[fb-exchange] Cork technology club notes 8th July 2023

From: "Stuart Haxell" <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> ("Stuhax")
To: fb-exchange@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sat, 8 Jul 2023 14:27:10 +0100

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<html><head><meta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3D=
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ta http-equiv=3D"content-type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dus-ascii"><di=
v><br></div><div><br></div><div>Cork Technology Club Notes, 8th July 2023.</=
div><div><br></div><div>9 participants</div><div>Apologies received.</div><d=
iv><br></div><div>Good afternoon, everyone. It's me, the note taker. I'm her=
e this afternoon to guide you through the numerous hijinks and occasional te=
chnology discussions that took place at the Cork Technology Club this mornin=
g. So, sit back and enjoy the madness.</div><div><br></div><div>Four people s=
tarted off early. Ken asked if they still had to input the passcode to enter=
the meeting; everyone confirmed they did. The group then started talking ab=
out the weather. It was nice in the majority of places. It was very windy in=
a few places, and there was a bit of snow somewhere, if you can believe it.=
They then started talking about tennis, particularly Wimbledon. This was a r=
ather involved discussion.</div><div><br></div><div>Ger told the group that h=
e's after an iPhone that costs 600,000 euros to buy. It's apparently jewel-e=
ncrusted. Apple is only making three of them due to the expense. This was a f=
un discussion about the most expensive phones, one of them included a crysta=
l-backed iPhone. A number of other miscellaneous discussions also took place=
during this period. They included the accessibility of European websites an=
d apps, and the popularity of audiobooks in Germany because of all the drivi=
ng done in that country. The group agreed that on long journeys, sighted peo=
ple tend to listen to audiobooks in cars. VAT on audiobooks was also talked a=
bout; there is no VAT on paperback or CD books.</div><div><br></div><div>Jac=
kie told the group how she was able to connect Alexa to her TV, which she ha=
s named Chris. She finds it fantastic. It makes an inaccessible TV workable f=
or a blind person. She has to know what is on each channel. For example, she=
will tell Alexa to turn on channel 101; she cannot switch by channel name. J=
ackie included the steps she followed to set this up on her TV: Alexa will c=
hange channels but not on Sky box. These are the steps on the telly: Setting=
s, Devices, System, Voice Assistant, Works With. This directs you to a websi=
te where you sign in using your Amazon account, then you get a code to enter=
on the telly. Sighted help would be needed.</div><div><br></div><div>She wa=
s not sure if it would stop working if her Wi-Fi dropped. This then led to a=
discussion of inaccessible apps and how they have affected people. Joanne a=
lso gave us an update on how her robo vac is going for her. It went briefly m=
issing under a chair at one point but was quickly found. Jackie told the gro=
up that she is planning to get one of her own that she is going to name Jame=
s. Joanne and Jackie agreed that the robots are male in gender.</div><div><b=
r></div><div>There was an involved discussion on how you can reclaim VAT on a=
ccessible devices and the requirements for them to be eligible. The group co=
ncluded that any device that aids in accessibility can claim this. Paul aske=
d how much electricity it uses; Joanne was not sure, and Pat told her it sho=
uld be on the box. The model Joanne has is Eufy, and Jackie is planning on g=
etting the same version. Joanne thinks it is an American company.</div><div>=
<br></div><div>Jackie told the group that there is a version of the robo vac=
that will go back to its charging case and empty its bag before going out t=
o work again. This one is a Samsung model but has a very bad battery. Joanne=
