyzed that they can only move their eyes, and are completely dependent on others for everything.  The neural link is like a hat the disabled person has placed on their head.  Then they think about the first letter of a word, it shows up on the screen, and the guy was able to type paragraphs like this and communicate.  The woman who was pitching the technology said that her goal was to have these helpless people able to communicate their thoughts in real time (instead of one letter at a time).  The future looks bright if you can afford this tech and if it’s not held hostage by updates or subscription or any dark patterns.

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wavy

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OscarCP wrote:

M2 chip

Intel has let a lot of grass grow under its feet, but the threat is not just from Apple silicon. AMD has been pushing AI processors for some time. It’s clear that Intel is lifting its foot out of that tall grass, but it’s got a lot of catching up to do.

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Will Fastie:

“It’s clear that Intel is lifting its foot out of that tall grass, but it’s got a lot of catching up to do.”

I hope that foot gets lifted and soon. The promise of neural engine hardware (as dedicated chips), in particular to better help those seriously disabled, I am convinced is too important to dismiss.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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OscarCP wrote:

in particular to better help those seriously disabled, I am convinced is too important to dismiss.

I don’t think anyone could think otherwise.

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Today, you no longer need a speech synthesizer. The synthesized voices are now at the stage where they can be artificially generated,

And what would be the difference?

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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OscarCP

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I live in an apartment with very poor sound insulation from neighbors. The last thing they or I want is for all of us to be talking and shouting commands to our voice assistants and voice remote controls all day and all night. This hype surrounding voice controls and phone apps for everything is madness. It must stop. One size does NOT fit all!

In another sense, this change amounts to a minority of users (disabled people) dictating how the majority of users (who do not need adaptive interfaces) must use our devices.

By the way, Ralph Nader has begun a campaign against self-driving cars. He has pointed out correctly the fatal consequences of the overhype which has led Tesla and others to implement this technology decades before (if ever) it will be safe to use on real highways where the vast majority of cars are human-driven. This tech is NOT ready for general use, as it does not correctly recognize pedestrians, bicycle riders, motorcycles and people in the roadway.

-- rc primak

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OscarCP

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They also roll stop signs.

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rc primak, OscarCP

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With a noise problem somewhat different to rc primak’s, I also live in an apartment building where some neighbors, occasionally, have loud get-togethers. The building manager has cut short such bad habits, but new people move in and others depart, so this situation is in a permanent state of flux.

I wonder if there is, or it has been thought of seriously already, something potentially quite helpful, for example to invalids that only rarely and with special help can leave their apartment, a room-wide noise-cancellation system that can be used in situations as just described at a home office or a bedroom. Without, of course, suppressing things one might need to hear, such as a fire alarm.

I remember that Proust — famous for being the author of the hugely long, seven-volumes novel “À la recherche du temps perdu” (“In Search of Lost Time”, called in English “Remembrance of Things Past” )  — had a similar problem with neighbors upstairs. So he lined the ceiling of his studio (if his apartment, located on the ritzy Champs Elysées avenue of Paris) with cork, as a sound insulator.

I hope technical means have improved since then.

As to Ralph Nader, good to know he is still doing  work in the public interest. Particularly on a new street and road peril I think we can really do without. It is said of it that would help people who cannot drive, but a proper transportation system, especially one with dedicated human-driven buses to ferry such people to where they need to go, would be a decent investment of our taxes, and much less likely to roll over people or even road signs.

Such bus system for people with disabilities exists where I live, in the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, but it is spottily available, or not at all, depending on which county one lives in.

Certain gimmicky solutions are not real solutions: they merely solve a problem some very rich — and ingenious — people have, of how to become even richer and more powerful by making and selling stuff that would be better they didn’t.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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Smart hubs and speakers can be programmed to filter out background noise. As with some people (myself included) this produced uneven results. But yes, device programmers are trying in some cases to deal with background noise.

I get that too in my apartment. Materials have advanced, but essentially, cork ceilings are still among the best sound insulators. You aren’t allowed to install them yourself, but it would be nice not to have to hear every shout and bang made by my upstairs neighbors’ toddler.

-- rc primak

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OscarCP

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I think adding mass is what you might want to do to absorb low frequency sounds (the bass everybody seems to cherish these days). As well as isolation of the components.

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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wavy: “I think adding mass is what you might want to do to absorb low frequency sounds ”

Adding mass, in the case of a next-door bad neighbor, in practice could mean ripping off the Sheetrock and replacing the insulation inside the median wall with a heavier one. Or sticking something on the Sheetrock.

But, in the real world, I find that rc primak’s comment on the use of sound-cancelling speakers around the house or apartment is an interesting and more practical form of assistive technology. Assistive to those in need to keep their sanity, that is.

But there are some other possibilities:

What you can do with one’s own woofer not to bother the neighbors:

https://soundproofguide.com/stop-bass-traveling-through-walls/

But if the neighbors are the ones bothering you:

One soundproofing option doable if one is a renter and several others only doable if one owns the place:

https://soundproofcamp.com/how-to-deal-with-neighbors-with-subwoofers/

(Including sound-dampening paint!)

Maybe someone could add information on this fascinating issue here?

==============================

In my own ideal world, on the other hand …

Alternatively to insulation: banging very hard on the noisy neighbors’ door, until it jumps off its hinges. (It’s a good idea to bring along a heavy-hitting bruiser one is lucky to know.)

Or calling the police.

Calling the police:

First, a policeman or policewoman comes with a sound level meter and stands, first in front of the neighbors door, just outside in the corridor, and takes a reading.

Then, depending on this reading and some other obvious evidence at hand, bangs on the door and calls out: Police! Open up!

Then, when they finally manage to hear the police officer over their own racket, these bad neighbors turn down the stereo, pipe down and one of them opens the door: “Hi, Officer, what can we do for you?”

Then (if they behave nicely enough) they just may be admonished for, technically speaking, disturbing the peace, and told that next time they can’t expect any such leniency. Police officer exits apartment, goes back to the Station, or does whatever. Neighbors then may or may not resume what they stopped to answer the door.

But if they don’t behave nicely enough, or backslide soon after the officer leaves, they are all arrested and taken in shackles to the local Police Station where they’ll be fined 1,000,000 dollars each, by a judge that will also set a 10 billion-dollar bail, again for each of them, and then they’ll spend the following weeks and months, until a pro-bono lawyer is found for them and shows up and the day of their trial is set and finally arrives, enjoying themselves all the time in the merry company of the usual occupants of the station’s drunk tank.

Then they’ll be shipped off to a courthouse, where the judge presiding will sentence them to a life time in jail, to be served at the always so comfy, clean and jolly local County Jail.

(Well, a man can only dream … )

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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In the real world you would have found better written articles, but for the most part more mass.

The DOL book offers some good advice and was free from them. It is public domain so may be available digitally some place.

https://www.amazon.com/Noise-control-guide-workers-employers/dp/B0000EDTUKhttps://www.amazon.com/Noise-control-guide-workers-employers/dp/B0000EDTUK

Real world the neighbors have armaments and ….. well

🍻

Just because you don't know where you are going doesn't mean any road will get you there.

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wavy: “Real world the neighbors have armaments and ….. well ”

Calling the police tends to work. They are usually armed too.

Besides, in my ideal word, as described further up, I would keep a bazooka and its RPGs handy, just for such occasions that call for their use.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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