Braille is literacy.

Many people think it can be substituted by speech synthesis, by audiobooks, by other things. It can't.

Voice is serial, it unfolds in time. It requires working memory. Braille is static. It unfolds in space, remains stable in time. It backs working memory, does not consume it. For things that require pinning down relationships (mathematics, music, programming) braile has clear advantages.

This is not to say people can't manage without it. I don't always use a braille display. But it makes things better: learning, accuracy, performance, speed.

Witholding braille from blind people is withholding literacy, it's denying capacity.

Don't fucking do that.

Prime Minister Frederiksen of Denmark to Trump in her New Year’s address:

“Throughout the year, we have had to listen to a lot: Threats, pressure, derogatory speech — and this from our closest ally through decades — about taking over another country and its people, as if they were an item one could buy and own. This is outrageous. Denmark lives up to its responsibilities, and it will not be us seeking a conflict. But have no doubt: We will stand firmly on the principles of right and wrong.”

Salesforce, one of the world's most valuable enterprise software companies, is pulling back from its heavy reliance on large language models after encountering reliability issues that have shaken executive confidence in the AI. 😂

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/after-laying-off-4000-employees-and-automating-with-ai-agents-salesforce-executives-admit-we-were-more-confident-about-/amp_articleshow/126121875.cms

There is nothing illegal about naming inexperienced people currently accessing sensitive government data at the behest of Elon Musk.

They are:
Akash Bobba
Edward Coristine
Luke Farritor
Gautier Cole Killian
Gavin Kliger
Ethan Shaotran

This is a major security breach.

SPREAD

Today NASA is closing their Office of the Chief Scientist and Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy and also their Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility branch.

It's a great time to remind your learning community of the incredible achievements of the Black women mathematicians in the 1960's space program that successfully put a man on the Moon. Yes, we're talking about Disney's Hidden Figures.

We offer a Hidden Figures discussion guide that's great for public screenings and low-key classroom use. We also offer classroom-ready lesson plans, across the curriculum, for grades 9-12.

Like all our materials, these guides are free for everyone. Get yours now.

https://journeysinfilm.org/product/hidden-figures/

#NASA #CurrentEvents #WomensHistoryMonth #BlackHistory #DEI #USPol #Education #Homeschooling #Histodons @stemed @education @edutooters @film

Resistance can be as simple as using certain terms:

"online video" instead of "YouTube video".

"online search" instead of "Google Search" (or "do a search" instead of "google it".)

"music playlist" instead of "Spotify playlist".

Do not give these company any free advertising by using their names.

Do not make them the default term for something.

Wild Fish Recognize Individual Humans Who Feed Them | Max Plank Institute of Animal Behavior & University of Clermont Auvergne | Royal Society Biology Letters

by @GrrlScientist

#fish #evolution #cognition #SciComm https://www.forbes.com/sites/grrlscientist/2025/02/25/wild-fish-recognize-individual-humans-who-feed-them/