#interaction:

[compellingthought-a]

🌷 [ ROSALIE ] liked for a starter

“You know? Repeating this...” Lillian gestured around the fairly quiet school cafeteria, “...the first time it was interesting, the novelty, you know? But now, it’s not even challenging.”

@lcstpaths​

[gravitascivics]

JUDGING LIBERATED FEDERALISM, XII

With the four elements of a liberated federalist model described and explained over the last series of postings, this posting begins the description and explanation of the model itself.  To remind readers, the four elements are covenant or compact, equality, communal democracy, and covenant of reason.  Readers are encouraged to visit those postings – if not read already – and become familiar with these elements.  But for now, this blog will proceed with addressing the model.

         This blogger would like to emphasize that what follows in no way attempts to offer a model suitable for initiating professional federalist studies in political science. Instead, the model is meant to provide a starting point, a source of ideas and questions that would be suitable for designing curricular content regarding the study of government and politics at the secondary level of American schools.

         The model is made up of three main components:  the community, participating entities, and the association.  A visual representation of the model is depicted in a graphic rendition and can be seen in this blogger’s book, Toward a Federated Nation.[1]  Unfortunately, the platform upon which this blog appears is not amenable to including that illustration, but the book’s rendition is well displayed, and the book is inexpensive (available through Amazon).  In any event, readers will be able to understand what follows without having the graphic version before them.

         In general, the model attempts to place the interactive elements and their aspects in relationship to each other.  The model is normative in that it presents an ideal set of relationships.  The model is also non-specific regarding levels of political activity.  That is, the model can be applied to local, state, regional, or national arrangements, both within and without government.

         The model is also situational, depicting situations in which political actors are confronted with politically challenging conditions.  Therefore, the community, participating entities, and the association are represented by different symbols.  There are outer boxes, made up of dashed lines and that symbolically enclose the community in which featured associations exist – these can be the government or other arrangements such as churches, schools, corporations, non-incorporated businesses, etc.

         An ideal community is characterized by the attributes identified along the boundary of the model, i.e., they are a functioning community holding cultural commitment to federalist values to a significant degree, a set of functioning and interacting institutions, and a community with moral primacy.  Of course, these are ideal characterizations and worthy, in real life, to pursue their eventuality to whatever degree possible.  They will be further explained in upcoming postings.

         Participating entities can be persons, arrangements (any organized groups), or associations within the community in which the studied association exists.  For example, that could be a labor union as a participating entity in the national community ruled by the US government, which in this example is the association under study.

The center of the model has an enclosed area that represents the association under study.  From that center, arrows emanate to the entity boxes and represent those bonds that ideally characterize the relationship between those persons, arrangements, or associations with the studied association.

         The characteristics of those bonds are preferred qualities such as equality and communal links. Each entity ideally should extend to the studied association loyalty, trust, skills, and knowledge.  In exchange, the entity ideally should expect from the association equal standing and, if needed, allowances so that the entity can viably participate in the expected processes with the studied association.

         To further characterize each entity, it should be afforded constitutional integrity.  That affirmation refers to the individual or group rights that protect the integrity of each entity.  In terms of how the entity defines his/her/its station within the relationships denoted in the model, there are the following types of held qualities:  status of entity, its conscience, and its practical attributes.  These last elements identify the relevant assets and designations that the entity brings to the association.  

The large, central enclosure, the association, has in its encompassing character (or designation of its type) reference to its founding agreement which would be in the form of a compact, covenant, or charter.  In addition, the association ideally should be based on two qualities:  qualified majority rule and minority rights.  These are familiar to most people.

         In a more central sense of what an association is – what type it is – there are characteristics that establish the distinctive characteristics of the studied association. Those would be the terms of the specific compact-al, covenantal, or chartered agreement among its members. In this last concern, there are three characteristics which are fraternal ethos (or sense of partnership), elements of communal democracy, and a deliberative process by which decisions are made.