said hers has at least 100 minutes of battery life. You can change the stre=
ngth of the suction for a mat or carpet.</div><div><br></div><div>Paul said h=
e still has an issue with VoiceOver jumping back to the top of a page when h=
e reads the journal. Paul goes to the story and clicks it to be read by Voic=
eOver. Pat said it has been updated frequently recently. Jackie said that th=
is was to improve how you commented on an article. It has become significant=
ly easier, according to Jackie. Paul said he has emptied the cache on his ap=
p. Jackie asked if he touched the phone while he listens. The group suggeste=
d he delete the app plus its data to perhaps fix it.</div><div><br></div><di=
v>Cearbhall brought up the issue of entering meetings with the Hable One. He=
asked Jackie if he should be hitting the number sign plus one to enter the m=
eetings. It did not work for him when he tried it this morning. Jackie was s=
urprised, as she has not had any issues doing that in other meetings before.=
She dropped out to test it during the meeting. Cearbhall finds it to be qui=
te a good device overall, and he uses it to control his phone. Jackie's test=
was successful; she was able to input the passcode with no issues.</div><di=
v><br></div><div>The Visionary's Choir is performing tonight in Dublin for t=
heir summer concert. The venue is the league of the blind on hill street. Th=
e doors open at 7 with the concert set to start at 7.30. Ticket prices are =E2=
=82=AC10 at the door. </div><div><br></div><div>The group had a very lo=
ng discussion about genetics and how visual impairment can come about.</div>=
<div><br></div><div>It then moved onto the topic of hearing aids and the req=
uirements that they should be able to connect to devices that utilize speech=
software and GPS. Pat mentioned to the group that you can use Apple AirPods=
as hearing aids. Jackie and Stuart have tried it out but found it to be bad=
. Jackie told the group that turning on the hearing aid setting can make pho=
ne calls difficult, as it makes it hard to hear people on the other end of t=
he phone. This setting was discussed for a while.</div><div><br></div><div>P=
at asked what MFI means. Jackie said that it referred to devices that work s=
olely with iPhone.</div><div><br></div><div>The group then went into a compa=
rison between iPhone and Android. The benefits and disadvantages were discus=
sed, as well as other devices such as the Kindle Paperwhite. None are as int=
uitive as the iPhone. One of the issues people found was that the speech sof=
tware tended to stick when people swiped. Paul brought up that sighted peopl=
e tended to vastly prefer other phones that are not iPhones.</div><div><br><=
/div><div>Flying cars were discussed, as a car has recently been approved in=
California that is going to be sold. This led to a discussion on safety and=
whether cars should be automated.</div><div><br></div><div>Roads and pothol=
es were talked about. The group then discussed whether they had ever gone su=
rfing in the past. Pat was the only one who had done so before.</div><div><b=
r></div><div>The group then discussed trains and how the most recent scam ca=
n unfairly target blind people. The scam is that people have been trying to s=
cam people out of money on the train by dressing up as staff. Blind people c=
annot verify if these people are actually staff, even if they provide their I=
D. This has been happening in Dublin recently. Ideas for combating this prob=
lem included asking them to include a QR code or Navi Lens on their IDs to h=
elp identify them. </div><div><a href=3D"https://tinyurl.com/2288es6a";>=
https://tinyurl.com/2288es6a</a> </div><div>This led to discussions on h=
ow hard it can be to identify people like this for blind people.</div><div><=
br></div><div>Chat GPT was discussed and how people have been using it on th=
eir iPhone. The app on the iPhone is called Chat GPT. </div><div><a hre=
f=3D"https://tinyurl.com/45bn6xsx";>https://tinyurl.com/45bn6xsx</a> &nb=
sp;</div><div>There were a number of humorous replies to this question.</div=

