Barbara Bates

Hey, thanks for stopping by. This is to let you know there’s a new blog associated with the two already here (BarbaraLBates.com and BarbaraLBates.com/polad). It’s called Living for Life, and can be found at BarbaraLBates.com/LivingForLife.

Though it’s slanted to those of us over fifty, it’ll contain advice, exercises, recipes, and other good stuff of interest to many. Give it a look and see. This newest addition is willing and able to take your suggestions about articles you’d like to see about 

 - Simplifying your life

 - Exercise

 - Diet and nutrition

 - Amounts of Sleep and rest you need.  

So, stop on by and say hello.

Remember when you were young and you wanted to do something, so you asked your mom. And she said, “No.” 

So you asked, “Why?” And she said something like, “Because I said so, that’s why.” And the discussion was closed. Then, you had to either be good and do something else, or sneak around and do it anyway.

But the above isn’t even really an argument, for there’s no back and forth, just an inquiry and a response. An argument should be more like a debate. Not the type you often see on television, where the debaters just try to make their own point, not rebut the opponent’s views or present new information.

I’m going to attempt to start a series called “The Bottom Line”. I will present my opinions and would like you to either agree or not.

If you agree, I’d be glad to hear how and/or what  you think about it. Try to be specific and give reasons if you can.

If you don’t agree, you can simply say, “I don’t agree.” In which case, the chances of staying posted are okay. If you say, “I don’t agree, because…” you have a better chance of staying posted. But, if you say, “I don’t agree, because… And I’d like to present this as a solution instead…” You will definitely stay.

And if you post off topic, you’ll probably be deleted. (Sorry folks, but I started this blog for a reason and it isn’t to let you rant about anything you want. You start your own blog for that.)

What I’m saying is I don’t care if you agree or not, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. But if all you’re going to do is rant and rave, then don’t bother commenting. If you want to tell me (and the rest of you) why you disagree, and offer another point of view, then welcome aboard.

Please keep your comments civil, and without links. I intend to learn how to edit your comments, and so, many of the links may disappear soon. (I don’t mind an occasional link to your site, but if you’re going to respond to every posting in one day, with a link, some of them may vanish. Fair warning.)

What exactly do I mean? Let’s take an example.

Suppose the premise is: “Lollipops are the best, safest candy for young children. The stick protects them from getting small pieces lodged in their throats.”

If you respond with “I don’t think so.” You may not stay posted. (Unless you’re one of the few comments like this.) 

If you comment with, “Lollipops are okay, but children can still bite off pieces and they can lodge in their throats.” There’s a much better chance your comment will survive.

But, if your response is,”I don’t think lollipops are the greatest, hard candy itself is pure sugar and isn’t good for you. Crunching a lollipop can lead to pieces becoming lodged in their throats. And besides, candy made from real fruit has been found to be better and not cause as much tooth decay.” This will definitely stay.

It’s okay to have an opinion, but I want you to share why you have that opinion and if you don’t agree, then what can you suggest as an alternative? It’s fine to say “No”, but suggesting what can be done (or used, or considered) instead is better. If everyone offered an alternative instead of just digging in and not seeing another’s viewpoint, the world would be a better place.  

The litmus test “The Bottom Line” articles will use is:

Can people exist without XXX? And conversely, can XXX exist without people?

Where XXX is the subject for the article.

Not — Will things remain the same? Not –

Will it affect our present way of life? And not — Will life be better or worse. All those things are subjective – existence is a fact.

If you don’t understand it now, don’t worry, it’ll be much clearer when the articles come out.

What type of things will be considered for “The Bottom Line”? Well, part of that is up to you. Suggest things for me to consider. What’s your bottom line? On life? On your job? On the condition of society today?  And if my opinion differs from yours, let everyone know. As long as you keep it clean (rated PG or below), civil (no cuss words or name calling), intelligent (no rants allowed, that’s my job), and stick to the rules above.

Everyone game?  

Note: The facts of the following are true, but my opinions are my own. If you don’t believe it check the links at the bottom, they all go to legitimate newspapers. 

