1. poptech: How the Blind Are Reinventing the iPhone Maria Rios, 66, woke up at 6am. She got out of bed in her little second floor apartment on the north side of Central Park, and checked her iPhone for the weather. Then she felt around in her closet, where she had marked her navy blue garments with safety pins, to tell them apart from her black ones. In the adjacent room, her roommate Lynette Tatum, 49, picked out a white sweater and dark denim slacks. She used her VizWiz iPhone app to take a photograph and send it to a customer-service rep who lets her know what color the item is. For the visually impaired community, the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 seemed at first like a disaster — the standard-bearer of a new generation of smartphones was based on touch screens that had no physical differentiation. It was a flat piece of glass. But soon enough, word started to spread: The iPhone came with a built-in accessibility feature. Still, members of the community were hesitant.  But no more. For its fans and advocates in the visually-impaired community, the iPhone has turned out to be one of the most revolutionary developments since the invention of Braille. That the iPhone and its world of apps have transformed the lives of its visually impaired users may seem counter-intuitive — but their impact is striking. Watching Rios and Tatum navigate the world with the aid of their iPhones is a lesson in the transformative and often unpredictable impacts that technology has on our lives. After getting dressed, they strap on their backpacks, canes in hand, and walk out the door. They can’t see the sign someone hung in the elevator, informing them the building is switching to FIOS, but the minute they’re outside the fact they can’t see is a minor detail. They use Sendero — “an app made for the blind, by the blind,” says Tatum — an accessible GPS that announces the user’s current street, city, cross street, and nearby points of interest. (via theatlantic)

    poptech:

    How the Blind Are Reinventing the iPhone

    Maria Rios, 66, woke up at 6am. She got out of bed in her little second floor apartment on the north side of Central Park, and checked her iPhone for the weather. Then she felt around in her closet, where she had marked her navy blue garments with safety pins, to tell them apart from her black ones. In the adjacent room, her roommate Lynette Tatum, 49, picked out a white sweater and dark denim slacks. She used her VizWiz iPhone app to take a photograph and send it to a customer-service rep who lets her know what color the item is.

    For the visually impaired community, the introduction of the iPhone in 2007 seemed at first like a disaster — the standard-bearer of a new generation of smartphones was based on touch screens that had no physical differentiation. It was a flat piece of glass. But soon enough, word started to spread: The iPhone came with a built-in accessibility feature. Still, members of the community were hesitant. 

    But no more. For its fans and advocates in the visually-impaired community, the iPhone has turned out to be one of the most revolutionary developments since the invention of Braille. That the iPhone and its world of apps have transformed the lives of its visually impaired users may seem counter-intuitive — but their impact is striking.

    Watching Rios and Tatum navigate the world with the aid of their iPhones is a lesson in the transformative and often unpredictable impacts that technology has on our lives. After getting dressed, they strap on their backpacks, canes in hand, and walk out the door. They can’t see the sign someone hung in the elevator, informing them the building is switching to FIOS, but the minute they’re outside the fact they can’t see is a minor detail. They use Sendero — “an app made for the blind, by the blind,” says Tatum — an accessible GPS that announces the user’s current street, city, cross street, and nearby points of interest.

    (via theatlantic)

  4. good: “Happy Valentine’s Day, California!” Opponents of Prop. 8 break down in tears as they celebrate outside of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday in San Francisco. Photo credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images (via latimes)

    good:

    “Happy Valentine’s Day, California!”

    Opponents of Prop. 8 break down in tears as they celebrate outside of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday in San Francisco.

    Photo credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

    (via latimes)

  5. Insomnia. I want to sleep.

    Insomnia. I want to sleep.

  6. thedailywhat:

    Amateur Night of the Day: President Obama sings the sultry opening line from Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” during a campaign event tonight at the Apollo Theatre. 

    Green, who was in attendance at the historic event (the first visit to the legendary Harlem landmark by a sitting president), has yet to share his thoughts on Obama’s loving homage.

    [@alex_ogle.]

  7. imofficiallyaflower: what a stunning creature. Everyone heard I got an original head piece and incorporated it into their shows. I die for this.

    imofficiallyaflower:

    what a stunning creature.

    Everyone heard I got an original head piece and incorporated it into their shows. I die for this.

  9. good: A Cut Above the Rest: Non-Surgical Circumcision Could Help Fight AIDS in Africa A device to facilitate non-surgical adult male circumcision could revolutionize the fight against the spread of HIV. Enter PrePex, a simple device that consists of three rings: two plastic, one elastic. The innovation, which is patent pending, allows for a “virtually painless” adult male circumcision that can be performed by low-cadre nurses almost anywhere.  Read more on GOOD→

    good:

    A Cut Above the Rest: Non-Surgical Circumcision Could Help Fight AIDS in Africa

    A device to facilitate non-surgical adult male circumcision could revolutionize the fight against the spread of HIV. Enter PrePex, a simple device that consists of three rings: two plastic, one elastic. The innovation, which is patent pending, allows for a “virtually painless” adult male circumcision that can be performed by low-cadre nurses almost anywhere. 

    Read more on GOOD→

  10. thedailyfeed: One in six American adults is a binge drinker, consuming alcohol in excess about four times a month, according to a sobering CDC report. In the infographic above, you’ll find the percentage of population classified as binge drinkers. The study — which defines binge drinking as five or more drinks in a short period of time for men and four or more for women — breaks down the nation’s 38 million binge drinkers by a variety of measures, including geography, age and income level. Wisconsin is the state with the most binge drinkers at 25 percent of the population, while Utah, home to the teetotaling Mormon church, comes in last at less than 11 percent.

    thedailyfeed:

    One in six American adults is a binge drinker, consuming alcohol in excess about four times a month, according to a sobering CDC report. In the infographic above, you’ll find the percentage of population classified as binge drinkers.

    The study — which defines binge drinking as five or more drinks in a short period of time for men and four or more for women — breaks down the nation’s 38 million binge drinkers by a variety of measures, including geography, age and income level. Wisconsin is the state with the most binge drinkers at 25 percent of the population, while Utah, home to the teetotaling Mormon church, comes in last at less than 11 percent.

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