Nostr notes by Jonathan Mosen

I have been reading a lot of tech specs lately, and it has ...

2026-09-26T13:40:40Z

I have been reading a lot of tech specs lately, and it has resulted in an epiphany.
You look at the specs for an iPhone: built in antenna.
Samsung Galaxy: built in antenna.
Google Pixel: built in antenna.
My Sony headphones: built in antenna.
My Wi-Fi router: built in antenna.
Bluetooth speaker: built in antenna.
Smartwatch: built in antenna.
GPS receiver: built in antenna.
Laptop: built in antenna.
Even some cars now: built in antenna.
Apple, Samsung, Google, Sony, Garmin, Lenovo, HP,apparently they’re all at it.
Which, when you think about it, is an extraordinary concentration of manufacturing.
China gets all the publicity. Taiwan gets a lot of the semiconductor business. Vietnam is increasingly important.
But nobody ever talks about the place where apparently half the world's electronics are actually made.
So if you're looking for a job in tech manufacturing, forget Silicon Valley.
Relocate to Antenna.
Because apparently everything these days is built in Antenna.

Few performers have ever been quite as instantly recognisable as ...

2026-08-25T22:11:09Z

Few performers have ever been quite as instantly recognisable as Dolly Parton.

There was the voice, of course. There were the songs — an extraordinary catalogue spanning country, pop, gospel and bluegrass. There was the wit, the warmth, the larger-than-life image and that remarkable ability to laugh at herself before anyone else got the chance.

But behind all of that was one of the finest songwriters popular music has produced, a formidable businesswoman, and a philanthropist whose generosity changed millions of lives.

On Wednesday, Mushroom FM will celebrate the extraordinary life and music of Dolly Parton with a special two-hour programme.

Mushroom FM Remembers Dolly Parton airs Wednesday, August 26 at 9 AM Eastern,
with a repeat at 9 PM Eastern on Wednesday, August 26.

I’ve spent considerable time putting this programme together, and rather than simply playing two hours of Dolly's greatest hits, I wanted to tell her story through the music.

So we'll begin with a young girl growing up in a large family in the mountains of East Tennessee, already writing songs and dreaming of Nashville. We'll follow her early recordings, her breakthrough on The Porter Wagoner Show, and the complicated professional relationship that eventually inspired one of the most famous farewell songs ever written.

We'll hear the stories behind songs including Coat of Many Colors, Jolene, I Will Always Love You, Here You Come Again, 9 to 5, Islands in the Stream and many more.

We'll trace the moment Dolly decided that country music wasn't going to put limits around what she could do, her extraordinary crossover into the pop charts and Hollywood, her collaborations with some of the biggest names in music, and the songs of hers that became enormous hits in other people's hands.

And while the music is at the heart of the programme, Dolly Parton's legacy extends far beyond records and concert stages. We'll also look at her remarkable philanthropic work, including the Imagination Library, which has put hundreds of millions of books into the hands of children, as well as her support for education, health care and the community from which she came.

It is quite a story.

There are plenty of familiar songs in these two hours, but I'm hoping there will also be moments when you hear something you didn't know, perhaps a story behind a song you've loved for decades, or a reminder of just how much extraordinary music one woman managed to create.

Above all, this is our opportunity at Mushroom FM to say thank you.

Join me for Mushroom FM Remembers Dolly Parton, a two-hour celebration of her life through her music.

Wednesday, August 26 at 9 AM Eastern, with a full repeat at 9 PM Eastern.

I'm concerned about the growing over-the-top rhetoric around ...

2026-08-02T21:02:13Z

I'm concerned about the growing over-the-top rhetoric around smart glasses. I fear it's only a matter of time before a blind person, using these as a genuinely helpful and legitimate accommodation, finds themselves the victim of a serious incident. ‘Antizuck’ iOS app that claims to detect nearby smart glasses tops App Store chart https://9to5mac.com/2026/07/31/antizuck-ios-app-that-claims-to-detect-nearby-smart-glasses-tops-app-store-chart/

I want to share a personal view on the discussions around banning ...

