Digital

Category: Meeting

  • All things Google (and more) – 13th February 2020

    Boot-up

    Visit to Barclays Eagle Labs – now arranged for the next meeting – 27th February. Here’s some more detail about what they’re all about.

    As part of Barclay’s community commitment,  we have also opened a new office in Cardiff designed to help businesses grow and start up in Cardiff. Great for budding Entrepreneurs (which statistics show can be high in the over 50s)  and inventors. Part of the Eagle Lab office hosts  a “Maker Space’ that houses laser cutting, vinyl printing, 3D printing, electronics equipment including soldering etc. It has a distinctly digital feel too with a really switched on Engineer running the lab. I will contact them to discuss what is actually available there and suggest things you might be interested in.

    I have  13 confirmed attendees. I’ll contact Ashley Croome (the switched on Engineer) with details of who’s coming and discuss whether we need to split into two groups, or just stay at one. After the Science Group visit he advised me … “For group sizes, with the science group we had about 10-15 per group and that seemed to work really well as it wasn’t so overcrowded that people didn’t get a chance to ask questions, and try things like the VR we have set up here.”
    The venue for the visit is:
    Barclays Eagle Lab, 1st Floor Brunel House, 2 Fitzalan Road, Cardiff, CF24 0EB

    Next meeting after Eagle Labs is on 12th March, then Paul will lead on 26th March and 23 April. I’m assuming there will not be a meeting on 9th April because of Easter. I’ll be back after that … for a while at least 🙂

    Whats Up with WhatsApp – an interesting discussion about how you can “trick” an Android tablet into believing it’s a phone (without a SIM) between Margaret, Jim, Paul and myself. I’m not sure I’m completely the wiser, but it revolves around a solution for an Android tablet that Paul had already described (which works for him) and is also described in this post and on an iPad this post describes how to do it. If you want to see the WhatsApp log of the chatter and confusion, look here.
    Undo Send function in Gmail (from desktop, not mobile) setup in Gmail Settings > General, selectable from 0 -30 secs, so not as long as I thought.
    Clearing Off-Facebook Activity and a video to help you.
    The death of Adobe Flash – Apple puts the boot in.
    We had a question about Exporting email from Tiscali (TalkTalk) from Ann, who was concerned she might lose her old emails. It looks like the most useful way of doing it is to setup POP3 Forwarding of an Email account into Gmail – in Gmail > Settings (gear wheel) in the browser …

    … get the correct settings for your server, as in …

    and as long as you’ve selected Enable POP for all mail (even mail that’s been downloaded) and as long as your email provider supports POP3, your email should be downloaded from that server and into Gmail.

    Gear Guide

    Has anyone bought, or obtained anything recently they’d like to tell us about? It doesn’t have to be a computer, laptop, tablet or phone – just something that’s digital, ie used a computer processor in some way?
    Here’s a provocative thought … what applications do you use that depend largely upon the use of a peripheral? Are you using the best application for that hardware? Perhaps you don’t have any choice, but if you do perhaps you should choose the most appropriate application for the hardware.
    Jim updated us on his broadband upgrade using his new Router liked to a SIM-card (have I got that right, Jim?). He’s also purchased a dongle to watch live Freeview TV. This is not connected to the broadband, but it might cause his battery to lose power a bit more rapidly than it did before.

    Apps Galore

    That slot in the meeting where members are encouraged to share their experience (and possibly excitement) at a new app they’ve started using for their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop machine.
    OpenStreetMap – creating maps for collaborators – a couple of examples – Canals and Railways, Land use and Buildings, but what about creating a shared Google Map ?

    What’s IT all about?

    That occasional slot in the meeting when we might do a bit of explanation of terms used in Computing, or in the use of digital devices.
    Mesh Networks – which ones are members using:
    Paul – BT solution
    Don – Deco M4, with TP-Link AC1200
    WiFi Reception – interesting fact … the range of the WiFi Router decreases as the signal frequency increases. However, the inverse also holds true, namely the closer you are to your WiFi router the greater the bandwidth you have as signal frequency increases. Therefore in a big house, maybe you need to employ 2.4Ghz; in a compact house it’s a good choice to use 5Ghz and maybe even employ a router that supports tri-band – which might give the best of both worlds!

    The main topic

    I use Google apps on my desktop and mobile devices – and I’m an Apple fanboy! However, it’s just come to my notice that a couple of Google developments have passed me by, which have caused me to think about whether I might be better to use more Google apps on my Apple mobile devices, rather than the native Apple apps
    I rely on Gmail and Calendar. I have done for years. It’s a family joke – “if it’s not in the Google Calendar – it’s not happening”. I have been caught out  few times. I also use (and will continue to use) Google Maps extensively for mapping, the Apple version is not quite there yet, but it’s improving!
    I have used Google Hangouts and Paul and I have tried to get that working – but it’s impractical to even try and demonstrate it at this location 🙁
    We have looked at Google Assistant, as a way of interfacing with the virtual world, but I haven’t embraced it – probably because I still rely on the native Apple mobile apps and Siri is the way into these; but, it would have to be said, probably not as well as Google (or Amazon – Alexa).
    But now I’ve become aware of Tasks, which you can access from Gmail, and  Calendar and if only it interfaced completely with Google Assistant – I think I’d be making the switch to using more Google apps on my Apple devices, but, and there’s always a but … why does Google makes things so difficult! Just remember there’s Google Keep (for notes) and Google Reminders (for reminders); and … you always have to remember Google have the nasty habit of dropping things just after you’ve got used to using them – Reader, Picasa and Google+ to name but three! Let’s have a look!
     

     

  • Managing email – 23rd January 2020

    Boot-up

    Visit to Barclays Eagle Labs – I’m thinking 13th February, but failing that 12th or 26th March
    Need a convenor/facilitator/presenter for 27th February, Paul has kindly offered to do 26th March and 23 April. I’m assuming there will not be a meeting on 9th April because of Easter.

    Gear Guide

    Has anyone bought, or obtained anything recently they’d like to tell us about? It doesn’t have to be a computer, laptop, tablet or phone – just something that’s digital, ie used a computer processor in some way?

    Apps Galore

    That slot in the meeting where members are encouraged to share their experience (and possibly excitement) at a new app they’ve started using for their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop machine.

    What’s IT all about?

    That occasional slot in the meeting when we might do a bit of explanation of terms used in Computing, or in the use of digital devices.

    The main topic

     

     

  • Systems that operate – 9th January 2020

    Boot-up

    Happy New Year

    Your Computing or Digital Resolutions? These were received and will prove very useful in framing the programme for the next few months. I’ll try and get a pretty copy of it prepared and provide a link to it so that you can all see what you wanted to achieve!

    News and other issues raised

    Last time I showed you Ookla’s Speedtest to find out the bandwidth (speed) of your home internet connections from wired and WiFi connections to your Router. We’ve got some Speedtest results posted on WhatsApp, but could do with some more. Any comments from David, Jim, Marilyn and Paul?
    Anyone on Virgin, who’s seen an improvement in their bandwidth? They’re upgrading all their customers (pre 1st Dec 2019) to 100Mbps download.
    End of life for Windows 7  (with video)
    What does this mean? What should you do? Further reading with suggested alternatives should you not wish to upgrade to Windows 10.

    Gear Guide

    Has anyone bought, or obtained anything recently they’d like to tell us about? It doesn’t have to be a computer, laptop, tablet or phone – just something that’s digital, ie used a computer processor in some way?

