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<h1 id="ideas">Ideas</h1>
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<h2 id="1-accessible-bios">1. Accessible BIOS</h2>
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<p>Update:
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See my blog post with the guy who’s writing the <a href="/2021/06/21/uefi-audio/">new audio driver into EDK2</a>.</p>
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<p>Some server motherboards include serial UART/I<sup>2</sup>C ports which can be used to manage a BIOS via serial.
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If this is possible, would it be able to attach to a braille display via an intermediary like a Rockchip/Pi SBC or Arduino compatible chip using <a href="https://brltty.app">BRLTTY</a> and serial input from the motherboard?
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Maybe not as it <a href="https://tldp.org/HOWTO/Remote-Serial-Console-HOWTO/rhl-biosserial.html">appears to require</a> a full Unicode terminal, which I have the suspicion that BRLTTY will not be able to automatically filter out the formatting characters.</p>
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<p>I found one paper referencing the (in)accessibility of BIOS, specifically UEFI BIOS from Brazil.
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I have downloaded the paper and uploaded it here for reference.
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<a href="/assets/pdf/bios-accessibility.pdf">PDF of “UEFI BIOS Accessibility for the Visually Impaired”</a>.</p>
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<p>After emailing the authors of the paper, I found out that one of them, Rafael Machado, was able to get a song playing in UEFI as a part of his masters.
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Here is a link to the Github <a href="https://github.com/RafaelRMachado/Msc_UefiHda_PreOs_Accessibility">Msc UEFI PreOS Accessibility</a>;
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he has links to YouTube videos where he is shown playing a song on an ASUS laptop with PCIe connected speakers: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2De9dI9WbwM">Song Playing in UEFI</a></p>
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<p>I have downloaded and played around with his Github project but to no avail.
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Either I am not setting it up correctly, or I do not have the proper sound setup, but in any case no sound plays from either my laptop or desktop.</p>
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<p>This requires more research and investment to understand UEFI, HDA audio, what systems have it and how to work with words and other sounds.</p>
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<h2 id="2-terminal-oriented-browser">2. Terminal-oriented browser</h2>
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<p>Use selenium to allow a cross-engine compatible terminal-browser with JS support. Yes, sure, it has all the bloat of the modern web as it uses the full code of Chrome/Firefox/Webkit—but at least it can be used in the terminal.
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Guaranteed to be accessible.</p>
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<p>I’m thinking of similar key commands to Orca/NVDA but output is send to the terminal. Unsure of how to handle aria-live regions, but perhaps a queue could be used to print text. Unsure how to calculate delay as the user may be using a screen reader at different speeds and/or a braille display.</p>
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<p>Change backend on-the-fly with a page reload. So if a website doesn’t work with Webkit, load it in Firefox with a key command.</p>
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<p>Just an idea.</p>
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<h2 id="3-dead-simple-chess-app">3. Dead Simple Chess App</h2>
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<p>I want to make a simple chess app which can connect to multiple backends
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(i.e. Lichess, Chess.com, etc.) and then users can use one app to play many games.
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This should be quite simple given how easy the lichess API is, and the <a href="https://www.chess.com/news/view/published-data-api">chess.com API</a> coming soon!</p>
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<blockquote>
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<p>This is read-only data. You cannot send game-moves or other commands to Chess.com from this system. <strong><em>If you wish to send commands, you will be interested in the Interactive API releasing later this year.</em></strong></p>
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</blockquote>
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<h2 id="4-open-source-vpn-deployment-system">4. Open-Source VPN Deployment System</h2>
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<p>Help my business and others start their own.</p>
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<ul>
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<li>Update active servers with pings from said server. Encrypt with GPG to verify, send over HTTPS. Use sub-keys (?) so they may be revoked anytime. Use token to login server.</li>
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<li>Ability to create new tokens with no priviledges; only to say “Hi I’m still here.”</li>
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<li>All IP address changes need to be manually approved.</li>
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<li>Status queries, must be logged in: POST /status/[id/] should give back info about:
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<ul>
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<li>Number of connections.</li>
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<li>Level (paid, free, plus when I can find out how to get Netflix working).</li>
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<li>Protocol (OpenVPN/Wireguard). Wireguard should be default.</li>
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<li>Max throughput (i.e. 1Gb/sec, 100Mb/sec)</li>
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<li>Current average throughput over last minute, 15 minutes, hour and day. (i.e. 15Mb/sec 12Mb/sec)</li>
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</ul>
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</li>
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<li>Decide server: POST /new/[coutnry_code/] should send a response of a possible server to connect to (or even the full Wireguard file possibly)</li>
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<li>Get server files: POST /download/[country_code/[number/]] return the wireguard config file for that region, or a zip file containing the group of them.</li>
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<li>A client would be able to use a native wireguard client on linux (i.e. store in <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">/etc/wireguard</code> (or its default location).</li>
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<li>A client would allow local options like blocking LAN, kill-switch support, and the ability to change your VPN region based on latest list of servers.</li>
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<li>The list of servers will be updated manually with <code class="language-plaintext highlighter-rouge">bt update</code>.</li>
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</ul>
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<p>I love this idea, but unfortunately, Canada has data retention laws that would stop me from protecting the privacy of anyone using a system delivered by me.