2026-06-19T15:47:57Z

I want to share a personal view on the discussions around banning social media for people under a certain age because I fear the voices of blind people and others who belong to communities that are not necessarily geographical are not being heard.
One of my favorite podcasts is called Feel Better, Live More. Many of these episodes are incredibly long. I mean mate! You may have thought that Living Blindfully was long, but some of these are even longer! The host, Rangan Chatterjee, lives in the UK. Lately he has been campaigning, successfully it seems, for an Australia-style social media ban.
I’ve never met him, but through his podcast, I have grown to like him. I don’t always agree with everything he says or thinks, but I do wish more of us could accept that even though we don’t think the same, that doesn’t always make the person with a different view a bad person.
So, I wrote the following to him in an email. I put a lot of me into this email, and I thought long and hard about sharing it here, but it does offer a different perspective, and I’m a long way away from the suicidal teenager I once was. So, here it is.
Hi Rangan
I would first like to thank you sincerely for your podcast. There is so much about it for which I am grateful. In an era where taking a superficial approach to all kinds of issues is common, I am grateful for the depth with which you discuss the issues on which you choose to focus.
As an audio geek, I also love the production values. It’s exceptionally well produced. I will keep listening.
I have also found your books to be excellent reading. You are making a difference in the world.
This email is a long one, but it is written from the heart. I have no idea if it will even get to you, but if not, perhaps I can consider it good therapy. 😊
About a year ago, I subscribed to the Friday Five, which I also enjoy on the whole. I have noted with increasing discomfort your campaigning for a social media ban for those under 16 in the UK, where I do not live. While it was a theoretical discussion, it was easy to shrug it off and say that diversity of opinion makes for an interesting world and it is good to test one’s own opinions by being exposed to alternative perspectives. But now that the UK Government is proceeding, and seeing the newsletter today describing this as “a big win for children”, I feel moved to write to share my story with you.
I am blind, grew up in New Zealand, and was head-hunted for a significant position in the United States, where I now live. I suppose by many people’s measurements of such things, I have been very successful. But I could just as easily have been dead by now and I have the early version of social media to thank for my survival.
As a teenager thinking about what I wanted to do with my life, I knew I had a gift for radio, and could even be heard on radio occasionally in the city I grew up in. Someone told me about an ad in the paper they’d seen for a broadcasting course run by professional broadcasters. I did what the ad said and sent them a demo tape, which I put a lot of work into. The head of the course called me, offering me a place on the course. He also told me the price tag, which was way beyond my abilities as a penniless student. On that basis, I declined. But to my astonishment, he called me back again. He said that my tape was so good that they would offer me the course for half price, because they were sure I would be going places in radio, and they wanted to be able to say that Jonathan Mosen had graduated from their course. So I said, cool! I’ll pay half price, and can I come in a little early as I want to get familiar with the equipment and put Braille labels on the media being used. And it was like someone had flipped an attitude switch. He asked me what I was talking about. I told him that I was blind, so I’d just make a couple of simple modifications and I’d be up and running. He said, “you’re wasting my time. There’s no point doing the course since a blind person could never have a future in radio.” There was only one factor that changed his perception of me from future radio star to waste of space and waste of time. My blindness. So, I never did the course. And a few years later, on a radio station at which we both worked, I became his boss.