    Did anyone buy (or was given) anything interesting for Christmas

    What about the Turing Tumble – Build Marble-Powered Computers
    I bought an Apple HomePod and we’re delighted with it, although Siri does seem to be selective in what it finds from our Music Library, preferring to search Apple Music rather than look for our locally installed tracks. I’ve linked it to our Sonos Play:5 system – which has very good sound quality and through our Apple TV I can also play the Siri selected music through the HiFi system. It’s been an interesting project!

    Apps Galore

    That slot in the meeting where members are encouraged to share their experience (and possibly excitement) at a new app they’ve started using for their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop machine.
    Mario told us about an App that he’s found very useful in getting vertical lines for door frames, etc – or even getting the coffee table level! It is called Clinometer HD (on Android) and I think the same app is called Clinometer + bubble level (on iOS) where it costs £1.99.
    Renee told us about iNaturalist which is Free on iOS (not sure whether it’s available on Android) which is helpful in identifying matters natural (plants, etc.)
    I added there was an app called iGeology which gives you an idea of the geology of anywhere in the UK through maps.

    What’s IT all about?

    What’s an Operating System?

    I thought given the immediacy of the Windows 7 “end-of-life” date, that discussing and talking about Operating Systems might be appropriate, and thanks Paul for planting the seed of the idea!
    First a set of videos to set the scene …
    An introduction (see Reference List below for text accompanying this video) …

    … and the place of Operating Systems in a historical context …

    … and then the beginnings of a technical information fo what they do …

    [If you want to learn more you can follow the later videos in the series of the last one.] So … some of important functions of an Operating System that originated and still exist in multi-user computers  – the ones we may connect to when doing online banking, or shopping, are:

    • Memory Management
    • Processor Management
    • Device Management
    • File Management
    • Security
    • Control over system performance
    • Job accounting
    • Error detecting aids
    • Coordination between other software (applications) and users including the provision of application program interfaces to allow applications access to core OS functions

    … and some of the important activities that an Operating System performs on a shared multi-user mainframe-like computer are:

    • Security − By means of password and similar other techniques, it prevents unauthorised access to programs and data.
    • Control over system performance − Recording delays between request for a service and response from the system.
    • Job accounting − Keeping track of time and resources used by various jobs and users.
    • Error detecting aids − Production of dumps, traces, error messages, and other debugging and error detecting aids.
    • Coordination between other softwares and users − Coordination and assignment of compilers, interpreters, assemblers and other software to the various users of the computer systems.

    Of course Operating Systems have evolved from being programs that manage multi-user access to a shared computer, to being the program that controls (manages) a single-user’s access to their personal computer or mobile device through a User Interface – perhaps the feature most users equate with an Operating System –  but that’s not where it ends.
    The OS is critically involved in the way that computers are connected to networks, and in the way that computers (devices) are connected to each other. This extension of the Operating System (the incorporation of the way personal computing devices connect together using a LAN, dial-up or WiFi into the code of the OS) is where we are today. Together they work effectively as the brain of the computer.
    From the second reference below …
    An operating system is the core set of software on a device that keeps everything together. Operating systems communicate with the device’s hardware. They handle everything from your keyboard and mice to the Wi-Fi radio, storage devices, and display. In other words, an operating system handles input and output devices. Operating systems use device drivers written by hardware creators to communicate with their devices.
    Operating systems also include a lot of software—things like common system services, libraries, and application programming interfaces (APIs) that developers can use to write programs that run on the operating system.
    The operating system sits in between the applications you run and the hardware, using the hardware drivers as the interface between the two. For example, when an application wants to print something, it hands that task off to the operating system. The operating system sends the instructions to the printer, using the printer’s drivers to send the correct signals. The application that’s printing doesn’t have to care about what printer you have or understand how it works. The OS handles the details.

    The OS also handles multi-tasking, allocating hardware resources among multiple running programs. The operating system controls which processes run, and it allocates them between different CPUs if you have a computer with multiple CPUs or cores, letting multiple processes run in parallel. It also manages the system’s internal memory, allocating memory between running applications.
    The operating system is the one big piece of software running the show, and it’s in charge of everything else. For example, the operating system also controls the files and other resources these programs can access.
    Most software applications are written for operating systems, which lets the operating system do a lot of the heavy lifting. For example, when you run Minecraft, you run it on an operating system. Minecraft doesn’t have to know exactly how each different hardware component works. Minecraft uses a variety of operating system functions, and the operating system translates those into low-level hardware instructions. This saves the developers of Minecraft—and every other program that runs on an operating system—a lot of trouble.
    In complex control systems such as a power station, or weapons system there will be elements of a stripped down operating system at the core of the dedicated task the system is programmed to carry out. It is important that there is at the heart of every system some core code that interacts with the basic components of the system – its processor, its memory, the resources it calls upon and the devices it controls. That is the Operating System.
    A selected reading list:
    What is an Operating System (with the first video)
    What is an Operating System (a bit more technical, and informative)
    How Operating Systems Work (the more or less complete guide for those who have difficulty sleeping)
    … and here with a little history for those that have an Apple bent …

    … and for a bit of fun, back to 1998 when personal computers first became a piece of equipment that you’d consider having in your living room …

    … by the way, I have a friend who still has a working G3 iMac. I’m moving his work on it on to a new iMac in the next couple of weeks.
     

  • It's Internet Thursday – 28th November 2019

    Boot-up
    No meeting in December – apologies
    News and other issues raised
    I came across this in my Feedly – which I wouldn’t have seen in any other way – you might want to follow it up. Energy Pricing from the Big Six.
    Gear Guide
    Has anyone bought, or obtained anything recently they’d like to tell us about? It doesn’t have to be a computer, laptop, tablet or phone – just something that’s digital, ie used a computer processor in some way?
    Not bought but perhaps considering buying a grandchild, niece or nephew a camera? [US site, so you’ll have to search for a UK price and supplier.] Similarly, not gear exactly but are you making the most of your Amazon Prime subscription – if you’ve got one?
    Christmas Gift Ideas
    Turing Tumble – Build Marble-Powered Computers
    Apps Galore
    That slot in the meeting where members are encouraged to share their experience (and possibly excitement) at a new app they’ve started using for their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop machine.
    Feedly, Flipboard, Pocket and Evernote re-visited – getting the information delivered to you, that you want, when you want it! Today I want to look principally at Feedly.
    Feedly and Feedly Pro
    – the Pro version offers no adverts, ability to save to Pocket, Evernote, etc. Let’s look at the free version (using a free account I set up earlier) …
    Login to Feedly
    Flipboard
    I use this application to create magazines as I’ve described in the link to an earlier post; but you can also use it in a similar way to Feedly to search for content and have that delivered to you. The latest article I added to my Thought Grazing magazine for you to read is here. It describes the way that Firefox is attempting to create a “more friendly” web. A subject we’ll return to later.
    Pocket and Evernote I’ve recently discussed. These are (with Browser extensions, or linked apps on a smartphone, or tablet) great ways of curating, or archiving, content to read later.
    What’s IT all about?
    About time for another batch of Speedtest results? Get the Speedtest app from your Apple or Google app store to test your Internet speed and share the results on WhatsApp.
    Here’s the result from my iMac beside the router that sits on my desk …

    … and an impressive result using WiFi from the computer to the router beside the computer …

     
    … and for my iPad beside the iMac, using WiFi …

    What do you think that tells me? You can even share your results using a link like this one.
    A contract for the web
    The Richard Dimbleby Lecture (ignoring the rudeness of Jonathan D. towards the Russian Embassy person towards the end) on iPlayer.
    Tim Berners-Lee and “Contract for the Web”
    An Article in The Guardian from earlier this year and one from the NY Times this week.

