anne gibson
@kirabug.com
SFFH Writer, UX designer, design systems builder, and accessibility geek. Wrote the Alphabet of Accessibility Issues. She/her. Can roast a duck, knit, beat Skyrim, but can't make Tuna Helper. Has 3 jack russels: ages 4-7.
With it being Saturday evening one of my tasks is the Counting of the Pills. Also known as “can you get 20 transplant meds dosed out for the week and then take care of your own meds?”
The fact that I can’t count makes this more interesting let me tell you
The fact that I can’t count makes this more interesting let me tell you
January 17, 2026 at 9:14 PM
With it being Saturday evening one of my tasks is the Counting of the Pills. Also known as “can you get 20 transplant meds dosed out for the week and then take care of your own meds?”
The fact that I can’t count makes this more interesting let me tell you
The fact that I can’t count makes this more interesting let me tell you
Reposted by anne gibson
My non professional tip for adding Alt Text to an image is to pretend you want to show me something on your screen and you yell "Arnica, come see this!"
And I reply "Babe, I'm frying you homemade donuts, can you just DESCRIBE it to me?"
Whatever you would holler to me is the Alt text!
And I reply "Babe, I'm frying you homemade donuts, can you just DESCRIBE it to me?"
Whatever you would holler to me is the Alt text!
January 17, 2026 at 12:38 PM
My non professional tip for adding Alt Text to an image is to pretend you want to show me something on your screen and you yell "Arnica, come see this!"
And I reply "Babe, I'm frying you homemade donuts, can you just DESCRIBE it to me?"
Whatever you would holler to me is the Alt text!
And I reply "Babe, I'm frying you homemade donuts, can you just DESCRIBE it to me?"
Whatever you would holler to me is the Alt text!
Car: Learned Edmond grabbed her arm. “Look!”—
— RED LIGHT CAMERA AHEAD —
Me: spittake of iced tea all over the car
— RED LIGHT CAMERA AHEAD —
Me: spittake of iced tea all over the car
January 16, 2026 at 6:23 PM
Car: Learned Edmond grabbed her arm. “Look!”—
— RED LIGHT CAMERA AHEAD —
Me: spittake of iced tea all over the car
— RED LIGHT CAMERA AHEAD —
Me: spittake of iced tea all over the car
Reposted by anne gibson
I’m seeing posts from people (outside of MN) about how US citizens should carry their passports.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
January 16, 2026 at 12:17 AM
I’m seeing posts from people (outside of MN) about how US citizens should carry their passports.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
And let me say that *inside* MN, we are calmly responding to requests with: “No, I don’t have to show you any documentation.”
Because that’s how you protect everyone, regardless of immigration status.
Reposted by anne gibson
In April 2024, Spotify implemented a new scheme: songs with less than 1k streams per year would no longer receive royalties.
The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.
Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.
Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
January 15, 2026 at 4:58 PM
In April 2024, Spotify implemented a new scheme: songs with less than 1k streams per year would no longer receive royalties.
The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.
Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
The data for 2025 was just released via Luminate, and 88% of songs have been demonetized.
Read it again: 88% of songs on Spotify have been demonetized.
Reposted by anne gibson
Sometimes you send something you found online to a friend because you want to brighten their day, and sometimes you send something you found online to a friend with the precise attitude and bearing of a cat very carefully lining up their paw with the back of another cat's head.
January 16, 2026 at 8:00 AM
Sometimes you send something you found online to a friend because you want to brighten their day, and sometimes you send something you found online to a friend with the precise attitude and bearing of a cat very carefully lining up their paw with the back of another cat's head.
Reposted by anne gibson
THE HUMAN BRAIN: so we’re going to need between seven and nine hours of sleep every night in order to function
HUMANS: okay
THE HUMAN BRAIN: and I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure we never, ever get it.
HUMANS: okay
THE HUMAN BRAIN: and I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure we never, ever get it.
January 16, 2026 at 8:27 AM
THE HUMAN BRAIN: so we’re going to need between seven and nine hours of sleep every night in order to function
HUMANS: okay
THE HUMAN BRAIN: and I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure we never, ever get it.
HUMANS: okay
THE HUMAN BRAIN: and I’m gonna do everything in my power to make sure we never, ever get it.
It is time to go reread this essay from @scalzi.com from last June. whatever.scalzi.com/2025/06/03/w...