But a lot happened between being denied entry to that course, and supervising the person responsible for the denial. The denial made it crystal clear to me that the problem with being blind wasn’t my blindness itself, the problem was what other people thought about it. Fortunately for me, at about this time, I used money I’d saved from an after school job to buy an item that is now considered a technological relic, called a dial-up modem, which I connected to another piece of ancient technology called the Keynote XL, a talking computer designed for blind people. I used it to connect to a service that preceded the mass adoption of the Internet called the CompuServe Information Service, which was based in the United States. CompuServe had online forums, one of which was the Disabilities forum containing a subsection devoted to blindness issues. It was through CompuServe in the 1980s that I first connected with the messages of transformation and truth about blindness coming from the National Federation of the Blind in the United States. Reading the Federation’s literature, and messages from people who were applying the Federation’s truth to their own lives, changed my life, and perhaps even saved my life. The Federation replaced my deep despondency and sense of hopelessness with hope. Where I felt overwhelm, I now felt determination, because I was connected with older blind role models who understood the issues I was having, and gave me strategies for confronting them constructively.
My connection with the Federation guided me and inspired me to turn what I originally saw as a career-threatening setback, being declined access to a broadcasting course merely because of my blindness, into a challenge to inform and educate.
Inspired by messages from Federationists about finding a career, I began calling a lot of radio DJs, just to get to know them, and that helped build my networks. Then I decided that the best way to prove I could have a career in radio was by starting my own temporary radio station. It took me a few years of trial and error to navigate the bureaucracy, but eventually, the Government granted me a temporary two-week license to run a radio station from the school for the blind. I was determined that the station, which we called Radio Enterprise and could be heard right throughout the city, would be run as a commercial venture, not a charitable one. We pounded the pavement and sold advertising, which covered the hiring of the professional broadcast equipment, and a massive AM transmitter mast which was temporarily erected in a field nearby.
I then wrote to every radio station executive and personality I could think of, asking them to tune in, and even come out and see us in action. Many did, and when it was time for me to seek a job in radio, I had great networks and it wasn’t difficult at all.
I credit the National Federation of the Blind for boosting my confidence and bringing out in me a dogged sense of tenacity, even though the organization was half a world away. And I would not have found it, and the people who changed the whole trajectory of my life, without the Internet.
Many blind people now go to their local schools. They are often isolated. They don’t often get to connect with blind young people like them to share struggles, tips and tricks. I worry deeply about the impact on communities of disabled people that are distinct but not geographical who will be dramatically affected by a social media ban.
Of course, many modern social media tools are no CompuServe. They serve content based on sophisticated algorithms designed to promote engagement, and disharmony promotes engagement. I completely agree with you about that fundamental concern. Where I disagree is that the blunt instrument of a ban for people based on age is the answer. First due to the points I have just made, but second, just because you’re over the age of 16, it doesn’t mean you are going to be able to cope with the consequences of these harmful algorithms. There are adults for whom the algorithms are causing significant mental health issues, and I am very concerned about that.
The answer in my view is to go after and regulate the algorithms, not ban people below a certain age.
I don’t think you are on Mastodon, but this, to me, shows what social media can be. An algorithm-free, open platform that no entity can ever own.
As I say, without being able to connect me with people who got me out of the depths of despair, I may not be here to write this to you.
I will keep listening, but I have felt a moral compunction to cancel my premium subscription, because I completely respect your right to campaign for those causes you care about, but I feel that this one will do blind people like me real harm, and I feel discomfort about contributing even in an indirect way to funding it.
Thanks once again, and if you have in fact read this and got all the way to the bottom, I appreciate that very much.

