Cory Bohon

Since getting the iPad, it has completely changed where and when I consume media and do different computing tasks. I didn’t know how I would be using the iPad, but as it turns out, I can use it to do everything that I mostly did on my MacBook Pro, only on a slightly smaller device. I have thoroughly enjoyed using Safari, Pages, watching Youtube videos and consuming media (music, movies, etc.). But one thing I was missing was some way to write code and create new webpages.

Then comes Gusto, an application available right now in the iTunes app store for only $9.99 (US). It’s and easy to use tool for using FTP to access a server and edit webpages and files. I’m really enjoying it thus for and its enabling me to edit webpages that I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to do on my iPad.

My only complaint about this application is that I’m currently unable to access any server over SSH file transfer (SFTP). However, the iTunes description does state that this is a forthcoming feature in the application.

So, if you’re into website development and are sometimes away from your computer, make sure to couple Gusto and a Bluetooth keyboard with your iPad for the ultimate and portable website management tool.

If you’re following my Twitter feed, you probably know that I’ve been ecstatic about a fairly new content management system for Digital Humanists creating digital archives. The web software is called Omeka, and it’s out of the Center for Digital Humanities at George Mason University in Virginia.

Omeka has a rich API (application programming interface) that lets developers and creatives alike create awesome plugins and additional content that flows right along side of the CMS. I have been actively developing Omeka plugins for the past academic year at my university in hopes of making Omeka more accessible to visually impaired people accessing the Omeka archives. The development was sponsored by two grant-related projects that I’m involved with. The first project is LookListenTouch.org which I worked for Fall 2009, and BrailleSC.org that I’m currently working on.

People who are visually impaired generally access websites using screen reading software like JAWS or Apple’s screen reader VoiceOver. This software reads aloud what’s on the screen, but screen readers don’t work well with certain web content, namely Adobe Flash, JavaScript and Java applets. Fortunately, Omeka’s front-end doesn’t rely on any of the technologies, making it pretty accessible out-of-the-box. However, the accessibility plugins I’ve developed expand on the universal design model, making Omeka even more accessible.

The first of the plugins is an Access Keys plugin. This plugin lets the administrator assign Access Keys, which are one-character keyboard shortcuts, to basic Omeka functionality, such as go to the home page, browse by items, browse by collections, skip to next item, skip to previous item, and skip directly to the content. Normally people accessing websites with a screen reader need to listen to a list of menu items each and every time they listen to a page being read, but with the Access Keys model, they can memorize a set of keys, then jump to any page they wish to go to. For example, if you wanted to go to the search page, you can press Control + S and go directly to the search page in Omeka.

Access Keys can provide a ton of usability for user accessing a particular website, making navigation easier than ever before. The thing is, Access Keys have been around since around 1999 — why haven’t they been used before? Well, I’d suggest that’s partially because different web browsers use different modifier keys (i.e. pressing control, command, or shift before pressing the access key in order to activate a link). That’s why BrailleSC.org and LookListenTouch.org is advocating the standardization of modifier keys across different browsers, operating systems, and versions of browsers. This would make life easier for users and developers alike.

Continuing on the idea of Access Keys, I’ve also developed a custom Access Keys plugin that will allow an Omeka administrator to specify up-to 10 URLs and Access Keys that will be available from any page inside of Omeka. For example, you could go to Google.com by pressing Control + G.

Of course, Access Keys are limited to the number of letters and numbers available on the keyboard, so that’s 26 + 10 = 36 available keys. Symbols are not available for assigning Access Keys, and remember that if the shortcut assigned is also a shortcut for the web browser (i.e. in Internet Explorer Control + B is for bookmarking pages), then the assignment will overwrite the browser functionality.

The Last plugin that I’ve completed is one called “TextZoom” that, like its name implies, lets the user enlarge the text on the page. When the admin enables this plugin, they also can specify Access Keys for the enlargement functions. There is five levels of enlargement: default, small, medium, large, and extra large. When a user selects any of the enlargement levels, the settings are automatically remembered for 30-days using a cookie, so when they visit the site again, the text will automatically be enlarged for them. The user can then press the default option to go back to the default site and remove the cookie from their browser.

There are other plugins that I’m working on, including a Google Analytics plugin that will let an administrator look at current website tracking information right from within the admin pages.

Where Can You Get The Plugins?
I have the three plugins mention in detail above available for download at BrailleSC.org/development. I also have the source listed on my own development wiki at CoryBohon.com/development. The plugins are completely open source, so if you wish to take the source code an improve it you can under the terms of the included GNU public license.

If you have any questions about the plugins, you can email me directly at cory [at] corybohon [dot] com or cory [at] braillesc [dot] org.

Getting one step closer to being like Squarespace, Google’s Blogger has a new feature that makes designing your blog much easier. It’s called the Blogger Template Designer and it allows you to create your own templates in a matter of minutes with just a few simple clicks. Pretty nifty considering its price: free.

The Trash Bin in Mac OS X is a thing of beauty. Like most computer trash bins, you can place, restore, and permanently remove files from your system. But did you know there a few time-saving shortcuts for the Trash Bin in OS X?

If you want to move a file to the Trash, simply select it in the Finder and press Command + Delete and the file will be moved to the Trash bin.

If you want to empty the Trash, press Command + Shift + Delete and the Trash will be emptied.

You may have already known the previous two commands, but the next one I found completely by accident one day.

If you open the Trash bin and see a file that you wish to restore, select it and press Command + Delete again. The file will be moved back to its original location.

These keyboard shortcuts will definitely save you time in your file management. If you have any other tips or tricks, feel free to share them with me.

The other week I decided to order “The Wikipedia Revolution” by Andrew Lih after I heard Leo Laporte talking about it in his speech on journalism in today’s world. After reading the book, I would have to agree that this book is an awesome resource for anyone looking to get more information on Wikipedia.

Even though much of the book is focused on the online wiki-based encyclopedia, Lih gives your brain a stroll down memory lane by telling you the history of the wiki software and how it came to be. There’s also discussions about the GNU licensing and the idea of a “copyleft.”

One of my favorite chapters would have to be about the origins of a wiki in which Lih talks about the invention of Apple’s Hypercard technology that allowed hyperlinking between electronic documents back in the late 80s.

As someone who’s heard about, but wasn’t around to experience Nupedia, Hypercard, and Usenet, Lih gives a general overview of the technologies, how they came to be, and the role they played in structuring “The World’s Greatest Encyclopedia.”

This book is a joy to read and provides a lot of background information into the inner workings of Wikipedia. Plus, you can pick up a copy of the book for only $10 on Amazon — quite a steal in my opinion.