  • Video-calling, new use for Kindle/Evernote, different realities? – 14th November 2019

    Boot-up
    Visits. We agreed visits to the Barclays ‘Maker Space’ which Mario will arrange for us after Christmas, and also a visit to the new BBC Centre after Easter.
    Fred has offered to contact Brains and their new brewery at Cardiff Gate for a visit before Christmas. This has fallen through – should we have a social event instead; maybe at Cornerstone?
    I have agreed with Mario that I will make the arrangements for the ‘Maker Space’ visit.
    News and other issues raised
    Posting to the blog – thanks Jim; you’re all welcome and able to post.
    A thumbs-up for “We will fix your PC” – Renee and Margaret …
    “Located on Parc Ty Glas directly opposite Bannatynes Health Club. 39 Lambourne Crescent Cardiff Business Park CF14 5GG.
    Mon – Fri 9 – 17 30 Sat 10 – 14 30. No appointment needed.
    Friendly. Experienced. Local. No fix no fee. Free quote.
    Phones repaired whilst you wait.
    iPhones fixed within 15 – 60 minutes.
    iPads repaired the same day.
    Walk in service. 02920 766039. 07999 056096″.
    … personal recommendations from at least three members!
    An update for older iOS (Apple) devices – linked to GPS signals changing which mean location-based services on old iPhones/iPads would cease to work.
    New Apple MacBook Pro announced … in time for Christmas. Anyone got £2500 to spare for the base model.
    Gear Guide
    Has anyone bought, or obtained anything recently they’d like to tell us about? It doesn’t have to be a computer, laptop, tablet or phone – just something that’s digital, ie used a computer processor in some way?
    Bluetooth transmitter [Marilyn, David] Augmented reality on a phone [Jim] Apps Galore
    That slot in the meeting where members are encouraged to share their experience (and possibly excitement) at a new app they’ve started using for their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop machine.
    Using a Kindle, or a Kindle app (desktop or tablet) in a novel way. An attempt at a demonstration??
    Removing content from a Kindle Device and deleting it from your Amazon account
    Another use for Evernote – Evernote Web Clipper extension. Demonstration.
    What’s IT all about?
    Not this week
    Video-calling
    Facebook Portal – and options
    Can you trust Facebook Portal devices with your Privacy – surprisingly … possibly yes! It works with Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp and makes use of Alexa.
    What are the alternatives?
    Google Hangouts – multi-point video-conferencing (Personal if using Chrome/Brave and logged-in to your Google account) and Google Duo – new point-to-point video-calling (Personal – same advice applies).
    Apple Facetime and Group calls
    Amazon Alexa and Echo
    Always Skype (from Microsoft) – same flexibility as Google Hangouts
    and of course video-calls in WhatsApp …
    A review from Time magazine of the alternatives.
     
     
     
     
     

  • Making your browser work for you – 24th October 2019

    Boot-up
    Is anyone having any difficulties in connecting to the Thought grazing website?
    Does anyone want to join the WhatsApp Group but is unsure how to do it?
    [Note for self … I need to add member to Contacts on my phone, then I can see them in WhatsApp to add them as a member of the Group. Easy when you know how … duh!]
    Incidentally Paul has written a post detailing how you can add WhatsApp to a Tablet.
    Any other ideas?
    Visits. We agreed visits to the Barclays ‘Maker Space’ which Mario will arrange for us after Chrtistmas, and also a visit to the new BBC Centre after Easter.
    Fred has offered to contact Brains and their new brewery at Cardiff Gate for a visit before Christmas. Any update?
    News and other issues raised
    Renee asked about opening compressed files in emails on an iPhone. We got some way to solving that one, but agreed to take it onboard as a conversation on the WhatsApp Group. I must confess to having forgotten about this – apologies.
    I’ve switched-off Office 2011 already as my default app on my Mac for opening Microsoft Office files, it’s now the Apple programs that open these for me, but you could chose Open Office, Libre Office or Google Docs – they are all compatible with the .docx, and .xlsx file formats. I covered how to change the default apps to open a document for MacOS last time, here (taken from this link) are the instructions for doing the same in Windows 10 …

    You may need to deal with different types of files on daily use. Windows 10 uses certain program to open certain types of files by default. For example, a text file with .txt extension will always open in a Notepad app. It works fine in general scenario for quickly accessing the file content. However, it will be annoying to open HTML file in Edge when you want to open it in Google Chrome installed on your PC. Good thing is that you can choose the default program to open a file type in Windows. In addition, you can also setup default applications like browsers for general use and select the different programs on need basis.
    To skip to the place where you can assign a file extension to an application – scroll down to Point 4. Also note (as in Point 7) that Windows allows you to do things in more than one way – choose whichever one you feel comfortable with. Finally Point 9 allows you to change the default app to open the file by right-clicking on the filename – much the same way as I described for the Mac.

    1. Setup Default Apps in Windows 10

    Windows 10 offers a dedicated setting to setup default apps to open different files. Press “Win + I” shortcut keys and open Windows Settings app and click on the “Apps” option.

    Windows App Settings
    Windows App Settings

    Select “Default apps” from the left sidebar. You will see a list of default apps assigned to open email, music, photos and web browser.

    Windows Default Apps Settings
    Windows Default Apps Settings

    Click on any of the app to change the default settings. For example, you will see that Outlook 2016 has been set here as a default email client, however Windows 10 recommends using the Mail app. You can change the default Email client from Outlook 2016 to the Mail app. Click on Outlook 2016 and a popup will show all available email apps on your computer.

    Change Default Email App
    Change Default Email App

    Select Mail app from the list and the default Email app will change immediately. However, should you want to change the web browser to Chrome or Firefox, Windows will push will push you to confirm the switch.

    2. Additional Default Apps Settings

    Scroll down the settings page to view additional options:

    • Reset
    • Assign app for file types
    • Setup apps for protocols
    • Set defaults by app
    Resetting and Other Default Apps Settings
    Resetting and Other Default Apps Settings

    3. Resetting Default Apps to Recommended Apps

    Windows 10 recommends apps like Mail for opening emails. If you have changed the default app settings, click on “Reset” button. This will help you to reset back the recommended apps as your default apps.

    4. Choose Apps for File Types

    Scroll down to the bottom of “Default apps” settings screen and click on the link on “Choose default apps by file type”. You will see a huge list of file extensions and the application you can use to open each file type. For example, the default app to open .pdf file is Microsoft Edge. However, you can click on it and change to Adobe Acrobat Reader.

    Choose Apps for File Types
    Choose Apps for File Types

    You will see a “Choose a default” option when there are no default apps available. This is a useful option to check and assign apps or install required apps to open a file type. So that each time you do not need to select or search the app.

     

    5. Choose Default Apps by Protocol

    Windows use many protocols to open specific files. For example, it uses the popular HTTP or HTTPS whenever you access a HTML webpages. It uses MailTo protocol for opening email messages. So, click on “Choose default apps by protocol” link if you want to set up default apps according to individual protocols. You can assign a new app when there are no default apps setup or change the existing app by clicking on it and choosing a new one.

    Setup Apps Based on Protocols
    Setup Apps Based on Protocols

    6. Set Defaults by App

    Windows 10 also allows you to set defaults for any installed apps on your computer. This feature is useful when you have multiple apps installed on your PC which can open same file types. Simple example is Firefox or Chrome which open HTML pages similar to Edge. Click on the “Set defaults by app” link and choose the app from the list. You will see a “Manage” button and click on it.

    Set Defaults by Apps
    Set Defaults by Apps

    On the next screen, you can assign the app to open supported file types.

