This summer I trained to become an assistant docent conducting touch tours at the Museum of Archeology and Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. Since then we have had the tours every monday, and will end on the 16th. By the end we will have had around 350 guests, and used something like 1500 hand wipes.
I’ve had so much going on, I finally had time to write an article about the speech I gave at Ignite Philly. Adam Teterus, one of the organizers of the event and point man at Indy Hall, first came up with the idea of doing a talk about how a blind person experiences Philly. We recorded some audio and I edited together a five-minute soundscape in Audacity. Adam also had the idea that people should close their eyes for the whole five minutes, so I made some sarcastic slides. The whole thing went very well, and since then I have recorded a studio version which will appear on WHYY.
I sit here in my home away from home. I sit on a chair and listen to the loud crowd and louder music. I sit in wonder as poets take the stage. Usually I come here to work or play. Today I come here to listen.
Recently, I attended the Nickel City Ruby conference, in Buffalo, New York. I went with Alex Kaplan of Neomind Labs. We gave speeches, had Buffalo wings, saw Niagara falls, and went to a concert. I also released a new version of motion-accessibility, opening up iOS development to the blind. We had a great time.
Braille street art has blasted off. Two things happened last week. On thursday we made the front page of the City Paper. Then, on Saturday we won best visual artist at the Philly Geek Awards. Not only that, but we got to meet Joel Hodgson of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Sonia and I feel shocked and amazed, and have already begun discussing the future.