Some big news from me today. Back in September, the National ...

2024-11-08T01:35:57Z

Some big news from me today.
Back in September, the National Federation of the Blind announced that they had begun working with me as a consultant on a range of projects. Some are public facing and you'll see those coming to fruition in the next little while. Others you may not know as much about, but are improving technology behind the scenes.
This week, the US Government has given me the right to live and work in the United States. That means I am now at liberty to say how proud I am to have accepted the role of Executive Director for Accessibility Excellence at the National Federation of the Blind. The position is based at the Jernigan Institute in Baltimore Maryland, so we have begun the huge task of preparing to relocate.
The nearly three months that I have been consulting for the NFB have been the happiest of my professional life. Members and staff have been so welcoming, and I feel like everything in my career has been leading up to using my skills in a way that can substantially improve the lives of blind people. The dedication and professionalism of the NFB team is unparalleled.
While obtaining an O1 US visa for people with extraordinary ability is tough due to the high bar that is set, it has also been a special process. I received seven references from well-known people in the blindness field in support of my visa application, and what they wrote was generous and touching. Think of it a bit like attending your own funeral without going through the hassle of actually dying. It taught me a lesson, that we often don't tell people how much we appreciate them while they are still around to hear it. I don't often stop to think about my legacy or anything grand like that, so seeing these very heart-warming references is something I will cherish.
The law firm I've been engaging with, Optimum Law, have been incredible and I can't recommend them enough if you need US immigration advice and you are in NZ.
Thanks to my four wonderful adult children and their significant others, who have been so encouraging and willing to spend weekends helping to whip the house into shape as I clear out priceless treasures, like old chargers I no longer have a device for.
And a very special thanks to my fellow adventurer, my wonderful wife Bonnie Mosen, who unreservedly supports me on this journey. Bonnie is making a positive difference in her own role at Wellington City Council, and the city will be the poorer for losing her.
Sure, it's a big deal to relocate, but I'll be among people who think about blindness the way I do, and who make good change every day. So actually, it feels like I'm coming home, and I look forward to building new friendships among my fellow blind change makers throughout the United States. Plus, home is wherever my beautiful Bonnie is.
So, see you later New Zealand. Be good, and always strive fervently to make New Zealand a place where disabled people can thrive.

This is a detailed story on our #RightToRide. Protesters Say Uber ...

2024-10-21T02:01:27Z

This is a detailed story on our #RightToRide. Protesters Say Uber and Lyft Are Still Failing Their Blind Passengers | WIRED https://www.wired.com/story/protestors-say-uber-and-lyft-are-still-failing-their-blind-passengers/

It's great to see a few people joining our little Cane And ...

2024-09-29T21:30:03Z

It's great to see a few people joining our little Cane And Able community here on mastodon. I’m so glad that we have Lynette (npub1cf5…5gmt) as our Community Manager. I couldn’t think of anyone better suited. I don’t mind paying the bills, but I’m glad she’s looking after it.
A reminder that many Mastodon apps allow you to view the local timeline, so you can view the posts of other members of this instance, even if you’re not following them.

It’s very rarely that I am left shaking after reading ...

2024-09-28T09:44:33Z

It’s very rarely that I am left shaking after reading something. This article outraged and frightened me, and it’s a striking example of why so many blind people will be outside the HQ of Uber and Lyft in October.
We have every right to expect that we can go about our business without fear, and that the law will be enforced.
https://nfb.org//images/nfb/publications/bm/bm24/bm2409/bm240904.htm

A week ago, I published a detailed 2.5-hour overview of what’s ...

