My First Week with the iPhone: Mind-blowing blog post from Austin Seraphin, on how accessible the iPhone is for the blind. The entire article is amazing, but this bit at the end really drives the point home:
"The other night, however, a very amazing thing happened. I downloaded an app called Color ID. It uses the iPhone’s camera, and speaks names of colors... The next day, I went outside. I looked at the sky. I heard colors such as “Horizon,” “Outer Space,” and many shades of blue and gray. I used color queues to find my pumpkin plants, by looking for the green among the brown and stone. I spent ten minutes looking at my pumpkin plants, with their leaves of green and lemon-ginger. I then roamed my yard, and saw a blue flower. I then found the brown shed, and returned to the gray house. My mind felt blown. I watched the sun set, listening to the colors change as the sky darkened. The next night, I had a conversation with Mom about how the sky looked bluer tonight. Since I can see some light and color, I think hearing the color names can help nudge my perception, and enhance my visual experience. Amazing!"
I can't recommend this article enough. (via Daring Fireball)Intel confirms HDCP key is real, can now be broken at will: While it's nice to see the trend of DRM cracking continue (can we finally lay the idea of "unbreakable" DRM to rest?), I don't a compromise in HDCP is going to change much in people's daily lives.
YouTube vs. Fair Use: Jeff Atwood on YouTube's video identification tool, which from a pure engineering perspectifve, is quite impressive.
HP's Photosmart eStation Android tablet hands-on: Engadget offers a preview of HP's new Android tablet, which can only be purchased in a bundle with a printer. All things considered, it actually doesn't look that crappy, but it's odd that HP is releasing this, given that they are supposedly betting their mobile farm on webOS.
Links for Monday September 20th, 2010