As a lifetime resident of the state of Massachusetts, the story about the dead man found in Milton MA really got to me. Especially when the facts of the matter came to light.

Massachusetts is known for being the place where “the shot heard round the world” happened. (This was the shot in Lexington, MA that began the Revolutionary War in America.) Now however, a new saying may take its place. Massachusetts may become known as the place where – “the man who fell to earth” happened. (Apologies to Walter Tevis, author of “The Man Who Fell to Earth”, and David Bowie, who played the lead in the movie.)

But back to our story. A young man, Delvonte Tisdale, was found dead in Milton, MA.  His death was at first considered a homicide. The officials stayed closed mouthed about the case, until recently when they announced the man from North Carolina had fallen from a landing airplane to end up dead on the ground in a suburban area.

Further investigation revealed he’d hidden in a wheel well in the airplane and had fallen out when the landing gear was extended for landing.

Now, a couple of things about taking a ride in an airplane wheel well. It’s cold, about 55 degrees below zero. And it’s in an unpressurized part of the airplane, so no air pressure and no oxygen. Not great accommodations for traveling, in my opinion.

But this raises some serious questions. First how the hell did he get into the wheel well in the first place? Did this sophomore in high school simply saunter out, walk under the plane and climb up into the wheel well? Under the eyes of all the airport personnel? 

How did he get access to the runway? Was he wearing an unused uniform of a maintenance worker? When found, reports said he was “partially clothed”. Were his clothes ripped off as he fell? Or did he not know of the cold and lack of air in the wheel well?  

And the big one. Where the hell was airline security while this young man was climbing into said airplane? Airline security is fine.  No one would do anything today; it’s too close to the holidays. Yeah, right. 

If this had been the first time, maybe, and I stress the maybe, it could be considered an unusual lapse in security. But it’s happened before. The first occurrence I could find happened on January 13, 2007.  On a Delta flight from Dakar, Senegal Africa to Atlanta GA. This victim though stayed in the wheel well and was found after the plane landed. No mention was made of why the wheel well was checked. Perhaps some trouble with the landing gear?

The second occurrence that came up on my search happened earlier this year on February 9th. On a Delta flight from New York to Tokyo. Again the man’s body stayed in the wheel well. 

So, this wasn’t the first occurrence of this type of travelling mode. And the incidents were three years apart. The question still remains, why did it happen again? Why weren’t changes made to security regulations to insure no unauthorized person has access to the runways? To the baggage being put on the airplane? To anywhere around the plane as it sits on the runway waiting for takeoff?

The big question remains – how did they get in the wheel well in the first place? Consider a Suicide Bomber who wants to take down an airplane. He can tape the bomb to his body, get into the wheel well, and set a detonator to go off at a prescribed time. Sure he’ll die, but he was prepared to do that anyway. As long as the detonator and bomb materials don’t mind the cold, the bomb will explode.

And this concern has been raised. But what’s being done about it? No one will say anything concrete.  I seem to remember before the 911 disaster, the terrorists tried several “dry runs”. What if these are dry runs too? And if not, could the terrorists use this method?

These three cases, as far as I can tell, have not included terrorists. The first may have been thinking to make a better life in America. Maybe the second one wanted to get out of the United States. And the third one was a high school student, probably thinking himself invulnerable, trying to prove it could be done. But we can’t ask any of them – they’re all dead.  And, it doesn’t excuse the fact it’s happened three times too many.

So, all you in airline security get your act together. Learn to think outside the box. Stop this from happening again, and consider other methods terrorists could use. You’re the experts, prove it.

****

Resources: 

- http://www.wickedlocal.com/milton/news/x1966817111/Mystery-deepens-around-teens-body-found-in-Milton

- http://www.accessnorthga.com/detail.php?n=97813&c=10

- http://www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=11956165

I filled out a form to receive a download the other day. It’s a good thing I read all the way through.

This is not as easy for me as it is for you. I use a screen reader to read the screen – it reads one line at a time. You can’t scan, can’t look ahead, can’t see what’s coming up next.

