RE: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Simon Fogarty]

Yeah just reading an article on the net about the 3 amazon fire  devices 
There is the TV Stick, the TV Box and the TV Game box,

  And according to the blog article the TV is about 40% less perforamance than 
the TV Box,

 Both come with the remote and alexa but in NZ they don't have the same voice 
interaction  as they do in the States,
 And media availability is a lot less than in the USA,
 Infact I haven't yet found a retailer that sells them here in NZ.except for 
amazon.

-Original Message-
From: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
[mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 3:35 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant 
game

I actually won an Amazon Dot as a door prize from an internet security seminar 
so I figured I should at least plug the thing in. It's turned out to be quite 
handy as an always on assistant. Even though Siri can do many of these things, 
I don't have to fish a phone out of my pocket. 
Things like setting a timer, checking the weather and quick wikipedia page 
lookups turn out to be quite handy. My wife just says "listen to wxyz" and some 
radio station she likes from some other state starts playing. The kids like it 
to tell them jokes. I'm not sure I would have paid $100 for all that, but so 
far it's useful.

CB

On 4/23/17 4:32 PM, Shawn Krasniuk wrote:
> Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago and 
> Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio stations and 
> Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts for both services 
> but even if I didn't have them because they don't work in Canada and if I 
> didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to Tunein just fine. Also I 
> had to use an American zipcode for weather but that's no problem. If you ask 
> Alexa for weather conditions in, say Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you 
> what it's like here. Anyway, there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos 
> that show that you can use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for 
> them.
>
> Shawn
> Sent From My White MacBook
> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
>
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
>> wrote:
>>
>> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of those 
>> digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside the US. 
>> I’m not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter works at 
>> their fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even begin to talk 
>> Samsungs new Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it will ever reach 
>> these cold is it latitudes?:-) /Krister
>>
>>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>>>
>>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, Alexa 
>>> does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. This is 
>>> why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in scope.
>>>
>>> Kind regards,
>>>
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>
 On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:

 Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.


 Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>
> So Sean,
>
> This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
>
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn 
> Krasniuk
> Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
> To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
> 
> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the 
> digital assistant game
>
> Hi Scott. I'm not Yuma but I can tell you who I think is the better AI. 
> After watching demos of the two of them, Alexa still wins hands down. 
> Sure, with Google Now, when you ask it questions, you can ask subsequent 
> questions about the topic you started with it. Alexa has a hard time with 
> that, but she has more smart devices she can connect to than Google. On a 
> video I saw, you can rectify the problem by using IFTTT, but that sounds 
> like it could be more complicated than it should be. Also, it just sounds 
> better to call your virtual assistant by a name rather than Google or 
> Amazon, so Alexa wins there too. Lastly, I can use Alexa anywhere I wish, 
> on my Mac or on my phone using Reverb and Google doesn't have anything 
> like that yet to my knowledge besides Allo, which like I said in my last 
> message, only sends messages through text. I'd rather have the app speak 
> the messages the assistant sends automatically like Alexa does in Reverb. 
> So for me, Alexa takes it.
>
> Shawn
> Sent From My White Mac

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[David Tanner]

There is a built in screen reader in this product.

David Tanner

>From my iPhone 7

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 9:51 AM, John Panarese  wrote:
> 
>   OK. So how are you guys using the Fire Stick? I can’t find any information 
> about its accessibility and how one uses it as a totally blind person. If you 
> are doing so, please contact me off list.
> 
> 
> Take Care
> 
> John D. Panarese
> Director
> Mac for the Blind
> Tel, (631) 724-4479
> Email, j...@macfortheblind.com
> Website, http://www.macfortheblind.com
> 
> APPLE CERTIFIED SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL FOR MAC OSX LION
> 
> AUTHORIZED APPLE STORE BUSINESS AFFILIATE
> 
> MAC and iOS VOICEOVER TRAINING AND SUPPORT
> 
> 
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:49 AM, Scott Granados  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, 
>> and a lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m 
>> also not sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are 
>> good products don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV itself 
>> and use it more.
>>  Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
>> including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content 
>> like CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV 
>> lately.  I think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, about 
>> twice the stick.
>> 
>> Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far 
>> better than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of 
>> good content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf 
>> stuff.  Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  
>> What would have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to 
>> stream prime content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know 
>> that’s not likely but this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the button 
>> style of the amazon remote better than the Apple touch remote as well but 
>> that’s a personal preference thing, others probably disagree with me.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Scott,
>>> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the 
>>> stick. I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. 
>>> Admittedly, I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't 
>>> see the point, unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. 
>>> Also, it's worth noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that the 
>>> problem both devices have is with third-party apps not being accessible. 
>>> There are still bunches of those that are not accessible with a stick, just 
>>> as there are on the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. When Apple 
>>> change the format and went to apps, it seems to me they lost control over 
>>> their excess ability. So now it's up to the app developers, and many of 
>>> them screw up. Speaking of excess ability, has the Netflix sign in process 
>>> finally become accessible on the fire tv or stick? I know when I signed in 
>>> with mine, I had to have help from a sighted person. Not so with the Apple 
>>> TV.
>>> Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
>>> illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with regard 
>>> to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
>>> Sent from my  iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  
 wrote:
 
 You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a 
 bit less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good 
 product.  Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to 
 prime video content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less 
 memory and is a bit different design.
  The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
 but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK 
 but it’s getting less and less accessible as time passes.
 
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:49 AM, Jessica Moss  
> wrote:
> 
> Oh cool, how exactly does the firestick differ from the Apple Tv, other 
> than it’s way less moneywise, and is a USB stick?
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:02 AM, David Chittenden  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Yes, these devices have parental control settings.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 24/04/2017, at 10:42, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Ok, probably a stupid question, but is there a way with those, to 
>>> filter out what content you don’t want to view, perfect example, 
>>> R-rated movies you obviously wouldn’t want your kids looking at?  Mom 
>>> and I have been looking at ditching DirectTv, 

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

['Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries]

I actually won an Amazon Dot as a door prize from an internet security 
seminar so I figured I should at least plug the thing in. It's turned 
out to be quite handy as an always on assistant. Even though Siri can do 
many of these things, I don't have to fish a phone out of my pocket. 
Things like setting a timer, checking the weather and quick wikipedia 
page lookups turn out to be quite handy. My wife just says "listen to 
wxyz" and some radio station she likes from some other state starts 
playing. The kids like it to tell them jokes. I'm not sure I would have 
paid $100 for all that, but so far it's useful.


CB

On 4/23/17 4:32 PM, Shawn Krasniuk wrote:

Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago and 
Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio stations and 
Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts for both services 
but even if I didn't have them because they don't work in Canada and if I 
didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to Tunein just fine. Also I 
had to use an American zipcode for weather but that's no problem. If you ask 
Alexa for weather conditions in, say Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you 
what it's like here. Anyway, there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos 
that show that you can use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.

Shawn
Sent From My White MacBook
Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com


On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  wrote:

That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of those digital 
assistants have no or limited functionality outside the US. I’m not certain 
that even Google or Siri for that matter works at their fullest here in Sweden 
and then let’s not even begin to talk Samsungs new Bixby. I wonder when or 
rather if it will ever reach these cold is it latitudes?:-)
/Krister


23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :

Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, Alexa does 
not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. This is why it is 
able to be so much better there, it is limited in scope.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone


On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:

Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.


Sent from my iPhone


On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:

So Sean,

This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Shawn Krasniuk
Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant 
game

Hi Scott. I'm not Yuma but I can tell you who I think is the better AI. After 
watching demos of the two of them, Alexa still wins hands down. Sure, with 
Google Now, when you ask it questions, you can ask subsequent questions about 
the topic you started with it. Alexa has a hard time with that, but she has 
more smart devices she can connect to than Google. On a video I saw, you can 
rectify the problem by using IFTTT, but that sounds like it could be more 
complicated than it should be. Also, it just sounds better to call your virtual 
assistant by a name rather than Google or Amazon, so Alexa wins there too. 
Lastly, I can use Alexa anywhere I wish, on my Mac or on my phone using Reverb 
and Google doesn't have anything like that yet to my knowledge besides Allo, 
which like I said in my last message, only sends messages through text. I'd 
rather have the app speak the messages the assistant sends automatically like 
Alexa does in Reverb. So for me, Alexa takes it.

Shawn
Sent From My White MacBook
Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com


On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:19 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:

Wow there’s a lot of great points here.

I’m curious, as someone who’s heavily involved in AI who do you think is the 
absolute cutting edge right now outside the classified space.  Maybe you could 
rank a little the major publicly visible efforts like Watson verses Google 
verses Amazon and such.  Who makes you think wow that’s really impressive?  We 
know Apple in many ways is behind the times but who’s way ahead?

Also, do you have any published papers or anything I could read of your work 
you’ve impressed me with your response and I’d like to learn more about where 
you’re coming from.

Thanks
Scott



On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:54 AM, Yuma Decaux  wrote:

I wanted to chime in for a few points:

Apple is dispersing itself a bit too much. What's next on the line? A Lavazza 
partnership for a coffee machine? Or maybe some jogging shoes with mag safe 
laces? Better yet, a Mars lander caps

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Ryan Mann]

Rmann0581 at gmail.com.  I spelled At out so it would be harder for spam 
programs to get my address.


Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:51 PM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> Hi Ryan,
> Sure whats your address?
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ryan Mann
> Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 2:46 PM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
> assistant game
> 
> Would you contact me off list as well?
> Thanks.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:31 PM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>> 
>> So if the fire stick needs sighted assistance to enable accessibility then 
>> is the fire tv any better for accessibility and which one is better between 
>> the fire stick and fire tv?
>> 
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>> Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 10:44 AM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
>> assistant game
>> 
>> I set up NetFlix myself.
>> 
>> My partner had to go into settings and turn VoiceAssist on for the FireStick.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 24/04/2017, at 21:12, Ryan Mann  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Could you set up Netflix yourself or did your partner have to set it up?  
>>> What about other settings such as the WIFI network?  I live alone, so if I 
>>> was to get a Fire Stick, I would need to be able to set it up.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:10 AM, Scott Granados  
 wrote:
 
 I believe there is an accessibility solution for COdi now.  Something 
 that’s come out with in the last few weeks.  THere’s been mention of it on 
 the android list although I don’t have specifics at hand.  You. Might 
 google for a solution as I think one has recently been released.
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  
> wrote:
> 
> I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
> possible to check the local weather.
> 
> That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
> have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer 
> Fire Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any 
> show and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
> accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run 
> it.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks 
>> ago and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
>> stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
>> for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
>> in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
>> Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
>> that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
>> Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
>> there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
>> use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
>> 
>> Shawn
>> Sent From My White MacBook
>> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
>> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
>> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
>> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom 
>>>  wrote:
>>> 
>>> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of 
>>> those digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside 
>>> the US. I’m not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter 
>>> works at their fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even 
>>> begin to talk Samsungs new Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it 
>>> will ever reach these cold is it latitudes?:-) /Krister
>>> 
 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
 
 Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, 
 Alexa does not support anything outside it's limited geographical 
 area. This is why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited 
 in scope.
 
 Kind regards,
 
 David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
 Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
 Mobile: +61 488 988 936
 Sent from my iPhone
 

RE: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Simon Fogarty]

Hi Ryan,
Sure whats your address?

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Ryan Mann
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 2:46 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant 
game

Would you contact me off list as well?
Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:31 PM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> So if the fire stick needs sighted assistance to enable accessibility then is 
> the fire tv any better for accessibility and which one is better between the 
> fire stick and fire tv?
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
> Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 10:44 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
> assistant game
> 
> I set up NetFlix myself.
> 
> My partner had to go into settings and turn VoiceAssist on for the FireStick.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 21:12, Ryan Mann  wrote:
>> 
>> Could you set up Netflix yourself or did your partner have to set it up?  
>> What about other settings such as the WIFI network?  I live alone, so if I 
>> was to get a Fire Stick, I would need to be able to set it up.
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:10 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I believe there is an accessibility solution for COdi now.  Something 
>>> that’s come out with in the last few weeks.  THere’s been mention of it on 
>>> the android list although I don’t have specifics at hand.  You. Might 
>>> google for a solution as I think one has recently been released.
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  
 wrote:
 
 I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
 possible to check the local weather.
 
 That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
 have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer 
 Fire Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any 
 show and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
 accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
 
 Kind regards,
 
 David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
 Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
 Mobile: +61 488 988 936
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
> 
> Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
> and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
> stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
> for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
> in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
> Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
> that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
> Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
> there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
> use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
> 
> Shawn
> Sent From My White MacBook
> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of 
>> those digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside 
>> the US. I’m not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter 
>> works at their fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even 
>> begin to talk Samsungs new Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it 
>> will ever reach these cold is it latitudes?:-) /Krister
>> 
>>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>>> 
>>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, 
>>> Alexa does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. 
>>> This is why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in 
>>> scope.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
 
 Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
 
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  
> wrote:
> 
> So Sean,
> 
> This amazon alexa is avai

RE: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

[Simon Fogarty]

HI David,

 Great to hear,

 Your partner is a good lady, does she have a sister that wants to buy me one?



-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of David Chittenden
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 2:41 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

The sound is definitely better from the PlayBase. My partner gave me one for 
Easter.. Sonos Playbar is popular enough that we were able to sell it for just 
a hundred less than we paid for it on eBay.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 25/04/2017, at 12:29, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> This must be the new play bar,
> 
> I have the sonos playbar and only got it just before xmas,
> 
> Bummer if the play base also has more of a sub effect than the bar does.
> 
> Wonder if I can sell my play bar and get the new play base.
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Terje Strømberg
> Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 7:56 AM
> To: Mac Group 
> Cc: Terje Strømberg 
> Subject: Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?
> 
> Play Base is a sound bar. Designe like a board/plank for tv. With both low, 
> mid and high frequencies. 
> 
> Take care
> 
>> 24. apr. 2017 kl. 11.02 skrev Simon Fogarty :
>> 
>> Hi David,
>> 
>> I did see advertising for the play base but what is it?
>> 
>> I know they recently baught out a white sub but hwat is this play base?
>> 
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>> Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 9:38 AM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?
>> 
>> We upgraded to the new Sonos Play Base to go with our new 70" Samsung TV. We 
>> needed to factory reset all the Sonos speakers in the house to get them 
>> working with the new configuration. It took about an hour.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 24/04/2017, at 07:13, Donna Goodin  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hey Les,
>>> 
>>> Yep, done both those things several times.  I decided to try the factory 
>>> reset, but still no joy.  May need to wait for tech support tomorrow to get 
>>> the second speaker back.
>>> 
>>> Thanks for the suggestions.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:34 PM, Les Kriegler  wrote:
 
 Donna, before I would do anything radical like that, I'm wondering if you 
 have uninstalled and reinstalled the app on your advice. Perhaps it 
 could've gotten corrupted. The other thing you might try is unplugging the 
 speakers it isn't working, let it sit for about a half a minute and then 
 plug it back in. I've had difficulty with one of my speakers on occasion 
 losing its connection, and that's what I've done. I have been speaking 
 with Sonos about this and we are trying to nail down what the issue might 
 be. They want me to call them when I actually lose sound because they can 
 perform diagnostics on there and to check out what might be going on.
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:53 PM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> So what I'm reading online says you should not do this, but I'm wondering 
> why not?  Yeah, yeah, everything will be erased, but isn't that kind of 
> the point?  And I would assume that all content will be restored when I 
> re-add the player to my network.  Just wondering if anyone has done this? 
>  If yes, is there any good reason why I shouldn't do it?
> TIA,
> Donna
> 
> -- 
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
> Visionaries list.
> 
> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or 
> if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the 
> owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
> 
> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor.  You can reach mark 
> at:  macvisionaries+modera...@googlegroups.com and your owner is Cara 
> Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
> 
> The archives for this list can be searched at:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
> --- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
> "MacVisionaries" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
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> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/m

RE: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Simon Fogarty]

So David,

If you were buying one now which one would you go for concidring what NZ gets 
in regard to netflicks etc?

Note I have an apple tv 4th gen.


-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of David Chittenden
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 2:36 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant 
game

In The US, Amazon FireStick works on par with Apple TV, and is about $100 USD 
less expensive. It only has 8 GB onboard memory for apps. It has a good talking 
(you talk to it) interface. The text to speech side is not as robust as Apple. 
For the money, we find it worth it. We only use the Apple TV now if we need to 
AirPlay from the iOS device (iPhone or iPad). As our Sonos is connected to the 
digital audio out jack of the Samsung TV, and the latest Samsung TV has decent 
speech, and the Firestick has decent speech, we use it daily. I think we used 
the Apple TV about two months ago.

That said, we use Siri on our Apple devices significantly more often than Alexa 
on the FireStick because all information from Alexa is US specific.

Oh, another benefit of FireStick is the Android nature, we can load apps which 
are not approved by the Amazon app store (Codi, for example).

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 25/04/2017, at 12:12, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> SO these fire tv have good accessibility for screen reader users?
> 
> Why would I want a fire tv over an apple tv if I was making a choice?
> 
> I didn't find the chrome cast 2 much of a benefit and my apple tv works great 
> for me other than the lack of usefull apps.
> 
> I'd like sonos available on my apple tv but it's not.
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Scott Granados
> Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 2:49 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
> assistant game
> 
> The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, and 
> a lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m also 
> not sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are good 
> products don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV itself and 
> use it more.
>Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
> including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content 
> like CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV 
> lately.  I think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, about 
> twice the stick.
> 
> Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far better 
> than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of good 
> content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf stuff.  
> Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  What would 
> have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to stream prime 
> content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know that’s not likely 
> but this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the button style of the 
> amazon remote better than the Apple touch remote as well but that’s a 
> personal preference thing, others probably disagree with me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Scott,
>> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the stick. 
>> I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. Admittedly, 
>> I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't see the point, 
>> unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. Also, it's worth 
>> noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that the problem both 
>> devices have is with third-party apps not being accessible. There are still 
>> bunches of those that are not accessible with a stick, just as there are on 
>> the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. When Apple change the format and 
>> went to apps, it seems to me they lost control over their excess ability. So 
>> now it's up to the app developers, and many of them screw up. Speaking of 
>> excess ability, has the Netflix sign in process finally become accessible on 
>> the fire tv or stick? I know when I signed in with mine, I had to have help 
>> from a sighted person. Not so with the Apple TV.
>> Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
>> illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with regard 
>> to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
>> Sent from my  iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a 
>>> bit less p

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Ryan Mann]

Would you contact me off list as well?
Thanks.


Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:31 PM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> So if the fire stick needs sighted assistance to enable accessibility then is 
> the fire tv any better for accessibility and which one is better between the 
> fire stick and fire tv?
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
> Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 10:44 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
> assistant game
> 
> I set up NetFlix myself.
> 
> My partner had to go into settings and turn VoiceAssist on for the FireStick.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 21:12, Ryan Mann  wrote:
>> 
>> Could you set up Netflix yourself or did your partner have to set it up?  
>> What about other settings such as the WIFI network?  I live alone, so if I 
>> was to get a Fire Stick, I would need to be able to set it up.
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:10 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I believe there is an accessibility solution for COdi now.  Something 
>>> that’s come out with in the last few weeks.  THere’s been mention of it on 
>>> the android list although I don’t have specifics at hand.  You. Might 
>>> google for a solution as I think one has recently been released.
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  
 wrote:
 
 I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
 possible to check the local weather.
 
 That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
 have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer 
 Fire Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any 
 show and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
 accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
 
 Kind regards,
 
 David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
 Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
 Mobile: +61 488 988 936
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
> 
> Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
> and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
> stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
> for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
> in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
> Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
> that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
> Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
> there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
> use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
> 
> Shawn
> Sent From My White MacBook
> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of 
>> those digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside 
>> the US. I’m not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter 
>> works at their fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even 
>> begin to talk Samsungs new Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it 
>> will ever reach these cold is it latitudes?:-) /Krister
>> 
>>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>>> 
>>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, 
>>> Alexa does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. 
>>> This is why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in 
>>> scope.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
 
 Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
 
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  
> wrote:
> 
> So Sean,
> 
> This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn 
> Krasniuk
> Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
> To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
>>>

Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

[David Chittenden]

The sound is definitely better from the PlayBase. My partner gave me one for 
Easter.. Sonos Playbar is popular enough that we were able to sell it for just 
a hundred less than we paid for it on eBay.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 25/04/2017, at 12:29, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> This must be the new play bar,
> 
> I have the sonos playbar and only got it just before xmas,
> 
> Bummer if the play base also has more of a sub effect than the bar does.
> 
> Wonder if I can sell my play bar and get the new play base.
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Terje Strømberg
> Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 7:56 AM
> To: Mac Group 
> Cc: Terje Strømberg 
> Subject: Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?
> 
> Play Base is a sound bar. Designe like a board/plank for tv. With both low, 
> mid and high frequencies. 
> 
> Take care
> 
>> 24. apr. 2017 kl. 11.02 skrev Simon Fogarty :
>> 
>> Hi David,
>> 
>> I did see advertising for the play base but what is it?
>> 
>> I know they recently baught out a white sub but hwat is this play base?
>> 
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>> Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 9:38 AM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?
>> 
>> We upgraded to the new Sonos Play Base to go with our new 70" Samsung TV. We 
>> needed to factory reset all the Sonos speakers in the house to get them 
>> working with the new configuration. It took about an hour.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 24/04/2017, at 07:13, Donna Goodin  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hey Les,
>>> 
>>> Yep, done both those things several times.  I decided to try the factory 
>>> reset, but still no joy.  May need to wait for tech support tomorrow to get 
>>> the second speaker back.
>>> 
>>> Thanks for the suggestions.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:34 PM, Les Kriegler  wrote:
 
 Donna, before I would do anything radical like that, I'm wondering if you 
 have uninstalled and reinstalled the app on your advice. Perhaps it 
 could've gotten corrupted. The other thing you might try is unplugging the 
 speakers it isn't working, let it sit for about a half a minute and then 
 plug it back in. I've had difficulty with one of my speakers on occasion 
 losing its connection, and that's what I've done. I have been speaking 
 with Sonos about this and we are trying to nail down what the issue might 
 be. They want me to call them when I actually lose sound because they can 
 perform diagnostics on there and to check out what might be going on.
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:53 PM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> So what I'm reading online says you should not do this, but I'm wondering 
> why not?  Yeah, yeah, everything will be erased, but isn't that kind of 
> the point?  And I would assume that all content will be restored when I 
> re-add the player to my network.  Just wondering if anyone has done this? 
>  If yes, is there any good reason why I shouldn't do it?
> TIA,
> Donna
> 
> -- 
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
> Visionaries list.
> 
> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or 
> if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the 
> owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
> 
> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor.  You can reach mark 
> at:  macvisionaries+modera...@googlegroups.com and your owner is Cara 
> Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
> 
> The archives for this list can be searched at:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
> --- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
> "MacVisionaries" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
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 -- 
 The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
 Visionaries list.
 
 If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or 
 if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the 
 owners or moderators di

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[David Chittenden]

Well, I was unaware of how to start VoiceView independently. It is good to know 
that one can do so without needing to initially set up in settings.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 25/04/2017, at 12:31, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> So if the fire stick needs sighted assistance to enable accessibility then is 
> the fire tv any better for accessibility and which one is better between the 
> fire stick and fire tv?
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
> Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 10:44 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
> assistant game
> 
> I set up NetFlix myself.
> 
> My partner had to go into settings and turn VoiceAssist on for the FireStick.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 21:12, Ryan Mann  wrote:
>> 
>> Could you set up Netflix yourself or did your partner have to set it up?  
>> What about other settings such as the WIFI network?  I live alone, so if I 
>> was to get a Fire Stick, I would need to be able to set it up.
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:10 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I believe there is an accessibility solution for COdi now.  Something 
>>> that’s come out with in the last few weeks.  THere’s been mention of it on 
>>> the android list although I don’t have specifics at hand.  You. Might 
>>> google for a solution as I think one has recently been released.
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  
 wrote:
 
 I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
 possible to check the local weather.
 
 That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
 have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer 
 Fire Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any 
 show and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
 accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
 
 Kind regards,
 
 David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
 Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
 Mobile: +61 488 988 936
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
> 
> Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
> and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
> stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
> for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
> in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
> Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
> that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
> Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
> there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
> use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
> 
> Shawn
> Sent From My White MacBook
> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of 
>> those digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside 
>> the US. I’m not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter 
>> works at their fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even 
>> begin to talk Samsungs new Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it 
>> will ever reach these cold is it latitudes?:-) /Krister
>> 
>>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>>> 
>>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, 
>>> Alexa does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. 
>>> This is why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in 
>>> scope.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
 
 Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
 
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  
> wrote:
> 
> So Sean,
> 
> This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[David Chittenden]

In The US, Amazon FireStick works on par with Apple TV, and is about $100 USD 
less expensive. It only has 8 GB onboard memory for apps. It has a good talking 
(you talk to it) interface. The text to speech side is not as robust as Apple. 
For the money, we find it worth it. We only use the Apple TV now if we need to 
AirPlay from the iOS device (iPhone or iPad). As our Sonos is connected to the 
digital audio out jack of the Samsung TV, and the latest Samsung TV has decent 
speech, and the Firestick has decent speech, we use it daily. I think we used 
the Apple TV about two months ago.

That said, we use Siri on our Apple devices significantly more often than Alexa 
on the FireStick because all information from Alexa is US specific.

Oh, another benefit of FireStick is the Android nature, we can load apps which 
are not approved by the Amazon app store (Codi, for example).

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 25/04/2017, at 12:12, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> SO these fire tv have good accessibility for screen reader users?
> 
> Why would I want a fire tv over an apple tv if I was making a choice?
> 
> I didn't find the chrome cast 2 much of a benefit and my apple tv works great 
> for me other than the lack of usefull apps.
> 
> I'd like sonos available on my apple tv but it's not.
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Scott Granados
> Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 2:49 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
> assistant game
> 
> The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, and 
> a lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m also 
> not sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are good 
> products don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV itself and 
> use it more.
>Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
> including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content 
> like CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV 
> lately.  I think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, about 
> twice the stick.
> 
> Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far better 
> than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of good 
> content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf stuff.  
> Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  What would 
> have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to stream prime 
> content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know that’s not likely 
> but this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the button style of the 
> amazon remote better than the Apple touch remote as well but that’s a 
> personal preference thing, others probably disagree with me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Scott,
>> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the stick. 
>> I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. Admittedly, 
>> I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't see the point, 
>> unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. Also, it's worth 
>> noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that the problem both 
>> devices have is with third-party apps not being accessible. There are still 
>> bunches of those that are not accessible with a stick, just as there are on 
>> the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. When Apple change the format and 
>> went to apps, it seems to me they lost control over their excess ability. So 
>> now it's up to the app developers, and many of them screw up. Speaking of 
>> excess ability, has the Netflix sign in process finally become accessible on 
>> the fire tv or stick? I know when I signed in with mine, I had to have help 
>> from a sighted person. Not so with the Apple TV.
>> Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
>> illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with regard 
>> to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
>> Sent from my  iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a 
>>> bit less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good 
>>> product.  Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to 
>>> prime video content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less 
>>> memory and is a bit different design.
>>>  The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
>>> but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK 
>>> but it’s getting less and l

RE: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Simon Fogarty]

So if the fire stick needs sighted assistance to enable accessibility then is 
the fire tv any better for accessibility and which one is better between the 
fire stick and fire tv?


-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of David Chittenden
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 10:44 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant 
game

I set up NetFlix myself.

My partner had to go into settings and turn VoiceAssist on for the FireStick.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 24/04/2017, at 21:12, Ryan Mann  wrote:
> 
> Could you set up Netflix yourself or did your partner have to set it up?  
> What about other settings such as the WIFI network?  I live alone, so if I 
> was to get a Fire Stick, I would need to be able to set it up.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:10 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> I believe there is an accessibility solution for COdi now.  Something that’s 
>> come out with in the last few weeks.  THere’s been mention of it on the 
>> android list although I don’t have specifics at hand.  You. Might google for 
>> a solution as I think one has recently been released.
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
>>> possible to check the local weather.
>>> 
>>> That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
>>> have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer Fire 
>>> Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any show 
>>> and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
>>> accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
 
 Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
 and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
 stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
 for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
 in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
 Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
 that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
 Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
 there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
 use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
 
 Shawn
 Sent From My White MacBook
 Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
 Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
 Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
 Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
> wrote:
> 
> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of 
> those digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside 
> the US. I’m not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter 
> works at their fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even 
> begin to talk Samsungs new Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it 
> will ever reach these cold is it latitudes?:-) /Krister
> 
>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>> 
>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, 
>> Alexa does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. 
>> This is why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in 
>> scope.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  
 wrote:
 
 So Sean,
 
 This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
 
 -Original Message-
 From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
 [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn 
 Krasniuk
 Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
 To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
 
 Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the 
 digital assistant game
 
 Hi Scott. I'm not Yuma but I can tell you who I think is the better 
 AI. After watching demos of the two of them, Alexa still wins hands 
 do

RE: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

[Simon Fogarty]

Hi,

 This must be the new play bar,

 I have the sonos playbar and only got it just before xmas,

 Bummer if the play base also has more of a sub effect than the bar does.

Wonder if I can sell my play bar and get the new play base.

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Terje Strømberg
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 7:56 AM
To: Mac Group 
Cc: Terje Strømberg 
Subject: Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

Play Base is a sound bar. Designe like a board/plank for tv. With both low, mid 
and high frequencies. 

Take care

> 24. apr. 2017 kl. 11.02 skrev Simon Fogarty :
> 
> Hi David,
> 
> I did see advertising for the play base but what is it?
> 
> I know they recently baught out a white sub but hwat is this play base?
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
> Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 9:38 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?
> 
> We upgraded to the new Sonos Play Base to go with our new 70" Samsung TV. We 
> needed to factory reset all the Sonos speakers in the house to get them 
> working with the new configuration. It took about an hour.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 07:13, Donna Goodin  wrote:
>> 
>> Hey Les,
>> 
>> Yep, done both those things several times.  I decided to try the factory 
>> reset, but still no joy.  May need to wait for tech support tomorrow to get 
>> the second speaker back.
>> 
>> Thanks for the suggestions.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:34 PM, Les Kriegler  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Donna, before I would do anything radical like that, I'm wondering if you 
>>> have uninstalled and reinstalled the app on your advice. Perhaps it 
>>> could've gotten corrupted. The other thing you might try is unplugging the 
>>> speakers it isn't working, let it sit for about a half a minute and then 
>>> plug it back in. I've had difficulty with one of my speakers on occasion 
>>> losing its connection, and that's what I've done. I have been speaking with 
>>> Sonos about this and we are trying to nail down what the issue might be. 
>>> They want me to call them when I actually lose sound because they can 
>>> perform diagnostics on there and to check out what might be going on.
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:53 PM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
 
 Hi all,
 
 So what I'm reading online says you should not do this, but I'm wondering 
 why not?  Yeah, yeah, everything will be erased, but isn't that kind of 
 the point?  And I would assume that all content will be restored when I 
 re-add the player to my network.  Just wondering if anyone has done this?  
 If yes, is there any good reason why I shouldn't do it?
 TIA,
 Donna
 
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RE: Converting pdf files on the mac.

[Simon Fogarty]

Hi Jessica,

Possibly 
This could be easier for you if you have office 2016 for the mac?

 Office will now let you open and save to other formats PDF files.

 Just a thought that you could try this if you have office available to you.

 As for scanned images in a pdf format you will if like windows need an OCR 
package to read the image from the PDF file.

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Jessica Moss
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 7:11 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Converting pdf files on the mac.

Ok, I somehow managed to get my script up and running with automator, at least 
I’m guessing I did, sense I now have the option to save these pdf files as rtf 
files, however I just discovered I received one of them as an imbedded jpeg 
file, which is apparently a scanned picture of some text Hannah’s teacher sent 
me of 2 different assignments she’s supposed to actually cover up and someone’s 
supposed to read them to her to spell/recite out loud, so obviously text edit 
isn’t going to read them.  So what to do with these?
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 11:51 AM, Robert Cole  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> Try Robo Braille Converter PDF Image To Text send your attached PDF to 
> conv...@robobraille.org
> 
> Thanks,
> Rob
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 9:58 AM, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>> 
>> I’ve just received several pdf files via e-mail that I need to convert to 
>> txt files, and unfortunately have no idea how to do this.  I found a youtube 
>> video on how to do this, which seems to be outdated, sense some of the 
>> options for using it on my end look a little different, however I thought I 
>> managed to do it.  I think I managed to create it by choosing the “choose,” 
>> button, then “files and folders,” then “pdf-text,” then there was a button 
>> labeled “run” which I pressed, then the task showed up with a warning, which 
>> I can’t find, so I have no idea what I may have done wrong, sense the option 
>> the man doing the video mentioned about what type of file I wanted them 
>> converted to wasn’t even there, so if that was the warning I needed to fix, 
>> I have no idea how to fix it.
>> I need these files to take to work tomorrow and emboss, so if anybody can 
>> please give me some tips, I’d really appreciate it.
>> 
>> --
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RE: Tim Cook almost pulled Uber from the app store

[Simon Fogarty]

Great work,

And people get concerned about governments watching / spying on what they do.

This I could see becoming a courtcase

From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Scott Granados
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 5:52 AM
To: MacVisionaries 'Chris Blouch' via 
Subject: Tim Cook almost pulled Uber from the app store

In the what were they thinking camp, Uber apparently was using iPhone unique 
information to fingerprint devices and also track phones even if the app was 
uninstalled.  Uber has been having a whole host of security and privacy issues 
lately and this is just another, a really big one.  Folks interested can read 
more here.  Keep in mind, even if you hard reset your phone and removed 
everything Uber could still track you.

http://www.redmondpie.com/tim-cook-once-threatened-to-pull-uber-from-app-store-as-the-app-was-tracking-users-even-when-deleted/

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RE: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Simon Fogarty]

Hi Scott,

 I don't either live in a vacume of blind users 
But again 4K is so new here in NZ that most users wouldn't know the difference 
between 4k out put and the previous screen output of my 32inch Samsung LED tv.

 

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Scott Granados
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 3:40 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant 
game

Well, as I don’t live in a vacuum of blind only users 4K is important.  We also 
tend to record a lot of 4K content around here so it’s nice to have the 
playback option.

I’ve got a stick as well on the non 4K TV and you’re right it is pretty good.  
The size especially makes it nice and it’s great to bring with you if you’re 
traveling.

I think my major motivation for going with the Fire TV was the Fire TV was 
announced as accessible first so when I started ordering them the stick wasn’t 
an option yet.  You get used to what you use you know how that goes.


> On Apr 24, 2017, at 11:17 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> 
> I don't know if the stick has 4K or not. I doubt it. As a blind person, I 
> don't care. As for the snappiness, obviously since I don't have a Fire TV, I 
> cannot compare it with the stick. But I'm pretty satisfied with the 
> snappiness of the stick. Says the TV doesn't give me any more access than the 
> stick, I couldn't see spending extra money. To each their own obviously.
> Mary
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:49 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, 
>> and a lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m 
>> also not sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are 
>> good products don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV itself 
>> and use it more.
>>   Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
>> including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content 
>> like CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV 
>> lately.  I think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, about 
>> twice the stick.
>> 
>> Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far 
>> better than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of 
>> good content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf 
>> stuff.  Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  
>> What would have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to 
>> stream prime content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know 
>> that’s not likely but this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the button 
>> style of the amazon remote better than the Apple touch remote as well but 
>> that’s a personal preference thing, others probably disagree with me.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Scott,
>>> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the 
>>> stick. I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. 
>>> Admittedly, I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't 
>>> see the point, unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. 
>>> Also, it's worth noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that the 
>>> problem both devices have is with third-party apps not being accessible. 
>>> There are still bunches of those that are not accessible with a stick, just 
>>> as there are on the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. When Apple 
>>> change the format and went to apps, it seems to me they lost control over 
>>> their excess ability. So now it's up to the app developers, and many of 
>>> them screw up. Speaking of excess ability, has the Netflix sign in process 
>>> finally become accessible on the fire tv or stick? I know when I signed in 
>>> with mine, I had to have help from a sighted person. Not so with the Apple 
>>> TV.
>>> Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
>>> illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with regard 
>>> to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
>>> Sent from my  iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  
 wrote:
 
 You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a 
 bit less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good 
 product.  Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to 
 prime video content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less 
 memory and is a bit different design.
 The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
 but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK 
 but it’s getting less and less accessible as ti

RE: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Simon Fogarty]

SO these fire tv have good accessibility for screen reader users?