2024-09-15T05:21:28Z

A week ago, I published a detailed 2.5-hour overview of what’s new in iOS 18. In preparation for recording that podcast, I took detailed notes. I uploaded those notes to Google’s new Notebook LM artificial intelligence service. The idea here is that you can upload material from a range of sources and ask questions or have summaries prepared.
I asked Notebook LM to produce an FAQ, and a deep dive audio summary. First, here’s the FAQ it produced.
iOS 18 Accessibility FAQ
What's new in iOS 18 for Braille users?
iOS 18 introduces major improvements for Braille users, including:
• Separate Input & Output Braille Tables: Configure different Braille tables for input and output, allowing you to type in uncontracted Braille while reading in contracted Braille, for example.
• Enhanced Braille Screen Input: This feature now boasts an item chooser for navigating to specific screen elements by typing their name in Braille.
• Command Mode: Activate command mode to control your device using standard Braille display commands without needing a physical display connected.
• Direct Braille Screen Input Access: Invoke Braille screen input from anywhere on your device using a simple double-tap gesture with fingers at the top and bottom of the screen.
• Automatic Braille Screen Input Activation: Enable automatic activation for Braille screen input to be ready whenever an editing field appears.
Can I customize VoiceOver voices in iOS 18?
Yes! iOS 18 offers extensive VoiceOver voice customization options:
• Expanded Voice Rotor: Add multiple voices to the rotor for quick switching.
• Personal Voice Integration: Use your personalized voice created with the Personal Voice feature as your VoiceOver voice.
• Fine-tuned Voice Control: Adjust rate, pitch, and even access a comprehensive equalizer to tailor each voice to your preference or hearing needs.
• Siri Voice Styles: Customize Siri voices with various speaking styles like "narration" or "faster pace" for different situations.
What are Vocal Shortcuts, and how do they work?
Vocal Shortcuts let you trigger actions on your device using personalized voice commands. You can:
• Create Custom Phrases: Record a phrase like "Hey, Focus Mode" to activate a specific Focus mode.
• Assign System Functions: Trigger actions like turning the flashlight on/off, taking a screenshot, or even invoking Siri.
• Control Accessibility Features: Activate features like Zoom, Voice Control, or specific Accessibility Shortcuts.
What are Music Haptics, and who are they for?
Music Haptics are designed to make music more accessible for the deaf-blind community. When enabled, your iPhone will translate music into vibrations and pulses, attempting to represent the audio rhythmically. This feature is currently limited to Apple Music and Apple Classical apps.
Can I personalize Control Center in iOS 18?
iOS 18 provides significantly more control over Control Center customization:
• Extensive Control Options: Add controls for accessibility features, audio settings, screen mirroring, and more.
• Organized by Headings: Navigate numerous controls easily as they are now grouped by headings for better organization.
• Futureproof Design: With third-party app integration on the horizon, the new Control Center is designed to handle increasing customization options.
Are there any new features for Voice Memos?
iOS 18 introduces powerful enhancements to the Voice Memos app, including:
• Automatic Transcription: Voice Memos can now automatically transcribe your recordings, making them searchable and accessible.
• Customizable Folders: Organize your recordings into folders for easier management and retrieval.
• Enhanced Privacy: Control how long deleted recordings are stored on your device, from 30 days to never.
How has the Notes app improved in iOS 18?
Notable improvements in the Notes app include:
• Rich Note Creation: Add audio recordings with transcriptions directly into your notes for a multimedia experience.
• Simplified File Attachments: Attach files from various sources, including audio recordings, directly to your notes.
• Inline Calculations: Perform calculations directly within your notes using natural language and the equals sign.
What significant changes are there in the Messages app?
iOS 18 brings valuable new features to the Messages app:
• Scheduled Messages: Schedule messages up to 14 days in advance for birthdays, reminders, or future communications.
• Expanded Tapback Reactions: Customize your tapback reactions with any emoji, adding a personal touch to your replies.
• Enhanced Sharing: Create and manage shared password groups within the app for easier and secure password sharing among family and friends.

Next, I went into the Chat mode of Notebook LM and started asking it questions. Here is a short extract from my conversation with it.
Q. How do you switch Braille screen input from input mode to command mode?
A. To switch between input mode and command mode in Braille screen input on iOS 18, you would use a 3-finger flick gesture on the screen. It does not matter if you flick left or right, as both directions will switch between the modes
Q. Thanks, another question for you. If I don’t like my input and output tables in Braille being separate, can I change it back to the way it used to be?
A. You can change the input and output tables for Braille back to the way they were before iOS 18. In iOS 18, you can have different input and output tables, but if you do not want this, you can switch it off.