So, I filled out the form but before I clicked the submit link, I went down and read further.

Below the submit link it stated a code you needed to receive the download. 

Now, think about it. This is silly (I could have called it something else, but silly will do for now.) It’s like putting up a form, having the person fill it out, then saying something like, “USE ONLY CAPITAL LETTERS at the bottom after the form has been filled out. Now you have to go back and refill out the form.

True, it’s not an exact imitation of what happened, but you get the idea.

You should put all the information the person needs to fill out the form – above the form. Directions on filling out the form or what to do after the form is submitted do not belong below the form.

Doesn’t this make sense? To me, who can’t read below the submit line before submitting, it makes perfect sense. How do you feel about this? Am I being picky about this?

I’ve been receiving quite a few emails about putting either video or audio pieces on blogs or websites. The problem with this is a good number of those doing this have no idea how to make them accessible to those of us using adaptive equipment. And there are over 30 million Americans alone who access their computers using adaptive equipment.

If you’re trying to sell something shouldn’t you not tick off potential customers? One would think so. Shouldn’t you make it as easy as possible for people to order from you?

Some people don’t like audio, some don’t like video, some don’t like to read. The solution? Give potential customers options. Create an option box at the beginning of the page.

Would you like to:

(link) Read this offer?

(link) Listen to this offer?

(link) See a video of this offer?

Is it really that hard? If you’ve taken the time to produce a wonderful product, shouldn’t you make it available to as many people in as many forms as possible? It makes sense to me.  

Think about your presentation as you lay it out, as you record it, as you video tape it. A little common sense can go a long way.

BP has been responsible for at least two major disasters involving oil and North America. First, on MARCH 24, 1989, the Exxon Valdez tanker, skippered by Captain Joe Hazelwood, ran aground on Bligh Reef, spilling more than 11 million gallons of crude oil in Prince William Sound.

Then in April of 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill caused by a wellhead blowout spewed at least 4,200,000 US gallons per day over an Area of 2,500 to 68,000 square miles. It’s been called the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry.

That’s two strikes. Is BP headed for strike three?

In college I took an electronics lab. We joked about creating an “anticipation” gate; one that knew the result before the inputs had been given. I don’t want to jump into the race before the starting whistle, but BP has shown what it thinks of maintenance, preventative or otherwise. So, where’s the light of the anticipation gate going to come on?

Somewhere on the Alaskan pipeline of course. Reports have been surfacing recently about the horrendous leaks, lack of regular maintenance, and BP’s continued usage of a pipeline designed to last only for 15 years; it was built in the 1970’s. But when the line continued to be profitable its use was continued for several more decades. Was maintenance stepped up for this antiquated system? Were newer and more efficient warning systems put in place in case of failure? By BP? Surely you jest. Profit is king here, not personnel or the environment.

According to workers, high pressure gas lines aren’t inspected frequently enough and are being “run to failure,” risking a leak and a major explosion. A document, obtained by ProPublica, shows that as of Oct. 1, 2010 at least 148 BP pipelines on Alaska’s North Slope received an “F-rank” from the company. From the company itself! Inspections have determined that more than 80 percent of the pipe wall is corroded and could rupture, releasing toxic or flammable substances. In addition, the company’s fire- and gas-warning systems are unreliable, the giant turbines that pump oil and gas through the system are aging, and some oil and waste holding tanks are on the verge of collapse. Typical BP?

In an e-mail, BP Alaska spokesman Steve Rinehart said the company has “an aggressive and comprehensive pipeline inspection and maintenance program,” which includes pouring millions of dollars into the system and regularly testing for safety, reliability and corrosion. He said that while an F-rank is serious it does not necessarily mean there is a current safety risk and that the company will immediately reduce the operating pressure in worrisome lines until it completes repairs.

Reduce the pressure, not stop the flow and do the needed maintenance?

Kovac, a BP mechanic and welder, said some of the pipes have hundreds of patches on them and that BP’s efforts to rehabilitate the lines were not funded well enough to keep up with their rate of decline.