 Why would I want a fire tv over an apple tv if I was making a choice?

 I didn't find the chrome cast 2 much of a benefit and my apple tv works great 
for me other than the lack of usefull apps.

 I'd like sonos available on my apple tv but it's not.
-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Scott Granados
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 2:49 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant 
game

The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, and a 
lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m also not 
sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are good products 
don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV itself and use it more.
Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content like 
CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV lately.  I 
think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, about twice the 
stick.

Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far better 
than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of good 
content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf stuff.  
Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  What would 
have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to stream prime 
content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know that’s not likely but 
this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the button style of the amazon 
remote better than the Apple touch remote as well but that’s a personal 
preference thing, others probably disagree with me.




> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> 
> Hi Scott,
> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the stick. 
> I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. Admittedly, 
> I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't see the point, 
> unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. Also, it's worth 
> noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that the problem both 
> devices have is with third-party apps not being accessible. There are still 
> bunches of those that are not accessible with a stick, just as there are on 
> the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. When Apple change the format and 
> went to apps, it seems to me they lost control over their excess ability. So 
> now it's up to the app developers, and many of them screw up. Speaking of 
> excess ability, has the Netflix sign in process finally become accessible on 
> the fire tv or stick? I know when I signed in with mine, I had to have help 
> from a sighted person. Not so with the Apple TV.
> Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
> illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with regard 
> to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
> Sent from my  iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a 
>> bit less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good 
>> product.  Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to 
>> prime video content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less 
>> memory and is a bit different design.
>>   The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
>> but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK but 
>> it’s getting less and less accessible as time passes.
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:49 AM, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Oh cool, how exactly does the firestick differ from the Apple Tv, other 
>>> than it’s way less moneywise, and is a USB stick?
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:02 AM, David Chittenden  
 wrote:
 
 Yes, these devices have parental control settings.
 
 Kind regards,
 
 David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
 Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
 Mobile: +61 488 988 936
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On 24/04/2017, at 10:42, Jessica Moss  wrote:
> 
> Ok, probably a stupid question, but is there a way with those, to filter 
> out what content you don’t want to view, perfect example, R-rated movies 
> you obviously wouldn’t want your kids looking at?  Mom and I have been 
> looking at ditching DirectTv, which is expensive as ever, and we either 
> don’t watch half the stuff it comes with, or don’t get the other half, 
> and she wants a fire stick, and on my end, it’s somewhat been a debate 
> between an apple tv or a fire stick.
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  
>> wrote:
>> 
>>

RE: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Simon Fogarty]

If you set fire to your tv wouldn't that be a waste of the tv?

Is a fire stick otherwise known as a match?



-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Scott Granados
Sent: Tuesday, 25 April 2017 1:56 AM
To: MacVisionaries 'Chris Blouch' via 
Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant 
game

You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a bit 
less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good product.  
Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to prime video 
content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less memory and is a 
bit different design.
The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK but 
it’s getting less and less accessible as time passes.

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:49 AM, Jessica Moss  wrote:
> 
> Oh cool, how exactly does the firestick differ from the Apple Tv, other than 
> it’s way less moneywise, and is a USB stick?
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:02 AM, David Chittenden  wrote:
>> 
>> Yes, these devices have parental control settings.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 24/04/2017, at 10:42, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Ok, probably a stupid question, but is there a way with those, to filter 
>>> out what content you don’t want to view, perfect example, R-rated movies 
>>> you obviously wouldn’t want your kids looking at?  Mom and I have been 
>>> looking at ditching DirectTv, which is expensive as ever, and we either 
>>> don’t watch half the stuff it comes with, or don’t get the other half, and 
>>> she wants a fire stick, and on my end, it’s somewhat been a debate between 
>>> an apple tv or a fire stick.
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  
 wrote:
 
 I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
 possible to check the local weather.
 
 That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
 have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer 
 Fire Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any 
 show and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
 accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
 
 Kind regards,
 
 David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
 Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
 Mobile: +61 488 988 936
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
> 
> Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
> and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
> stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
> for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
> in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
> Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
> that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
> Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
> there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
> use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
> 
> Shawn
> Sent From My White MacBook
> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of 
>> those digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside 
>> the US. I’m not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter 
>> works at their fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even 
>> begin to talk Samsungs new Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it 
>> will ever reach these cold is it latitudes?:-) /Krister
>> 
>>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>>> 
>>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, 
>>> Alexa does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. 
>>> This is why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in 
>>> scope.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
 
 Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
 
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  
> wrote:

RE: Question for Sonos users

[Simon Fogarty]

Hi Donna,

 Should be there,

 If you split a grouped room then to re group it's just a case of opening the 
room settings and selecting all rooms and then grouping them  again,

I can't see why this wouldn't work for you.

Still if you need to give your play1's away, I'll send you my address.

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 11:47 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Question for Sonos users

Hey Simon,

I think the grouping thing isn't working right.  I've looked at that, but saw 
no option for regrouping rooms.
Cheers,
Donna
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 3:47 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> Donna,
> 
> I'm not sure what your really getting at,
> 
> I take it you pick one speaker up and take it outside but if you have them as 
> individual speakers surely they should just work as I have!
> 
> I take one from my bedroom and move it to the kitchen and it keeps working,if 
> I want it playing what is on my living room pair then I just group the 
> speakers again or to sepperate the sounds I split the grouping 
> 
> This can be done under the room settings grouping rooms 
> 
> And if you don't have things running at the time you unplug may be good to 
> try, I make sure I move the bedroom play 1 before I start playing the audio.
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
> Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 12:50 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Question for Sonos users
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> So, my husband and I just relocated, and we're sort of camping out in a tiny 
> rental house while we sell our old home.  As a result, the only sound system 
> we currently have unpacked is our Sonos.  We have two Play ones.  Because 
> that is our only system, I need to move one of the speakers from inside to 
> outside when we want to sit outside and listen to music out there.  Every 
> time I do this, it's a major hassle, and I spend at least an hour putting 
> things back to rights, when I bring the speaker back inside.  This time I've 
> spent several hours, and I still can't seem to get the speaker that I moved 
> added back into the Livingroom room.  Does anyone know if there is a less 
> painful way to accomplish this?  Stated another way, is there  a pain-free 
> way to be able to use one speaker in more than one location?  I thought there 
> was a way to manage this in the iPhone app, but I'm not seeing it.
> Thanks,
> Donna
> 
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The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
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If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
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RE: Sitrix access

[Simon Fogarty]

Scott,

Yeah possibly but it will come down to what form of lock down the sys admins 
have on the notebook,

As for safari, not an option on a windows 7 based machine


From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Scott Granados
Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 10:18 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Sitrix access

I would think you could enable sharing on the laptop and then mount the shares 
via the browser possibly.  It’s been a long long time but I thought I 
remembered something along the lines of using the safari browser as the file 
browser.  Let me know if you get stuck I’d take this on as a project to figure 
it out as well and be glad to help.  Possibly Simon has run in to this as a 
systems admin.  Might be a good question for the blind sysadmins list as well.  
THere’s a lot of smart windows admins there.



On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:52 PM, David Chittenden 
mailto:dchitten...@gmail.com>> wrote:

Hi Scott,

I really like that suggestion. I had not considered it. Now, to figure out how 
to set it up.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

On 24/04/2017, at 00:33, Scott Granados 
mailto:scott.grana...@gmail.com>> wrote:
One other idea David is possibly sharing a volume or folder on one device and 
making it available to both so you can just drag and drop content with out 
needing an intermediary.

Just another suggestion.

On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:04 AM, David Chittenden 
mailto:dchitten...@gmail.com>> wrote:

Thanks for the reminder. I will ask about both, Google Drive and OneDrive.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

On 22/04/2017, at 21:30, Scott Granados 
mailto:scott.grana...@gmail.com>> wrote:
What about Google drive?

On Apr 22, 2017, at 7:28 AM, David Chittenden 
mailto:dchitten...@gmail.com>> wrote:

Yes, but the organisation does not support Apple (save for iPads), so they will 
probably require OneDrive. I personally would prefer iCloud. I seriously doubt 
they will accept dropbox.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

On 22/04/2017, at 18:12, Simon Fogarty 
mailto:si...@blinky-net.com>> wrote:
Hi David,

One drive is very usable on IOS and jaws obviously,

But remember that Interlectual property is questionable within One Drive 
especially for government organisations

Good luck though.
From: 
macvisionaries@googlegroups.com[mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com]
 On Behalf Of David Chittenden
Sent: Saturday, 22 April 2017 4:37 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Sitrix access

Hi,

Yes, once I receive my local access laptop, I will find a way to easily 
transfer documents between the iPad and the laptop. Email will definitely work. 
However, I will first try Microsoft One Drive. It will depend on the 
permissions desktop support gives me on the laptop. At the very least, they 
will allow me to install the screen reader. My question is JFW or NVDA. That 
will depend on how well NVDA can access our specialised programs. I would 
prefer to avoid the several hundred dollar JFW upgrade cost as my JFW license 
is 5 years out-of-date..

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

On 21/04/2017, at 19:05, Simon Fogarty 
mailto:si...@blinky-net.com>> wrote:
David,

Have you thought of other possible options to get your documentation from the 
iPad to the shared drives?

I’m just wondering if it might be possible to save documents to a secure cloud 
environment

Can’t believe there wouldn’t be something that could be used
From: 
macvisionaries@googlegroups.com[mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com]
 On Behalf Of David Chittenden
Sent: Friday, 21 April 2017 9:41 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Sitrix access

As for running Windows, I will do most of my admin work on the iPad. The 
computer will mainly be used to place my completed paperwork on the network 
drives.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

On 20/04/2017, at 17:58, Scott Granados 
mailto:scott.grana...@gmail.com>> wrote:
That’s such a bogus reason not to install JFW.  Especially when you can deploy 
it so it only runs for the specific users required.  All that is I think is an 
IT department to lazy to do their jobs.  People bitch about jaws or voice over 
and security in the mean time demanding that their favorite messenger or media 
player is ins

Re: iTunes next song AppleScript via UI Scripting.

[Jonathan Cohn]

If you put the script into script editor and click play you should get a dialog 
asking you to launch System Preferences. 

You need to go into the  Security and Privacy panel then click on Privacy. 

In the Privacy tab is a table where one of the items is accessibility. You 
should see in the other table that Script Editor has asked for accessibility 
access, and you need to check the box next to System Preferences. I can give 
you more secure way where only this specific script has accessibility access 
not all scripts, but this is the easiest way. 

Also, since I used the 
tell application "VoiceOver" to output the SongName, you need to also make sure 
the t allow Apple Script to control VoiceOver is checked.

,  
Best wishes,

Jonathan Cohn



> On Apr 24, 2017, at 5:07 PM, Des Delgadillo  wrote:
> 
> Hi Jonathan,
> Sorry for the delay in responding.
> Thank you for the script. Getting the song information in a dialogue box 
> would be fine, it would even be ok if VO just read out the song title without 
> displaying a dialogue.
> I have limited scripting knowledge but I will try to run this script today. 
> Can I just copy and paste the text of your script into the script editor?
> Thanks again for doing this.
> 
> Des Delgadillo
> Reporter
> desdelgadi...@gmail.com 
> (562) 652-3415
> 
>> On Apr 22, 2017, at 6:15 PM, Jonathan Cohn > > wrote:
>> 
>> I have a preliminary version of this script working using the Accessibility 
>> API. What this means is that an administrator needs to authorize either the 
>> script editor application or an application created from the script in order 
>> for this script to run.
>> 
>> Right now I have it use VoiceOver to speak the name of the next song. There 
>> is also a string that returns the Artist and Album.
>> 
>> To the person that was requesting this, what was the final requirement? Do 
>> you want the information in a dialog box? Should it run just once, or be 
>> checking on regular intervals to see if the up next has changed?
>> 
>> Perhaps you want me to attempt to insert the information into a Numbers 
>> sheet.
>> 
>> Text of script so far is below: note, I believe at least one of the handlers 
>> is not being used.
>> note 2 I put the UI Elements being accessed as properties at the top of the 
>> script. 
>> 
>> use application "System Events"
>> use scripting additions
>> 
>> property miniPlayerWindow : a reference to window "miniplayer" of 
>> application process "iTunes"
>> property ToggleButton : a reference to pop up button 2 of miniPlayerWindow
>> property UpNextRadioButton : a reference to radio button "Up Next" of radio 
>> group 1 of miniPlayerWindow
>> property ScrollRegion : a reference to scroll area 1 of miniPlayerWindow
>> property NextSongItem : a reference to static text 1 of UI element 1 of row 
>> 1 of table 1 of ScrollRegion
>> property NextAlbumItem : a reference to static text 2 of UI element 1 of row 
>> 1 of table 1 of ScrollRegion
>> 
>> on run
>>  -- find the mini player or create it
>>  ActivateMiniPlayer()
>>  if description of ToggleButton is not equal to "hide up next" then
>>  error "Who are we kidding, this should be the button. Perhaps 
>> iTunes changed the arrangement"
>>  end if
>>  
>>  if value of UpNextRadioButton = 0 then -- Up next needs to be selected 
>>  click UpNextRadioButton
>>  end if
>>  
>>  -- make sure information is visible 
>>  set ScrollSize to size of ScrollRegion
>>  if second item of ScrollSize is equal to 0 then -- hight = 0 
>>  click ToggleButton
>>  end if
>>  
>>  set Song to value of NextSongItem
>>  set ALbum to value of NextAlbumItem
>>  VoiceOverSpeech(Song)
>>  return Song & ALbum
>> end run
>> 
>> on VoiceOverSpeech(myText)
>>  tell application "VoiceOver" to output myText
>>  
>> end VoiceOverSpeech
>> on ActivateMiniPlayer()
>>  set iTunesRunning to my ActivateIfRunning:"iTunes"
>>  if not iTunesRunning then
>>  error "You must be running iTunes for this script to work."
>>  end if
>>  tell application "iTunes"
>>  if (not (exists miniplayer window 1)) then
>>  make new miniplayer window
>>  end if
>>  end tell
>>  return {}
>>  return window "MiniPlayer" of application process "iTunes"
>> end ActivateMiniPlayer
>> 
>> 
>> on appWithName(appName as {text, application})
>>  set c to class of appName
>>  if c is equal to application then
>>  return appName
>>  else if c is equal to text then
>>  return application appName
>>  end if
>> end appWithName
>> 
>> 
>> on ActivateIfRunning:appName
>>  try
>>  set frontmost of application process appName to true
>>  set Success to true
>>  on error
>>  set Success to false
>>  end try
>>

Re: Sirius xm app

[Ben Constantini]

It would if your boom box has an input jack . Most of the newer ones do.

Ben 
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:13 PM, Matthew Dyer  
> wrote:
> 
> Ben, I don't have a starero,  just a cheep boombox sitting near my counter.  
> Would this work if I had an input jack on it.  HTH.
> 
> Matthew
> 
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ben Constantini
> Sent: Monday, April 24, 2017 5:00 PM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: Sirius xm app
> 
> Matthew , I can also connect my Sirius receiver to my stereo by running a 
> cable from the antenna jack on the front of the radio to the input jack on 
> the stereo .  You can also buy a docking unit  from Sirius  and hook it  up 
> that way .
> 
> Ben C.
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 3:26 PM, Matthew Dyer  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> At the moment I have an internet subscribtion, bt have a question regarding 
>> a receiver.  Are you able to get receivers that could be connected without a 
>> stareo?  I have a small boombox but I don't think there is a way to connect 
>> a receiver to it.  I would like to be able too listen without being tied to 
>> just the internet.  HTH.
>> 
>> Matthew
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ben Constantini
>> Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2017 9:20 PM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: Re: Sirius xm app
>> 
>> Stacy,  I believe when you download the app , they will offer you the free 
>> trial before you sign in  I have been using  Sirius since 2005 . I 
>> originally  just had the radio and was paying $13 per month . Last November 
>> I upgraded to ALL  ACCESS and I think I am paying about $229 per year . With 
>> ALL ACCESS I can listen to Sirius on my stereo , mac , iPhone  and iPad . . 
>> Hope this helps .
>> 
>> Ben C. 
>>> On Apr 19, 2017, at 5:32 PM, Stacey Robinson  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Ben,
>>> You may wish to write off list about this.
>>> How do I find out about getting a free trial and how much are the different 
>>> packages?
>>> 
>>> Peace,  
>>> Stacey Robinson and GEB dog Kirk.
>>> 
>>> mailto:stacey...@bellsouth.net
>>> 
>>> -- 
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>>> Visionaries list.
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>> 
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>> Visionaries list.
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>> macvisionaries+modera...@googlegroups

RE: Sirius xm app

[Matthew Dyer]

Ben, I don't have a starero,  just a cheep boombox sitting near my counter.  
Would this work if I had an input jack on it.  HTH.

Matthew



-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Ben Constantini
Sent: Monday, April 24, 2017 5:00 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Sirius xm app

Matthew , I can also connect my Sirius receiver to my stereo by running a cable 
from the antenna jack on the front of the radio to the input jack on the stereo 
.  You can also buy a docking unit  from Sirius  and hook it  up that way .

Ben C.

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 3:26 PM, Matthew Dyer  
> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> At the moment I have an internet subscribtion, bt have a question regarding a 
> receiver.  Are you able to get receivers that could be connected without a 
> stareo?  I have a small boombox but I don't think there is a way to connect a 
> receiver to it.  I would like to be able too listen without being tied to 
> just the internet.  HTH.
> 
> Matthew
> 
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ben Constantini
> Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2017 9:20 PM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: Sirius xm app
> 
> Stacy,  I believe when you download the app , they will offer you the free 
> trial before you sign in  I have been using  Sirius since 2005 . I originally 
>  just had the radio and was paying $13 per month . Last November I upgraded 
> to ALL  ACCESS and I think I am paying about $229 per year . With ALL ACCESS 
> I can listen to Sirius on my stereo , mac , iPhone  and iPad . . 
> Hope this helps .
> 
> Ben C. 
>> On Apr 19, 2017, at 5:32 PM, Stacey Robinson  wrote:
>> 
>> Ben,
>> You may wish to write off list about this.
>> How do I find out about getting a free trial and how much are the different 
>> packages?
>> 
>> Peace,   
>> Stacey Robinson and GEB dog Kirk.
>>  
>> mailto:stacey...@bellsouth.net
>> 
>> -- 
>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
>> Visionaries list.
>> 
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>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
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>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor.  You can reach mark at:  
>> macvisionaries+modera...@googlegroups.com and your owner is Cara Quinn - you 
>> can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
>> 
>> The archives for this list can be searched at:
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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[David Chittenden]

I set up NetFlix myself.

