My handful of worthy goals for 2011

Dec 31, 2010 10:23 pm by: Blake Watson

A little reflection goes a long way. With the new year on the horizon, I look at what I hope 2011 has in store for me.

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Of writing fiction during NaNoWriMo

Nov 8, 2010 3:24 pm by: Blake Watson

NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a group novel-writing event that is held every November all around the world. Here is a forum conversation between me and a fellow participant from Mississippi.

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Well that didn’t go so well

Aug 25, 2010 5:01 pm by: Blake Watson

If you were an unfortunate fan of my previous entry, you will be disappointed by this one. Am I going to get around to making a premium WordPress Theme? Short answer: Probably not.

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This past year was research (or “A premium WordPress theme in two weeks”)

Aug 15, 2010 4:44 pm by: Blake Watson

One premium WordPress theme. Two weeks. I discuss my frustration with the government and how I intend to work one way or another.

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The tangible world

Jul 24, 2010 1:53 pm by: Blake Watson

Being able to reach out and grab something is an empowering feeling. There is a certain joy in the tangibility of things. Physical connections are part of our human nature. Based on a conversation I had with my brother, and fellow crip, Matt.

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A car negotiation from the perspective of the car

Jul 15, 2010 4:39 pm by: Blake Watson

Found this writing prompt on Writer's Digest and decided to accept the challenge. It's a first person account of a used car sale from the eyes (headlights?) of the car in question.

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Theme update

Jun 20, 2010 10:30 pm by: Blake Watson

I changed my blog theme because of some glitches in the old one. Hopefully, nobody notices.

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Mississippi needs a Web conference

May 17, 2010 10:43 am by: Blake Watson

Admittedly upset by how hard it is for me to travel, I discuss the benefits of having a local web conference.

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A really tiny keyboard

Apr 11, 2010 6:35 pm by: Blake Watson

The typing saga continues. I recently purchased an iPhone and I've managed to turn it into a disability-friendly, compact keyboard for the computer.

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The SMA Factor Episode 1: Introduction and Pepsi Refresh Project

Mar 16, 2010 4:15 pm by: Blake Watson

A good idea gone bad. The first and last of a poorly thought out podcast by me and Matt. This thing needs to be deleted from the interwebs.

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The on-screen keyboard in Windows 7 is a giant leap forward

Mar 10, 2010 9:40 pm by: Blake Watson

I was helping a friend with a printer problem earlier today which gave me the chance to use Windows 7 for the first time. I have been an Applehead for about three years. The last version of Windows that I used on a daily basis was Windows XP. As much of an Apple fanboy that [...]

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Getting accessible books should be this easy

Feb 28, 2010 2:56 pm by: Blake Watson

Yesterday, I was browsing various design websites in search of inspiration for a new project I’ve begun. I got sidetracked by clicking on a few off-topic links (that never happens!) and somehow ended up reading the first chapter of “Speak Human” by Eric Karjaluoto. The book discussed the advantages of not being a huge company. [...]

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A dream

Feb 9, 2010 10:45 pm by: Blake Watson

A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore– And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over– like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does [...]

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Fourth Quarter

Dec 29, 2009 5:17 pm by: Blake Watson

I use to be near the forefront of video gaming technology. When I was a kid I usually had a better video game setup than my friends. My first system was the NES. One of my first games, if not the first, was Super Mario Bros. Since my father was a big football fan, he [...]

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How to win a video contest

Nov 1, 2009 10:14 pm by: Blake Watson

Okay, so this is my official announcement (and acknowledgment) regarding the status of the “What Can YOU Do?” video contest hosted by the Campaign for Disability Employment. My entry, “Meet Sue,” was the overall winner of over 130 entries. Suffice it to say that I was surprised and overwhelmed at the very idea. Thanks to [...]

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So with this in mind, I began to reach out to people of this marginalized community to get to know them more. And then I had epiphany number 2: These people are brilliant and amazing. Actually that doesn’t encompass it well enough, the are BRILLIANT and AMAZING. Yes, all caps is needed here.

The people I met are super intelligent, creative, patient, passionate and compassionate. They have discovered methods and tools to accomplish many of their goals, which are usually the same as yours and mine. Yet, despite being able to prove the desire and skill to do what drives them for a living, they are denied employment.

That’s the dream: To build a design and development agency comprised primarily of people that have the skills but are denied the opportunity because something allows the government to call them “disabled”, because they are not.

I’ve been thinking of something like this in the dark corners of my mind. But this is the first time I’ve seen it written down. And you know what that means? It’s more likely to happen! Read more about Gregory’s idea.

Jan 27, 2012 9:50 pm by: Blake Watson

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A quick shoutout to my friend Marissa at Abled Is. She is undertaking a fascinating exercise in empathy in 2012 by getting to know a new person each month who has a health condition or worthy cause that needs to be learned about and shared. She’s calling it “12 Months, 12 Journeys, 12 Lessons”. I’m thrilled that she has asked me to be one of the 12 participants in order to share about my condition, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). It’s going to be interesting and fun and I can’t wait to see who all she interviews. Stay tuned.

See the very raw video explaining the idea.

Dec 20, 2011 9:49 pm by: Blake Watson

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A rough idea:

A SaaS model that allows users to choose from a range of web features that are not accessible to them. Those preferences are saved on the Service. Web developers can check users’ preferences before programmatically implementing the features in question.

For example, before a jQuery slideshow is implemented, a check is done against the Service to make sure that slideshow transitions are OK for the current user (because it could cause motion sickness for some people). This would probably be done in a PHP function. If there is no conflict, a PHP function is run to implement the slideshow. If there is a conflict, a fallback PHP function could be run.

Graceful degradation.

Oct 11, 2011 3:52 pm by: Blake Watson

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Media guru and good friend of mine, Dylan McLemore, touches on what makes good products great.

We like the idea of being Macs, not PCs. Computers were boring plastic boxes meant to function as part of an office workspace (it’s called a “desktop” for goodness sake). Macs aren’t just trendy; they embody a creative spirit. From the physical design to the applications they are best at running – Macs were made for artists – and everyone wants to be an artist.

Oct 5, 2011 9:57 pm by: Blake Watson

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When my disability took away my ability to type on the clunky keyboards of times past, Apple released the thin notebook-style keyboards that allowed me to keep typing. When I was no longer able to type on those keyboards, a wonderful Mac onscreen keyboard app saved me. When I lost the ability to play video games because I wasn’t strong enough to operate a controller, the iPhone’s touch technology brought it back. When I wanted to write a novel and pointing and clicking on an onscreen keyboard was too slow, an iPhone remote app let me type on my Mac using the iPhone’s small touchscreen keyboard.

The technology inspired by Steve Jobs has helped me keep going when my atrophied body was trying to stop me. I applaud his accomplishments and am grateful for his help. So here’s to the crazy one himself.

Oct 5, 2011 7:14 pm by: Blake Watson

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