“They’re going to run this out as far as they can without leaving one dollar on the table when they leave,” Kovac claims.

In 2010, before the enormous costs of the Gulf spill created an estimated $30 billion in BP liabilities, the company eked out more “efficiencies” in its Alaska budget. It said it would maintain record high funding for new projects and major repairs while reducing its budget for regular maintenance, according to a letter that BP Alaska President John Minge sent to Congress in February 2010. The letter said holding-tank inspections will be deferred and replacement of one pipeline will be postponed; flows through that line will be reduced “to mitigate erosion.”

So, not only is preventive maintenance something BP only gives lip service to, but they also have either not done or are ignoring failure analysis reports.

A failure analysis report should have been done on the pipelines, holding tanks, and all warning systems. These reports give the standard period between maintenance inspections and repairs, and also give the rate of failure over time. So, BP knew at the beginning when the pipes, turbines, holding tanks, and warning systems would begin to fail. Replacement of any and all parts should have begun well before the anticipated failure time. But the pipeline has been running for over 15 years longer than it was designed for. Can anyone say catastrophic environmental disaster?

So, there are some of the facts about the vaulted Alaskan Pipeline. In my opinion, it’s an accident (or disaster) waiting to happen. Will we wait until after the catastrophe to react? Probably. Should we? No.

And this doesn’t take into account minor spillage in the past. Other ruptures have occurred, but weren’t “big” enough to gather much notice. But newspaper articles in 2000, 2004, and 2006 reported these spills. So, maybe in essence, BP has already gotten its third strike.  

Here in the United States we have the “Three Strikes” law. It states if you are brought to court for breaking the law, the third time you go to jail — do not pass go, do not collect your stock dividends, just get acquainted with a nice, dark cell. If the disaster I’ve contemplated above happens, will this happen to anyone at BP?

Of course not. Big business will prevail. BP may hang out someone else to twist in the wind, but as a whole they will accept no responsibility for the lives they’ve ruined, the environment they’ve spoiled, or the corruption they’ve allowed to control their motives.

Should BP be held responsible for the clean-up of a rupture in the pipeline? Of course. Should they be required to clean up after themselves? Of course. Will they continue to ignore any laws they think hinder their God given right to make a profit at any expense. (Drum roll.) Of course.

Is there a solution to this problem? Yes, but’s it’s a long process, will include changes many people (mostly greedy business people) will fight tooth and nail against, and will cause many short term problems.

Over the next months, I’m going to start two series: “The Bottom Line”, and “Simplify”. The first will address how we Americans) need to define where and what we stand for. The second will address things we all can do to simplify our lives. Materialism, corruption, and the breakdown of social traditions and customs are leading us to the edge of the void. I, for one, don’t want to go there. Do you?   

Resources:

- http://www.adn.com/2008/06/25/446170/exxon-valdez-case-timeline.html 

- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deepwater_Horizon_oil_spill

- http://www.propublica.org/article/with-all-eyes-on-the-gulf-bp-alaska-facilities-are-still-at-risk

- http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-12999987.html

Gratitude and Giving Back

Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the US. While some Americans will stuff themselves silly, argue with relatives they rarely see, and drink enough to float a sailboat, many others try to keep the spirit of Thanksgiving alive.

Thanksgiving is about gratitude and giving back. Take stock of the good in your life and give thanks, to God, to a Higher Power, to your family and friends, to someone. If you think the choices are between half empty and half full, then choose the half full and keep filling it up.  

There are things that could be better in everyone’s life, but today is not about wanting more, or the next bigger, better, newer model of anything you own. It’s not about trying to one up your relatives you hardly see, and probably can’t stand. It’s not about consuming vast amounts of food and drink and making yourself as obnoxious as you can.

It’s about finding peace in what you have. It’s about accepting your life and doing your best to live it and improve it. It’s about moderation in most if not all things. And it’s about helping others less fortunate than you.

Often the best way to give thanks is to help others. I don’t know about you, but I get a warm feeling inside when I help someone with no intention of being recompensated. I am not rich. I can’t drive. And I have physical challenges. But I still volunteer to help others. I’m willing to help a friend, associate or even a stranger whose need is important to them.  

