Recent Posts
Accessible Chess Resources
Accessible Chess Resources: sites, books, articles, Equipment, Groups, Consultants, Other
It only takes a minute.
Fill out this short form to contribute a resource.
The following is a hand-picked, growing collection of pointers to websites, books, software, consultants, and other sources of chess information that people with disabilities can use to learn about the game. You can contribute to the enjoyment of the greatest game ever by doing this:
- Provide chess positions in Forsyth–Edwards Notation (FEN) format in your websites, articles, blog posts, and emails.
- Provide games and analysis in Portable Game Notation (PGN)
- In your software, provide keyboard equivalents to mouse functions. Use standard native widgets.
- In your videos, state where the pieces are when you stop at a position. When you move pieces, speak where you move them in algebraic notation. When you refer to a piece, say the piece, color, and square, such as White pawn on d4.
- Subsidize the purchase of chess equipment, much of which is too expensive for people with disabilities who live below the poverty level.
My thanks go to those kind-hearted people in the chess community who contributed information for these resources.
VS Code Installed Extensions
This is a list of the VS Code extensions that I currently have installed. All are accessible. Links to more info included. I have left out version numbers because I have extensions set to update automatically, and version numbers can get out of date. This list will change when my needs change or if I find extensions that do a better job of what I want to do. I primarily use VS Code to write content. Not so much for writing code. This may change.
Conquer The Command Line: The less Command
How to use the Linux less command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux less
command.
When ever you want to read and search through large files or command output, use the less command.
Conquer The Command Line: The cat Command
How to use the Linux cat command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the
Linux cat
command.
Writing Stories On Medium: An Accessibility Review
You can read and write stories on medium.com if you are blind, but it’s an adventure
My Newyears' Chess and Life Resolutions
Making My Favorite Game and my life More Fun In 2021
This time every year do you catch yourself making big plans only to fail shortly after the beginning of the new year? I do, so I’m ditching that with my favorite game. I’m not going to be a chess master by the end of 2021. And I’m not going to be a saint by the end of 2021 either. Here’s what I’m going to do instead.
Get Started With Pylint
Sphinx, The Code Documentation Tool, An Introduction
The Painless Way To Contribute To The Cure For Bad Documentation
You’ve just finished your latest development masterpiece. Now you have to go back and document it or find someone who likes to write way more than you do to do that job. What are the chances that your documentation will happen, let alone happen well? Not good?
Have you tried to learn to use a code library or had to maintain someone else’s code and cursed the lack of documentation, when good documentation would have saved you hours of trial and error writing and re-writing code to figure out how the software works? Worse yet, have you ever failed to document code properly, forgot you wrote that code, then cursed yourself for not writing good documentation?
I have the cure.
Conquer The Command Line: The ln Command
How to use the Linux ln command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux ln
command.
Conquer The Command Line: The find Command
How to use the Linux find command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux find
command.
When ever you want to locate files or folders, use the find command.
Conquer The Command Line: The open Command
How to use the Linux open command on Mac plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux open
command on Mac.
When ever you want to open a file, a directory, or an application from the command line on a Mac, use the open command.
Conquer The Command Line: The touch Command
How to use the Linux touch command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux touch
command.
When ever you want to change the time stamp on an existing file or create an empty file, use the touch command.
Conquer The Command Line: The cp Command
How to use the Linux cp command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the
Linux cp
command.
When ever you want to copy files or directories, use the cp
command.
Conquer The Command Line: The mv Command
How to use the Linux mv command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux mv
command.
Conquer The Command Line: The rm Command
How to use the Linux rm command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux rm
command.
Conquer The Command Line: The rmdir Command
How to use the Linux rmdir command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux rmdir
command.
When ever you want to remove an empty directory, use the rmdir command.
Conquer The Command Line: The mkdir Command
How to use the Linux mkdir
command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux mkdir
command.
Conquer The Command Line: The cd Command
How to use the Linux cd command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux cd
command.
Whenever you want to point to a new directory, type cd <directory>
, where `
Conquer The Command Line: The ls Command
How to use the Linux ls
command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux ls
command.
Conquer The Command Line: The pwd Command
How to use the Linux pwd command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux pwd
command and why it’s good to have it in your pocket.
Why Don't We Want To Write Today
Reveal: Why I Don’t Want To Write Today, and maybe why you don’t either
Have you ever done everything you could to get out of doing what you know you should? I’m doing it right now. Or am I? Are you? How do you deal with it? Here is one way I am talking myself into writing. Maybe it will help you. I hope so.
Conquer The Command Line: The Man Command
How to use the Linux man command plus essential options
In this installment of “Conquer The Command Line” we talk about how to use the Linux man
command.
man
is the first Linux command you should learn. It helps you learn all other Linux commands. Let’s get to it.
Conquer The Command Line: How To Install Chocolaty
How to get and set up the Chocolaty package manager on Windows
Conquer The Command Line: Running Windows PowerShell As An Administrator
How to get to the Windows PowerShell prompt as an administrator in case you need to and why
Using Flake8, An Introduction
Moving Forward Again
How do you get unstuck when you have lost your initial enthusiasm about taking on a project? This post contains ideas about how to get going again. I missed my weekly posting to the site for the first time last week, and here is what I’m learning from the experience.