<div><br></div><div>Jackie asked if Cearbhall had used the new Soundscape a=

pp, Voice Vista. </div><div><a href=3D"https://tinyurl.com/Voice-vista"=

https://tinyurl.com/Voice-vista</a> </div><div>Cearbhall said that it i=

s very similar to Soundscape. They have recently added a search feature. You=
can add landmarks to it as markers. These landmarks are already present in t=
he app. It still uses open source maps. Cearbhall said that he is going to l=
ook into how to update open maps if possible. It uses the same software as S=
oundscape used to.</div><div><br></div><div>The meeting came to a conclusion=
at this point, with the participants deciding to break up for lunch. Hope y=
ou all enjoyed the recap this evening. Have a great week.</div><div><br></di=
v><div>Regards,</div><div>The Notetaker</div><div><div><br></div><div>Cork T=
echnology Club Notes, 8th July 2023.</div><div><br></div><div>9 participants=
</div><div>Apologies received.</div><div><br></div><div>Good afternoon, ever=
yone. It's me, the note taker. I'm here this afternoon to guide you through t=
he numerous hijinks and occasional technology discussions that took place at=
the Cork Technology Club this morning. So, sit back and enjoy the madness.<=
/div><div><br></div><div>Four people started off early. Ken asked if they st=
ill had to input the passcode to enter the meeting; everyone confirmed they d=
id. The group then started talking about the weather. It was nice in the maj=
ority of places. It was very windy in a few places, and there was a bit of s=
now somewhere, if you can believe it. They then started talking about tennis=
, particularly Wimbledon. This was a rather involved discussion.</div><div><=
br></div><div>Ger told the group that he's after an iPhone that costs 600,00=
0 euros to buy. It's apparently jewel-encrusted. Apple is only making three o=
f them due to the expense. This was a fun discussion about the most expensiv=
e phones, one of them included a crystal-backed iPhone. A number of other mi=
scellaneous discussions also took place during this period. They included th=
e accessibility of European websites and apps, and the popularity of audiobo=
oks in Germany because of all the driving done in that country. The group ag=
reed that on long journeys, sighted people tend to listen to audiobooks in c=
ars. VAT on audiobooks was also talked about; there is no VAT on paperback o=
r CD books.</div><div><br></div><div>Jackie told the group how she was able t=
o connect Alexa to her TV, which she has named Chris. She finds it fantastic=
. It makes an inaccessible TV workable for a blind person. She has to know w=
hat is on each channel. For example, she will tell Alexa to turn on channel 1=
01; she cannot switch by channel name. Jackie included the steps she followe=
d to set this up on her TV: Alexa will change channels but not on Sky box. T=
hese are the steps on the telly: Settings, Devices, System, Voice Assistant,=
Works With. This directs you to a website where you sign in using your Amaz=
on account, then you get a code to enter on the telly. Sighted help would be=
needed.</div><div><br></div><div>She was not sure if it would stop working i=
f her Wi-Fi dropped. This then led to a discussion of inaccessible apps and h=
ow they have affected people. Joanne also gave us an update on how her robo v=
ac is going for her. It went briefly missing under a chair at one point but w=
as quickly found. Jackie told the group that she is planning to get one of h=
er own that she is going to name James. Joanne and Jackie agreed that the ro=
bots are male in gender.</div><div><br></div><div>There was an involved disc=
ussion on how you can reclaim VAT on accessible devices and the requirements=
for them to be eligible. The group concluded that any device that aids in a=
ccessibility can claim this. Paul asked how much electricity it uses; Joanne=
was not sure, and Pat told her it should be on the box. The model Joanne ha=
s is Eufy, and Jackie is planning on getting the same version. Joanne thinks=
it is an American company.</div><div><br></div><div>Jackie told the group t=
hat there is a version of the robo vac that will go back to its charging cas=
e and empty its bag before going out to work again. This one is a Samsung mo=
del but has a very bad battery. Joanne said hers has at least 100 minutes of=
battery life. You can change the strength of the suction for a mat or carpe=
t.</div><div><br></div><div>Paul said he still has an issue with VoiceOver j=
umping back to the top of a page when he reads the journal. Paul goes to the=
story and clicks it to be read by VoiceOver. Pat said it has been updated f=
requently recently. Jackie said that this was to improve how you commented o=
n an article. It has become significantly easier, according to Jackie. Paul s=
aid he has emptied the cache on his app. Jackie asked if he touched the phon=
e while he listens. The group suggested he delete the app plus its data to p=
erhaps fix it.</div><div><br></div><div>Cearbhall brought up the issue of en=
tering meetings with the Hable One. He asked Jackie if he should be hitting t=
he number sign plus one to enter the meetings. It did not work for him when h=
e tried it this morning. Jackie was surprised, as she has not had any issues=
doing that in another meeting before. She dropped out to test it during the=
meeting. Cearbhall finds it to be quite a good device overall, and he uses i=
t to control his phone. Jackie's test was successful; she was able to input t=
he passcode with no issues.</div><div><br></div><div>The Visionary's Choir i=
s performing tonight in Dublin.</div><div><br></div><div>The group had a ver=
y long discussion about genetics and how visual impairment can come about.</=
div><div><br></div><div>It then moved onto the topic of hearing aids and the=
requirements that they should be able to connect to devices that utilize sp=
eech software and GPS. Pat mentioned to the group that you can use Apple Air=
Pods as hearing aids. Jackie and Stuart have tried it out but found it to be=
bad. Jackie told the group that turning on the hearing aid setting can make=
phone calls difficult, as it makes it hard to hear people on the other end o=
f the phone. This setting was discussed for a while.</div><div><br></div><di=
v>Pat asked what MFI means. Jackie said that it referred to devices that wor=
k solely with iPhone.</div><div><br></div><div>The group then went into a co=
mparison between iPhone and Android. The benefits and disadvantages were dis=
cussed, as well as other devices such as the Kindle Paperwhite. None are as i=
ntuitive as the iPhone. One of the issues people found was that the speech s=
oftware tended to stick when people swiped. Paul brought up that sighted peo=
ple tended to vastly prefer other phones that are not iPhones.</div><div><br=

