A very busy notetaker today... Well done Stuart!
All the best,
-Adrian
On 2023-09-23 14:20, Stuart Haxell wrote:
Cork Technology Club Notes - 23rd September 2023
Good morning on this lovely September morning. Hope everyone is doing well today. I'll be providing you with your rundown of the Cork Technology meeting that recently took place. So sit back and enjoy the read or listen if you are using a screen reader.
9 participants
Three early birds joined before 11 this morning. Of course, they started off talking about the weather; we wouldn't be Irish if we didn't do that. The early meeting was occasionally interrupted by Siri from a participant's watch. They weren't saying her name or anything; the participants were quite surprised when it happened. This led to a brief discussion around smart devices and their responsiveness. They also briefly discussed the quick fire quiz and how well each of them has been doing on it. The highest score from the group was 108. The notetaker has got 41.
The meeting started with the group talking about iOS 17. Overall, it is quite a good update, apart from a few issues. Siri does not work for some people, and your ringtones can become mixed up even if you are just browsing through them. It will switch all your ringtones. This led to a discussion of Siri; a number of people have had it activate for some reason. One participant said that their emails have taken longer to load up since they updated. One participant has said that one-finger double-tap has been causing them issues since the update. The notetaker suggested adjusting the speed of the double-tap to fix this; the participant said this does not work for them as they have tried this. The conclusion from the group was that iOS 17 has not changed too much overall. Dictation has also caused issues for some people; it will not work when it has been engaged. iOS 17 will also attempt to auto-correct words you type; the participants weren't a fan of this feature. This led to a discussion of typing on the iPhone and how they have used predictive spelling in the past, as well as their experiences with dictation. This led to a discussion of voice notes and how the participants feel about them. Most of them do not like ones that are over 5 minutes at most. One participant has set up an automatic response to voice notes that are over 5 minutes, informing people to send them under 5 minutes if possible on WhatsApp. Siri cannot understand names according to a participant; you can change this by putting them into the pronunciation dictionary of the iPhone.
The topic of the solar panels came up again this week. This was an involved discussion. There was quite a debate on whether two schemes are currently being provided or just one. To find out if you are on the vulnerable list, you should call ESB Networks. To contact them, ring this number:1800 372 757 Information about the solar panel scheme has been provided in previous week's notes if anyone wishes to learn about it. Or follow this link: https://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/acc-mgmt/help/information-about-the-seai-solar-scheme-for-medically-vulnerable-customers
Martin said he had a problem with his computer in the last few weeks when it updated to Windows 11 without his approval. He is happy to report he was able to get his computer back to Windows 10 after finding the restore setting. This led to a discussion of different updates and how persistent they can be to get you to update. The group said that they do not feel that there is much difference between the two operating systems. To check if your PC will be compatible with Windows 11, call Microsoft and ask them by providing your specifications. Or go to the control panel to check. Or open the Windows key and type "about" to see your computer specifications. Or press the Windows key and search for "update" to see if you can download it.
Adrian brought up a Google extension for anyone who wishes to use it. It converts websites into a format that cuts out the advertisements on websites. It is similar to reader mode on an iPhone. The link to it is: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/text-mode-for-websites-re/phjbepamfhjgjdgmbhmfflhnlohldchb?hl=en-GB Adrian will be putting details of how to use this extension in a separate email to the FB list later. This led to a discussion of accessible websites. The favorite of most participants is Wikipedia. There is also a Wikipedia iphone app for anyone who may wish to use it: https://apps.apple.com/ie/app/wikipedia/id324715238
The group discussed the subscription process of joining the FB list for a while. It was a very detailed and involved conversation. The group concluded that it is a very tricky process and that you should ring someone to help you through the process.
The meeting ended after a brief discussion of food and robot vacuum cleaners. Christmas was briefly mentioned. Hope you all enjoyed the read.
Regards, the notetaker
Sent from my iPhone