My friend Jeff Thompson provided this guest post. Lambda functions are a technique that Python developers put into the language to allow you to write one-line functions or to write functions as parts of one-line statements. This lesson explains how to recognize them and gives tips for when you might use them.
Using Git Part 3
What’s On This Page
This is the third post in the series that tells how to use Git , a very popular version control system.
If You Lost Your Site, Could You Become a Python Developer?
What Three Real People Said
I’m a developer who is blind. I’ve been blind since very shortly after birth. I’ve never gone through losing my sight. I wanted to see if my perspective lined up with that of others who are blind, but have lost their site later on in life. Here is what I found out.
Using Git Part 2
What’s On This Page
This is the second post in the series that tells how to use Git , a very popular version control system.
Farkle Project, 011: Functions, Part 1
In the last post, we talked about dictionaries. In this post, we start thinking about what happens during an entire turn at Farkle, and get ready to employ functions, which are a way to reuse and consolidate code.
Using Git Part 1
What’s On This Page
This series tells how to use Git , a very popular version control system. Git is used in many open-source projects. We will cover the following topics.
- How to install and set up Git on a Windows computer
- Basic commands for working with files and directories on the UNIX/Linux/Mac command line
- Basic commands for working with files and directories on the Windows command line
- Basic Git commands for making and working with a local repository
- Working with a remote repository in a team on both GitHub and BitBucket
- Resources you can consult if you want more detailed information
Python Cheatsheet: Classes
What’s On This Page
This is an accessible version of the Python Classes Cheatsheet PDF I obtained at finxter.com.
Farkle Project, 010: Dictionaries, Part 1
In the last post, we talked about lists and list comprehensions. In this post, we introduce a new Python datatype: the dictionary.” We learn how to put data in them and get it back out.
Farkle Project, 009: Lists, Part 2
In the last post, we talked about getting values into lists and examining what’s in them. We put numbers in by hand. In this post, we use loops and make Python read dice for us. We also use some list functions to move numbers from the table to the hand. We also talk about an important concept called list comprehensions.
Python Cheat Sheet: Complex Data Types
What’s On This Page
This is an accessible version of the Python complex data Types Cheat sheet PDF I obtained at finxter.com. Each section consists of the data type heading on the first line, what it does on the second line, and an example following that.
Farkle Project, 008: Lists, Part 1
In the last post, we talked about looping. In this and the next post, we learn a new data-type, a list. We learn how to put data in them by hand. We also use loops to store dice rolls and we go over some cool stuff about lists.
Python Cheatsheet: Basic Data Types
What’s On This Page
This is an accessible version of the Python basic data Types Cheatsheet PDF I obtained at finxter.com. Each section consists of the data type heading on the first line, what it does on the second line, and an example following that.
Python Cheatsheet: Common Keywords
What’s On This Page
This is an accessible version of the Python Keywords Cheatsheet PDF I obtained at finxter.com. Each keyword section consists of the keyword heading on the first line, what it does on the second line, and an example following that.
Python Learning Resources
Farkle Project, 007: Looping
In the last post, we talked about decision-making. In this post, we pretend to roll six dice and use Python to report them back to us. We roll all six and report on them using something called a loop.
Farkle Project, 006: Decision-making
In the last post, we talked about input and variables. In this post, we check to see if numbers we input into our program from the dice we roll are valid and score points.
Farkle Project, 005: Input And Variables
In the last post, we talked about printing variables. In this post, we get variables into the next version of the program and make sure they are numbers, so that in the next version of the program we can check to see if they are valid dice rolls and whether they score points.
Farkle Project, 004: Printing Variables
In the last post, we talked about printing numbers, basic math, and true/false. I mentioned that we were working with literals, which were, well, literally what Python should print to the screen. In this post, we talk about something called variables.
Farkle Project, 003: Printing Numbers, Basic Math, and True/False
Now that we’ve done some printing, of messages, we take a step back with this post to see how to use the Python interpreter to display numbers and messages, the results of truth tests, and then we do the same thing in a little program.
Farkle Project, 002: More Printing And Comments
In the first post of the Farkle Project series, you set up Python and wrote your first program, which printed a game over message to the screen. In this lesson, you do more printing by typing in another part of the game, which gives instructions for playing Farkle. You will also learn how to put comments in your code, which Python ignores, but which help humans understand the intent of your code.
Farkle Game Rules
Below are the rules of Farkle, extracted from Wikipedia. We refer to them when we plan our project.
Discovering Visual Studio Code For Screen Reader Users: Default Keyboard Shortcuts
Introduction
This post lists the default keyboard shortcuts in Visual Studio Code. I arranged them so that the commands are on the left to make it easy to look them up. Before that, though, I show you how to add a key binding.
Discovering Visual Studio Code For Screen Reader Users
Introduction
Visual Studio Code is a very powerful code and text editor. It is accessible enough that you can use it with a screen reader. You will find that the best experience with this application occurs using NVDA and JAWS. If you use Orca, you will also find that Visual Studio Code works well for you. If you are brave enough to want to keep up with the changes in accessibility, and they happen fast, I recommend that you install the Insider version. Keep checking here for usage information and tips. This guide focuses on Visual Studio Code for Windows.
Farkle Project, 001: Getting Started
Introducing the Beginner Python series, in which you learn Python basics, using the game Farkle.