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Unless I incorporate in Switzerland or the Seychelles, this is not a viable option.
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Doing the above costs a fair amount in up-front investment that I am not willing to make at this point in time.</p>
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<h2 id="5-3d-printing-of-google-mapsopenstreetmaps-data-for-the-visually-impaired">5. 3d printing of Google Maps/OpenStreetMaps data for the visually impaired.</h2>
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<p>A larger project, to be sure, but one I think could be of interest.
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Imagine being able to download some data from Google or OpenStrretMaps,
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then put it into a program and have it generate a 3d map which can be printed.
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Unsure what to do, as the braille overlay on top of the streets and important buildings, etc. needs to be of a uniform size (braille cannot be scaled) but the buildings, streets, and parks do need to be scaled in size.</p>
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<p>I think for beginning, forget the braille entirely and simply product a map.
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This can be done in the STL file format or some intermediary if that is easier.
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Roads will have a slight border on the side,
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parks will have a diamond texture,
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buildings will have slight rectangular borders (slightly wider than the roads),
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paths will be a thin line, and the label for the path will need to extend the thin line into a (rounded) rectangle with text on it.</p>
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<p>Start with roads.
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Get a road, get it to generate the correct shape.
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Then add a border around the side.
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Then, add 4 more roads and figure out how to intersect them.</p>
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<p>If it can be done on a display, it can be done in a file.</p>
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<p>Start with that. Wow what a daunting project!</p>
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<p>This is being worked on through the <a href="https://github.com/skarkkai/touch-mapper">touch-mapper</a> project.
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They do not, however, have labels yet.</p>
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<h2 id="6-3d-printed-binary-trees">6. 3D Printed Binary Trees</h2>
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<p>A simple hub/connection system to connect nodes of a binary tree together to have a physical object for visually impaired computer science students to use for initial introduction into the subject of (binary) trees.</p>
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<h2 id="65-javascript-binary-trees">6.5 Javascript Binary Trees</h2>
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<p>Have a simple module for loading in an SVG of a tree, along with Javascript to make the diagram accessible by jumping left/right with the arrow keys and up to a parent with the up arrow.</p>
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<h2 id="7-legopi-powered-logic-gates">7. Lego/Pi-Powered Logic Gates</h2>
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<p>Lego or 3d printed logic gates with physical switches for in and out.
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Again, sore of as an introductory tool for blind students learning computer science.</p>
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<h2 id="8-more-tutorialsmaterials">8. More Tutorials/Materials</h2>
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<p>Perhaps a broader selection of materials for computer science students with proper transcriptions for everything in this list:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>UML diagrams</li>
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<li>UML sequence diagrams</li>
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<li>Gantt charts</li>
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<li>Advanced math equations</li>
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<li>Stacks, Queues and Linked Lists</li>
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<li>Memory layout tables</li>
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<li>Logic gate diagrams</li>
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<li>Decision charts; I think I could add some macros on top of</li>
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<li>Timing diagrams (i.e., watching the state of various inputs and outputs over time [usually in relation to a clock cycle]); my current idea for this is a dynamic audiogram where you can listen to the clock + any other tracks at the same time to “see” the diagram</li>
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<li>Circuit diagrams (not 100% relevant, but I have seen it in CS courses)</li>
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<li>Database tables as HTML tables</li>
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<li>Properly transcribed security content like buffer-overflows, underflows and similar things</li>
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</ul>
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<p>Although developing these is good, I think it is worthwhile to also create tools that make creation of these easier for both sighted and blind individuals.
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This will make it easier for course transcribers who are not tech-savy and will enable the blind student to create the diagrams and send them back to their teachers.
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Preferably have a “plain text” version which can be rendered as an SVG for use by visual learners, then make sure the SVG can be accessible with a Javascript hook.
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This would (in theory) make it possible for a teacher to create the graphic in the specialized tool for that kind of chart, put it in their slides/course info/textbook/whatever and have the student able to extract the SVG and paste it somewhere where a script could make it readable.
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Yes, the best case is the teacher cooperates 100%, but considering that is never the case, I figure making it easier to convert between the two is the best I can hope for.</p>
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<p>Some other things I would like to do, if I could find the time:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>How to get started with Linux.</li>
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<li>Text-based tutorials from start-to-finish with various frameworks: SpringBoot (Java), Django/Flask (Python), JavaEE.</li>
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<li>Specific programming language instruction in all the basics: C/C++, Bash, Python, Javascript, HTML, Java. Perhaps in the future branch into Rust, Golang, Zig or Haskell.</li>
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<li>Custom-made braille manuals for a set of affordable computer parts which can be purchased to assemble a computer from scratch, without sighted assistance (see <a href="/2021/06/21/uefi-audio/">current status of accessible BIOSes</a>).</li>
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</ul>
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<p>This would all be licensed as CC-BY-NC-SA.
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I may drop the NC. As long as I have specified SA, then anyone (even for-profit companies) can use it as long as any changes are shared to the public as well.</p>
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