So, eat and drink in moderation. Don’t argue with obnoxious relatives, smile, ask how they are, and leave them to talk with others. Arguments can ruin the spirit of the festivities and cause digestive problems. Stay centered and peaceful throughout the day if possible. Make a commitment to be nice to everyone, say nothing hurtful or mean, and not to take the last piece of turkey away from your younger cousin. May God bless you and keep you safe if you’re traveling Remember, life’s what you make it.

And when you wake up tomorrow, give thanks for that too. As a matter of fact, start a new habit of giving thanks on a regular basis. It’ll improve your mood, your outlook, and your approach to daily tasks. Try to find something positive in everything you do. Look for the good qualities in people, events, and things. For you may find what you’re looking for. Let this Thanksgiving be the one that starts you on a new road. The road on the positive side.     

Look guys, I appreciate you coming to visit and leaving a comment. But, I don’t like others posting ads on my site. If you think your ad is super-duper good and millions would benefit, then email me off site with the ad and proof of what you claim. If I like what you’re offering and I can check it out to make sure you’re not just whistling down by the bayou, I MAY post it. If not, then either get your own site or find someplace else to post it. Don’t just resub the same ad or whatever. And stop crying like a frog at the edge of the dried up swamp. Please keep comments to the articles posted. And this doesn’t mean a phrase about the article and a gazillion words about something off topic either.  Don’t be puerile. Barbara 

DOWNHILL SLIDE:

Have you noticed the quality of service in chain establishments has gone downhill lately? There never seems to be a salesperson or waitress around when you need one. And no more time for idle chatter – no “How are you today?” or “What about this weather?”. Just business. The quality of goods has also slid downward. Items rarely last to their warranty, never mind beyond it. Large appliances like refrigerators, washing machines and dryers, will be replaced several times in a normal family’s lifetime. No need to worry what to do with Grandma’s washer anymore.

While in high school, I worked for a department store chain that at the time held pride and performance in high esteem. During the application process we took a written quiz on how to handle customers. It had to be passed in order to work there. In addition, a class needed to be attended about customer care before you began working. Sadly, this store no longer seems to hold to these ideals, sliding to the “norm” of other department stores.

Later when I worked for a computer manufacturer that has since been absorbed by another, I was exposed to “second sourcing”. This is when a standard component is manufactured by a competitor and used in your computers. These parts would be tested when they arrived. Often the yield of these parts was under 50%. Had there been a software testing glitch on their end? Or had they just shipped parts to meet their quotas?

BRIEF HISTORY

In the March 1991 Forbes Magazine, an article described the sales of two cars: the Chrysler Plymouth Laser and the Mitsubishi Eclipse. The Chrysler car averaged only 10 sales per dealership, while the Eclipse sold over 100 per dealership.

The interesting thing about this is the two cars were identical, made from the exact same design. The only differences were; the car’s name, the company selling the cars, and the country of manufacture.   

PRIDE IN PERFORMANCE

Japanese cars have been known for years as being of better quality than American cars. Why is this? Because they’ve built up their reputation for years by selling quality products. But, where did this embracing of quality come from?

AMERICAN INFLUENCE:

In 1950, Dr. W. Edward Demming, a quality control expert, was sent by General MacArthur to Japan to manage the war ravaged, industrial base of the Japanese economy. Demming taught the Japanese, “total Quality Control Principles, including 14 principles and a core belief which formed the foundation for decisions made in every successful, major, multi-national Japanese corporation to this day. The core principle was: Every employee should have a constant, never ending commitment to consistently increase the quality of their products and every aspect of their business, every single day. The use of this belief would give them the ability to dominate the world’s markets.       

AMERICAN IDEALS:

The American way to make profits is to, “Increase volume and cut costs”. And even though Demming, an American, put forth the concept of increasing the quality of what’s being done, and to do it in such a way that quality wouldn’t cost more in the long run, American companies failed to listen. They clung to the outmoded belief that only certain levels of quality can be achieved before costs get out of hand. And ignored the fact that if a quality product is produced, people will wait in line and pay more.