         Not all arrangements are associations; some are merely arrangements.  An association is an arrangement, making association a subclass under arrangement.  Associations need to be sufficiently federalist in their makeup – such as a sufficient sense of partnership among their members – to be so considered or defined as an association and not merely an arrangement.

         The final element of the model refers to the specific conditions that would be studied in an instructional lesson utilizing this model.  That is, a particular lesson would investigate a case in which the association is confronted by a politically challenging condition.  The study would apply an analysis of the situation based on the ideals presented by the model.

         Ideally, an association would produce some action that could be defended as a moral response and one which would portray the responsibility of the association to uphold the communal well-being of the community.  The condition studied is represented as an input to the association. The ideal reaction by the association is illustrated by an output from the association.

         Hopefully, readers will have access to the graphic illustration of the model, but all of this will be described and explained in upcoming postings.  That material will review each of the above identified “interactions” among the elements of this model.  Again, readers without the illustration, this blogger believes, will be able to make sense of the model and how it portrays the ideas and ideals of the liberated federalist construct.  But, truly, feel free to purchase the book, Toward a Federated Nation, and look at page 230 for the graphic illustration.

[1] Robert Gutierrez, Toward a Federated Nation:  Implementing National Civics Standards (Tallahassee, FL:  Gravitas/Civics Books, 2020), 230.

[s1000dcodeandpixels]

Exploring Levels and Benefits of IETM: Technical Documentation

https://yashwanthcnp.medium.com/exploring-levels-and-benefits-of-ietm-technical-documentation-588782bcd4c6

Explore the levels of IETM Viewer software, and Indian standard for IETMs, programming skills needed, and the importance in defense systems. Gain insights into the advancements in technology that have revolutionized the accessibility and usability of technical manuals.

Introduction:

Understanding IETM: The Power of Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals

In today’s digital age, information is increasingly being accessed and consumed in electronic formats. One such important development in technical documentation is the Interactive Electronic Technical Manual (IETM). Code and Pixels Interactive Technologies Private Limited (CNP), an IT service provider based in Hyderabad, India, specializes in the innovative use of technology to provide end-to-end software development and IETMs. In this article, we will explore the concept of IETM, its significance, and its various levels.

Image Source: (codeandpixels.net)

What is IETM?

IETM stands for Interactive Electronic Technical Manual. It refers to a manual or softcopy of any book, including PDF scanned files. Any book or document in a digital format can be considered an IETM. The term “interactive” in IETM signifies the presence of dynamic elements such as hyperlinks, hotspots, and other interactive features that enhance the user’s experience and facilitate efficient navigation through the content.

Simple Method for Understanding IETM Documents

When compared to the general opinion, IETM is not a specific file format like Microsoft Word (.DOC) or Portable Document Format (PDF). Instead, it is a technical term used to describe digital manuals with technical information and cross-references. Let’s take a closer look at the different levels of IETMs:

Photo by: ( Google — Code and Pixels )

1. Level-1 IETM:

IETM Level 1 refers to a compilation of normal scanned images, such as scanned pages of a book or manual. This basic level lacks interactivity and dynamic features. It is essentially a collection of static images.

2. Level-2 IETM:

IETM Level 2 involves the use of IETM PDF files with hyperlinks, cross-references, and indexing. This level introduces a certain degree of interactivity, making it easier to navigate through the content. PDF-based IETMs offer improved usability compared to Level-1.

3. Level-3 IETM:

IETM Level 3 utilizes XML or HTML to create a more dynamic and interactive web-based application. This level enables users to access technical information with enhanced features such as search capabilities, multimedia integration, and interactive elements. Level-3 IETMs provide a more immersive user experience.

4. Level-4 IETM:

IETM Level 4 represents the highest level of interactivity and functionality. It is a database-based web application where all manuals are converted into a MYSQL database and stored. Users can retrieve specific information based on their requests, and the relevant data is pulled from the database and displayed. Level-4 IETMs offer advanced search capabilities, customization options, and real-time updates.

Exploring the IETM Role and Benefits:

When it comes to technical documentation, Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) have emerged as valuable tools for efficient information retrieval and enhanced user experience.

