Sean Randall

I work for a national telecommunications company to help ensure accessibility. I code for leisure, fun and accessibility.
I geek out on sci-fi movies and am constantly reading.
I enjoy the odd game here and there.
I watch comedy with my wife, horror with my daughter, cartoons with my son and more introspective stuff with the dog.
I listen to classical when working, and scare off cats to pop, showtunes and country when tidying.

LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/accessiblesean

Last Notes

2026-07-13 14:02:24 GMT

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oh you're making me hungry now!

2026-07-07 09:19:16 GMT

I heard about this open source text to speech model called PocketTTS. And I gave it some text from a book and it's not actually half bad, actually.
The first bit is fine and dandy, and then you get to the next paragraph and it goes...
Well. I can't really put into writing how it goes as well as hearing it.
the model's synthesis degrades rapidly. It begins repeating words, blending phonemes incoherently, and eventually devolving into a soft, repetitive whisper of fragmented words before falling silent.
https://files.defcon.social/dcsocial-s3/media_attachments/files/116/877/941/153/264/587/original/54e2e59aad6b4bc1.mp3

2026-06-25 20:33:53 GMT

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a low of 13? Can I move in? I've just put the baby down in 30.2. He's got 2 fans, a damp towel and looks like he's been in a swimming pool with the amount of water he's been in before bed, bless him.

2026-06-22 13:07:58 GMT

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Ooh, and now we've gone red! Our little postcode for the moment looks to be worst-off on Wednesday, with a High of 36° and a low of 21.
In fact the coolest night over the coming days will be tonight at 19 right through until Friday.
Blimey!
Is it safe for batteries in that sort of condition? I dread to think how many old toys are stuffed up the attic.
#UKWeather
https://files.defcon.social/dcsocial-s3/media_attachments/files/116/793/900/474/011/321/original/3af2962413547925.png

2026-06-19 09:28:53 GMT

Here we go again then, second time in 3 weeks. Let's turn up the fans again!
https://files.defcon.social/dcsocial-s3/media_attachments/files/116/776/063/932/873/500/original/29d603f25823e083.png

2026-04-09 16:53:17 GMT

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I don't know, really. I don't have enough expertise in nerve issues to know, but what I know from my own experience is that I've never had an issue feeling either the notch or the chip, nor have I ever used the notch for orientation.
That said, I use Chip and PIN about one times out of a hundred now.
Ironically, the RNIB and other sight-loss charities were against it when it was introduced because of perceived accessibility issues. Which got worse, of course, with touchscreens. But it was too late by then...

2026-04-09 16:24:35 GMT

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I presume people researched this in such a way that those who can't feel the chip for whatever reason can feel the notch?
I can feel both quite clearly

2026-04-08 14:06:07 GMT

am I going mad, or did someone code a cool windows tool that could capture audio from a specific process? Anyone have a clue what I'm talking about?

2025-06-20 14:16:52 GMT

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do we have a good enough recording of 'mind the gap' man to say 'mind the sweat'? @npub1kel…x8hj

2025-02-19 11:05:13 GMT

Any interest in learning to #code from the #Blind community on an old-school platform?
a MOO is a text-based virtual world. if you ever played an old interactive fiction or text adventure game you'll be familiar with the idea. you type in commands like "go north" to move, "put coin in box", "kill dragon with sword" and so forth, and you get written responses unfolding the story.
This type of interface was taken online with a MOO in the 1990's, and rather than a playable story, you can join in and work with other people in an interactive, virtual world.
More than that, as well as just playing, MOO has a rich and beginner-friendly programming language, so you can create objects and code them to do things to your own specifications.
through a series of structured lessons with code samples and plenty of explanation you'll learn some of the basics of any programming language, all whilst having fun and playing about. The world is always open and you can build as many rooms and items as you like. You can practice your written English, socialising and programming all at once, in a 100% text-based environment perfect for screen readers and Braille displays.
This will be my twenty-seventh empty MOO. Each one has gone off in a different direction with between 1 and 15 participants, mostly young visually-impaired school-children and teens needing an introduction to programming in a fun way when the UK introduced coding as part of our national curriculum.
I taught high school computing and college for a decade, and I'm wanting to open this opportunity up to more blind and visually-impaired people because coding is fun, and a MOO is a fun thing to play with.
it's Only worthwhile if we have the numbers though, so if you're not interested please pass on if you can.
https://forms.gle/LkKhqsbYXh6ondQz8

2025-01-26 14:46:47 GMT

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you been on a UK train lately? Also full of shits and fucks, unfortunately.

2025-01-01 23:33:18 GMT

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I resigned just over a year ago after a decade in the education system. I loved the kids and still miss the work, but I had to move on.

2024-12-11 15:36:38 GMT

discord servers hosted by wonnabe teen influencers feel like some of the most toxic, terrifying places on the net.
yet decades ago I was quite happy to throw myself under the wing of whoever ran the BBS I wanted to hang out on.
I'm trying to square that emotional circle. am i getting old and seeing dangers that aren't there?
Can I legitimately say things were different then, back in my day? or is this like my grandmother declaiming any music after 1982 was crap?

2024-10-21 12:16:18 GMT

Came across the term DINK for the first time last week and it is about as bad as it sounds.