CANI

CANI, or “Constant and Never-ending Improvements” should not only be applied to every American business but can be applied to facets of everyday life. (More on this in another post.) CANI can be applied to business, personal relationships, spiritual connections, health and finances. The idea tiny daily improvements create compounded enhancements     can be used to improve most aspects of business and your life.

TIME

Remember the saying “all good things take time”? It’s true. You wouldn’t expect someone recovering from leg surgery to run a marathon the next day. Nor would you expect someone who’s never handled a bow and arrow to win first place in a competition. It has taken years for American quality to degrade to the state it’s in today. If we want to have pride in our products and services once again, it will take time to scrape and scrabble our way back to the top. Would it be worth it? I think so.

DECISIONS

So, should you:

-          Buy from a smaller manufacturer who spends more attention on the product than from a large chain who sells it for less?

-          Buy locally where you know the vendor and she knows you as opposed to from an out-of-town larger establishment where you remain one in a sea of faces?

-  Buy an item because it doesn’t cost much, or buy a quality item costing more?

Only you can answer these questions for yourself. But remember, you get what you pay for.

Resources:

“Awaken the Giant Within” by Anthony Robbins. If you’re interested in reading either this book or others of his teachings go to www.AnthonyRobbins.com. Or put “Awaken the Giant Within” into your browser and see where you can buy it

.  

It’s Nanowrimo time.

Don’t sit there wasting time,

Write, and let your writing shine,

During Nanowrimo time!

For those of you who aren’t aware of the significance of November, it’s  Nanowrimo month. Nanowrimo stands for National Novel Writing Month. Notice how the first letters of each word are used to make up the name, who woulda thunk it? The point of this posting is to let you know I will be taking part in Nanowrimo this year, so my posting to this blog may (read as will definitely) grow a little lax. Feel free to chart my progress with me at the associated blog BarbaraLBates.com/POLAD

Or use the link marked Barbaras Writing to get there.

The POLAD stands for Passages of Light and

Darkness and is where I’ll be posting my writing, and publishing attempts. If you’re interested stop on over. And though this month posting will be sparse, I’ll be back in December. Take care.

The Bigger They Are —

The Less They Care

HOW BIG IS TOO BIG for a service company? Many big companies provide ‘necessary’ services to those using the Internet. For example, WordPress was used to post this entry.

Is there a point when they become so enamored with themselves and their perceived worth, they cease to fill the wants and needs of their clients? (And by clients I mean all the consumers using their services, not just the majority   –which can be anywhere from 51% to 99.99 %.) Do they instead, do things or provide services they think important or relevant to their own needs? Things they think the consumers want, not what they actually need? 

ACCESSIBILITY A FAD?:

Of the millions of people who access the Internet daily, over 30 million of them have some sensory or motor disability necessitating the use of adaptive equipment. From the inability to ‘see’ the screen, to the lack of hand mobility to use a mouse, adaptive equipment and software has tried to compensate for and make available, the ‘wonders of the Internet’. When the Internet came into being, it was thought it would be the ‘Great Equalizer’. Sitting behind a computer keyboard, no one else could see if you sat in a wheelchair, could not type, or could not see the computer screen. But then technology took off, and those of us who do things a bit differently, were left in the dust.

THREE EXAMPLES:

Let’s consider: YahooGroups, Google, and WordPress and see how ‘user friendly’ they are to those using adaptive equipment.

YAHOOGROUPS.COM

Invisible Links and No Easy Communication

In order to register for a lecture (or series of them) hosted by YahooGroups, one must ‘read’ a graphic symbol to prove one is human. This is impossible for those who use screen readers, as they only read text; those with many forms of color blindness, as they cannot differentiate colors; and those with certain vision difficulties, including contrast and clarity problems.

But wait. YahooGroups has conveniently provided a link to an alternate way to prove one’s humanness. Will it be an audio password? Or something else?  Just click on this link below and see:

Did you click on the link? What? You couldn’t find it? Well, golly-gee, no one has complained about it. It must be your problem. 