Understanding the IETM Viewer:

The IETM Viewer is a software application designed specifically for accessing and navigating through manuals that have been converted into a database format. While Level 1 and Level 2 IETMs, which are in the form of PDF files, do not require an IETM Viewer, Level 3 and Level 4 IETMs utilize this software extensively. Let’s explore its capabilities:

Applications of IETMs:

IETMs find widespread use in the defense industry, particularly in the context of complex systems such as missiles, defense vehicles, communication systems, and more. In the past, Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) would provide hard copies of manuals to end-users, resulting in an overwhelming number of pages for reference. However, with the implementation of IETMs, the delivery of digital manuals has become a mandatory requirement for the Indian defense.

IETMs facilitate quick and efficient troubleshooting, operational procedures, and other critical tasks. By adhering to the Indian defense guidelines and standards outlined in JSG 0852:2019, IETMs ensure a standardized structure and ease of access to information. The digitization of manuals through IETMs has significantly improved the usability and effectiveness of technical documentation in defense systems.

IETM: A Comprehensive Overview:

IETM Software and Programming Skills: IETM software is not freeware or open-source; it is a customized IETM Software and Programming Skills: IETM software is not freeware or open-source; it is a customized software solution developed in accordance with defense guidelines. Angular, Node.js, and MYSQL databases are commonly used technologies for developing IETM software. Users access IETMs through three login modes: User, Admin, and Super Admin (Authoring Tool). Programming skills are not required for editing Level 3 or Level 4 IETMs, as built-in text editors and user-friendly graphical interfaces simplify content updates.

There is no specific standard for IETMs tailored specifically for the army, navy, or air force, the Indian defense system follows a single standard, JSG 0852. This standard applies to all branches of the Indian defense, ensuring uniformity and consistency in IETM implementation. It is essential to note that the S1000D standard is an alternative standard for defense IETMs. While it shares similar functionality, the structure and implementation of S1000D differ significantly from the Indian standard. S1000D utilizes XML files and often requires specialized software tools for conversion.

As technology continues to advance, IETMs have become indispensable in the field of technical documentation, particularly in defense systems. The evolution from static image collections to dynamic, database-driven applications has revolutionized the accessibility and usability of technical manuals

[longreads]

How Concerned Citizens Drove a Neo-Nazi Out of Rural Maine

Christopher Pohlhaus planned to build a fascist training compound in the woods of rural Maine. The local journalists, veterans, lumberjacks, and policymakers weren't having it.

Pohlhaus, 37, is a former U.S. marine, an itinerant tattoo artist, and a hardcore white-supremacist influencer. He is loud and hostile, and proud to be both. His voice is pitched surprisingly high, and he has a slight Southern drawl. He has a large body and small bald head; a blue-black tattoo crawls up the right side of his face, from his chin to his forehead. Over the years, Pohlhaus has collected thousands of social media followers, who know him by his nickname: Hammer.

Hammer had been living in Texas for a few years when, in March 2022, he bought the land in Maine. He told his followers that he was going to use it to build a haven, operational center, and training ground for white supremacists.

Check out our excerpt of The Atavist’s latest blockbuster story. 

[silentswordxman]

"I already said I wouldn't!"

There was anger within Link at that moment, the very idea of him running sent rage down his spine. He never ran, not from anyone. He did have to avoid the guardians but other than that Link was honorable. He would never turn his back upon a foe. But, this person wasn't a foe and no matter what Link didn't want to hurt someone who he had loved. Someone who had been so close to him once.

"Revali please...I loved you...I loved all of you...please remember."

Ironic considering how little Link remembered himself. He was barely a fragment of who he was. Yet, those fragments were screaming out in agony to save this dumb bird more than anything else.

silentswordxman​:” 

“Don’t call me that, you know I hated being called that.”

Link would never give up it wasn’t in him to do so. He simply needed to find some way around this. He believed that he had that way. Or at least the start of it. Perhaps he could lure Revali away from the console? Link was sure he could break whatever was happening to Revali by using the slate upon it. But, getting to it was the main problem. And knowing he couldn’t hurt Revali Link needed to be more cunning.