January 15, 2026 at 7:40 PM
It is time to go reread this essay from @scalzi.com from last June. whatever.scalzi.com/2025/06/03/w...
Reposted by anne gibson
the constitution has many flaws but addressing our current circumstances is not among them; the framers were in fact quite concerned about this kind of thing and were clear that it should not happen here
what they did not and could not guard against is the people in charge ignoring their plain text
what they did not and could not guard against is the people in charge ignoring their plain text
As it happens though, the framers of the US constitution did say it: in the 4th amendment, the 5th, the 10th, etc.
What they didn’t provide for is federal immigration enforcement of any kind, only “a uniform rule of naturalization.” Nor did they give the federal government a plenary police power.
What they didn’t provide for is federal immigration enforcement of any kind, only “a uniform rule of naturalization.” Nor did they give the federal government a plenary police power.
It goes without saying that in the US you’re not supposed to have a masked secret police that snatches people off the streets without knowing if they’ve committed a crime. That’s about as basic a requirement for a democracy as exists.
January 14, 2026 at 5:20 PM
the constitution has many flaws but addressing our current circumstances is not among them; the framers were in fact quite concerned about this kind of thing and were clear that it should not happen here
what they did not and could not guard against is the people in charge ignoring their plain text
what they did not and could not guard against is the people in charge ignoring their plain text
Screen reader users: having problems filling out forms? Check out this post from Freedom Scientific about upgrading Adobe Reader. blog.freedomscientific.com/download-the... #accessibility #a11y
Download the Latest Adobe Reader Update to Resolve an Issue Filling Out PDF Forms
A recent update to Adobe Reader introduced an issue that prevented users from filling out PDF forms with screen readers such as JAWS. When navigating a form, keyboard focus did not move from field …
blog.freedomscientific.com
January 14, 2026 at 3:58 PM
Screen reader users: having problems filling out forms? Check out this post from Freedom Scientific about upgrading Adobe Reader. blog.freedomscientific.com/download-the... #accessibility #a11y
Reposted by anne gibson
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, eat some cheese
Speaking words of wisdom, eat some cheese
January 11, 2026 at 4:44 PM
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, eat some cheese
Speaking words of wisdom, eat some cheese
Reposted by anne gibson
Good thing to remember when signing book contracts. Esp. since for most academic presses this doesn’t directly affect their bottom line at all so they’re likely to say yes w/o much pushback. (They make their money by selling off the rights to a foreign publisher who is commissioning the translation)
Authors, remember that you CAN insist on human translation for your foreign-language editions and have it written into your contracts. You can no longer just assume you're going to get a human to work on the book whose every word you wrote with intent.
January 14, 2026 at 6:21 AM
Good thing to remember when signing book contracts. Esp. since for most academic presses this doesn’t directly affect their bottom line at all so they’re likely to say yes w/o much pushback. (They make their money by selling off the rights to a foreign publisher who is commissioning the translation)
The only times I have ever used ChatGPT or any of its ilk were when I was required to use it to write design documentation “to speed up the process”. I spent more time editing it than if I had written it myself. Still pissed.
I don’t even know how to find it on my home system.
I don’t even know how to find it on my home system.
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open 'just to do quick research'
January 14, 2026 at 2:58 PM
The only times I have ever used ChatGPT or any of its ilk were when I was required to use it to write design documentation “to speed up the process”. I spent more time editing it than if I had written it myself. Still pissed.
I don’t even know how to find it on my home system.
I don’t even know how to find it on my home system.
Reposted by anne gibson
Everyone, read this story by @naomikritzer.bsky.social right now. About how a South Minneapolis neighborhood stands together in a crisis. Audiobook also included at the link.
I just reread The Year Without Sunshine because I loved it, thanks for reminding me. It anyone wants it here is the link to the magazine it was published in (Uncanny) www.uncannymagazine.com/article/the-...
The Year Without Sunshine - Uncanny Magazine
During one of the much smaller disasters that preceded the really big disaster, I met a lot of my neighbors online. I can’t remember if we set up the WhatsApp group because of the pandemic or the civi...
www.uncannymagazine.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:23 PM
Everyone, read this story by @naomikritzer.bsky.social right now. About how a South Minneapolis neighborhood stands together in a crisis. Audiobook also included at the link.
