#135 – The Long wrap Up

Episode Notes

A relaxed, gear-forward wrap-up with Damashe, Steven, and Michael: we talk favorite portable keyboards, why a tidy desk matters (especially when you’re done optimizing for TV backdrops), and how changing screen-reader pricing/models ripple across the community. Along the way we compare headsets, celebrate NVDA, reminisce about third-party Twitter apps, and poke fun at shipping hacks and world travel plans.

Highlights

• ProtoArc Tri-Fold keyboard (with numpad)

• Folds small, charges over USB-C, pairs to 3 devices with one button.

• Paging/Editing keys (PgUp/PgDn/Home/End/Delete) sit in a vertical strip between the main keys and numpad.

• Verdict from Steven: “Sold.” Damashe: “It’s been my favorite.”

• Studio reset > comfort over cameras

• Steven’s annual clear-out: retire “dead cables,” stop designing the room for TV backdrops, and optimize for radio/podcasting comfort.

• One-cable desk: laptop on a Belkin 11-in-1 wedge dock; power and peripherals route out the back so you unplug just one cable and go.

• Headsets & open-ear audio

• Damashe’s pick: Shokz OpenComm (OpenComm/OpenComm UC). Bone-conduction, comfortable, hardware mute button that works with Zoom/Teams—perfect for “mute-and-talk-to-the-cats” moments.

• Steven’s rotation: OpenComm boom when it counts; otherwise inexpensive open-ear “TrueFree” style buds (à la OpenFit/OpenFit Air). Caveat: if you don’t use them daily, they’ll be dead when you need them.

• Screen readers, pricing, and real-world choices

• UK JAWS “Home” subscription discussed as ~£420/year with no monthly option—raising hard questions for home users.

• Many will weigh NVDA more seriously; workplaces may still fund JAWS, but at home, cost and consistency matter.

• Michael notes he’s productive with JAWS plus add-ons (e.g., Leasey), but could script NVDA add-ons for what he needs.

• Sustainability & “single-developer” risk

• Open projects like NVDA thrive on community—but dependence on a few key people is a risk.

• Corporate stability (e.g., Vispero) helps, yet platform owners can break hooks/APIs at any time.

• Platforms that shift under our feet

• X/Twitter cut third-party apps—many accessibility gaps those apps filled never returned.

• Google’s habit of retiring products makes people wary (Gemini likely safe; everything else… maybe). Pixel leaks are practically a calendar feature.

• Chromebooks: fast for web, but hard to justify versus a Windows PC or a discounted M1 MacBook Air when prices climb.

• Travel & life bits

• October is packed: conventions (NFB state events, Texas), cruises, and training new employees.

• Future trip goals: Scotland soon—and Giza by 2028 for the pyramids promise.

Mentions

• ProtoArc Tri-Fold Keyboard with numpad
• Belkin 11-in-1 wedge dock
• Shokz OpenComm / OpenComm UC
• NVDA, JAWS, Leasey (JAWS productivity add-ons)
• Twitterrific, Spring (third-party Twitter clients, RIP)
• Google Gemini / Nest, Chromebook/ChromeBox
• MacBook Air (M1)

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