“You were always a better shot than me…”

Play to Revali’s ego it had always been one of his strongest aspects of him. Perhaps reminding him of things that gave him pride once might help.

There’s a moment of brief rustling of his feathers, that prideful streak was still within him. Still there and could be taken advantage of in the moment if one had the courage to try something.  A smirk if one could call it that spread across the Rito’s beak as he stood a little taller, grip still on the drawn bow but a mistake was his eyes left the HERO for a moment. Just a single moment as he began to chuckle.  “Took you long enough to notice that, I am the best shot in the village, maybe even Hyrule~”  That last word he spoke his eyes locked back to the Hylian suddenly, but what was the little one planning on doing, was he scared to try and hit him or distract him enough to slip away.  “I hope you don’t plan on just running away again, Link.” 

[389]

PORTO ROCHA

[nanaluvbug]

🧀🥪🌶️🥭 The Ravening War portraits  🧀🥪🌶️🥭

patreon * twitch * shop  

[ID: a series of digitally illustrated portraits showing - top left to bottom right - Bishop Raphaniel Charlock (an old radish man with a big red head and large white eyebrows & a scraggly beard. he wears green and gold robes with symbols of the bulb and he smirks at the viewer) Karna Solara (a skinny young chili pepper woman with wavy green hair, freckled light green skin with red blooms on her cheeks. she wears a chili pepper hood lined with small pepper seeds and stares cagily ahead) Thane Delissandro Katzon (a muscular young beef man with bright pinkish skin with small skin variations to resemble pastrami and dark burgundy hair. he wears a bread headress with a swirl of rye covering his ears and he looks ahead, optimistic and determined) Queen Amangeaux Epicée du Peche (a bright mango woman with orange skin, big red hair adorned with a green laurel, and sparkling green/gold makeup. she wears large gold hoop earrings and a high leafy collar) and Colin Provolone (a scraggly cheese man with waxy yellow skin and dark slicked back hair and patchy dark facial hair. he wears a muted, ratty blue bandana around his neck and raises a scarred brow at the viewer with a smirk) End ID.)

[ships-n-bats]

Yeah, the more I really look at Zerith’s whole relationship, the more skeevy it feels to me. 

Not skeevy in a “Zack’s a predator” kind of way, but more in a “Zack doesn’t respect Aerith as a person or partner” kind of way. Regardless of whether or not the two were officially dating or not, him having other women on the side still looks bad and shows a lack of respect towards Aerith and her feelings.

Even if one were to try and argue that “Aerith was Zack’s favorite” like it suggests when he says, “Out of all the girls I’ve gotten along with, you truly are the best.” it still doesn’t change the fact that he still flirted with other girls even when he and Aerith were involved together.

Especially since this kind of line is something a player/womanizer would use when trying to make a girl feel special. It gives off major “You’re not like the other girls. You’re better. You’re special.” It’s meant to flatter the girl and make her feel like he’ll drop all the other girls just for her… even though he was considering other girls at the time.

And that single interaction where Aerith calls him out for his behavior and is lowkey rejecting his advances just solidifies his skeeviness to me. He still tries to rizz her up and play into their past interactions in the hopes of convincing her they can “try again” and downplays his past flirty nature with a, “I’m nice to everyone.”

Yeah, and you’re especially nice to the ladies, Zack. 🙄

Even when she now loves another and only has eyes for Cloud, not him, he still says, “But whenever you feel lonely, call me Aerith.” Which, I’m assuming is supposed to be read as a sweet gesture with him offering a shoulder or ear if she needs one, but feels more like a guy telling a lonely girl to come to him because then she’ll be more desperate and vulnerable around him. Another typical player tactic.

Her response only solidifies this to me, as Aerith cooly responds with a, “Only if I get really lonely.”which just sounds like she’s telling him, “Yeah right, only if I’m desperate enough.”

