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@rolle I am part of the generation that knew Jabber, that was happy to see Google embrace the Jabber/XMPP protocol: anyone with a gmail address had an XMPP instant messaging account interoperable with all other servers.

And one day gmail closed to other servers. Most users, already on Google, then asked others to create a gmail account to continue communicating.

I don’t want to go through that again. “Embrace, extend, and extinguish”, again.

—@lebout2canap

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@georgetakei You know another great way to ally? Use alt text on your images so those of us who can’t see them can be clued in to what you’re talking about. It’s really disheartening to see a prominent figure who I admire and who regularly promotes inclusion not get in on the alt text bandwagon here. It helps so many, not just blind people like me and it’s not that difficult once you get in the habit, at least that’s what I’ve seen a lot of people saying around here. Think about it, please. And thanks to all of you already using alt text. It makes a big difference.

—@atfarnum

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Carey Lening :blobcatverified: (@privacat@dataprotection.social) (Data Protection Social)
Attached: 1 image This is why the US can't have nice data transfers. F.B.I. Violated Surveillance Program Rules After George Floyd Protests and Jan. 6 Attack https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/19/us/politics/fbi-violated-surveillance-program-rules.html >The bureau made changes after the newly revealed violations of rules for querying messages intercepted under an expiring warrantless surveillance law.
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Dan Gillmor (@dangillmor@mastodon.social) (Mastodon)
What continues to disappoint me the most is that people who know better -- particularly journalists -- have capitulated to Musk in every way that matters. They kind of, sort of recognize the menace he represents, and don't like his loud loathing of what they do. But the audience and content matter more to them, even though they could bring both to better places. Look, I have my own hypocrisies. But supporting Musk was one I couldn't abide.
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I must admit I am torn about Global Accessibility Awareness Day #GAAD. Originally I thought this a great idea. But over the years, my views have changed a bit. I see companies wave flags on this one day, and a week later, all is forgotten and they’re back to their old ways. So like many accessibility awareness things, #GAAD has become a day for marketing pushes, making a lot of noise without followups. And the few companies that do follow up on their marketing gibberish, are those that would do it anyway. They don’t need a day like #GAAD, but it gives them a chance to do some more focused marketing on those days anyway. So yeah … While I think that this is a good cause per se, the thing it has turned into I don’t like as much.

—@Marco

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One time someone called me a technologist and it felt so bad and wrong that I moved to Oregon and started growing weed.

I worked in tech, but I was never a technologist. Tech is boring. People are what’s interesting. Tech is just something we use to get to the people.

When you forget that, as many tech leaders have, that’s when the bad things happen.

—@fraying