My partner had to go into settings and turn VoiceAssist on for the FireStick.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 24/04/2017, at 21:12, Ryan Mann  wrote:
> 
> Could you set up Netflix yourself or did your partner have to set it up?  
> What about other settings such as the WIFI network?  I live alone, so if I 
> was to get a Fire Stick, I would need to be able to set it up.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:10 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> I believe there is an accessibility solution for COdi now.  Something that’s 
>> come out with in the last few weeks.  THere’s been mention of it on the 
>> android list although I don’t have specifics at hand.  You. Might google for 
>> a solution as I think one has recently been released.
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
>>> possible to check the local weather.
>>> 
>>> That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
>>> have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer Fire 
>>> Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any show 
>>> and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
>>> accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
 
 Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
 and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
 stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
 for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
 in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
 Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
 that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
 Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
 there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
 use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
 
 Shawn
 Sent From My White MacBook
 Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
 Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
 Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
 Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
> wrote:
> 
> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of those 
> digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside the US. I’m 
> not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter works at their 
> fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even begin to talk Samsungs new 
> Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it will ever reach these cold is it 
> latitudes?:-)
> /Krister
> 
>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>> 
>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, 
>> Alexa does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. 
>> This is why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in 
>> scope.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  
 wrote:
 
 So Sean,
 
 This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
 
 -Original Message-
 From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
 [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn Krasniuk
 Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
 To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
 Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
 assistant game
 
 Hi Scott. I'm not Yuma but I can tell you who I think is the better 
 AI. After watching demos of the two of them, Alexa still wins hands 
 down. Sure, with Google Now, when you ask it questions, you can ask 
 subsequent questions about the topic you started with it. Alexa has a 
 hard time with that, but she has more smart devices she can connect to 
 than Google. On a video I saw, you can rectify the problem by using 
 IFTTT, but that sounds like it could be more complicated than it 
 should be. Also, it just sounds better to call your virtual assistant 
 by a name rather than Goo

Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

[David Chittenden]

PlayBase is the update to the PlayBar. It is a large flat rectangle. It beams 
sound around the room, giving a more dynamic listening experience.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 25/04/2017, at 05:55, Terje Strømberg  wrote:
> 
> Play Base is a sound bar. Designe like a board/plank for tv. With both low, 
> mid and high frequencies. 
> 
> Take care
> 
>> 24. apr. 2017 kl. 11.02 skrev Simon Fogarty :
>> 
>> Hi David,
>> 
>> I did see advertising for the play base but what is it?
>> 
>> I know they recently baught out a white sub but hwat is this play base?
>> 
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>> Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 9:38 AM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>> Subject: Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?
>> 
>> We upgraded to the new Sonos Play Base to go with our new 70" Samsung TV. We 
>> needed to factory reset all the Sonos speakers in the house to get them 
>> working with the new configuration. It took about an hour.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 24/04/2017, at 07:13, Donna Goodin  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hey Les,
>>> 
>>> Yep, done both those things several times.  I decided to try the factory 
>>> reset, but still no joy.  May need to wait for tech support tomorrow to get 
>>> the second speaker back.
>>> 
>>> Thanks for the suggestions.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:34 PM, Les Kriegler  wrote:
 
 Donna, before I would do anything radical like that, I'm wondering if you 
 have uninstalled and reinstalled the app on your advice. Perhaps it 
 could've gotten corrupted. The other thing you might try is unplugging the 
 speakers it isn't working, let it sit for about a half a minute and then 
 plug it back in. I've had difficulty with one of my speakers on occasion 
 losing its connection, and that's what I've done. I have been speaking 
 with Sonos about this and we are trying to nail down what the issue might 
 be. They want me to call them when I actually lose sound because they can 
 perform diagnostics on there and to check out what might be going on.
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:53 PM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> So what I'm reading online says you should not do this, but I'm wondering 
> why not?  Yeah, yeah, everything will be erased, but isn't that kind of 
> the point?  And I would assume that all content will be restored when I 
> re-add the player to my network.  Just wondering if anyone has done this? 
>  If yes, is there any good reason why I shouldn't do it?
> TIA,
> Donna
> 
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>>

Re: Thanks to those who directed me to Sonos tech support

[Donna Goodin]

I agree, Les.
Cheers,
Donna
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 5:04 PM, Les Kriegler  wrote:
> 
> Donna, I'm really glad this worked out for you. I think another advantage of 
> talking with tech-support is it a have an idea now of how voice over works. 
> And that in itself is a good thing.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 3:21 PM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
>> 
>> Hey all, especially Les and Scott,
>> 
>> Thanks for your recommendation of Sonos Tech support.  They did not 
>> disappoint.  By the time I talked to them this morning, I'd deleted the app 
>> from all my devices, and rebooted both our speakers several times over, but 
>> no joy.  They got me up and running, and the first thing they had me do was 
>> update my Time Capsule.  I would never have thought to do this, but it 
>> hadn't been updated for at least two years, so was probably long overdue.  
>> Anyway, both players are up and working again.  My advice to any other Sonos 
>> users, if you seem to be in over your head, skip spending the eight plus 
>> hours I spent, and just call their tech support.  They really were as good 
>> as Les said they are.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>> -- 
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Re: Thanks to those who directed me to Sonos tech support

[Les Kriegler]

Donna, I'm really glad this worked out for you. I think another advantage of 
talking with tech-support is it a have an idea now of how voice over works. And 
that in itself is a good thing.

Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 3:21 PM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
> 
> Hey all, especially Les and Scott,
> 
> Thanks for your recommendation of Sonos Tech support.  They did not 
> disappoint.  By the time I talked to them this morning, I'd deleted the app 
> from all my devices, and rebooted both our speakers several times over, but 
> no joy.  They got me up and running, and the first thing they had me do was 
> update my Time Capsule.  I would never have thought to do this, but it hadn't 
> been updated for at least two years, so was probably long overdue.  Anyway, 
> both players are up and working again.  My advice to any other Sonos users, 
> if you seem to be in over your head, skip spending the eight plus hours I 
> spent, and just call their tech support.  They really were as good as Les 
> said they are.
> Cheers,
> Donna
> 
> -- 
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Re: iTunes next song AppleScript via UI Scripting.

[Des Delgadillo]

Hi Jonathan,
Sorry for the delay in responding.
Thank you for the script. Getting the song information in a dialogue box would 
be fine, it would even be ok if VO just read out the song title without 
displaying a dialogue.
I have limited scripting knowledge but I will try to run this script today. Can 
I just copy and paste the text of your script into the script editor?
Thanks again for doing this.

Des Delgadillo
Reporter
desdelgadi...@gmail.com
(562) 652-3415

> On Apr 22, 2017, at 6:15 PM, Jonathan Cohn  wrote:
> 
> I have a preliminary version of this script working using the Accessibility 
> API. What this means is that an administrator needs to authorize either the 
> script editor application or an application created from the script in order 
> for this script to run.
> 
> Right now I have it use VoiceOver to speak the name of the next song. There 
> is also a string that returns the Artist and Album.
> 
> To the person that was requesting this, what was the final requirement? Do 
> you want the information in a dialog box? Should it run just once, or be 
> checking on regular intervals to see if the up next has changed?
> 
> Perhaps you want me to attempt to insert the information into a Numbers sheet.
> 
> Text of script so far is below: note, I believe at least one of the handlers 
> is not being used.
> note 2 I put the UI Elements being accessed as properties at the top of the 
> script. 
> 
> use application "System Events"
> use scripting additions
> 
> property miniPlayerWindow : a reference to window "miniplayer" of application 
> process "iTunes"
> property ToggleButton : a reference to pop up button 2 of miniPlayerWindow
> property UpNextRadioButton : a reference to radio button "Up Next" of radio 
> group 1 of miniPlayerWindow
> property ScrollRegion : a reference to scroll area 1 of miniPlayerWindow
> property NextSongItem : a reference to static text 1 of UI element 1 of row 1 
> of table 1 of ScrollRegion
> property NextAlbumItem : a reference to static text 2 of UI element 1 of row 
> 1 of table 1 of ScrollRegion
> 
> on run
>   -- find the mini player or create it
>   ActivateMiniPlayer()
>   if description of ToggleButton is not equal to "hide up next" then
>   error "Who are we kidding, this should be the button. Perhaps 
> iTunes changed the arrangement"
>   end if
>   
>   if value of UpNextRadioButton = 0 then -- Up next needs to be selected 
>   click UpNextRadioButton
>   end if
>   
>   -- make sure information is visible 
>   set ScrollSize to size of ScrollRegion
>   if second item of ScrollSize is equal to 0 then -- hight = 0 
>   click ToggleButton
>   end if
>   
>   set Song to value of NextSongItem
>   set ALbum to value of NextAlbumItem
>   VoiceOverSpeech(Song)
>   return Song & ALbum
> end run
> 
> on VoiceOverSpeech(myText)
>   tell application "VoiceOver" to output myText
>   
> end VoiceOverSpeech
> on ActivateMiniPlayer()
>   set iTunesRunning to my ActivateIfRunning:"iTunes"
>   if not iTunesRunning then
>   error "You must be running iTunes for this script to work."
>   end if
>   tell application "iTunes"
>   if (not (exists miniplayer window 1)) then
>   make new miniplayer window
>   end if
>   end tell
>   return {}
>   return window "MiniPlayer" of application process "iTunes"
> end ActivateMiniPlayer
> 
> 
> on appWithName(appName as {text, application})
>   set c to class of appName
>   if c is equal to application then
>   return appName
>   else if c is equal to text then
>   return application appName
>   end if
> end appWithName
> 
> 
> on ActivateIfRunning:appName
>   try
>   set frontmost of application process appName to true
>   set Success to true
>   on error
>   set Success to false
>   end try
>   return Success
> end ActivateIfRunning:
> 
>   Best wishes,
> 
> Jonathan Cohn
> 
> 
> 
> 
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Re: Sirius xm app

[Ben Constantini]

Matthew , I can also connect my Sirius receiver to my stereo by running a cable 
from the antenna jack on the front of the radio to the input jack on the stereo 
.  You can also buy a docking unit  from Sirius  and hook it  up that way .

Ben C.

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 3:26 PM, Matthew Dyer  
> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> At the moment I have an internet subscribtion, bt have a question regarding a 
> receiver.  Are you able to get receivers that could be connected without a 
> stareo?  I have a small boombox but I don't think there is a way to connect a 
> receiver to it.  I would like to be able too listen without being tied to 
> just the internet.  HTH.
> 
> Matthew
> 
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Ben Constantini
> Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2017 9:20 PM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: Sirius xm app
> 
> Stacy,  I believe when you download the app , they will offer you the free 
> trial before you sign in  I have been using  Sirius since 2005 . I originally 
>  just had the radio and was paying $13 per month . Last November I upgraded 
> to ALL  ACCESS and I think I am paying about $229 per year . With ALL ACCESS 
> I can listen to Sirius on my stereo , mac , iPhone  and iPad . . 
> Hope this helps .
> 
> Ben C. 
>> On Apr 19, 2017, at 5:32 PM, Stacey Robinson  wrote:
>> 
>> Ben,
>> You may wish to write off list about this.
>> How do I find out about getting a free trial and how much are the different 
>> packages?
>> 
>> Peace,   
>> Stacey Robinson and GEB dog Kirk.
>>  
>> mailto:stacey...@bellsouth.net
>> 
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The foll

Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

[Terje Strømberg]

Play Base is a sound bar. Designe like a board/plank for tv. With both low, mid 
and high frequencies. 

Take care

> 24. apr. 2017 kl. 11.02 skrev Simon Fogarty :
> 
> Hi David,
> 
> I did see advertising for the play base but what is it?
> 
> I know they recently baught out a white sub but hwat is this play base?
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
> Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 9:38 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?
> 
> We upgraded to the new Sonos Play Base to go with our new 70" Samsung TV. We 
> needed to factory reset all the Sonos speakers in the house to get them 
> working with the new configuration. It took about an hour.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 07:13, Donna Goodin  wrote:
>> 
>> Hey Les,
>> 
>> Yep, done both those things several times.  I decided to try the factory 
>> reset, but still no joy.  May need to wait for tech support tomorrow to get 
>> the second speaker back.
>> 
>> Thanks for the suggestions.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:34 PM, Les Kriegler  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Donna, before I would do anything radical like that, I'm wondering if you 
>>> have uninstalled and reinstalled the app on your advice. Perhaps it 
>>> could've gotten corrupted. The other thing you might try is unplugging the 
>>> speakers it isn't working, let it sit for about a half a minute and then 
>>> plug it back in. I've had difficulty with one of my speakers on occasion 
>>> losing its connection, and that's what I've done. I have been speaking with 
>>> Sonos about this and we are trying to nail down what the issue might be. 
>>> They want me to call them when I actually lose sound because they can 
>>> perform diagnostics on there and to check out what might be going on.
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:53 PM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
 
 Hi all,
 
 So what I'm reading online says you should not do this, but I'm wondering 
 why not?  Yeah, yeah, everything will be erased, but isn't that kind of 
 the point?  And I would assume that all content will be restored when I 
 re-add the player to my network.  Just wondering if anyone has done this?  
 If yes, is there any good reason why I shouldn't do it?
 TIA,
 Donna
 
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RE: Sirius xm app

[Matthew Dyer]

Hi,

At the moment I have an internet subscribtion, bt have a question regarding a 
receiver.  Are you able to get receivers that could be connected without a 
stareo?  I have a small boombox but I don't think there is a way to connect a 
receiver to it.  I would like to be able too listen without being tied to just 
the internet.  HTH.

Matthew



-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Ben Constantini
Sent: Sunday, April 23, 2017 9:20 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Sirius xm app

Stacy,  I believe when you download the app , they will offer you the free 
trial before you sign in  I have been using  Sirius since 2005 . I originally  
just had the radio and was paying $13 per month . Last November I upgraded to 
ALL  ACCESS and I think I am paying about $229 per year . With ALL ACCESS I can 
listen to Sirius on my stereo , mac , iPhone  and iPad . . 
Hope this helps .

Ben C. 
> On Apr 19, 2017, at 5:32 PM, Stacey Robinson  wrote:
> 
> Ben,
> You may wish to write off list about this.
> How do I find out about getting a free trial and how much are the different 
> packages?
> 
> Peace,
> Stacey Robinson and GEB dog Kirk.
>   
> mailto:stacey...@bellsouth.net
> 
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Thanks to those who directed me to Sonos tech support

[Donna Goodin]

Hey all, especially Les and Scott,

Thanks for your recommendation of Sonos Tech support.  They did not disappoint. 
 By the time I talked to them this morning, I'd deleted the app from all my 
devices, and rebooted both our speakers several times over, but no joy.  They 
got me up and running, and the first thing they had me do was update my Time 
Capsule.  I would never have thought to do this, but it hadn't been updated for 
at least two years, so was probably long overdue.  Anyway, both players are up 
and working again.  My advice to any other Sonos users, if you seem to be in 
over your head, skip spending the eight plus hours I spent, and just call their 
tech support.  They really were as good as Les said they are.
Cheers,
Donna

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Re: Converting pdf files on the mac.

[Jessica Moss]

Ok, I somehow managed to get my script up and running with automator, at least 
I’m guessing I did, sense I now have the option to save these pdf files as rtf 
files, however I just discovered I received one of them as an imbedded jpeg 
file, which is apparently a scanned picture of some text Hannah’s teacher sent 
me of 2 different assignments she’s supposed to actually cover up and someone’s 
supposed to read them to her to spell/recite out loud, so obviously text edit 
isn’t going to read them.  So what to do with these?
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 11:51 AM, Robert Cole  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> Try Robo Braille Converter PDF Image To Text 
> send your attached PDF to
> conv...@robobraille.org
> 
> Thanks,
> Rob
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 9:58 AM, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>> 
>> I’ve just received several pdf files via e-mail that I need to convert to 
>> txt files, and unfortunately have no idea how to do this.  I found a youtube 
>> video on how to do this, which seems to be outdated, sense some of the 
>> options for using it on my end look a little different, however I thought I 
>> managed to do it.  I think I managed to create it by choosing the “choose,” 
>> button, then “files and folders,” then “pdf-text,” then there was a button 
>> labeled “run” which I pressed, then the task showed up with a warning, which 
>> I can’t find, so I have no idea what I may have done wrong, sense the option 
>> the man doing the video mentioned about what type of file I wanted them 
>> converted to wasn’t even there, so if that was the warning I needed to fix, 
>> I have no idea how to fix it.
>> I need these files to take to work tomorrow and emboss, so if anybody can 
>> please give me some tips, I’d really appreciate it.
>> 
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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Yuma Decaux]

Hey Scott,

Agreed, this is not a place to discuss about these things.