    File Types Supported by App
    File Types Supported by App

    7. Accessing Default Apps from Control Panel

    The problem with Windows operating system is that you can the same settings in different ways. Being said that, you could also access “Default apps” settings from Control Panel.

    • Press “Win + E” keys to open File Explorer.
    • Paste this path on the address bar “Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs” and hit enter key.
    • You will see the “Default Programs” settings open from Control Panel like below.
    • Click on one of the following links to go the “Default apps” settings as explained above.
      • Set your default programs
      • Associate a file type or protocol with a program
      • Set program access and computer defaults
    Default Programs Settings from Control Panel
    Default Programs Settings from Control Panel

    8. Choosing Default App When Opening File

    It is difficult to setup the default programs in advance when you do not have a specific file on your PC. For example, someone can send you a YAML file in email and Windows 10 will not have any default apps associated to open .yaml files.
    When you have a file with no associated apps, Windows 10 will show the file with plain white file icon. Double click on the file and choose “Try an app on this PC”.

    Double Click to Choose App
    Double Click to Choose App

    You will see list of apps that can help to open the file. Choose an app and click “OK” to open the file.
    If you always want to open the file type with the selected app, then check the option “Always use this option to open .xxxx files”. Now that Windows will change, the file icon with the selected app icon file and always open the file with the selected apps. In this way, you can setup default apps when you received an unknown file type.

    Set Default Apps
    Set Default Apps

    9. Change Default Apps

    Finally, you may have another scenario wrongly assigned a default app to a file type. Do not worry! Right click on the file and you will see different content menu depending on the file type.

    • Click on “Open with…” option.
    • Select “More apps”.
    • Choose the app you want to change.
    • You can use different app for one time or check “Always use this app… option to change the default app.
    Change Default App
    Change Default App

    On certain apps, the “Open with” menu will also show additional sub-menu items like below.

    Sub Menu for Open With Option
    Sub Menu for Open With Option
    • Choose one of the available apps to open the file for one time with that app.
    • Select “Search the Store” to open Windows Store and search relevant apps to open the file.
    • Click “Choose another app” and choose another app that is not showing in the list. You can use the app for one time and set it as a default app.

    Conclusion

    Many times, you will receive unknown files from your family or friends and you cannot open in Windows 10 default apps. Now you know how to setup default apps, change them and search in Windows Store for relevant apps. Good luck!

    Opening a Compressed File on a Smartphone
    Renee asked about opening compressed files on her iPhone. I found this article which seems quite comprehensive. It would appear that a general purpose way of doing things is first to “share” the file to the Files application which is present on iOS after v.7. You can then do much more with the file once you’ve moved it out of the email application. A similar post for Android is to be found from this link.
    Email messages going to Spam Folder which are legitimate
    This is a problematic issue. Generally there may be a number of levels of Spam intervention, and it’s not easy always to detect where the incorrect marking is going on.
    Here is a lengthy article that explains how email is marked as Junk, and how to prevent it happening (so-called Whitelisting) for a number of eMail providers …
    When emails arrive from <insert email address here> they may periodically be placed in your junk or spam folder by your email software. The information below describes how to stop this from happening.  The first step is usually to add <insert email address here> to your email contact list (so they know you know us).
    Why you may be having email problems
    The volume of Spam/Junk Mail/Bulk Mail nowadays has caused ALL email providers to now “filter” your emails on their mail server before they deliver them to you.
    Unfortunately these filters tend to be very aggressive and are far from fool-proof. It’s very common for email filters to mistake legitimate email for junk, so emails you wanted to receive don’t get delivered to you.
    How your email providers filtering system works
    When someone sends you an email, first it arrives at your email providers mail server (eg btinternet.com, yahoo.com, hotmail.com, gmail.com, msn.com, etc) where their system filters it by scanning it and checking it for spam.
    If the email looks legitimate, they then deliver it to your inbox.
    But, if their filter suspects that the email might be junk, it places it in a separate “junk” folder where you can go in later and review it to decide for yourself if you want to receive it or not.
    Below are listed instructions on how to whitelist (allow emails) for the most popular types of email programs. For email programs that run on your PC as well (i.e. Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook), please see your programs help files for adding <insert email address here> to your address book.
    Whitelist Instructions (alphabetically)
    BTInternet
    BT Internet is now operated by Yahoo Mail – you can go to this link to discover more if you still have your email service from BT supplied by Yahoo and follow the link “Marking emails as Spam or Not Spam”. If your service is supplied by their “new” email service – BT Mail – use this link. Follow the Safe Senders link on this page.
    Gmail
    For Gmail, I would suggest you look at this link.
    Hotmail:
    Click the Options link, on the main menu tabs, then Safe List. Type: <insert email address here> in your Safe List. If you see a message that should not be in your Junk Mail folder, click ‘This is not Junk Mail’ to avoid having e-mail from the same source sent to the Junk Mail folder in the future.
    Apple iCloud 
    Manage junk mail using the online iCloud service.  Click here for guidance

    Mozilla Thunderbird
    Initially, the automatic junk mail detection for incoming messages might not be very accurate and you should check your Junk folder to see whether e-mail has been mistakenly detected as junk. To prevent this from happening in the future, you need to mark e-mail as not junk. Do this by right-clicking on the e-mail and choose “Mark -< As Not Junk”.
    Outlook 2003
    If the Junk E-Mail Filter accidentally catches mail from <insert email address here>, you can simply add the From address, <insert email address here>, to the Safe Senders list, and no future e-mail from this address will be inspected by the filter.

    Yahoo! Mail (also BTInternet)
    Yahoo mail filters work on the Yahoo server so your emails are filtered by Yahoo BEFORE they arrive at your computers email program. So, if you’ve looked inside the spam folder on your computer and the email is not there, it is most probably sitting in your other spam folder on the Yahoo server:
    Open your Yahoo mailbox (http://www.mail.yahoo.com) or BTYahoo mailbox (http://www.bt.yahoo.com).
    Click Mail Options.
    Click Filters.
    Click Add Filter.
    In the top row, labelled ‘From header:’ make sure Contains is selected in the pull-down menu. Click in the text box next to that pull-down menu, then enter the address: <insert email address here>
    At the bottom, where it says “Move the Message To:” select Inbox from the pull-down menu. Click the Add Filter button again.
    If Alert has been filtered to your “bulk” folder, simply open the message and click on the “This is not Spam” link next to the “From” field.

    Other providers:
    If an obvious option is not available, try moving the message to your ‘inbox’ or forwarding the message to yourself.
    If subsequent messages continues to be filtered, call or e-mail your ISP’s technical support and ask how you can be sure to receive all e-mails from <insert email address here>.
    If you use a Web mail system or email application not listed above, the instructions for whitelisting our address will depend on the specific email program you are using.
    If you access the help files, instruction manual or customer support, there should be instructions on how to do this.
    In most cases, just by adding our From address, <insert email address here>, to your address book, safe list, white list or contact list will be sufficient.
    Otherwise, the most likely course of action to provide a solution if all else fails is to select one of the emails from <insert email address here>  and click on the Not Spam or Not Junk button, if available.
    For more information about your mail application, please visit the help section that is associated with your mail application.
    Here are some relevant links:
    An easy guide covering the same ground as above.
    Virginmeda Email spam settings
    If you’re with TalkTalk – there may be a bit of an issue!!
    Sky’s email is provided by Yahoo! So follow the advice above and mark email as “Not Spam” – hopefully it will learn!
    Generally, I recommend using Gmail and ignore the ISP’s email – it’s much easier to switch supplier. If you don’t want to use Gmail, then use Apple’s email or Microsoft’s email – you know they won’t disappear and will be reliable.
    Mailtrack (for Gmail) to get Reply Receipts
    You can get Mailtrack for Gmail (to work in Chrome/Brave) or as an Android app. There isn’t an iOS version currently. After you’ve installed Mailtrack you will get a screen like this when you open Gmail after connecting Mailtrack to a Google Account …

    … you can then compose a message …

    … and you have the choice of being notified, or not, about the reception of the message. Opening the Sent Folder, you will see this …

    … which shows one green tick against the message – it’s been sent, but not read. In the recipient’s Inbox you might see something like this …

    … the message hasn’t been opened yet. Once I’ve opened it, the message appears at the bottom of the email that the Sender has been notified of read receipt …

    … and returning to the sender’s email Sent Box you can see that the message now has two green ticks indicating read as well as sent …

    … I hope this helps. I haven’t found anything similar for the iPhone/iOS but I understand Mailtrack may be working on it.

