Five Links #33
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Hey folks,
With everything that’s happening over at Twitter, I’ve put my account into somewhat of a frozen state.
Whenever I check my account, it really seems like Twitter is changing. After I went all-in on lists two years ago, the timeline I’d see when I wasn’t on a list would pull in accounts I was following through lists or, generally, relatively similar content.
These days, it’s filling with tweets from accounts ‘based on Tweets you’ve liked’ that are nothing like Tweets I’ve liked or accounts I’ve followed. This is pure anecdata, of course, but that timeline is filled with crypto-shills and VC accounts in awe of Twitter’s new authoritarian leadership.
Taking a leaf from pwnallthethings.com, I’ve desaturated my profile picture as a subtle signal that I’m not there so much.
I also moved to a new Mastodon over at federate.social, set up by Professor David Carroll. You can find me at federate.social/@davesmyth.
Absorbing
Five links for your inbox from this week.
1. Vivid gradient generator
This week, Erik Kennedy’s newsletter shared this Vivid Gradient Generator Tool. It looks genuinely useful for avoiding the ‘grey zone’ that so many tools inadvertently create.
2. iA Presenter
I generally avoid giving talks, but I do teach an evening class that uses a lot of slides. And the thought of rewriting them has filled me with dread. iA Presenter looks like a tool that could alleviate a lot of that pain.
3. Tax filing sites send users’ financial details to Facebook
Websites have already been caught sending sensitive medical to Facebook through the Facebook/Meta Pixel: finances are just the next logical step. Who could possibly have predicted that an incredibly invasive tracking tool paired with an industry wide “collect all the data” attitude would end like this.
4. BGJar – SVG background generator
A useful, free SVG background generator to keep in your bookmarks,
5. Practical Accessibility
Accessibility is tricky. There are so many things to consider and keep on top of before you even think about real user testing.
This course from Sara Soueidan looks like a brilliant breakdown of key principles with practical examples. And there’s a $100 pre-order discount until the 10th December.
Projects + other things
- First impressions of Stage Manager on macOS ventura
- I’m available for work and booking projects from early 2023
- My Unoffice Hours are available every other Wednesday. Next slot: November 30th (after this, there’s only one more Unoffice Hours week available this year).
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Until next time,
Dave