And that’s partially due to the fact that on YahooGroups the way to communicate with them is neither easy nor intuitive. Instead of a contact link, YahooGroups uses a Let us know link. It brings you to a Groups Suggestion Board.

Here, you input your suggestion and then you… what? There’s no link to submit or review your suggestion. And no instructions on what to do. The rest of the links are for reading and commenting on the suggestions of others. I haven’t been able to find any of the comments I’ve made (it doesn’t tell you in which category it’s putting your suggestion in,  if any at all. Nor have I ever received anything from YahooGroups about receiving my comments. Did they actually get in? I have no idea. So, this giant doesn’t even care if someone’s tapping to get in. Now, every time I take a class hosted by YahooGroups, I contact the moderator and ask nicely for him/her to add me to the class list. So far, it’s worked. The question is: Why should I have to do things differently? Accessibility shouldn’t be an option; rather it should be a facet of a service or website. 

GOOGLE.COM

Unwanted New Version And Links Going Nowhere:

I used to use Google as my browser. But when Google Chrome came out, I stopped. Why, you might ask. I’ll tell you.  

One day, when I went to use Google, my screen reader wouldn’t talk. I tried everything, but no sound. A sighted person told me I had to choose either ‘OK’ or ‘Cancel’. For what?

To update to Google Chrome. I was hesitant about updating Google. I was finally feeling comfortable with it and didn’t want anything ‘newer’ or ‘better’. But Google wouldn’t work until I chose. So I chose Cancel to see what happened. It threw me out of Google. So, I went back in and tried OK.

While it did update to Google Chrome, this new version was NOT accessible to me.  So now I use MSN as my browser.  Another befuddled giant.

Note:

I went back to check on Google. It now has a link to click if you use adaptive equipment. I clicked the link and Google seemed to work, though I didn’t test it extensively. Invigorated, I tried to access my Gmail account. Unable to remember my password, I used the link where you put in your email address and it’s supposed to give you your user name and password. But, I never got that far. At the point where one is supposed to interpret the graphic, I chose the audio option. Nothing happened. After several tries, none of which went anywhere, I gave up, and went back to MSN.com. If you have a link for alternate accessibility, it should work, not just take up space by doing nothing.

WORDPRESS.COM (OR WORDPRESS.ORG)

Adaptability, We Did That Once

WordPress had, some time ago, a version that was ‘sort of’ compatible with adaptive equipment. Version 2.5. While not totally accessible, adaptive equipment could interact with it enough to: create posts and pages, edit posts, comment on, and delete posts. Not being able to use a mouse, I write and do the majority of the edits in Word and then paste the post into WordPress. This is the least aggravating way for me.  

I admit I did NOT set up the linked blogs I use. (In addition to this one there are: BarbaraLBates.com/POLAD (POLAD stands for Passages of Light and Darkness and is where I’ll be posting things about my writing.) and BarbaraLBates.com/LivingForLife, where I plan to post items on the RENS system (Rest, Exercise, Nutrition, And Spirit or Self-actualization). I am, slowly but surely, learning how to use my blogs’ functions.  

But, back to the story. After version 2.5, I guess WordPress decided accessibility was only a fad and went back to being glitzy and mouse-friendly and to heck with accessibility. So, this blog is based on version 2.5, even though the latest version is 3.0.1. And it will stay at 2.5 until WordPress gets its head out of the sand and resuscitates accessibility. 

I’m not holding my breath. A giant who’s seen the sun and got scared? Or did WordPress glimpse the yellow orb and decide it didn’t like it?   

Let’s face it ADA is a fact not a fad. But as the world’s population ages and more people need a bit extra something (which will probably come under the heading adaptive equipment), perhaps the light will dawn and more sites will become accessible. We can hope. So, to all you ‘big guys’, either make your programs accessible or get out of the race. Maybe you’d do better watching from the sidelines as younger, hungrier companies embrace accessibility.

References:

Yahoogroups.com

Google.com

WordPress.org