Aerith is very introspective on her and Zack’s past “thing” and has come to the mature conclusion that not only does she no longer have feelings for him, but that certain traits of his are to be avoided (which is why she compares him to Cloud). She knows what she wants in a relationship and the traits she values in her partner, and Zack does not fit into them. Even when told to his face that she doesn’t like that aspect about him and that she has concerns over it, Zack tries to play it off and deflect, while still leaving the door open for any future possibility of them rekindling what little they had.

Even when it’s glaringly obvious the girl ain’t interested and has moved onto another guy entirely. One of whom she’s said she’s grown to love even more than she initially did towards Zack.

Aerith “liked” Zack, but they weren’t ever actually “dating”. They never kissed or anything like that. It was just a one-sided crush from Aerith.

[70sscifiart]

One of my favorites by Paul Lehr, used as a 1971 cover to "Earth Abides," by George R. Stewart. It's also in my upcoming art book!

[jcmarchi]

Managing User Focus with :focus-visible

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/managing-user-focus-with-focus-visible/

Managing User Focus with :focus-visible

This is going to be the 2nd post in a small series we are doing on form accessibility. If you missed the first post, check out Accessible Forms with Pseudo Classes. In this post we are going to look at :focus-visible and how to use it in your web sites!

Focus Touchpoint

Before we move forward with :focus-visible, let’s revisit how :focus works in your CSS. Focus is the visual indicator that an element is being interacted with via keyboard, mouse, trackpad, or assistive technology. Certain elements are naturally interactive, like links, buttons, and form elements. We want to make sure that our users know where they are and the interactions they are making.

Remember don’t do this in your CSS!

:focus outline: 0; /*** OR ***/ :focus outline: none;

When you remove focus, you remove it for EVERYONE! We want to make sure that we are preserving the focus.

If for any reason you do need to remove the focus, make sure there is also fallback :focus styles for your users. That fallback can match your branding colors, but make sure those colors are also accessible. If marketing, design, or branding doesn’t like the default focus ring styles, then it is time to start having conversations and collaborate with them on the best way of adding it back in.

What is focus-visible?

The pseudo class, :focus-visible, is just like our default :focus pseudo class. It gives the user an indicator that something is being focused on the page. The way you write :focus-visible is cut and dry:

:focus-visible /* ... */

When using :focus-visible with a specific element, the syntax looks something like this:

.your-element:focus-visible /*...*/

The great thing about using :focus-visible is you can make your element stand out, bright and bold! No need to worry about it showing if the element is clicked/tapped. If you choose not to implement the class, the default will be the user agent focus ring which to some is undesirable.

Backstory of focus-visible

Before we had the :focus-visible, the user agent styling would apply :focus to most elements on the page; buttons, links, etc. It would apply an outline or “focus ring” to the focusable element. This was deemed to be ugly, most didn’t like the default focus ring the browser provided. As a result of the focus ring being unfavorable to look at, most authors removed it… without a fallback. Remember, when you remove :focus, it decreases usability and makes the experience inaccessible for keyboard users.

In the current state of the web, the browser no longer visibly indicates focus around various elements when they have focus. The browser instead uses varying heuristics to determine when it would help the user, providing a focus ring in return. According to Khan Academy, a heuristic is, “a technique that guides an algorithm to find good choices.”

What this means is that the browser can detect whether or not the user is interacting with the experience from a keyboard, mouse, or trackpad and based on that input type, it adds or removes the focus ring. The example in this post highlights the input interaction.

In the early days of :focus-visible we were using a polyfill to handle the focus ring created by Alice Boxhall and Brian Kardell, Mozilla also came out with their own pseudo class, :moz-focusring, before the official specification. If you want to learn more about the early days of the focus-ring, check out A11y Casts with Rob Dodson.

Focus Importance

There are plenty of reasons why focus is important in your application. For one, like I stated above, we as ambassadors of the web have to make sure we are providing the best, accessible experience we can. We don’t want any of our users guessing where they are while they are navigation through the experience.