I'll shout you a mail




> On 25/04/2017, at 3:47 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> Well, we’ve probably strayed off topic for the list but I find what you’re 
> talking about absolutely compelling.  I can see where you might apply your 
> calculations to large complex data analysis like environmental modeling for 
> example or looking for chaotic patterns.  The thing that interests me about 
> quantum computing is the non locality effects and the ability to attack 
> problems from a multiverse perspective trying all possible computations and 
> all probabilities in a single quantum event.  But now you’re pressing the 
> edges of my understanding firmly so you’re probably much more versed in these 
> things than I am.  Your basically talking long range about turning 
> predictions and future telling from guesses to almost certainties among other 
> seriously fundamentally changing capabilities.
>   Robotics is another area I’m interested in.  As you may know I 
> experiment in a small way with autonomous flight right now using quadcopter 
> platforms as a base.  Combining these with LIDAR, SONAR and machine vision to 
> study and self navigate from one GPS point to another.  I’m to the point 
> where I can fly around a school yard and navigate through areas like the 
> playground and batting cages.;). (Big thank you to the folks at Milberry 
> Street School)
> 
> Feel free and contact me off list and or we can exchange messenger / 
> communication IDs of your choice.
> 
> Thanks for the food for thought!
> 
> Scott
> 
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 1:32 PM, Yuma Decaux  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Scott,
>> 
>> I think the cutting edge is in applications that affect the world, not those 
>> that affect pure data itself. The normal classifiers as you say are:
>> -sensory (vision, touch, localised temperature, pressure, captured 
>> environmentals)
>> -model or data model, where all your data and features are. The contexts and 
>> semantics trees, the pixels that make the vision understand edges and 
>> contours, rates of them, velocity of movements and recalls. It's a massive 
>> power set of matrices that work with each other through GPU and node 
>> servers..
>> -Action: This is where your logic space makes decisions, depending on the 
>> controls used on them, such as understanding what distribution of a certain 
>> value is across the entire feature set. Is it obviously and unconditionally 
>> true, meaning constant, or is it variable like a range between -1 and 1? And 
>> how many of them, in the aggregate, agree to that decision? one of the 
>> algorithms for this one is Support Vector Machines.
>> 
>> It's more of a composition rather than a specific service, that creates that 
>> service or A.I powered algorithm that makes it work so well.
>> 
>> The absolute cutting edge of robotics to my view, is quantum computing. To 
>> be able to collapse and re-assign decisions into stacks of information that 
>> can be simultaneously calculated in a constant time of 1 per global pulse by 
>> randomisation assignments which are structured, is what will flip everything 
>> up, and quantum computing will stop the industry from postponing the 
>> inventions which are out there, not funded but worked on, with associations 
>> and organisations.
>> 
>> I would be happy to exchange FBs so I can send you some robotics articles 
>> and twitter is _oseyeris. I'd like you to be an initial beta tester for 
>> something I've worked on for a year. It has a 3D audio engine and is easy to 
>> use for OSX and IOS. It's called TheTakeOut.
>> 
>> Cheers,
>> 
>> 
>>> On 23/04/2017, at 6:19 PM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow there’s a lot of great points here.
>>> 
>>> I’m curious, as someone who’s heavily involved in AI who do you think is 
>>> the absolute cutting edge right now outside the classified space.  Maybe 
>>> you could rank a little the major publicly visible efforts like Watson 
>>> verses Google verses Amazon and such.  Who makes you think wow that’s 
>>> really impressive?  We know Apple in many ways is behind the times but 
>>> who’s way ahead?
>>> 
>>> Also, do you have any published papers or anything I could read of your 
>>> work you’ve impressed me with your response and I’d like to learn more 
>>> about where you’re coming from.
>>> 
>>> Thanks
>>> Scott
>>> 
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:54 AM, Yuma Decaux  wrote:
 
 I wanted to chime in for a few points:
 
 Apple is dispersing itself a bit too much. What's next on the line? A 
 Lavazza partnership for a coffee machine? Or maybe some jogging shoes with 
 mag safe laces? Better yet, a Mars lander capsule with an enhanced version 
 of voice over? Wait, the latter is something they should aim for, shoot to 
 mars projects, not attempts at capturing consumer markets outside of what 
 they do best.
 
 In terms of the A.I, as a daily A.I programmer, I'm 

Tim Cook almost pulled Uber from the app store

[Scott Granados]

In the what were they thinking camp, Uber apparently was using iPhone unique 
information to fingerprint devices and also track phones even if the app was 
uninstalled.  Uber has been having a whole host of security and privacy issues 
lately and this is just another, a really big one.  Folks interested can read 
more here.  Keep in mind, even if you hard reset your phone and removed 
everything Uber could still track you.

http://www.redmondpie.com/tim-cook-once-threatened-to-pull-uber-from-app-store-as-the-app-was-tracking-users-even-when-deleted/
 


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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Scott Granados]

Well, we’ve probably strayed off topic for the list but I find what you’re 
talking about absolutely compelling.  I can see where you might apply your 
calculations to large complex data analysis like environmental modeling for 
example or looking for chaotic patterns.  The thing that interests me about 
quantum computing is the non locality effects and the ability to attack 
problems from a multiverse perspective trying all possible computations and all 
probabilities in a single quantum event.  But now you’re pressing the edges of 
my understanding firmly so you’re probably much more versed in these things 
than I am.  Your basically talking long range about turning predictions and 
future telling from guesses to almost certainties among other seriously 
fundamentally changing capabilities.
Robotics is another area I’m interested in.  As you may know I 
experiment in a small way with autonomous flight right now using quadcopter 
platforms as a base.  Combining these with LIDAR, SONAR and machine vision to 
study and self navigate from one GPS point to another.  I’m to the point where 
I can fly around a school yard and navigate through areas like the playground 
and batting cages.;). (Big thank you to the folks at Milberry Street School)

Feel free and contact me off list and or we can exchange messenger / 
communication IDs of your choice.

Thanks for the food for thought!

Scott


> On Apr 24, 2017, at 1:32 PM, Yuma Decaux  wrote:
> 
> Hi Scott,
> 
> I think the cutting edge is in applications that affect the world, not those 
> that affect pure data itself. The normal classifiers as you say are:
> -sensory (vision, touch, localised temperature, pressure, captured 
> environmentals)
> -model or data model, where all your data and features are. The contexts and 
> semantics trees, the pixels that make the vision understand edges and 
> contours, rates of them, velocity of movements and recalls. It's a massive 
> power set of matrices that work with each other through GPU and node servers..
> -Action: This is where your logic space makes decisions, depending on the 
> controls used on them, such as understanding what distribution of a certain 
> value is across the entire feature set. Is it obviously and unconditionally 
> true, meaning constant, or is it variable like a range between -1 and 1? And 
> how many of them, in the aggregate, agree to that decision? one of the 
> algorithms for this one is Support Vector Machines.
> 
> It's more of a composition rather than a specific service, that creates that 
> service or A.I powered algorithm that makes it work so well.
> 
> The absolute cutting edge of robotics to my view, is quantum computing. To be 
> able to collapse and re-assign decisions into stacks of information that can 
> be simultaneously calculated in a constant time of 1 per global pulse by 
> randomisation assignments which are structured, is what will flip everything 
> up, and quantum computing will stop the industry from postponing the 
> inventions which are out there, not funded but worked on, with associations 
> and organisations.
> 
> I would be happy to exchange FBs so I can send you some robotics articles and 
> twitter is _oseyeris. I'd like you to be an initial beta tester for something 
> I've worked on for a year. It has a 3D audio engine and is easy to use for 
> OSX and IOS. It's called TheTakeOut.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> 
>> On 23/04/2017, at 6:19 PM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> Wow there’s a lot of great points here.
>> 
>> I’m curious, as someone who’s heavily involved in AI who do you think is the 
>> absolute cutting edge right now outside the classified space.  Maybe you 
>> could rank a little the major publicly visible efforts like Watson verses 
>> Google verses Amazon and such.  Who makes you think wow that’s really 
>> impressive?  We know Apple in many ways is behind the times but who’s way 
>> ahead?
>> 
>> Also, do you have any published papers or anything I could read of your work 
>> you’ve impressed me with your response and I’d like to learn more about 
>> where you’re coming from.
>> 
>> Thanks
>> Scott
>> 
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:54 AM, Yuma Decaux  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I wanted to chime in for a few points:
>>> 
>>> Apple is dispersing itself a bit too much. What's next on the line? A 
>>> Lavazza partnership for a coffee machine? Or maybe some jogging shoes with 
>>> mag safe laces? Better yet, a Mars lander capsule with an enhanced version 
>>> of voice over? Wait, the latter is something they should aim for, shoot to 
>>> mars projects, not attempts at capturing consumer markets outside of what 
>>> they do best.
>>> 
>>> In terms of the A.I, as a daily A.I programmer, I'm not impressed at all. 
>>> Why does siri forget a name I call all the time when it worked until then? 
>>> What is the use of asking me the same thing all the time, when siri should 
>>> know that I know the command better and faster than it can respond? And 
>>> what about putt

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Yuma Decaux]

Hi Scott,

I think the cutting edge is in applications that affect the world, not those 
that affect pure data itself. The normal classifiers as you say are:
-sensory (vision, touch, localised temperature, pressure, captured 
environmentals)
-model or data model, where all your data and features are. The contexts and 
semantics trees, the pixels that make the vision understand edges and contours, 
rates of them, velocity of movements and recalls. It's a massive power set of 
matrices that work with each other through GPU and node servers..
-Action: This is where your logic space makes decisions, depending on the 
controls used on them, such as understanding what distribution of a certain 
value is across the entire feature set. Is it obviously and unconditionally 
true, meaning constant, or is it variable like a range between -1 and 1? And 
how many of them, in the aggregate, agree to that decision? one of the 
algorithms for this one is Support Vector Machines.

It's more of a composition rather than a specific service, that creates that 
service or A.I powered algorithm that makes it work so well.

The absolute cutting edge of robotics to my view, is quantum computing. To be 
able to collapse and re-assign decisions into stacks of information that can be 
simultaneously calculated in a constant time of 1 per global pulse by 
randomisation assignments which are structured, is what will flip everything 
up, and quantum computing will stop the industry from postponing the inventions 
which are out there, not funded but worked on, with associations and 
organisations. 

I would be happy to exchange FBs so I can send you some robotics articles and 
twitter is _oseyeris. I'd like you to be an initial beta tester for something 
I've worked on for a year. It has a 3D audio engine and is easy to use for OSX 
and IOS. It's called TheTakeOut.

Cheers,


> On 23/04/2017, at 6:19 PM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> Wow there’s a lot of great points here.
> 
> I’m curious, as someone who’s heavily involved in AI who do you think is the 
> absolute cutting edge right now outside the classified space.  Maybe you 
> could rank a little the major publicly visible efforts like Watson verses 
> Google verses Amazon and such.  Who makes you think wow that’s really 
> impressive?  We know Apple in many ways is behind the times but who’s way 
> ahead?
> 
> Also, do you have any published papers or anything I could read of your work 
> you’ve impressed me with your response and I’d like to learn more about where 
> you’re coming from.
> 
> Thanks
> Scott
> 
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:54 AM, Yuma Decaux  wrote:
>> 
>> I wanted to chime in for a few points:
>> 
>> Apple is dispersing itself a bit too much. What's next on the line? A 
>> Lavazza partnership for a coffee machine? Or maybe some jogging shoes with 
>> mag safe laces? Better yet, a Mars lander capsule with an enhanced version 
>> of voice over? Wait, the latter is something they should aim for, shoot to 
>> mars projects, not attempts at capturing consumer markets outside of what 
>> they do best.
>> 
>> In terms of the A.I, as a daily A.I programmer, I'm not impressed at all. 
>> Why does siri forget a name I call all the time when it worked until then? 
>> What is the use of asking me the same thing all the time, when siri should 
>> know that I know the command better and faster than it can respond? And what 
>> about putting some of the phrases together, and assist in performance driven 
>> ways, which is the one major reason why I would like an assistant as a blind 
>> user? Wait, this bleeds into all users anyway, and google now + alexia are 
>> taking cloud based and data centric approaches way higher. To be fair, 
>> Apple's frameworks are increasingly better, and the sheer breadth of things 
>> you can do with their libraries is the model they have taken, to create an 
>> eco system where the user can become one of the earners, and participate in 
>> Apple's success, for some, along with their own. And taking 30% off their 
>> sales.
>> 
>> But the fact is that Apple has lost in not using the data available to them, 
>> and this comes to one thing Apple distinguishes itself from the other 
>> players: The OS and hardware setup is a help, not a listener. Entertainment, 
>> not a commodity, like the advertising model Google or FB take. And this is 
>> the crux of their problem, which is a societal question: how much are you 
>> privvy to your own circle, and how much is the public image and lifestyle? 
>> Do both agree that there are worldly matters that require engineering, and 
>> thus pro connectivity to everything? OSX connects to Linux, windows, and its 
>> programming language swift is now ported to linux. Integration with python 
>> and other languages is amazing, and it is c based. When you say Apple's 
>> interface is easy to use, it is and it accelerates as you learn your key 
>> commands.
>> 
>> But in this era of A.I, where it faults is the assistant's

Re: Excel 2016 for Mac, reading row and column titles

[Jonathan Cohn]

Well, google looked like it might find something, but NO Microsoft still
talks a better game then they provide.

1. Background cell information is  always spoken and very annoying. Reading
the Microsoft make your Excel accessible on the Macintosh pages suggested
creating tables and then using headers in them. This was a total exercise
in futility. Also, the VoiceOver speak column header speak row header and
speak selection commands do not work!

Very frustrating. Note, I am copying accessibi8l...@microsoft.com I don't
expect much response though.


On Mon, Apr 24, 2017 at 10:51 AM 'Jim Fettgather' via MacVisionaries <
macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> wrote:

> This sounds like this might be kind of a long shot, but I am desperately
> hoping that there might be a way, using Voiceover on the Mac along with
> Excel 2016, to have Voiceover read column titles while navigating across
> the columns while navigation is down many rows deep into the spreadsheet.
>
>
>
> I had thought that I had read that this might be accomplished by turning
> column titles into headings, but have either not done this correctly, or
> may have not done it at all.
>
>
>
> So, any Excel experts who may have managed to accomplish this daunting
> task?
>
> Sure would appreciate any tips, and thanks.
>
> --
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac
> Visionaries list.
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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Mary Otten]

I picked up an LG sound bar over the holidays which works fine. But it's not as 
good as the klipsch in terms of its actual sound quality. So, I have that sound 
bar on a small TV with my fire stick and AppleTV for. That way, he doesn't have 
to be bothered and gets to have his big sound bar which is really not useful 
for me given the problems with screen reader output from these devices through 
that sound bar. So it makes everybody happy.
Mary


Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 9:10 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> Interesting, you had asked me about my sound bar at one point.
> 
> It’s a Sony ht-ct-260H and it works very well with speech.  I think it’s been 
> superseded with a newer model so not sure it’s availability.  I’m using the 
> fiber out from the TV in to the fiber in on the sound bar to connect the 
> audio so it’s digital path all the way through.  I’ve heard some sound bars 
> can be dicy when it comes to reconstructing voice for accessibility.
> 
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:08 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> 
>> Well, I do, because my husband, who is very definitely sighted, can't stand 
>> speech. So if I want speech, I have to have my own stuff. Although he also 
>> has a stick, not the Fire TV. Not to mention the fact that none of the 
>> speech works through the sound bar in the room where the big TV we have is 
>> located. It's all choppy, no matter if you use a Roku, and AppleTV, or a 
>> fire. It's useless on that sound bar.
>> 
>> Mary
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:39 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Well, as I don’t live in a vacuum of blind only users 4K is important.  We 
>>> also tend to record a lot of 4K content around here so it’s nice to have 
>>> the playback option.
>>> 
>>> I’ve got a stick as well on the non 4K TV and you’re right it is pretty 
>>> good.  The size especially makes it nice and it’s great to bring with you 
>>> if you’re traveling.
>>> 
>>> I think my major motivation for going with the Fire TV was the Fire TV was 
>>> announced as accessible first so when I started ordering them the stick 
>>> wasn’t an option yet.  You get used to what you use you know how that goes.
>>> 
>>> 
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 11:17 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
 
 I don't know if the stick has 4K or not. I doubt it. As a blind person, I 
 don't care. As for the snappiness, obviously since I don't have a Fire TV, 
 I cannot compare it with the stick. But I'm pretty satisfied with the 
 snappiness of the stick. Says the TV doesn't give me any more access than 
 the stick, I couldn't see spending extra money. To each their own 
 obviously.
 Mary
 
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:49 AM, Scott Granados  
> wrote:
> 
> The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, 
> and a lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m 
> also not sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are 
> good products don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV 
> itself and use it more.
> Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
> including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for 
> content like CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than 
> Apple TV lately.  I think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is 
> comparable, about twice the stick.
> 
> Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far 
> better than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot 
> of good content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top 
> shelf stuff.  Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new 
> content.  What would have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for 
> Apple TV to stream prime content but we know the politics there.  As far 
> as I know that’s not likely but this may have changed I’m not sure.  I 
> like the button style of the amazon remote better than the Apple touch 
> remote as well but that’s a personal preference thing, others probably 
> disagree with me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Scott,
>> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the 
>> stick. I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. 
>> Admittedly, I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just 
>> don't see the point, unless money is no object and you don't mind 
>> spending more. Also, it's worth noting with respect to the stick and the 
>> AppleTV, that the problem both devices have is with third-party apps not 
>> being accessible. There are still bunches of those that are not 
>> accessible with a stick, just as there are on the Apple TV apps that are 
>> not accessible. When Apple cha

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Scott Granados]

Interesting, you had asked me about my sound bar at one point.

It’s a Sony ht-ct-260H and it works very well with speech.  I think it’s been 
superseded with a newer model so not sure it’s availability.  I’m using the 
fiber out from the TV in to the fiber in on the sound bar to connect the audio 
so it’s digital path all the way through.  I’ve heard some sound bars can be 
dicy when it comes to reconstructing voice for accessibility.


> On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:08 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> 
> Well, I do, because my husband, who is very definitely sighted, can't stand 
> speech. So if I want speech, I have to have my own stuff. Although he also 
> has a stick, not the Fire TV. Not to mention the fact that none of the speech 
> works through the sound bar in the room where the big TV we have is located. 
> It's all choppy, no matter if you use a Roku, and AppleTV, or a fire. It's 
> useless on that sound bar.
> 
> Mary
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:39 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> Well, as I don’t live in a vacuum of blind only users 4K is important.  We 
>> also tend to record a lot of 4K content around here so it’s nice to have the 
>> playback option.
>> 
>> I’ve got a stick as well on the non 4K TV and you’re right it is pretty 
>> good.  The size especially makes it nice and it’s great to bring with you if 
>> you’re traveling.
>> 
>> I think my major motivation for going with the Fire TV was the Fire TV was 
>> announced as accessible first so when I started ordering them the stick 
>> wasn’t an option yet.  You get used to what you use you know how that goes.
>> 
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 11:17 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I don't know if the stick has 4K or not. I doubt it. As a blind person, I 
>>> don't care. As for the snappiness, obviously since I don't have a Fire TV, 
>>> I cannot compare it with the stick. But I'm pretty satisfied with the 
>>> snappiness of the stick. Says the TV doesn't give me any more access than 
>>> the stick, I couldn't see spending extra money. To each their own obviously.
>>> Mary
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:49 AM, Scott Granados  
 wrote:
 
 The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, 
 and a lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m 
 also not sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are 
 good products don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV 
 itself and use it more.
 Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
 including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content 
 like CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV 
 lately.  I think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, 
 about twice the stick.
 
 Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far 
 better than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of 
 good content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf 
 stuff.  Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  
 What would have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to 
 stream prime content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know 
 that’s not likely but this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the 
 button style of the amazon remote better than the Apple touch remote as 
 well but that’s a personal preference thing, others probably disagree with 
 me.
 
 
 
 
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> 
> Hi Scott,
> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the 
> stick. I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. 
> Admittedly, I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't 
> see the point, unless money is no object and you don't mind spending 
> more. Also, it's worth noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, 
> that the problem both devices have is with third-party apps not being 
> accessible. There are still bunches of those that are not accessible with 
> a stick, just as there are on the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. 
> When Apple change the format and went to apps, it seems to me they lost 
> control over their excess ability. So now it's up to the app developers, 
> and many of them screw up. Speaking of excess ability, has the Netflix 
> sign in process finally become accessible on the fire tv or stick? I know 
> when I signed in with mine, I had to have help from a sighted person. Not 
> so with the Apple TV.
> Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
> illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with 
> regard to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
>>

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Mary Otten]

Well, I do, because my husband, who is very definitely sighted, can't stand 
speech. So if I want speech, I have to have my own stuff. Although he also has 
a stick, not the Fire TV. Not to mention the fact that none of the speech works 
through the sound bar in the room where the big TV we have is located. It's all 
choppy, no matter if you use a Roku, and AppleTV, or a fire. It's useless on 
that sound bar.

Mary


Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:39 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> Well, as I don’t live in a vacuum of blind only users 4K is important.  We 
> also tend to record a lot of 4K content around here so it’s nice to have the 
> playback option.
> 
> I’ve got a stick as well on the non 4K TV and you’re right it is pretty good. 
>  The size especially makes it nice and it’s great to bring with you if you’re 
> traveling.
> 
> I think my major motivation for going with the Fire TV was the Fire TV was 
> announced as accessible first so when I started ordering them the stick 
> wasn’t an option yet.  You get used to what you use you know how that goes.
> 
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 11:17 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> 
>> I don't know if the stick has 4K or not. I doubt it. As a blind person, I 
>> don't care. As for the snappiness, obviously since I don't have a Fire TV, I 
>> cannot compare it with the stick. But I'm pretty satisfied with the 
>> snappiness of the stick. Says the TV doesn't give me any more access than 
>> the stick, I couldn't see spending extra money. To each their own obviously.
>> Mary
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:49 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, 
>>> and a lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m 
>>> also not sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are 
>>> good products don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV 
>>> itself and use it more.
>>>  Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
>>> including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content 
>>> like CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV 
>>> lately.  I think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, about 
>>> twice the stick.
>>> 
>>> Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far 
>>> better than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of 
>>> good content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf 
>>> stuff.  Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  
>>> What would have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to 
>>> stream prime content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know 
>>> that’s not likely but this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the 
>>> button style of the amazon remote better than the Apple touch remote as 
>>> well but that’s a personal preference thing, others probably disagree with 
>>> me.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
 
 Hi Scott,
 I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the 
 stick. I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. 
 Admittedly, I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't 
 see the point, unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. 
 Also, it's worth noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that 
 the problem both devices have is with third-party apps not being 
 accessible. There are still bunches of those that are not accessible with 
 a stick, just as there are on the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. 
 When Apple change the format and went to apps, it seems to me they lost 
 control over their excess ability. So now it's up to the app developers, 
 and many of them screw up. Speaking of excess ability, has the Netflix 
 sign in process finally become accessible on the fire tv or stick? I know 
 when I signed in with mine, I had to have help from a sighted person. Not 
 so with the Apple TV.
 Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
 illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with 
 regard to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
 Sent from my  iPhone
 
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  
> wrote:
> 
> You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a 
> bit less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good 
> product.  Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to 
> prime video content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less 
> memory and is a bit different design.
> The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
> but more specifically when it comes to a

Re: Converting pdf files on the mac.

[Robert Cole]

Hi,
Try Robo Braille Converter PDF Image To Text 
send your attached PDF to
conv...@robobraille.org

Thanks,
Rob
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 9:58 AM, Jessica Moss  wrote:
> 
> I’ve just received several pdf files via e-mail that I need to convert to txt 
> files, and unfortunately have no idea how to do this.  I found a youtube 
> video on how to do this, which seems to be outdated, sense some of the 
> options for using it on my end look a little different, however I thought I 
> managed to do it.  I think I managed to create it by choosing the “choose,” 
> button, then “files and folders,” then “pdf-text,” then there was a button 
> labeled “run” which I pressed, then the task showed up with a warning, which 
> I can’t find, so I have no idea what I may have done wrong, sense the option 
> the man doing the video mentioned about what type of file I wanted them 
> converted to wasn’t even there, so if that was the warning I needed to fix, I 
> have no idea how to fix it.
>  I need these files to take to work tomorrow and emboss, so if anybody can 
> please give me some tips, I’d really appreciate it.
> 
> -- 
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
> list.
> 
> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
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> can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com
> 
> The archives for this list can be searched at:
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can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Scott Granados]

Well, as I don’t live in a vacuum of blind only users 4K is important.  We also 
tend to record a lot of 4K content around here so it’s nice to have the 
playback option.

I’ve got a stick as well on the non 4K TV and you’re right it is pretty good.  
The size especially makes it nice and it’s great to bring with you if you’re 
traveling.

I think my major motivation for going with the Fire TV was the Fire TV was 
announced as accessible first so when I started ordering them the stick wasn’t 
an option yet.  You get used to what you use you know how that goes.


> On Apr 24, 2017, at 11:17 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> 
> I don't know if the stick has 4K or not. I doubt it. As a blind person, I 
> don't care. As for the snappiness, obviously since I don't have a Fire TV, I 
> cannot compare it with the stick. But I'm pretty satisfied with the 
> snappiness of the stick. Says the TV doesn't give me any more access than the 
> stick, I couldn't see spending extra money. To each their own obviously.
> Mary
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:49 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, 
>> and a lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m 
>> also not sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are 
>> good products don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV itself 
>> and use it more.
>>   Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
>> including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content 
>> like CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV 
>> lately.  I think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, about 
>> twice the stick.
>> 
>> Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far 
>> better than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of 
>> good content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf 
>> stuff.  Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  
>> What would have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to 
>> stream prime content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know 
>> that’s not likely but this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the button 
>> style of the amazon remote better than the Apple touch remote as well but 
>> that’s a personal preference thing, others probably disagree with me.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Scott,
>>> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the 
>>> stick. I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. 
>>> Admittedly, I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't 
>>> see the point, unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. 
>>> Also, it's worth noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that the 
>>> problem both devices have is with third-party apps not being accessible. 
>>> There are still bunches of those that are not accessible with a stick, just 
>>> as there are on the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. When Apple 
>>> change the format and went to apps, it seems to me they lost control over 
>>> their excess ability. So now it's up to the app developers, and many of 
>>> them screw up. Speaking of excess ability, has the Netflix sign in process 
>>> finally become accessible on the fire tv or stick? I know when I signed in 
>>> with mine, I had to have help from a sighted person. Not so with the Apple 
>>> TV.
>>> Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
>>> illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with regard 
>>> to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
>>> Sent from my  iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  
 wrote:
 
 You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a 
 bit less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good 
 product.  Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to 
 prime video content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less 
 memory and is a bit different design.
 The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
 but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK 
 but it’s getting less and less accessible as time passes.
 
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:49 AM, Jessica Moss  
> wrote:
> 
> Oh cool, how exactly does the firestick differ from the Apple Tv, other 
> than it’s way less moneywise, and is a USB stick?
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:02 AM, David Chittenden  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Yes, these devices have parental control settings.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my 

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Mary Otten]

I don't know if the stick has 4K or not. I doubt it. As a blind person, I don't 
care. As for the snappiness, obviously since I don't have a Fire TV, I cannot 
compare it with the stick. But I'm pretty satisfied with the snappiness of the 
stick. Says the TV doesn't give me any more access than the stick, I couldn't 
see spending extra money. To each their own obviously.
Mary


Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:49 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, and 
> a lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m also 
> not sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are good 
> products don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV itself and 
> use it more.
>Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
> including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content 
> like CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV 
> lately.  I think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, about 
> twice the stick.
> 
> Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far better 
> than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of good 
> content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf stuff.  
> Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  What would 
> have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to stream prime 
> content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know that’s not likely 
> but this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the button style of the 
> amazon remote better than the Apple touch remote as well but that’s a 
> personal preference thing, others probably disagree with me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Scott,
>> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the stick. 
>> I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. Admittedly, 
>> I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't see the point, 
>> unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. Also, it's worth 
>> noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that the problem both 
>> devices have is with third-party apps not being accessible. There are still 
>> bunches of those that are not accessible with a stick, just as there are on 
>> the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. When Apple change the format and 
>> went to apps, it seems to me they lost control over their excess ability. So 
>> now it's up to the app developers, and many of them screw up. Speaking of 
>> excess ability, has the Netflix sign in process finally become accessible on 
>> the fire tv or stick? I know when I signed in with mine, I had to have help 
>> from a sighted person. Not so with the Apple TV.
>> Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
>> illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with regard 
>> to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
>> Sent from my  iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a 
>>> bit less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good 
>>> product.  Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to 
>>> prime video content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less 
>>> memory and is a bit different design.
>>>  The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
>>> but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK 
>>> but it’s getting less and less accessible as time passes.
>>> 
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:49 AM, Jessica Moss  
 wrote:
 
 Oh cool, how exactly does the firestick differ from the Apple Tv, other 
 than it’s way less moneywise, and is a USB stick?
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:02 AM, David Chittenden  
> wrote:
> 
> Yes, these devices have parental control settings.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 10:42, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>> 
>> Ok, probably a stupid question, but is there a way with those, to filter 
>> out what content you don’t want to view, perfect example, R-rated movies 
>> you obviously wouldn’t want your kids looking at?  Mom and I have been 
>> looking at ditching DirectTv, which is expensive as ever, and we either 
>> don’t watch half the stuff it comes with, or don’t get the other half, 
>> and she wants a fire stick, and on my end, it’s somewhat been a debate 
>> between an apple tv or a fire stick.
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Sti

Re: Connecting to Airport Router Using WPA/WPA2 Personal

[Scott Granados]

A little googling shows that the frequency ranges in North America are the 
same.  This makes sense, the allocations seem to be regional with the may 
differences being on the 2.4 GHZ band.  The UK for example supports channels 12 
13 and 14, Japan supports a different subset with 14 being limited to 802.11B 
only and so forth.  The other differences are in power output.  Mexico has 
different rating for indoor and outdoor for example, the US limits to 27 DB and 
the Canadians 20 DB.  So the difference between the poster and his neighbor 
running in US mode is probably in power output rather than channels used.

I also read an interesting article about using a magnetron from a Microwave 
oven combined with a morse code key to operate at several hundred to thousands 
of watts of power CW on the 2.4 GHZ band around channel 9 but that’s probably 
frowned upon now.  Also interesting battles between hams and WiFi users but 
there you go.

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:18 AM, Jonathan Cohn  wrote:
> 
> You might want to research the US/Canada differences in WiFi channel 
> allocations, I don't know anything about this, and in general don't 
> understand what types  of interference is caused by different sources at 
> different levels.
> 
> Scott G probably has some sense of this.
> 
> 
> 
> On Mon, Apr 24, 2017 at 7:36 AM Jeff Berwick  > wrote:
> I have three Airport devices advertising the same network and I discovered 
> that two of them were set to wpa/wpa2 personal while one of them was set to 
> just wpa2 personal.  This seems to have solved my issue for the moment, but 
> we will see if it crops up again.
> 
> Also, I did a diagnostic and it indicated that there were devices advertising 
> a US country code and I am in Canada.  These devices are not mine, so there 
> isn’t anything I can do about them, but I found it interesting that network 
> diagnostics would identify this as a problem—especially since I don’t connect 
> to these other devices which probably belong to my neighbour.
> 
> Jeff
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 6:56 PM, Jonathan Cohn > > wrote:
>> 
>> Any possibility that yo have more devices connected to your router than it 
>> allows in its settings area?  I used to have DHCP problems when I used wired 
>> networking because of somebody else on the segment also sending out DHCP 
>> responses, mind you that was a long time ago on a network that no longer 
>> exists.
>> 
>> Another thing to verify is that nobody else is using your Network ID. If you 
>> named your wireless networ My Home Network and your next door neighbor did 
>> the same there would be a very good chance that on occasion you would run 
>> into issues like this.
>> 
>> 
>>  Best wishes,
>> 
>> Jonathan Cohn
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:21 PM, Jeff Berwick >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi there,
>>> 
>>> I have an interesting/odd WIFI issue that one of the gurus  may be able to 
>>> solve here.
>>> 
>>> From time to time, I am unable to join my Wireless network as, even though 
>>> I have instructed my device to remember the network/password in my 
>>> Keychain, it prompts me for a password.  When this happens, I type in the 
>>> password and it tells me I am wrong—I know I’m not—and denies me access.
>>> 
>>> Today, when I was prompted for the password, I noticed a hint telling me to 
>>> enter in exactly 64 hexadecimal characters.  So, my question is, where is 
>>> this setting for the Airport Extreme or Airport Time Capsule in the latest 
>>> Airport Utility?  I’ve never seen an option to switch between a pass key or 
>>> phrase and a hexadecimal value.
>>> 
>>> Thx,
>>> Jeff
>>> 
>>> 
>>> --
>>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
>>> Visionaries list.
>>> 
>>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
>>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners 
>>> or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
>>> 
>>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor.  You can reach mark at: 
>>>  macvisionaries+modera...@googlegroups.com 
>>>  and your owner is Cara 
>>> Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> The archives for this list can be searched at:
>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ 
>>> 
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>>> .
>>> 

Excel 2016 for Mac, reading row and column titles

['Jim Fettgather' via MacVisionaries]

This sounds like this might be kind of a long shot, but I am desperately
hoping that there might be a way, using Voiceover on the Mac along with
Excel 2016, to have Voiceover read column titles while navigating across the
columns while navigation is down many rows deep into the spreadsheet.

 

I had thought that I had read that this might be accomplished by turning
column titles into headings, but have either not done this correctly, or may
have not done it at all.

 

So, any Excel experts who may have managed to accomplish this daunting task?

Sure would appreciate any tips, and thanks.

-- 
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list.

If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you 
feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

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macvisionaries+modera...@googlegroups.com and your owner is Cara Quinn - you 
can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com

The archives for this list can be searched at:
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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[John Panarese]

  OK. So how are you guys using the Fire Stick? I can’t find any information 
about its accessibility and how one uses it as a totally blind person. If you 
are doing so, please contact me off list.


Take Care

John D. Panarese
Director
Mac for the Blind
Tel, (631) 724-4479
Email, j...@macfortheblind.com
Website, http://www.macfortheblind.com

APPLE CERTIFIED SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL FOR MAC OSX LION

AUTHORIZED APPLE STORE BUSINESS AFFILIATE

MAC and iOS VOICEOVER TRAINING AND SUPPORT



> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:49 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, and 
> a lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m also 
> not sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are good 
> products don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV itself and 
> use it more.
>   Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
> including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content 
> like CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV 
> lately.  I think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, about 
> twice the stick.
> 
> Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far better 
> than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of good 
> content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf stuff.  
> Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  What would 
> have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to stream prime 
> content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know that’s not likely 
> but this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the button style of the 
> amazon remote better than the Apple touch remote as well but that’s a 
> personal preference thing, others probably disagree with me.
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Scott,
>> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the stick. 
>> I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. Admittedly, 
>> I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't see the point, 
>> unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. Also, it's worth 
>> noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that the problem both 
>> devices have is with third-party apps not being accessible. There are still 
>> bunches of those that are not accessible with a stick, just as there are on 
>> the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. When Apple change the format and 
>> went to apps, it seems to me they lost control over their excess ability. So 
>> now it's up to the app developers, and many of them screw up. Speaking of 
>> excess ability, has the Netflix sign in process finally become accessible on 
>> the fire tv or stick? I know when I signed in with mine, I had to have help 
>> from a sighted person. Not so with the Apple TV.
>> Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
>> illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with regard 
>> to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
>> Sent from my  iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a 
>>> bit less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good 
>>> product.  Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to 
>>> prime video content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less 
>>> memory and is a bit different design.
>>>  The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
>>> but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK 
>>> but it’s getting less and less accessible as time passes.
>>> 
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:49 AM, Jessica Moss  
 wrote:
 
 Oh cool, how exactly does the firestick differ from the Apple Tv, other 
 than it’s way less moneywise, and is a USB stick?
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:02 AM, David Chittenden  
> wrote:
> 
> Yes, these devices have parental control settings.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 10:42, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>> 
>> Ok, probably a stupid question, but is there a way with those, to filter 
>> out what content you don’t want to view, perfect example, R-rated movies 
>> you obviously wouldn’t want your kids looking at?  Mom and I have been 
>> looking at ditching DirectTv, which is expensive as ever, and we either 
>> don’t watch half the stuff it comes with, or don’t get the other half, 
>> and she wants a fire stick, and on my end, it’s somewhat been a debate 
>> between an apple tv or a fire stick.
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Scott Granados]

The Fire TV has a better remote, better WiFi interface, faster processor, and a 
lot more snap to the interface from a user of TTS perspective.  I’m also not 
sure if the stick provides 4K video, the Fire TV does.  Both are good products 
don’t get me wrong I’m just a bigger fan of the Fire TV itself and use it more.
Yes, Netflix and Hulu and the others have very good accessibility now 
including the sign in process.  The registering with providers for content like 
CBS and such is also more accessible on the Fire TV than Apple TV lately.  I 
think the cost between Fire TV and Apple TV is comparable, about twice the 
stick.

Devices aside on the amazon side, I think the content on Amazon is far better 
than Apple.  Sure you have iTunes on the Apple and can buy a lot of good 
content but that prime subscription sure includes a lot of top shelf stuff.  
Amazon also has a clever way of releasing pilots and new content.  What would 
have been ideal is if Amazon had made an app for Apple TV to stream prime 
content but we know the politics there.  As far as I know that’s not likely but 
this may have changed I’m not sure.  I like the button style of the amazon 
remote better than the Apple touch remote as well but that’s a personal 
preference thing, others probably disagree with me.




> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:21 AM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> 
> Hi Scott,
> I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the stick. 
> I have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. Admittedly, 
> I don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't see the point, 
> unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. Also, it's worth 
> noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that the problem both 
> devices have is with third-party apps not being accessible. There are still 
> bunches of those that are not accessible with a stick, just as there are on 
> the Apple TV apps that are not accessible. When Apple change the format and 
> went to apps, it seems to me they lost control over their excess ability. So 
> now it's up to the app developers, and many of them screw up. Speaking of 
> excess ability, has the Netflix sign in process finally become accessible on 
> the fire tv or stick? I know when I signed in with mine, I had to have help 
> from a sighted person. Not so with the Apple TV.
> Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
> illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with regard 
> to whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
> Sent from my  iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a 
>> bit less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good 
>> product.  Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to 
>> prime video content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less 
>> memory and is a bit different design.
>>   The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
>> but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK but 
>> it’s getting less and less accessible as time passes.
>> 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:49 AM, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Oh cool, how exactly does the firestick differ from the Apple Tv, other 
>>> than it’s way less moneywise, and is a USB stick?
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:02 AM, David Chittenden  
 wrote:
 
 Yes, these devices have parental control settings.
 
 Kind regards,
 
 David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
 Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
 Mobile: +61 488 988 936
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On 24/04/2017, at 10:42, Jessica Moss  wrote:
> 
> Ok, probably a stupid question, but is there a way with those, to filter 
> out what content you don’t want to view, perfect example, R-rated movies 
> you obviously wouldn’t want your kids looking at?  Mom and I have been 
> looking at ditching DirectTv, which is expensive as ever, and we either 
> don’t watch half the stuff it comes with, or don’t get the other half, 
> and she wants a fire stick, and on my end, it’s somewhat been a debate 
> between an apple tv or a fire stick.
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
>> possible to check the local weather.
>> 
>> That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
>> have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer 
>> Fire Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any 
>> show and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
>> accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run 
>> it.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA

Re: Converting pdf files on the mac.

[Jessica Moss]

I have several pdf documents Hannah’s teacher was kind enough to send me so I 
could help her with her homework and in turn I was given permission to print 
them out on the embosser at work.  However, we’re not allowed, of course, to 
just start downloading stuff, even as simple as acrobat reader on the computers 
at work for security reasons and it was tough as ever getting Jaws NVDA up and 
running, to the point where we had to have the IT department come and help out. 
  So as a result, I’m sometimes sent documents at work that I have to e-mail 
back to whoever sent them, letting them know that I can’t open them, as where 
somehow or another, a verry few of them will, so those that won’t have to be 
converted by whoever sent them into word documents, which I unfortunately have 
no idea how to do.
On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:27 AM, Matthew Dierckens  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> What are you wanting to convert the files to? You can save the file as a word 
> document and then open it on a windows machine.
> 
> God bless.
> Matthew Dierckens
> Certified Assistive Technology Specialist
> Macintosh, IOS  and Windows Trainer
> JAWS for windows Certified - 2016
> Canadian Phone: 519-962-9140
> U.S. phone: 573-401-1018
> Personal Email: matt.dierck...@me.com 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:23, Jessica Moss > > wrote:
>> 
>> Ok, that would be great if I could do 2 things, find the option to convert 
>> that file using text edit, and/or if we used macs at my job which I wish we 
>> did and could use the Braille with those.  I pretty much hate Windows with a 
>> passion, but love what I do at my job, but wish they’d let me 
>> cross-platform, but we’re strictly Windows only, so I have to convert these 
>> files or they may not open there and I run the risk of being stuck.
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:15 AM, Matthew Dierckens >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Jessica,
>>> Honestly, the quickest way is to do a command A to select all, command C to 
>>> copy, open up textedit and paste with command V.
>>> 
>>> God bless.
>>> Matthew Dierckens
>>> Certified Assistive Technology Specialist
>>> Macintosh, IOS  and Windows Trainer
>>> JAWS for windows Certified - 2016
>>> Canadian Phone: 519-962-9140
>>> U.S. phone: 573-401-1018
>>> Personal Email: matt.dierck...@me.com 
 On Apr 24, 2017, at 09:58, Jessica Moss >>> > wrote:
 
 I’ve just received several pdf files via e-mail that I need to convert to 
 txt files, and unfortunately have no idea how to do this.  I found a 
 youtube video on how to do this, which seems to be outdated, sense some of 
 the options for using it on my end look a little different, however I 
 thought I managed to do it.  I think I managed to create it by choosing 
 the “choose,” button, then “files and folders,” then “pdf-text,” then 
 there was a button labeled “run” which I pressed, then the task showed up 
 with a warning, which I can’t find, so I have no idea what I may have done 
 wrong, sense the option the man doing the video mentioned about what type 
 of file I wanted them converted to wasn’t even there, so if that was the 
 warning I needed to fix, I have no idea how to fix it.
  I need these files to take to work tomorrow and emboss, so if anybody can 
 please give me some tips, I’d really appreciate it.
 
 -- 
 The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
 Visionaries list.
 
 If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or 
 if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the 
 owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
 
 Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor.  You can reach mark 
 at:  macvisionaries+modera...@googlegroups.com 
  and your owner is Cara 
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 .

Re: Accessible web conferencing: zoom.us

['Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries]

Hi, Scott:

Just FYI ... I'm personally waiting for my server OS, Fedora, to provide
rpm packages for Asterisk 14.X, but there's yet nothing in rawhide.
However, just recently there is a build in Koji destined, it seems, for
Fedora 25 of Asterisk-14.4:

https://messinet.com/koji/buildinfo?buildID=3047

The relevant Digium announcement is at:

http://blogs.digium.com/2016/09/30/opus-in-asterisk

Best,

Janina


Scott Granados writes:
> Ah my asterisk game is behind the times was not aware of that.  As always I 
> learn something new from your excellent posts.
> 
> Wishing I had that 96 KHZ 24 bit across 20 channel sound for the IMAX 
> experience in my home.  I’m binging on season 3 Bosh today.  I actually 
> called IMAX a year or so ago and asked what they charge for a home theater 
> installation.  With the projectors and everything I might have considered 6 
> figures when you consider what you get but um no, try 4 million but at least 
> that includes planning the installation, installation is separate.;).  I knew 
> I was in trouble when they pointed me at James Cameron and J. J. Abrams’ 
> people for a reference.  Must be nice to have that capability in house to now 
> only playback but edit.  Maybe in another life and a much more lucrative 
> career.
> 
> Headed over to check out Asterisk 14 now, thank you as always for the great 
> info.
> 
> > On Apr 22, 2017, at 10:50 AM, 'Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries 
> >  wrote:
> > 
> > Indeed, Scott, if we've got the bandwidth, let's bring it on!
> > 
> > By mentioning 192/16 audio, I'm actually only referring to the opus
> > codec that's been in FreeSwitch for sometime, and has finally come to
> > Asterisk beginning with Asterisk 14.0.
> > 
> > I haven't looked into what codecs Zoom.us offers, but opus would not
> > surprise me.
> > 
> > Janina
> > 
> > Scott Granados writes:
> >> I’ve seen proprietary systems for remote recording and such that do 24 bit 
> >> at 96 KHz.  Dream Works had a system like this where an OC192 (10 gigabit) 
> >> fiber path was pulled from Redwood City to Jerry Seinfeld’s office in New 
> >> York.  They put special equipment behind routers on each end (over IP) and 
> >> allowed him to direct Bee Movie with out having to travel to California.  
> >> It was a pretty interesting setup and I understand other film makers use 
> >> similar technology now.  (Oh and everything was either Linux or Mac based 
> >> on the work station side).
> >> 
> >> I’m with you, I’d like my telephone calls to be 20 channel IMAX please.
> >> 
> >>> On Apr 21, 2017, at 4:30 PM, 'Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries 
> >>>  wrote:
> >>> 
> >>> Exactly. And, it could be as stunning as 48Khz sampling, though probably
> >>> still 16bit.
> >>> 
> >>> Now when it gets that good, and the technology is in place to add high
> >>> def video to the equation, why are we still making mono connections over
> >>> audio? Where's my stereo phone? Heck, where's my Dolby Atmos phone
> >>> connection! 
> >>> 
> >>> Janina
> >>> 
> >>> 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries writes:
>  Makes sense. So in the case where I'm calling from iPhone 6 to iPhone 6 
>  on
>  Verizon, the gating factor sounds like whether we're both on LTE at that
>  moment in time. When it works, the audio quality is startling.
>  
>  CB
>  
>  On 4/21/17 11:27 AM, Scott Granados wrote:
> > I had a nice long detailed message for Chris on this topic and I 
> > crashed my mail program.
> > 
> > You’re exactly right.  To get more specific to his questions.  Why does 
> > it work sometimes and not others.  Being a verizon user I can speak 
> > directly to this because you’re using the network I helped build.  When 
> > I talk of my time at verizon it was working on the very thing you’re 
> > asking about among others.  SO here’s the drill as Janina correctly 
> > stated there are all different codecs that support different qualities. 
> >  The old phone network used 8KHz or 64K channels.  (56K of payload and 
> > 8 K of framing for old networks advanced to 64K channels with only 8 K 
> > of framing for every 24 combined channels and so forth.  More recently 
> > everything on the phone networks are moving to data networks with IP 
> > backbones.  This means you don’t have fixed channel sizes any more and 
> > you can use more data per call and we do.  As mentioned there are 
> > really clean high bandwidth audio specifications but the one we use 
> > tries to find a balance between bandwidth usage and quality.
> > In verizon’s case, only LTE supports this new standard.  When 
> > you’re on 3G with Verizon and you place a call your 3G session 
> > disconnects and you establish an old 1X voice only channel.  This 
> > channel supports at most about 128K which means you have enough head 
> > room for one 3 way call initiated form the handset.  When you’re on LTE 
> > and Voice over LTE 

Re: Converting pdf files on the mac.

[Matthew Dierckens]

Hi,
What are you wanting to convert the files to? You can save the file as a word 
document and then open it on a windows machine.

God bless.
Matthew Dierckens
Certified Assistive Technology Specialist
Macintosh, IOS  and Windows Trainer
JAWS for windows Certified - 2016
Canadian Phone: 519-962-9140
U.S. phone: 573-401-1018
Personal Email: matt.dierck...@me.com

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:23, Jessica Moss  wrote:
> 
> Ok, that would be great if I could do 2 things, find the option to convert 
> that file using text edit, and/or if we used macs at my job which I wish we 
> did and could use the Braille with those.  I pretty much hate Windows with a 
> passion, but love what I do at my job, but wish they’d let me cross-platform, 
> but we’re strictly Windows only, so I have to convert these files or they may 
> not open there and I run the risk of being stuck.
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:15 AM, Matthew Dierckens > > wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Jessica,
>> Honestly, the quickest way is to do a command A to select all, command C to 
>> copy, open up textedit and paste with command V.
>> 
>> God bless.
>> Matthew Dierckens
>> Certified Assistive Technology Specialist
>> Macintosh, IOS  and Windows Trainer
>> JAWS for windows Certified - 2016
>> Canadian Phone: 519-962-9140
>> U.S. phone: 573-401-1018
>> Personal Email: matt.dierck...@me.com 
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 09:58, Jessica Moss >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> I’ve just received several pdf files via e-mail that I need to convert to 
>>> txt files, and unfortunately have no idea how to do this.  I found a 
>>> youtube video on how to do this, which seems to be outdated, sense some of 
>>> the options for using it on my end look a little different, however I 
>>> thought I managed to do it.  I think I managed to create it by choosing the 
>>> “choose,” button, then “files and folders,” then “pdf-text,” then there was 
>>> a button labeled “run” which I pressed, then the task showed up with a 
>>> warning, which I can’t find, so I have no idea what I may have done wrong, 
>>> sense the option the man doing the video mentioned about what type of file 
>>> I wanted them converted to wasn’t even there, so if that was the warning I 
>>> needed to fix, I have no idea how to fix it.
>>>  I need these files to take to work tomorrow and emboss, so if anybody can 
>>> please give me some tips, I’d really appreciate it.
>>> 
>>> -- 
>>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
>>> Visionaries list.
>>> 
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Re: Converting pdf files on the mac.

[Jessica Moss]

Ok, that would be great if I could do 2 things, find the option to convert that 
file using text edit, and/or if we used macs at my job which I wish we did and 
could use the Braille with those.  I pretty much hate Windows with a passion, 
but love what I do at my job, but wish they’d let me cross-platform, but we’re 
strictly Windows only, so I have to convert these files or they may not open 
there and I run the risk of being stuck.
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:15 AM, Matthew Dierckens  wrote:
> 
> Hi Jessica,
> Honestly, the quickest way is to do a command A to select all, command C to 
> copy, open up textedit and paste with command V.
> 
> God bless.
> Matthew Dierckens
> Certified Assistive Technology Specialist
> Macintosh, IOS  and Windows Trainer
> JAWS for windows Certified - 2016
> Canadian Phone: 519-962-9140
> U.S. phone: 573-401-1018
> Personal Email: matt.dierck...@me.com 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 09:58, Jessica Moss > > wrote:
>> 
>> I’ve just received several pdf files via e-mail that I need to convert to 
>> txt files, and unfortunately have no idea how to do this.  I found a youtube 
>> video on how to do this, which seems to be outdated, sense some of the 
>> options for using it on my end look a little different, however I thought I 
>> managed to do it.  I think I managed to create it by choosing the “choose,” 
>> button, then “files and folders,” then “pdf-text,” then there was a button 
>> labeled “run” which I pressed, then the task showed up with a warning, which 
>> I can’t find, so I have no idea what I may have done wrong, sense the option 
>> the man doing the video mentioned about what type of file I wanted them 
>> converted to wasn’t even there, so if that was the warning I needed to fix, 
>> I have no idea how to fix it.
>>  I need these files to take to work tomorrow and emboss, so if anybody can 
>> please give me some tips, I’d really appreciate it.
>> 
>> -- 
>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
>> Visionaries list.
>> 
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>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
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macvisionar

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Mary Otten]

Hi Scott,
I don't see the use case for a blind person with a Fire TV versus the stick. I 
have a stick, the newer generation. It seems quite responsive. Admittedly, I 
don't have the Fire TV to compare it with. But I just don't see the point, 
unless money is no object and you don't mind spending more. Also, it's worth 
noting with respect to the stick and the AppleTV, that the problem both devices 
have is with third-party apps not being accessible. There are still bunches of 
those that are not accessible with a stick, just as there are on the Apple TV 
apps that are not accessible. When Apple change the format and went to apps, it 
seems to me they lost control over their excess ability. So now it's up to the 
app developers, and many of them screw up. Speaking of excess ability, has the 
Netflix sign in process finally become accessible on the fire tv or stick? I 
know when I signed in with mine, I had to have help from a sighted person. Not 
so with the Apple TV. 
Of course, I'm sure that is on Netflix  and, not Amazons. But it does 
illustrate the problem. We are so dependent on third-party apps with regard to 
whether these devices are really useful and accessible or not.
 Sent from my  iPhone

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:55 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a bit 
> less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good 
> product.  Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to 
> prime video content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less 
> memory and is a bit different design.
>The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
> but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK but 
> it’s getting less and less accessible as time passes.
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:49 AM, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>> 
>> Oh cool, how exactly does the firestick differ from the Apple Tv, other than 
>> it’s way less moneywise, and is a USB stick?
>>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:02 AM, David Chittenden  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Yes, these devices have parental control settings.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 24/04/2017, at 10:42, Jessica Moss  wrote:
 
 Ok, probably a stupid question, but is there a way with those, to filter 
 out what content you don’t want to view, perfect example, R-rated movies 
 you obviously wouldn’t want your kids looking at?  Mom and I have been 
 looking at ditching DirectTv, which is expensive as ever, and we either 
 don’t watch half the stuff it comes with, or don’t get the other half, and 
 she wants a fire stick, and on my end, it’s somewhat been a debate between 
 an apple tv or a fire stick.
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  
> wrote:
> 
> I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
> possible to check the local weather.
> 
> That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
> have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer 
> Fire Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any 
> show and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
> accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run 
> it.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks 
>> ago and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
>> stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
>> for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
>> in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
>> Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
>> that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
>> Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
>> there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
>> use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
>> 
>> Shawn
>> Sent From My White MacBook
>> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
>> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
>> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
>> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom 
>>>  wrote:
>>> 
>>> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of those 
>>> digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside the US. I’m 
>>> not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter wo

Re: Connecting to Airport Router Using WPA/WPA2 Personal

[Jonathan Cohn]

You might want to research the US/Canada differences in WiFi channel
allocations, I don't know anything about this, and in general don't
understand what types  of interference is caused by different sources at
different levels.

Scott G probably has some sense of this.



On Mon, Apr 24, 2017 at 7:36 AM Jeff Berwick 
wrote:

> I have three Airport devices advertising the same network and I discovered
> that two of them were set to wpa/wpa2 personal while one of them was set to
> just wpa2 personal.  This seems to have solved my issue for the moment, but
> we will see if it crops up again.
>
> Also, I did a diagnostic and it indicated that there were devices
> advertising a US country code and I am in Canada.  These devices are not
> mine, so there isn’t anything I can do about them, but I found it
> interesting that network diagnostics would identify this as a
> problem—especially since I don’t connect to these other devices which
> probably belong to my neighbour.
>
> Jeff
>
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 6:56 PM, Jonathan Cohn  wrote:
>
> Any possibility that yo have more devices connected to your router than it
> allows in its settings area?  I used to have DHCP problems when I used
> wired networking because of somebody else on the segment also sending out
> DHCP responses, mind you that was a long time ago on a network that no
> longer exists.
>
> Another thing to verify is that nobody else is using your Network ID. If
> you named your wireless networ My Home Network and your next door neighbor
> did the same there would be a very good chance that on occasion you would
> run into issues like this.
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Jonathan Cohn
>
>
>
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:21 PM, Jeff Berwick 
> wrote:
>
> Hi there,
>
> I have an interesting/odd WIFI issue that one of the gurus  may be able to
> solve here.
>
> From time to time, I am unable to join my Wireless network as, even though
> I have instructed my device to remember the network/password in my
> Keychain, it prompts me for a password.  When this happens, I type in the
> password and it tells me I am wrong—I know I’m not—and denies me access.
>
> Today, when I was prompted for the password, I noticed a hint telling me
> to enter in exactly 64 hexadecimal characters.  So, my question is, where
> is this setting for the Airport Extreme or Airport Time Capsule in the
> latest Airport Utility?  I’ve never seen an option to switch between a pass
> key or phrase and a hexadecimal value.
>
> Thx,
> Jeff
>
>
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Re: Looking for a good SIP client for the iPhone that is accessible

[Matthew Dierckens]

Hello,
Happy anniversary Neena and Fargo!