</div><div>Flying cars were discussed, as a car has recently been approved i=

n California that is going to be sold. This led to a discussion on safety an=
d whether cars should be automated.</div><div><br></div><div>Roads and potho=
les were talked about. The group then discussed whether they had ever gone s=
urfing in the past. Pat was the only one who had done so before.</div><div><=
br></div><div>The group then discussed trains and how the most recent scam c=
an unfairly target blind people. The scam is that people have been trying to=
scam people out of money on the train by dressing up as staff. Blind people=
cannot verify if these people are actually staff, even if they provide thei=
r ID. This has been happening in Dublin recently. Ideas for combating this p=
roblem included asking them to include a QR code or Navi Lens on their IDs t=
o help identify them. This led to discussions on how hard it can be to ident=
ify people like this for blind people.</div><div><br></div><div>Chat GPT was=
discussed and how people have been using it on their iPhone. The app on the=
iPhone is called Chat GPT </div><div><a href=3D"https://tinyurl.com/45=
bn6xsx">https://tinyurl.com/45bn6xsx</a>  </div><div>There were a n=
umber of humorous replies to this question.</div><div><br></div><div>Jackie a=
sked if Cearbhall had used the new Soundscape app, Voice Vista.</div><div><d=
iv style=3D"display: block;" class=3D""><div style=3D"-webkit-user-select: a=
ll; -webkit-user-drag: element; display: inline-block;" class=3D"apple-rich-=
link" draggable=3D"true" role=3D"link" data-url=3D"https://tinyurl.com/Voice=
-vista"><a style=3D"border-radius:10px;font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica,=
Arial, sans-serif;display:block;-webkit-user-select:none;width:228px;user-s=
elect:none;-webkit-user-modify:read-only;user-modify:read-only;overflow:hidd=
en;text-decoration:none;" class=3D"lp-rich-link" rel=3D"nofollow" href=3D"ht=
tps://tinyurl.com/Voice-vista" dir=3D"ltr" role=3D"button" draggable=3D"fals=
e" width=3D"228"><table style=3D"table-layout:fixed;border-collapse:collapse=
;width:228px;background-color:#E9E9EB;font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, A=
rial, sans-serif;" class=3D"lp-rich-link-emailBaseTable" cellpadding=3D"0" c=
ellspacing=3D"0" border=3D"0" width=3D"228"><tbody><tr><td vertical-align=3D=
"center" align=3D"center"><img style=3D"width:228px;filter:brightness(0.97);=
height:404px;" width=3D"228" height=3D"404" draggable=3D"false" class=3D"lp-=
rich-link-mediaImage" alt=3D"preview.png" src=3D"cid:A9C77373-0426-4D61-8EBE=
-EFE14927D890" data-unique-identifier=3D""></td></tr><tr><td vertical-align=3D=
"center"><table bgcolor=3D"#E9E9EB" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0" widt=
h=3D"228" style=3D"font-family:-apple-system, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;t=
able-layout:fixed;background-color:rgba(233, 233, 235, 1);" class=3D"lp-rich=
-link-captionBar"><tbody><tr><td style=3D"padding:8px 0px 8px 0px;" class=3D=
"lp-rich-link-captionBar-textStackItem"><div style=3D"max-width:100%;margin:=
0px 16px 0px 16px;overflow:hidden;" class=3D"lp-rich-link-captionBar-textSta=
ck"><div style=3D"word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:500;font-size:12px;overfl=
ow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-align:left;" class=3D"lp-rich-link-cap=
tionBar-textStack-topCaption-leading"><a rel=3D"nofollow" href=3D"https://ti=
nyurl.com/Voice-vista" style=3D"text-decoration: none" draggable=3D"false"><=
font color=3D"#000000" style=3D"color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 1);">VoiceVista</font><=
/a></div><div style=3D"word-wrap:break-word;font-weight:400;font-size:11px;o=
verflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-align:left;" class=3D"lp-rich-lin=
k-captionBar-textStack-bottomCaption-leading"><a rel=3D"nofollow" href=3D"ht=
tps://tinyurl.com/Voice-vista" style=3D"text-decoration: none" draggable=3D"=
false"><font color=3D"#A2A2A9" style=3D"color: rgba(60, 60, 67, 0.6);">tinyu=
rl.com</font></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></t=
able></a></div></div><br></div><div> Cearbhall said that it is very sim=
ilar to Soundscape. They have recently added a search feature. You can add l=
andmarks to it as markers. These landmarks are already present in the app. I=
t still uses open source maps. Cearbhall said that he is going to look into h=
ow to update open maps if possible. It uses the same software as Soundscape u=
sed to.</div><div><br></div><div>The meeting came to a conclusion at this po=
int, with the participants deciding to break up for lunch. Hope you all enjo=
yed the recap this evening. Have a great week.</div><div><br></div><div>Rega=
rds,</div><div>The Notetaker</div></div><div><br></div><br><div dir=3D"ltr">=
<b>Sent from my iPhone</b></div></div></div></body></html>=

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[fb-exchange] Cork technology club notes 8th July 2023

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