Reposted by anne gibson
The leftmost spot you can pin these dumb little widgets gets overlapped by the taskbar if you have it on the left side of the screen. Apple continues to be the standard-bearer for thoughtful design 🤪
January 14, 2026 at 2:37 PM
The leftmost spot you can pin these dumb little widgets gets overlapped by the taskbar if you have it on the left side of the screen. Apple continues to be the standard-bearer for thoughtful design 🤪
Reposted by anne gibson
Not. Even. Once. NOT EVER. What… I should *pay them for using what they already stole from me*? And *thousands* of my friends and colleagues? HARD PASS. *Some* things are worth starving for. 😡
RT if you've never had a tab of ChatGPT open 'just to do quick research'
January 14, 2026 at 2:32 PM
Not. Even. Once. NOT EVER. What… I should *pay them for using what they already stole from me*? And *thousands* of my friends and colleagues? HARD PASS. *Some* things are worth starving for. 😡
Watched the first "Steven Burns Alive" podcast on youtube tonight - about hospice and palliative care and dying. I didn't think it was a good idea to watch it until N was out of the hospital. Especially weird since I knew Steve in HS and I miss my HS friends. How did we get so old and so far away?
January 14, 2026 at 2:57 AM
Watched the first "Steven Burns Alive" podcast on youtube tonight - about hospice and palliative care and dying. I didn't think it was a good idea to watch it until N was out of the hospital. Especially weird since I knew Steve in HS and I miss my HS friends. How did we get so old and so far away?
alright, who’s using submission grinder and am i a fool for trying to keep track of my submissions outside of it?
thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com
thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com
The Submission Grinder
thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:46 AM
alright, who’s using submission grinder and am i a fool for trying to keep track of my submissions outside of it?
thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com
thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com
Reposted by anne gibson
If they cared about following the rules, they would already be following them.
January 13, 2026 at 10:51 PM
If they cared about following the rules, they would already be following them.
Reposted by anne gibson
when ICE asks you questions about your neighbors, you've never met your neighbors in your life. you've never even seen them from afar. neighbors? what neighbors?
ICE is targeting Hmong families in St. Paul as they go door to door looking for people to kidnap. they’re asking “do you have any Asian neighbors”
January 13, 2026 at 10:37 PM
when ICE asks you questions about your neighbors, you've never met your neighbors in your life. you've never even seen them from afar. neighbors? what neighbors?
If anybody wants a UX Designer part-time who's making an effort to build things the "old-fashioned way" (no AI, very little javascript, etc.) let me know.
i bet you could get a bargain on a bunch of really good software engineers right now just by promising they don't have to use ai
January 13, 2026 at 11:42 PM
If anybody wants a UX Designer part-time who's making an effort to build things the "old-fashioned way" (no AI, very little javascript, etc.) let me know.
I needed that
Yeah watching this on repeat it’s pretty much going to be the rest of my day.
Well, those boots were not made for walking
January 13, 2026 at 11:10 PM
I needed that
Reposted by anne gibson
In 2019 I jokingly said I expected “2020 will be like a naked guy high on bath salts running down the highway”
I am happy Nicolae has finally relieved me of this burden.
I am happy Nicolae has finally relieved me of this burden.
at the end of 2025, i joked with some friends that if 2026 wasn't going to be an improvement, it should at least have the decency to start out terribly, rather than getting our hopes up
today, i would like to apologize for my apparent unintended misuse of the lathe of heaven
today, i would like to apologize for my apparent unintended misuse of the lathe of heaven
look, it’s not like I expected this year to be *better* than 2025. but I didn’t expect it would get this bad this fast and that’s on me
January 12, 2026 at 2:17 PM
In 2019 I jokingly said I expected “2020 will be like a naked guy high on bath salts running down the highway”
I am happy Nicolae has finally relieved me of this burden.
I am happy Nicolae has finally relieved me of this burden.
I feel like it’s a good time to mention this amazing shirt. www.hogislandpress.com/product/norm...
Normalize Empathy
Normalize Empathy, restocked in all sizes. White and Perseverance Pink ink on a heather black poly-cotton shirt. $5 from each sale supports the...
www.hogislandpress.com
January 13, 2026 at 3:58 PM
I feel like it’s a good time to mention this amazing shirt. www.hogislandpress.com/product/norm...