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World War Z by Max Brook vaults into the realms of the must-read horror novels, securing a prestigious place as number five in my top five favorite horror audiobooks for 2023. A tapestry of tension and terror, the book meticulously unveils a global post-apocalyptic panorama, adorned with tales of survival against a ruthless zombie apocalypse. Brooks delves deep, crafting a multilayered narrative populated by a chorus of diverse voices—from military personnel to civilians—each recounting their unique, harrowing experiences. These interconnected interviews form the spine of the novel, breathing life into the bleak aftermath and the brutal battle against the undead. The audiobook version is an absolute treasure, available for free to members of the BARD service provided by the US Library of Congress. This offering amplifies the novel's immersive nature, allowing the listener to sink into the depths of the narrative fully, carried along by captivating performances that echo with authenticity and emotional resonance. The oral histories reverberate with a profound sense of realism, each account more engrossing, lending voices to the silent screams and unspoken horrors experienced during the calamity. Brooks' storytelling prowess shines brilliantly, embedding each tale with atmospheric tension, capturing the raw human emotions and the tumultuous tides of the global catastrophe. His narrative precision orchestrates a symphony of stories, where every note strikes a chord of existential contemplation, exploring the realms of survival, humanity, and societal collapse. The detailed geopolitical analysis and strategic military maneuvers intricately woven into the plot lend it a substantive weight, providing a formidable backbone to the horror, making World War Z not merely a story of the undead but a profound exploration of the living navigating unprecedented global chaos. In its essence, World War Z is more than a zombie tale—it’s a mirror held up to humanity, reflecting our world's vulnerabilities, resilience, and the terrifying specter of our own undoing. Its place in the horror audiobook realm is indisputably well-deserved, etching its tales of terror into the mind with haunting clarity and formidable impact.

When it comes to horror literature, there's a certain art to crafting a story that truly captures the listener's imagination and transports them to a world of suspense, intrigue, and fear. In 2023, amidst a sea of chilling audiobooks, one title has stood out and secured its place as my runner-up in the top five best horror audiobooks of the year: "Devolution" by Max Brooks. A New Take on Classic Horror At its core, "Devolution" is a tale of survival, but what sets it apart is Brooks' unique approach to the narrative. Drawing inspiration from his earlier work, "World War Z", Brooks presents the story in a series of journal entries, interviews, and reports, lending it an air of authenticity. This format immerses the listener in a way traditional storytelling might not, making it feel as if these events truly transpired. A World Unraveling Set in the aftermath of the eruption of Mount Rainier, the story follows the residents of a secluded eco-community as they grapple with the immediate fallout and the unexpected threat of creatures long believed to be the stuff of legends. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes clear that humanity's place atop the food chain is not as secure as we'd like to believe. Brooks masterfully delves into the psychology of fear and the breakdown of societal norms when faced with an unimaginable threat. Stellar Audio Production A great story can be further elevated by its presentation, and this is where the "Devolution" audiobook truly shines. The cast brings each character to life, infusing them with personality and emotion. Every scream, whisper, and desperate plea is rendered in crisp clarity, making for a listening experience that's both enthralling and terrifying. Accessibility for All In a commendable move, "Devolution" is available for free to those with a BARD account through the US Library of Congress. This ensures that even more horror enthusiasts can experience Brooks' masterful storytelling without any barriers. Final Thoughts "Devolution" is not just a horror story; it's a commentary on human nature, resilience, and the lengths we'll go to survive. Brooks challenges us to question our place in the natural order and what happens when the world as we know it starts to crumble. It's a chilling reminder of the fragility of civilization and the monsters that lurk just beyond the periphery of our understanding. In a year filled with notable horror audiobooks, "Devolution" by Max Brooks stands out not just for its unique storytelling approach but also for its thought-provoking themes. It's a worthy addition to any horror enthusiast's collection and a testament to Brooks' prowess as a writer. If you haven't given it a listen yet, I highly recommend you do. With the nights growing longer and Halloween just around the corner, there's no better time to delve into this chilling tale of survival and the unknown.

Kaiser Permanente had a strike that ended late last week. They are currently having issues to catch up with their backlog. I have seen lines to get flu shot and Covid shot but could last more than one hour. If you are planning on getting your shot, be patient, or reschedule.

There was a nice report on NPR today about facial recognition using artificial intelligence. Apparently a lot of privacy issues for some individuals. The reporter, however, mention that the technology could be useful for blind and low vision people. I am surprised, and PR fought about the issue that deep. Recognition of facial expression on a picture is indeed important for people with vision disability. Could this make an exception to privacy issues for apps such as Be My Eyes for example?

The seven stages of grief start at denial and end at acceptance. I am stuck somewhere in between. Never had a chance for denial. Waking up in the morning and the first thing I see is that I don't see pretty much kills any hope for denial. I also do not have the luxury of acceptance anytime soon. Life is and will be hard. So I'm stuck in between stages going from one stage to another back-and-forth with no chance to complete my grieving process. This is the most terrifying aspect of going blind.

Here is an easy way to permanently increase or decrease the voice speed of Fusion without wandering through the software setting option . Type Ctrl + Windows key + Alt + Page Up or Down to respectively increase or decrease Fusion voice speed. The change is permanent which means the voice speed will stay the same until you manually change it.

Latest news on Apple Music Classical… The service will be available through a downloadable app from the App Store. Unlike Apple Music, Classical will not be tethered to an operating system, which means the app will work with older iPhone model. So far, the app will work on iPhone 6 and newer models. Apple says iOS 15 is required, however. The interface will follow closely Apple Music’s design with a [possibly] new featured that are more adapted to classical music. The app should be out by March 28th. There are a few leaked pictures out there. Unfortunately these pictures have no text-description. I will update with details when they becomes available.

A very minor update with not much to talk about from an accessibility feature standpoint…. Which means the magnifier app that appeared on IOS 16 is still getting very hot during use. A small interesting thing tho… there is some code about the long awaited Apple Music Classical . An independent app from apple dedicated to classical music . Some of us could find this useful.

Hover text on iPad is broken and has been broken for a while. Hover text is an accessibility feature you can find on the setting app of your iPad . When activated, text located under tpointer or under the tip of your Apple Pencil enlarges in a separate window on your screen. it is a very useful function for llow vision individuals . Googling the issue on the internet shows 1000s of inquiries about the issue. Why does it take Apple so long to fix the issue ?

Android and Apple products all have their own accessibility gestures, both intuitive and easy to remember...As long as you stay within the same operating system. As intuative as they are, moving from one system to another requires learning new gestures. Same goes for text to speech features like VoiceOver (Apple) or TalkBack (Google). There also shouldn’t be patents associated to these kind of gestures and companies should not use these gestures as a way to keep the disabled within their own operating ecosystem. What do you think? Comment below.

Every Wednesday, we focus on one hotkey from Fusion to make interacting with your PC even faster than ever. Alf + Tab allows you to navigate from one open app to another. For example if you have Office Mail open on your PC and another window with MS Word, the hot key will bring alternatively each windows to the forefront of your screen everytime you press the keys. Usefull for copy-paste for example.

One of the reasons why Fusion does not exist for Apple product is that Apple usually does a good job. With accessibility . Almost all the features offered by Fusion on PC are available for free on any apple products. Almost but not all, Apple should work on cross hair. On Fusion, cross hair when activated follows the mouse pointer on the screen. Color, thickness and general design of the cross hair feature can be personalized . No such luck on any Apple product. Cross hair is very useful for low vision individuals especially those with narrow field of vision. You just canot miss the pointer with cross hair. And it is probably more efficient than incrasing the size of the pointer on the screen,