    Gear Guide
    Has anyone bought, or obtained anything recently they’d like to tell us about? It doesn’t have to be a computer, laptop, tablet or phone – just something that’s digital, ie used a computer processor in some way?
    Apps Galore
    That slot in the meeting where members are encouraged to share their experience (and possibly excitement) at a new app they’ve started using for their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop machine.
    What’s IT all about?
    Not this week
    Making your browser work for you
    But first … LastPass. A password manager is an application that stores URLs that you ask it to together with the user credentials that you supplied the website with when you registered with it. There are a number of password managers – here’s one review of the best of them and here’s another one. I’ve been using LastPass for a number of years now, and I don’t propose to change! So, I’ll be focussing on showing you how I use it. [Dashlane does come out as a possible alternative though.] Although there are Free (or trial) versions of most of these, if you want to use the same system on more than one machine, or have a version that works on your smartphone/tablet as well then you’ll probably have to pay something to use it. Against this expense you MUST match the convenience of never having to write your user credentials (UserID and Password) down in a book, stick it on a Post-IT note on your computer or a scrap of paper that you never can find again! And that it is secure. How does it work …
    An introduction to LastPass
    Setting up a Family Vault
    A complete list of LastPass Training Videos
    Setting up LastPass as a Browser Extension
    … so Extensions – making life easier?!? Available for Chrome (Brave), Firefox, Safari and Microsoft Edge. I’ll try and show you how they work, how to install them. The ones I like and use are listed below …
    LastPass
    Evernote – clips content from a webpage so that I view it offline, annotate it and Bookmark it for future reference. You could also use OneNote in the same way.
    Pocket – again a Bookmark application that stores the content of a webpage online and then syncs it to your device for offline reading.
    AdBlock Plus – blocks ads, allows you to Whitelist certain sites
    Zoom – to change the size of the fonts on the webpage
    Bitly – shortens a URL, also Tiny URL
     
     
     
     

  • Online banking and shopping – 10th October 2019

    Welcome & Boot-up
    Introductions for the last time!
    What do you want / expect from the Group?
    Please tick your attendance, pay £1.50 and agree that you want to join the “Thought grazing” website I run where the notes of the meeting are posted, and if you are interested in joining a WhatsApp Group.
    For those who’ve expressed an interest in “Thought grazing” and establishing a WhatsApp Group, I’ll send out an email following the meeting with UserIds and Initial Passwords for new members. [You can change your password if you want to – I’ll write a post that explains how you can do that.] The Password for Protected pages on the website is the same as everyone’s initial UserId Password, namely – Ca3rdyddU3A
    Does anyone have any difficulties in connecting to the Thought grazing website?
    Does anyone want to join the WhatsApp Group but is unsure how to do it?
    [Note for self … I need to add member to Contacts on my phone, then I can see them in WhatsApp to add them as a member of the Group. Easy when you know how … duh!]
    Incidentally Paul has written a post detailing how you can add WhatsApp to a Tablet.
    Do we all know the difference between Google and an Internet Browser?  – Don’t be shy. This is perhaps the most important thing to be sure about before we go any further. Two links to look at – Just google it … and the notes from the first meeting last year.
    What’s happening to Digital Projects? Well the first one has been announced, it’s a re-run of a Digital Photography course using Adobe Lightroom and the first session is next Wednesday at Cornerstone on Charles Street at 10:00am.
    Which brings me to our webpage on the new website, has anybody other than Paul and David had any ideas? Paul has suggested this for the photo – https://pixabay.com/photos/computer-laptop-work-place-mouse-2982270/ – seems a good one to me! David suggested a photo (at least on the page) of Turing’s first computer; or it could be Leo – the one at Lyons Coffee; or even both!
    Any other ideas?
    Visits. We agreed visits to the Barclays ‘Maker Space’ which Mario will arrange for us, see details below …
    In addition, as part of our community commitment,  we have also opened a new office in Cardiff designed to help businesses grow and start up in Cardiff. Great for budding Entrepreneurs (which statistics show can be high in the over 50s)  and inventors. Part of the Eagle Lab office hosts  a “Maker Space” that houses laser cutting, vinyl printing, 3D printing, electronics equipment including soldering etc. It has a distinctly digital feel too with a really switched on Engineer running the lab. We can host groups there and would be happy to chat with your Digital Projects group and your Science groups coordinators, to discuss with them what is available there and whether they would like to bring members along to take a look at the facilities, or host a meeting there. Please feel free to ask them to contact me and I can discuss what they need, what we have, what we can do to support your members.
    … in the approach to Easter, and also a visit to the new BBC Centre after Easter.
    Fred has offered to contact Brains and their new brewery at Cardiff Gate for a visit before Christmas.
    I was unsuccessful in my first attempt at getting a visit to the Computer Centre of Cardiff University, however a second request targeted more closely at a tour of the Machine Room was successful, so I’ve said I will try and arrange that after Christmas.
    News and other issues raised
    Renee asked about opening compressed files in emails on an iPhone. We got some way to solving that one, but agreed to take it onboard as a conversation on the WhatsApp Group. I must confess to having forgotten about this – apologies.
    I’m convinced there was something else that I’ve forgotten, can you help me?
    Finally Catalina – the new operating system for the Mac – was released this week (as expected). My advice, as ever – and this is true for Windows as well, is to wait – let others suffer the pain, rather than you, and as I’ve detailed before there may be issues for some of your apps. I’ve switched-off Office 2011 already as my default app on my Mac for opening Microsoft Office files, it’s now the Apple programs that open these for me, but you could chose Open Office, Libre Office or Google Docs – they are all compatible with the .docx, and .xlsx file formats. Here’s how you change the default apps to open a document for MacOS …
    These screen shots are taken from my iMac running Mojave, but they should be pretty similar for older versions of MacOS …
    To change which application a document opens in:
    1. Right click on the document’s icon.
    2. Choose File > Get Info.
    3. In the Info window, click the disclosure triangle next to “Open with,” and choose an application to open the document from the “Open with” pop-up menu.
    4. If you want all documents of this file type to open with the same application, click Change All.
    The important thing for you to get rid of any vestige of Microsoft Office is to press Change All…
    In my screen shots I have used Pages (Apple’s Word Processor), but you could use Open Office, Libre Ofiice or Google Docs.