To change this setting, first go to Braille settings in VoiceOver. Then, find the "Match Input and Output Tables" switch button. By default, this setting is off. If you double-tap the button to turn it on, the input and output tables will change together. Once you make this change, there will be only one rotor item for the Braille table.
Q. Thanks that’s helpful. Final question for you. You mentioned vocal shortcuts and they sound cool, but how do you find vocal shortcuts and how do you set them up?
A. Here is how to find and set up vocal shortcuts on iOS 18:
Finding Vocal Shortcuts in Settings
The sources explain that you can find the vocal shortcuts by going to Accessibility Settings under Speech and then flicking through the options until you find "Vocal Shortcuts".
Setting up Vocal Shortcuts
To set up vocal shortcuts, you first need to double-tap the "Vocal Shortcuts" button, which will be turned off by default. Then, you double-tap the "Set up vocal shortcuts" button. You will then be able to choose what actions you want to assign vocal shortcuts to. The actions are organised by the headings "Siri," "Shortcuts," "System," and "Accessibility".
The source gives an example of setting up a vocal shortcut to activate the shortcut "Hey GP". To set up this particular shortcut, the user first double-taps the "Shortcuts" heading and then double-taps the "Hey GP" button. Then, to tell iOS 18 what the command for this shortcut will be, the user types the command, which in this case is "Hey GP," into the "Custom phrase" text field and presses enter. Finally, the user says the phrase "Hey GP" three times, and the vocal shortcut is ready.

That is ever so slightly wrong but mostly correct.
Finally, and most remarkably, I had Google LM produce an audio summary of the data I had supplied. I should stress here, this is not a script I wrote. This is what the AI came up with just based on the raw data. It’s impressive, and it’s sort of delicious to hear a couple of Google AI characters being so effusive in their praise of iOS.
https://caneandable.social/system/media_attachments/files/113/139/886/960/612/241/original/95ef04159a232c67.mp3

It's disappointing that this YouTube clip is completely ...

2024-09-13T21:30:25Z

In reply to nevent1q…a4d7
_________________________

It's disappointing that this YouTube clip is completely inaccessible to blind people like me. It's just music. No narration, no description. Not really in keeping with the inclusivity we've been trying to build here on the Fediverse.

If you have a few bucks to spare, please consider helping a ...

2024-09-10T01:31:11Z

If you have a few bucks to spare, please consider helping a generous and selfless member of our community. By helping him, you also help the blind community.
Mike Feir has been known to many of us for a couple of decades. He is someone who has consistently given a lot of assistance to others while asking nothing in return.
Most recently, Mike has become known for publishing two editions of an incredibly detailed resource, “Personal Power”. This teaches blind people how to use an iPhone, starting with getting it set up and moving on to learning the gestures, working with the built-in apps, finding accessible third-party apps and a guide to other resources.
Mike gives this large, detailed book away. He has never charged for it, nor does he seek donations to support his work, even though each edition takes him years of careful research, writing and editing.
He hasn’t let this project stagnate. He’s now working on the third edition of his book, which we recently discussed briefly on my podcast, Living Blindfully. During that discussion, he mentioned that he will be covering Apple Intelligence, a significant new feature in iOS 18 that requires a newer iPhone. In passing, he mentioned that he would not be able to write about it from direct experience, because he is not in a position to purchase a new iPhone. But he would do all he could to cover it comprehensively. I would like to help to get him an iPhone 16 Pro. Not only will that assist him to write about Apple Intelligence, he can also then write from direct experience about some of the blindness-specific features that are available only on Pro models.
Purchasing an iPhone 16 Pro for Mike should also ensure he is well-placed to make his outstanding, valuable contribution for some time to come.
If enough of us chip in, we can show our support for a resource that unlocks the power of the iPhone. This is a sound investment in a treasured, useful resource. Please give what you can so I can purchase an iPhone 16 Pro for Mike. Many blind people will benefit from the knowledge he will acquire.
Heidi and I have set up a page on Give A Little, which is a New Zealand fund raising site. You can make a credit card donation. When considering how much to give, please be mindful that donations are in New Zealand dollars, and that one New Zealand dollar is currently worth about 60 American cents. So, if you were to give $50 New Zealand dollars and you are in the United States, that only translates to about $30 US dollars.
To donate, you can visit https://GiveALittle.co.nz/cause/PersonalPower

Thanks for giving this some consideration, and thanks to Mike for his dedication and community spirit. I’m sure we can raise enough so that we can help Mike be of help to us all.