Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

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Robin Seaman, Agent of Inclusion

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

On February 16th in Los Altos, California, I shared these thoughts on Robin Seaman’s impact on the world with her family and friends at her Celebration of Life. Robin was beloved by the hundreds, if not thousands, of people who had the honor of coming into direct contact with her. That's the Robin we all collectively know personally. The sister, the aunt, the friend, the mentor.

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Using Software and Data to Change the World

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

I had the honor to be the opening keynoter for the first-ever Good Tech Fest , which was held in Detroit on May 22, 2018. It was a blast to be with an entire conference full of social good software and data people from around the world. Using Software and Data to Change the World We are in an amazing time. Society is a buzz about new technology: artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain, autonomous cars, the surveillance state, and more.

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Bringing Millions of Books to Billions of People: Making the Book Truly Accessible

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

I believe in the power of books to change the world. That is not a particularly radical belief among librarians, but I hope to make you believe even more in the power of books. Literacy and access to knowledge underpins just about every social good, from education, to economic development, to health, to women’s empowerment, democracy and respect for human rights.

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Tribute to My Mentor

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

In honor of Gerry Davis, April 2018 My mentor passed away earlier this month. I have had the benefit of numerous mentors over my long career, but Gerry Davis was The Mentor. We worked together for over 35 years, from the very beginnings of my Silicon Valley career. Gerry’s incredible advice guided me along my entire path, and so many crucial turning points went well because of Gerry’s invaluable insight and guidance.

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A Call for Millions: Ending the Global Book Famine for the Blind

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

There’s a global book famine afflicting people with disabilities. They lack the books they need for education, employment, and social inclusion. Billions have been spent addressing the problem over the past decade. I have good news: For $5 million a year, we can build a global library that provides tens of millions of people around the world who are blind, low vision, or dyslexic free access to books that will work for them.

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Why We Are Voting Against the W3C Decision on Encrypted Media Extensions

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

There is a big controversy in the technical standards area that impacts accessibility of content in web browsers. Ars Technica covered this recently in their post: Over many objections, W3C approves DRM for HTML5. Benetech is voting against the W3C decision on Encrypted Media Extensions (EME). Here is the statement that will accompany our vote: EME should not become a W3C Recommendation without adding provisions that safeguard the rights of accessibility and security researchers to do their job

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Seeing Through Walls for Greater Independence!

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

Kent Presents 2016 I just attended the second annual Kent Presents conference in Kent, Connecticut. It’s the brainchild of Donna and Ben Rosen, a New York power couple with connections to science, technology, politics, the arts and more. There were too many awesome talks to do them justice, but you are welcome to sample the session titles here. The talk that especially blew my mind was by MIT professor Dina Katabi.