    Gear Guide
    Has anyone bought, or obtained anything recently they’d like to tell us about? It doesn’t have to be a computer, laptop, tablet or phone – just something that’s digital, ie used a computer processor in some way?
    Apps Galore
    That slot in the meeting where members are encouraged to share their experience (and possibly excitement) at a new app they’ve started using for their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop machine.
    What’s IT all about?
    Not this week
    Online banking, transferring money and shopping
    A subject which brings fear and trepidation into most of us. Should we even consider using our computers when we need to supply personal information to “the internet”, and in particular information about our bank and credit cards.
    I would be foolish to say it’s completely safe, as my story last year detailed, but taking reasonable care you should be OK.
    Discussion
    Online banking, debit and credit cards
    Safe as long as you don’t leave your machine logged-in; you don’t use it from a free WiFi access area; and you password your machine with a reasonably strong password. The banks have recently all upgraded the process of logging-in that should make access for no-gooders more difficult.
    Here’s a useful link that summarises the different levels of protection offered for credit cards, debit cards and PayPal (see below).
    Discussion
    Then there’s ApplePay and Google Pay – does anyone use them?
    Paypal
    You may have assumed that PayPal was only of use when purchasing from eBay, Gumtree or Preloved, but it can be used – when a website provides the option – as an easy way to pay for goods online, as you can tie your PayPal account to a debit or credit card. As the article quoted above mentions, PayPal has it’s own payment protection scheme, but if you tie a Credit Card to your PayPal account, you will get the protection offered by your Credit Card.

    You can also transfer money (abroad as well) using PayPal by transferring the money directly to another person’s PayPal account. This is not the cheapest way of doing it as the Exchange Rates are not the most favourable, but it’s easier than transferring using your bank account. Although written by a competitor, this article summarises the ways you can send money overseas.
    Discussion
    Your money abroad
    As mentioned above there are ways of easily transferring your money abroad of which perhaps the best known is TransferWise. It’s relatively easy to set up an account, and you can immediately see the cost of transferring money abroad compared to what it considers its competitors. You can even obtain a free MasterCard to use as you roam across Europe, the US, Australia, NZ and the UK.

    Which? Review of using TransferWise
    However, there’s a newcomer on the block which is even cheaper that’s worth taking a look at – Revolut. Both TransferWise and Revolut offer an app for your SmartPhone to allow you to do easy switching of money from your domestic bank to your online account, and Revolut also links to ApplePay. It’s easy to open a Revolut account, you transfer some funds to it and obtain a Visa Debit Card which you can then use in any ATM abroad, at low exchange rates and zero fees.

    Here’s a comparison from Money Saving Expert of the Transferwise Debit Card with Revolut.
    Here’s a link to a Which? Report on Challenger Banks and Revolut – you may not be able to see this – I have a Which? Online Account.
    Discussion
    Enough of Banking – what about shopping?
    This could go on for a long time! Your experiences, please?
    Any really good examples of a great online shopping experience?
    Hints and tips:
    Use all the facilities the retailer offers, especially if (like Amazon) they provide Two Factor Authentication (2FA) to protect your account; so it’s safe to store credit card details, and addresses on the site.
    Use lists to save items you are interested in, but don’t want to purchase just yet; use your order history to re-order goods.
    Remember, if you’ve relatives abroad you should look to open accounts with the local Amazon, or search for retailers in their countries that deliver – it’ll be far cheaper than sending it by post, but if you have to post look at this site – Parcel2Go – which you can use for UK postings as well and which you can arrange a local pick-up as well as pick-up from a local shop.
     
     

  • What I did on my holidays … 64-bit and photo-editing – 26th September 2019

    What I did on my holidays … 64-bit and photo-editing – 26th September 2019

    Welcome & Boot-up
    Introductions
    What do you want / expect from the Group?
    Please tick your attendance, pay £1.50 and agree that you want to join the “Thought grazing” website I run where the notes of the meeting are posted, and that you are interested in joining a WhatsApp Group.
    For those who’ve expressed an interest in “Thought grazing” and establishing a WhatsApp Group, I’ll send out an email following the meeting with UserIds and Initial Passwords for new members. [You can change your password if you want to – I’ll write a post that explains how you can do that.] The Password for Password Protected pages on the website is the same as everyone’s initial UserId Password, namely – Ca3rdyddU3A
    Does anyone have any difficulties in connecting to the Thought grazing website?
    Does anyone want to join the WhatsApp Group but is unsure how to do it?
    I think it best to gloss over the chaos that followed – we’ll get there; here’s how to add members to the Group so that I don’t forget … add member to Contacts on my phone, then I can see them in WhatsApp to add them as a member of the Group. Easy when you know how … duh!
    Incidentally Paul has written a post detailing how you can add WhatsApp to a Tablet.
    Do we all know the difference between Google and an Internet Browser?  – Don’t be shy. This is perhaps the most important thing to be sure about before we go any further. Two links to look at – Just google it … and the notes from the first meeting last year.
    What’s happening to Digital Projects? Well the first one has been announced, it’s a re-run of a Digital Photography course using Adobe Lightroom and it’s announced in the latest Newsletter on the new Cardiff U3A website.
    Which brings me to our webpage on the new website, the Photography Group has already added information to their page.

    • What do you think should be on it?
    • Should we have a number of pages?
    • Any ideas for an image to head the page?

    Helping others in Cardiff U3A with Computing/IT issues …

    • a WhatsApp Help & Advice Group? We agreed to do this and I’ll write to the Committee for them to consider.
    • [Update: The committee is going to consider this at their meeting in October. Further update: We decided to withdraw our offer until we felt more confident in using a Group for ourselves!]]
    • opening-up Thought grazing to non-Group members? We agreed not to do this