One example that always comes to mind is the Two Blind Brothers website. If you go to the website and click/tap (this works on mobile), the closed eye in the bottom left corner, you will see the eye open and a simulation begins. Both the brothers, Bradford and Bryan Manning, were diagnosed at a young age with Stargardt’s Disease. Stargardt’s disease is a form of macular degeneration of the eye. Over time both brothers will be completely blind. Visit the site and click the eye to see how they see.

If you were in their shoes and you had to navigate through a page, you would want to make sure you knew exactly where you were throughout the whole experience. A focus ring gives you that power.

Demo

The demo below shows how :focus-visible works when added to your CSS. The first part of the video shows the experience when navigating through with a mouse the second shows navigating through with just my keyboard. I recorded myself as well to show that I did switch from using my mouse, to my keyboard.

Video showing how the heuristics of the browser works based on input and triggering the focus visible pseudo class.

The browser is predicting what to do with the focus ring based on my input (keyboard/mouse), and then adding a focus ring to those elements. In this case, when I am navigating through this example with the keyboard, everything receives focus. When using the mouse, only the input gets focus and the buttons don’t. If you remove :focus-visible, the browser will apply the default focus ring.

The code below is applying :focus-visible to the focusable elements.

:focus-visible outline-color: black; font-size: 1.2em; font-family: serif; font-weight: bold;

If you want to specify the label or the button to receive :focus-visible just prepend the class with input or button respectively.

button:focus-visible outline-color: black; font-size: 1.2em; font-family: serif; font-weight: bold; /*** OR ***/ input:focus-visible outline-color: black; font-size: 1.2em; font-family: serif; font-weight: bold;

Support

If the browser does not support :focus-visible you can have a fall back in place to handle the interaction. The code below is from the MDN Playground. You can use the @supports at-rule or “feature query” to check support. One thing to keep in mind, the rule should be placed at the top of the code or nested inside another group at-rule.

<button class="button with-fallback" type="button">Button with fallback</button> <button class="button without-fallback" type="button">Button without fallback</button>

.button margin: 10px; border: 2px solid darkgray; border-radius: 4px; .button:focus-visible /* Draw the focus when :focus-visible is supported */ outline: 3px solid deepskyblue; outline-offset: 3px; @supports not selector(:focus-visible) .button.with-fallback:focus /* Fallback for browsers without :focus-visible support */ outline: 3px solid deepskyblue; outline-offset: 3px;

Further Accessibility Concerns

Accessibility concerns to keep in mind when building out your experience:

Make sure the colors you choose for your focus indicator, if at all, are still accessible according to the information documented in the WCAG 2.2 Non-text Contrast (Level AA)

Cognitive overload can cause a user distress. Make sure to keep styles on varying interactive elements consistent

Browser Support

This browser support data is from Caniuse, which has more detail. A number indicates that browser supports the feature at that version and up.

Desktop

Chrome Firefox IE Edge Safari 86 4* No 86 15.4

Mobile / Tablet

Android Chrome Android Firefox Android iOS Safari 123 124 123 15.4

Links

[taizooo]

もともとは10年ほど前にTumblrにすごくハマっていて。いろんな人をフォローしたらかっこいい写真や色が洪水のように出てきて、もう自分で絵を描かなくて良いじゃん、ってなったんです。それで何年も画像を集めていって、そこで集まった色のイメージやモチーフ、レンズの距離感など画面構成を抽象化して、いまの感覚にアウトプットしています。画像の持つ情報量というものが作品の影響になっていますね。

映画『きみの色』山田尚子監督×はくいきしろい対談。嫉妬し合うふたりが語る、色と光の表現｜Tokyo Art Beat

[layla-keating]

#thistension

XO, KITTY — 1.09 “SNAFU”

[nevver]

Arts & Architecture, Sander Patelski

[foodffs]

Noodles with Lamb Sauce (Laghman, 新疆拌面) Xinjiang laghman features chewy noodles served with a bold and rich lamb and tomato sauce that is bursting with flavor.

Recipe: https://omnivorescookbook.com/recipes/uyghur-style-noodles-with-lamb-sauce

[lesserknownbots]

CJ from Hello World (MSPFA) by phasedsun?