    Visits. We agreed visits to the Barclays ‘Maker Space’ which Mario will arrange for us, see details below …
    In addition, as part of our community commitment,  we have also opened a new office in Cardiff designed to help businesses grow and start up in Cardiff. Great for budding Entrepreneurs (which statistics show can be high in the over 50s)  and inventors. Part of the Eagle Lab office hosts  a “Maker Space” that houses laser cutting, vinyl printing, 3D printing, electronics equipment including soldering etc. It has a distinctly digital feel too with a really switched on Engineer running the lab. We can host groups there and would be happy to chat with your Digital Projects group and your Science groups coordinators, to discuss with them what is available there and whether they would like to bring members along to take a look at the facilities, or host a meeting there. Please feel free to ask them to contact me and I can discuss what they need, what we have, what we can do to support your members.
    … in the approach to Easter, and also a visit to the new BBC Centre after Easter.
    I’ll approach Cardiff Uni about the possibility of a visit maybe before Christmas, and Fred suggested a visit to Brains new brewery site as an alternative.
    [Update: Unfortunately I was unsuccessful in getting a useful visit to the Computer Centre of Cardiff University; I have another idea, but Fred has offered to contact Brains and their new brewery at Cardiff Gate for a visit before Christmas.]
    Finally, I posted an article about the forthcoming MacOS Upgrade to Catalina – which is a 64-bit operating system – and what it might mean for Mac desktop/laptop users. This has prompted me to consider this as a topic (not Mac specific) for later in this meeting. There are several links in that article that you may wish to follow, and which are not listed below, if you’re a Mac user.
    Other issues raised:
    Gill asked whether it was possible to print from an iPhone to a printer. Members were able to say … yes, if the printer supports AirPrint. I presume there’s an Android equivalent?
    Renee asked about opening compressed files in emails on an iPhone. We got some way to solving that one, but agreed to take it onboard as a conversation on the WhatsApp Group.
    If I’ve forgotten anything, please let me know.
    Gear Guide
    Has anyone bought, or obtained anything recently they’d like to tell us about? It doesn’t have to be a computer, laptop, tablet or phone – just something that’s digital, ie used a computer processor in some way?
    Apps Galore
    That slot in the meeting where members are encouraged to share their experience (and possibly excitement) at a new app they’ve started using for their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop machine.
    Renee mentioned that she’d found DuoLingua a very interesting application for helping her learn a language just recently – others had used it as well.
    What’s IT all about?
    The next upgrade to MacOS – Apple’s operating system for its desktops and laptops (not iPads and iPhones) is 64-bit. Any software that is not compliant, that is it’s not written to meet the specification of 64-bit, will not run on your machine once the operating system has been upgraded. What does this mean though? Do Windows users face a similar issue, now or in the future?
    I’m going to use this article as the basis for the explanation, using Windows as the operating system in question. But first, does everyone know what an Operating System is?
    It has to be said upfront that Microsoft has been extremely “kind” to its users, offering backward compatibility even back to MS-DOS (a 16-bit operating system) for a long time so that you can even now still run old DOS programs using a 16-bit emulator for Windows 10. However, Microsoft has also confused its users ever since Windows XP by providing two versions of its operating system, one for 32-bit and one for 64-bit. If you had a previous version of Windows – XP, 7, or 8 – which had the 32-bit operating system installed on your machine, you are more than likely to have got the 32-bit version of Windows 10 installed on it when you did the free upgrade. But you can upgrade to the 64-bit version if your hardware will allow it. And there’s the rub, not all hardware will allow 64-bit processing and that’s why the MacOS upgrade is both helpful and annoying.
    It’s helpful in that it sets a new benchmark for all software developers. They’ve known since December 2018 that this change was coming, and it’s not particularly challenging for Mac users as machines back to 2012 (including therefore my MacBook Pro) will be able to make the switch.
    But why the change? Well as the first article spells out the biggest advantage of using a 64-bit processor is that it can address a much larger amount of RAM (Random Access Memory) and so therefore machines with more than 4Gb of RAM will benefit from faster processing if the applications are written to the 64-bit code base. Also more programs will be able to held in RAM, enabling faster switching between applications. Graphics intensive applications with the dependance on a large amount of memory space will also work faster. So there are huge benefits.
    So should you as a Windows user upgrade to 64-bit Windows 10? That depends upon what you use your computer for. If you decide to stick with 32-bit be aware that Microsoft will one day dump 32-bit in the same way they “dumped” DOS, but the community of users is so massive that undoubtedly a 32-bit emulator will be written, by someone! But, you may choose to make the switch, if your hardware can take it, before you’re forced to jump; and in the meantime be aware that you’ll undoubtedly and progressively experience a slowing down of your software as more of them become 64-bit, and if you try and run a large number of them concurrently (at the same time) in different windows.
    Some more links for you to ponder …
    How to switch from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows 10
    FAQs from Microsoft on 32-bit and 64-bit computing
    32-bit app compatibility for Macs with current Mojave operating system
    Incidentally, my MacBook Pro is still running High Sierra, the operating system before the latest one – Mojave. I intend to upgrade it to Mojave and then leave it at that operating system so that I can run some 32-bit applications such as Office 2011 and Adobe Lightroom 6 (and earlier) for a while longer. It is a seven-year old machine … it’s doing very well with the upgrades it’s had to it’s hardware – solid state disk, RAM increased, replacement battery – it’s not ready for the scrapyard yet, and it’ll be more difficult to upgrade to Mojave soon, once Catalina has been released.
    My machine’s running slow!
    Quite co-incidentally I’ve been approached by a U3A Group Facilitator who’s having problems with the performance of their machine.
    This led me to do a search of Google for good articles that might be of help and value. We’ve looked at this before, of course for Windows, and I’m adding a couple of links below which might be of interest and assistance.
    I use MacPaw‘s CleanMyMac 3 on my MacBook Pro, and I will probably upgrade to CleanMyMac X for both desktop and laptop before I do any upgrades to Catalina. Here’s a blogpost on how you can improve performance on your Mac.
    Here’s an article that makes suggestions on how to clean-up both PCs and Macs.
    So … to the Windows PC. Here are a couple of links:
    Some quick ways of speeding-up Windows 7, 8 and 10 PCs.
    Tips to improve performance with a Windows 10 PC – from Microsoft
    Set of links from an earlier Thought grazing post on Windows 10 maintenance
    Easy-peasy photo-editing … believe me!
    You’ve taken a photo, or been sent it in an email, but you just feel that you could make it just a little bit better. Don’t despair, there’s an easy way of editing a digital photo in just a few steps if you have a Google Photos account, and if you don’t – here’s how to get one and how to get started with organising your photos.
    Some thoughts. Most smartphones take images of 12mp or perhaps a little more. You can print a decent 15 x 10 inch picture from an image of that size

    Google allows you to upload images without any compression up to 16mp – happy days!
    So on to a demonstration … some simple edits to enhance an image.

    For more guidance on Google Photos, the use of Backup and Sync and much more, you might like to visit (or re-visit) this Thought grazing page.
     
     

  • Welcome to the Computer Group – 12th September 2019

    Welcome
    Introductions
    What do you want / expect from the Group?
    Please tick your attendance, pay £1.50 and agree that you want to join the “Thought grazing” website I run where the notes of the meeting are posted, and that you are interested in joining a WhatsApp Group.
    For those who’ve expressed an interest in “Thought grazing” and establishing a WhatsApp Group, I’ll send out an email following the meeting with UserIds and Initial Passwords for new members. [You can change your password if you want to – I’ll write a post that explains how you can do that.] The Password for Password Protected pages on the website is the same as everyone’s initial UserId Password, namely – Ca3rdyddU3A
    Do we all know the difference between Google and an Internet Browser?  – Don’t be shy. This is perhaps the most important thing to be sure about before we go any further. Two links to look at – Just google it … and the notes from the first meeting last year.
    What’s happening to Digital Projects?
    Helping others in Cardiff U3A with Computing/IT issues …

    • a WhatsApp Help & Advice Group? We agreed to do this and I’ll write to the Committee for them to consider.
    • opening-up Thought grazing to non-Group members? We agreed not to do this

    Visits. We agreed visits to the Barclays ‘Maker Space’ which Mario will arrange for us, see details below …
    In addition, as part of our community commitment,  we have also opened a new office in Cardiff designed to help businesses grow and start up in Cardiff. Great for budding Entrepreneurs (which statistics show can be high in the over 50s)  and inventors. Part of the Eagle Lab office hosts  a “Maker Space” that houses laser cutting, vinyl printing, 3D printing, electronics equipment including soldering etc. It has a distinctly digital feel too with a really switched on Engineer running the lab. We can host groups there and would be happy to chat with your Digital Projects group and your Science groups coordinators, to discuss with them what is available there and whether they would like to bring members along to take a look at the facilities, or host a meeting there. Please feel free to ask them to contact me and I can discuss what they need, what we have, what we can do to support your members.
    … in the approach to Easter, and also a visit to the new BBC Centre after Easter. I’ll approach Cardiff Uni about the possibility of a visit maybe before Christmas, and Fred suggested a visit to Brains new brewery site as an alternative.
    Boot-up
    There will be no News section this year – I’m moving it to Flipboard, unless there’s a really big news story when we’ll take it as part of Boot-up.
    Only “really” big news (tongue-in-cheek) is of course the Apple Autumn event streamed across the world last Tuesday afternoon. Available on YouTube and from Special Apple Events (if you’ve got an Apple TV).
    Update your Bus Pass – Transport for Wales have taken over the issuing of concessionary bus passes for all of Wales from the Local Authorities. Your current bus pass will not be valid after December 31st 2019.
    Gear Guide
    Members are encouraged to talk about a new piece of computing/digital technology, or software that they’ve purchased or recently started using.
    Paul’s gear experience this summer …

    Our Windows 7 Medion Laptop in Holland slowly died after over 10 years, it was originally running Vista.
    I looked at what we (Dolly) actually used it for …
    • Emails
    • Google Photos
    • Banking
    • Bit of Surfing
    • Some Games
    I concluded that we could use a Chromebook for all this, apart from  2  Windows specific Games.
    I purchased an ACER 15.6″ Chromebook for €260 (it runs Chrome Operating System (Nougat 7.11) and with the saving from not getting a Windows 10 Lap Top , I bought a Lenovo 10″ tablet (TBX104F) for €120 (16GB / 2GB, it runs Android Oreo 8.1).
    The Chromebook set up was really easy, you follow the on-screen instructions, and connect to your WiFi. It did an Update when started  for the first time, then, if you already have an active Google Account and were using a Chrome Browser, you enter your details and it loads up and mimics what you had before. It works with Google Drive (or Cloud ?) and is easy to use for all the Google apps in the Google suite.
    The Android Tablet was also simple, again you follow the on screen instructions & once logged in to your Google Account, it asks if you’d like to Clone  your nearby Android device; hence it loads all the Apps you have on your phone. Dolly loves the Tablet, and is sorry she resisted my efforts to get her one for years!!
    We came back to the UK and have now bought a SIM-free HONOR 8A phone for £120 from CarPhone Warehouse, although they are easily available elsewhere.
    HONOR is part of Hauwei , but any current phones will continue to be supported with Google products (thus there should be no problem with the current Import Restrictions placed upon Huawei. This device runs Android 9.0 and is a DUAL-SIM device so we can install a UK and a Dutch Sim and she can use a single phone.  [She is waiting for me to go over and install the Dutch Sim.] Set up on the phone was again easy. I logged into her Google account, and it mimicked all the apps she already had. I resisted the offer to sign up to Hauwai app “for a better experience”. 🙂
    The HONOR also has some nice features … take a photo, and answer a call by just touching the Finger Print Sensor, on the back.
    Currently all is working well.

    Marilyn approached me for advice on which Mac to buy. She had a Windows laptop which was slowly dying. I advised her the most important thing when buying new gear was to write down very clearly what it was that you wanted to do with the gear, and where you wanted to do it. The upshot of that debate with herself was that she got an iMac desktop instead with faster internal Solid State Hard disk, an external hard disk for her photographs, and a bigger (and better screen) to watch YouTube photography videos on … and a re-organised flat!!!!
    Apps Galore
    That slot in the meeting where members are encouraged to share their experience (and possibly excitement) at a new app they’ve started using for their smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop machine.
    What’s IT all about?
    An opportunity to occasionally go into a little more detail about how something works – eg how the internet works, how does a website work, how does email work, etc etc
    Thought grazing, Flipboard and WhatsApp
    Demonstration of using Thought grazing – there is a Guide, but I know you’d all like a demonstration.
    Using Flipboard – for the best experience, register, follow Thought grazing and install it on your smartphone or tablet. You can add content yourself as well.
    Creating a WhatsApp Group … for the Group. If you’ve ticked-the box on the sheet I’ve circulated, I’ll send you an invite to join the Group. You’ll need a mobile phone number to participate (I believe), and have installed the App on your phone. You can then also use if from your laptop/desktop (if your phone is  to hand). Currently, it’s not available on a tablet (I believe).
    [Update: Paul has written a post detailing how you can add WhatsApp to a Tablet.]

  • Sound session – 25th July 2019

    Boot-up
    Renee has asked a question about PDF converters. I’ve attempted to answer part of the question, but have not come up with any answer yet on electronic signatures – any thoughts, anyone? A former colleague has suggested that OpenOffice might provide the solution that Renee requires. I haven’t had the time to test that idea, but if it works – it might mean that this software is a better choice than LibreOffice which we looked at earlier in the year but you’d have to forego the ability to read AND write in Office formats (.docx and .xlsx), I believe.

    The other thing I wanted to raise with you was how I was going to decide whether to use Apple Music (rather than Spotify, Google Music, Amazon Music, or whatever). I really haven’t had the time to give it a serious tryout but I can see that there’s some music available that I haven’t seen anywhere else – compilations of live music for an artist, for example – which looks very interesting. So I’ll subscribe for a while, see how the breakup of iTunes this autumn works out and then make a decision about whether £9.99 a month is a worthwhile subscription cost.

    There was no interest from my family – I could have added them at an additional cost of £5pm – they’re all Spotify users. I guess that’s the issue. If you’re a user of another service and have set up Playlists, or whatever, and know the interface – why would you change? Me … I’m very slow into digital music. I’ve always wanted to hold the CD, and before that the vinyl/cassette, but as I have no interest in the latter anymore, perhaps it’s also time to ditch the former too!

    Whatever I decide to do, I must remember to back-up my iTunes Library and iTunes Media Folder before I do anything – and that includes cancelling my iTunes Match subscription, which I’ve not been totally sure what it gives me, but which I know now is unnecessary if I have Apple Music.

    Anything else anyone?
    News
    Continuing our paranoia theme of the year – ways in which to find out if accounts are linked to your email or phone.
    How to avoid fake ads disguised as fake download links.
    An unexpected upgrade for old iPhones.
    Sound
    So this part of the session is a bit of a “digital project”, but one where I have very little expertise, so I’m hoping (praying) for some help from Jim and anyone else who knows something about this area!

    The challenge was thrown down by Renee. To paraphrase what she said: “How do I get music off old analog devices” (ie cassette recorders and record decks). I knew I had a a device to help in that – it was just a challenge to find it, to see if it would still work and more importantly whether it would work with current hardware PCs and Macs.

    I’m delighted to say I found it (in the same box as my record deck); it appeared to be still working; which was then confirmed when I connected it to both a PC and my Mac running the latest versions of Windows 10, and MacOS (Mojave). So as long as I didn’t want to use the software provided by Creative – which I didn’t – all was ready to go.

    Here’s the Creative SoundBlaster Audigy NX-2 external sound card – to be found in every home … NOT, just in a geeks home, like mine!

    On the back you have a number of ports and the power connection, but most importantly the USB port.


    On the side you have the port I’m going to use for input (Line In) – but you can see also a port for Mic In.


    So having connected the power cable, and the USB cable to the SoundBlaster and the computer, it’s now time to connect the sound source cables. For that you’ll need either a cable like this …



    … or have a splitter to join two red and white hifi cables to the Line In …



    … or in my case for testing only, a cable like this …



    … so that I can connect my iPhone to it! Yes, I know that’s totally pointless as the music on that device is already digital BUT I wasn’t going to lug a cassette deck in today, let alone a record deck! I haven’t tested output from a headphones socket into Line In which would use a similar cable. I can’t see any reason why that wouldn’t work as well. [NB This won’t work with more recent Apple devices than the iPhone 6s which I had at this time, as Apple have discontinued the headphone jack on their devices.]

    You might also be able to connect another music device – keyboards or whatever using this method.

    There is one caveat if you’re using the red and white cable connectors. You may well (certainly in the case of a record deck) need to take the feed from an amplified source as the sound output is unlikely to be sufficient for the software on the computer to pick-up. So you may need to take the feed from your hifi amplifier rather than the decks. Which neatly leads us to the software we’re going to use. Which is called Audacity …


    and which can be downloaded from this link. Make sure you choose the right format – Windows or Mac. Below are a couple of screen shots of the software in action, but now (drum roll), I’m going to try another live demo, which I have absolutely no confidence of achieving success, whatsoever!

    However, hopefully, Jim will have helped me a bit and it’s not been a complete disaster and it’s good to know that the software is well documented here.

    I’ve got a printout of the instructions on how the SoundBlaster card works, and I can make them available if anyone wants to borrow the device and cables.