God bless.
Matthew Dierckens
Certified Assistive Technology Specialist
Macintosh, IOS  and Windows Trainer
JAWS for windows Certified - 2016
Canadian Phone: 519-962-9140
U.S. phone: 573-401-1018
Personal Email: matt.dierck...@me.com

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 10:16, 'Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
> 
> That would be correct, but it's not usually the case with SIP, which is
> seriously unfortunate because SIP opens so very many ports. It's quite
> easy to run into NAT issues with SIP, primarily for incoming calls, not
> so much for outgoing.
> 
> On my Asterisk server I still listen for IPv4 incoming only because I
> can't find a suitable SIP gateway service that supports IPv6. The only
> one I know of is http://callwithus.com, and they don't support LNP.
> 
> Every few months I look around at SIP gateway providers for IPv6
> support, but I've found no joy. Meanwhile, my Asterisk is hammered by
> attempts to crack me for some nefarious purpose or other. I would expect
> those attempts to drop near 0 were I able to restrict my gateway
> interface to the IPv6 protocol.
> 
> Obviously, this would work best were you have native IPv6 from your ISP,
> like with Comcast here in the States. Sorry to hear Verizon is again
> gone wobbly about 6.
> 
> Mike didn't say in his post, but I wonder whether he's looking for SIP
> on his iphone? I would expect there are more choices there, though I
> can't say personally as I'm only Android for mobile.
> 
> Janina
> 
> Scott Granados writes:
>> That sounds like the right one but as long as the FQDN resolves to a  
>> record it should use V6 no?
>> 
>> I’ll look in to that.  YOu’re absolutely right as always that V6 is much 
>> easier with SIP, none of that damn NAT silliness.  Verizon FIOS is still 
>> woefully behind the times and not offering native V6 yet (surprise 
>> surprise).  I actually called about this the other day and the tech told me 
>> that they had IPv6 training scheduled for the entire support team and it was 
>> suddenly pulled.  So, something has gone sideways behind the scenes.
>> 
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 11:19 PM, 'Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries 
>>>  wrote:
>>> 
>>> If Bria is the app I'm recalling on the Mac, I would hope they've now
>>> added IPv6 support. Not supporting IPv6 in SIP calls is simply asking
>>> for trouble, imo.
>>> 
>>> As I say, I may not be remembering correctly. The Mac app I was looking
>>> at cost $50 or so.
>>> 
>>> Janina
>>> 
>>> michael babcock writes:
 I’ll second this, Bria is well worth the investment.
> On Apr 22, 2017, at 8:22 AM, Scott Granados  
> wrote:
> 
> Bria soft phone is the one I use.  Completely accessible, well maintained 
> and I haven’t found any accessibility problems.
> 
>> On Apr 22, 2017, at 8:47 AM, Michael Busboom  wrote:
>> 
>> Hey everybody,
>> 
>> Well, the subject line pretty much says what I am looking for.  I have 
>> several contacts who have been encouraging me to use their Sip address 
>> to reach them.  Since I have never done this, I don’t know which client 
>> works best and if I need to sign up for a Sip service.  I sometimes use 
>> VoipBuster to make international calls, and they do have Sip 
>> capabilities, or so it seems.
>> 
>> Thanks for any advice you can give.
>> 
>> Mike
>> 
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Re: Looking for a good SIP client for the iPhone that is accessible

['Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries]

That would be correct, but it's not usually the case with SIP, which is
seriously unfortunate because SIP opens so very many ports. It's quite
easy to run into NAT issues with SIP, primarily for incoming calls, not
so much for outgoing.

On my Asterisk server I still listen for IPv4 incoming only because I
can't find a suitable SIP gateway service that supports IPv6. The only
one I know of is http://callwithus.com, and they don't support LNP.

Every few months I look around at SIP gateway providers for IPv6
support, but I've found no joy. Meanwhile, my Asterisk is hammered by
attempts to crack me for some nefarious purpose or other. I would expect
those attempts to drop near 0 were I able to restrict my gateway
interface to the IPv6 protocol.

Obviously, this would work best were you have native IPv6 from your ISP,
like with Comcast here in the States. Sorry to hear Verizon is again
gone wobbly about 6.

Mike didn't say in his post, but I wonder whether he's looking for SIP
on his iphone? I would expect there are more choices there, though I
can't say personally as I'm only Android for mobile.

Janina

Scott Granados writes:
> That sounds like the right one but as long as the FQDN resolves to a  
> record it should use V6 no?
> 
> I’ll look in to that.  YOu’re absolutely right as always that V6 is much 
> easier with SIP, none of that damn NAT silliness.  Verizon FIOS is still 
> woefully behind the times and not offering native V6 yet (surprise surprise). 
>  I actually called about this the other day and the tech told me that they 
> had IPv6 training scheduled for the entire support team and it was suddenly 
> pulled.  So, something has gone sideways behind the scenes.
> 
> 
> > On Apr 23, 2017, at 11:19 PM, 'Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries 
> >  wrote:
> > 
> > If Bria is the app I'm recalling on the Mac, I would hope they've now
> > added IPv6 support. Not supporting IPv6 in SIP calls is simply asking
> > for trouble, imo.
> > 
> > As I say, I may not be remembering correctly. The Mac app I was looking
> > at cost $50 or so.
> > 
> > Janina
> > 
> > michael babcock writes:
> >> I’ll second this, Bria is well worth the investment.
> >>> On Apr 22, 2017, at 8:22 AM, Scott Granados  
> >>> wrote:
> >>> 
> >>> Bria soft phone is the one I use.  Completely accessible, well maintained 
> >>> and I haven’t found any accessibility problems.
> >>> 
>  On Apr 22, 2017, at 8:47 AM, Michael Busboom  wrote:
>  
>  Hey everybody,
>  
>  Well, the subject line pretty much says what I am looking for.  I have 
>  several contacts who have been encouraging me to use their Sip address 
>  to reach them.  Since I have never done this, I don’t know which client 
>  works best and if I need to sign up for a Sip service.  I sometimes use 
>  VoipBuster to make international calls, and they do have Sip 
>  capabilities, or so it seems.
>  
>  Thanks for any advice you can give.
>  
>  Mike
>  
>  --
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Re: Converting pdf files on the mac.

[Matthew Dierckens]

Hi Jessica,
Honestly, the quickest way is to do a command A to select all, command C to 
copy, open up textedit and paste with command V.

God bless.
Matthew Dierckens
Certified Assistive Technology Specialist
Macintosh, IOS  and Windows Trainer
JAWS for windows Certified - 2016
Canadian Phone: 519-962-9140
U.S. phone: 573-401-1018
Personal Email: matt.dierck...@me.com

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 09:58, Jessica Moss  wrote:
> 
> I’ve just received several pdf files via e-mail that I need to convert to txt 
> files, and unfortunately have no idea how to do this.  I found a youtube 
> video on how to do this, which seems to be outdated, sense some of the 
> options for using it on my end look a little different, however I thought I 
> managed to do it.  I think I managed to create it by choosing the “choose,” 
> button, then “files and folders,” then “pdf-text,” then there was a button 
> labeled “run” which I pressed, then the task showed up with a warning, which 
> I can’t find, so I have no idea what I may have done wrong, sense the option 
> the man doing the video mentioned about what type of file I wanted them 
> converted to wasn’t even there, so if that was the warning I needed to fix, I 
> have no idea how to fix it.
>  I need these files to take to work tomorrow and emboss, so if anybody can 
> please give me some tips, I’d really appreciate it.
> 
> -- 
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Converting pdf files on the mac.

[Jessica Moss]

I’ve just received several pdf files via e-mail that I need to convert to txt 
files, and unfortunately have no idea how to do this.  I found a youtube video 
on how to do this, which seems to be outdated, sense some of the options for 
using it on my end look a little different, however I thought I managed to do 
it.  I think I managed to create it by choosing the “choose,” button, then 
“files and folders,” then “pdf-text,” then there was a button labeled “run” 
which I pressed, then the task showed up with a warning, which I can’t find, so 
I have no idea what I may have done wrong, sense the option the man doing the 
video mentioned about what type of file I wanted them converted to wasn’t even 
there, so if that was the warning I needed to fix, I have no idea how to fix it.
  I need these files to take to work tomorrow and emboss, so if anybody can 
please give me some tips, I’d really appreciate it.

-- 
The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
list.

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feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.

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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Scott Granados]

You would want a Fire TV in my opinion, not a fire stick.  The stick is a bit 
less powered and while a good product the Fire TV is a very very good product.  
Accessibility has been continuously improved and the access to prime video 
content is fantastic.  The stick has a slower processor, less memory and is a 
bit different design.
The Apple TV to me is a let down, yet another thing Apple is failing at 
but more specifically when it comes to accessibility.  The product is OK but 
it’s getting less and less accessible as time passes.

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:49 AM, Jessica Moss  wrote:
> 
> Oh cool, how exactly does the firestick differ from the Apple Tv, other than 
> it’s way less moneywise, and is a USB stick?
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:02 AM, David Chittenden  wrote:
>> 
>> Yes, these devices have parental control settings.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 24/04/2017, at 10:42, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Ok, probably a stupid question, but is there a way with those, to filter 
>>> out what content you don’t want to view, perfect example, R-rated movies 
>>> you obviously wouldn’t want your kids looking at?  Mom and I have been 
>>> looking at ditching DirectTv, which is expensive as ever, and we either 
>>> don’t watch half the stuff it comes with, or don’t get the other half, and 
>>> she wants a fire stick, and on my end, it’s somewhat been a debate between 
>>> an apple tv or a fire stick.
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  
 wrote:
 
 I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
 possible to check the local weather.
 
 That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
 have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer 
 Fire Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any 
 show and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
 accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
 
 Kind regards,
 
 David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
 Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
 Mobile: +61 488 988 936
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
> 
> Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
> and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
> stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
> for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
> in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
> Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
> that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
> Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
> there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
> use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
> 
> Shawn
> Sent From My White MacBook
> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of those 
>> digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside the US. I’m 
>> not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter works at their 
>> fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even begin to talk Samsungs 
>> new Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it will ever reach these cold is 
>> it latitudes?:-)
>> /Krister
>> 
>>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>>> 
>>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, 
>>> Alexa does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. 
>>> This is why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in 
>>> scope.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
 
 Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
 
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  
> wrote:
> 
> So Sean,
> 
> This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn Krasniuk
> Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
> To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
> 

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Scott Granados]

My opinion is Amazon should stick to artificial intelligence and web services 
along with retail and leave the phones to the professionals.:)

Not a big fan.

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 8:46 AM, Jessica Moss  wrote:
> 
> Whatt are your thoughts on the amazon firephone?  I thought about that when I 
> was about to upgrade my phone, but was really uncertain about it at the same 
> time sense I didn’t know anyone who owned one, and also had never used a fire 
> tablet as much as I really lusted after one.
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:51 AM, Anders Holmberg  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi!
>> Actually i will get myself an Iphone Se just as an ipod and daisy book 
>> reader.
>> But i think i am not going to use it anymore as a phone and this just 
>> because apple doesn’t seem to have any intresting development in regards to 
>> Siri.
>> It took them forever to bring siri to Sweden but google seems to have made 
>> it 3 times as fast as Apple.
>> I admit that apple was the introducer to touch screens for me but since then 
>> things has changed a lot.
>> The fact that you can do a lot more with your Android pixel or any other 
>> brand also has changed my opinion.
>> Though i am not goin to give up the Ipad and the mac yet.
>> The mac is still a good computer and since things works as flawless as they 
>> should for me on the mac its not worth getting into something new.
>> And whats new anyway?
>> Windows isn’t and isn’t even going to be used by me either.
>> Maybe for fun but if i will give up mac i guess i will stick to linux.
>> /A
>>> 22 apr. 2017 kl. 12:27 skrev Scott Granados :
>>> 
>>> So, Apple brought us Siri and we had hi hopes but they’ve let it fall flat 
>>> on it’s face and are being schooled by Amazon and especially google.  Let’s 
>>> look at the announcements recently from the 3 companies.  Alexa continues 
>>> to make strides with additional integration across multiple platforms and 
>>> expanded languages and ability to parse complex sentences,  Google takes 
>>> things even farther allowing their units to distinguish between users by 
>>> their voices, provides tight integration with hundreds of data sources and 
>>> literally adds features on a biweekly basis, and Apple, what’s Apple 
>>> announcing.  Siri now can read your what’s app messages.  (Big freaking 
>>> whoop Apple).  Google announces multiple voice recognition and the addition 
>>> of real neural net technology and Apple can now read text messages from a 
>>> 3rd party app.  They have to do better.  The iPhone is such a good phone in 
>>> every way but then you’re stuck with Siri.  You are letting us down Apple, 
>>> you’re not innovating any more and you’re going to see folks like my self 
>>> for example jump off the Apple band wagon and squarely on to the Google 
>>> Pixel band wagon if you don’t get your act together.  Here’s a link to the 
>>> big announcement AKA Apple’s continued stagnation.
>>> 
>>> http://www.redmondpie.com/siri-on-ios-10.3-can-now-read-out-new-whatsapp-messages-for-you/
>>> 
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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Anders Holmberg]

HI!
Hopefully they will give us some features before we are dead. 
> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 15:29 skrev Krister Ekstrom :
> 
> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of those digital 
> assistants have no or limited functionality outside the US. I’m not certain 
> that even Google or Siri for that matter works at their fullest here in 
> Sweden and then let’s not even begin to talk Samsungs new Bixby. I wonder 
> when or rather if it will ever reach these cold is it latitudes?:-)
> /Krister
> 
>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>> 
>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, Alexa 
>> does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. This is 
>> why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in scope.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
 
 So Sean,
 
 This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
 
 -Original Message-
 From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
 [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn Krasniuk
 Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
 To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
 Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
 assistant game
 
 Hi Scott. I'm not Yuma but I can tell you who I think is the better AI. 
 After watching demos of the two of them, Alexa still wins hands down. 
 Sure, with Google Now, when you ask it questions, you can ask subsequent 
 questions about the topic you started with it. Alexa has a hard time with 
 that, but she has more smart devices she can connect to than Google. On a 
 video I saw, you can rectify the problem by using IFTTT, but that sounds 
 like it could be more complicated than it should be. Also, it just sounds 
 better to call your virtual assistant by a name rather than Google or 
 Amazon, so Alexa wins there too. Lastly, I can use Alexa anywhere I wish, 
 on my Mac or on my phone using Reverb and Google doesn't have anything 
 like that yet to my knowledge besides Allo, which like I said in my last 
 message, only sends messages through text. I'd rather have the app speak 
 the messages the assistant sends automatically like Alexa does in Reverb. 
 So for me, Alexa takes it.
 
 Shawn
 Sent From My White MacBook
 Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
 Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
 Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
 Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:19 AM, Scott Granados  
> wrote:
> 
> Wow there’s a lot of great points here.
> 
> I’m curious, as someone who’s heavily involved in AI who do you think is 
> the absolute cutting edge right now outside the classified space.  Maybe 
> you could rank a little the major publicly visible efforts like Watson 
> verses Google verses Amazon and such.  Who makes you think wow that’s 
> really impressive?  We know Apple in many ways is behind the times but 
> who’s way ahead?
> 
> Also, do you have any published papers or anything I could read of your 
> work you’ve impressed me with your response and I’d like to learn more 
> about where you’re coming from.
> 
> Thanks
> Scott
> 
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:54 AM, Yuma Decaux  wrote:
>> 
>> I wanted to chime in for a few points:
>> 
>> Apple is dispersing itself a bit too much. What's next on the line? A 
>> Lavazza partnership for a coffee machine? Or maybe some jogging shoes 
>> with mag safe laces? Better yet, a Mars lander capsule with an enhanced 
>> version of voice over? Wait, the latter is something they should aim 
>> for, shoot to mars projects, not attempts at capturing consumer markets 
>> outside of what they do best.
>> 
>> In terms of the A.I, as a daily A.I programmer, I'm not impressed at 
>> all. Why does siri forget a name I call all the time when it worked 
>> until then? What is the use of asking me the same thing all the time, 
>> when siri should know that I know the command better and faster than it 
>> can respond? And what about putting some of the phrases together, and 
>> assist in performance driven ways, which is the one major reason why I 
>> would like an assistant as a blind user? Wait, this bleeds into all 
>> users anyway, and google now + alexia are taking cloud based and data 
>> centric approaches way higher. To be fair, Apple's frameworks are 
>> increasingly better, and the sheer breadth of things you can do with 
>> their libraries is the model they have t

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Jessica Moss]

Oh cool, how exactly does the firestick differ from the Apple Tv, other than 
it’s way less moneywise, and is a USB stick?
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 12:02 AM, David Chittenden  wrote:
> 
> Yes, these devices have parental control settings.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 10:42, Jessica Moss  wrote:
>> 
>> Ok, probably a stupid question, but is there a way with those, to filter out 
>> what content you don’t want to view, perfect example, R-rated movies you 
>> obviously wouldn’t want your kids looking at?  Mom and I have been looking 
>> at ditching DirectTv, which is expensive as ever, and we either don’t watch 
>> half the stuff it comes with, or don’t get the other half, and she wants a 
>> fire stick, and on my end, it’s somewhat been a debate between an apple tv 
>> or a fire stick.
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
>>> possible to check the local weather.
>>> 
>>> That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
>>> have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer Fire 
>>> Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any show 
>>> and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
>>> accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
 
 Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
 and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
 stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
 for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
 in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
 Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
 that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
 Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
 there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
 use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
 
 Shawn
 Sent From My White MacBook
 Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
 Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
 Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
 Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
> wrote:
> 
> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of those 
> digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside the US. I’m 
> not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter works at their 
> fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even begin to talk Samsungs new 
> Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it will ever reach these cold is it 
> latitudes?:-)
> /Krister
> 
>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>> 
>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, 
>> Alexa does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. 
>> This is why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in 
>> scope.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  
 wrote:
 
 So Sean,
 
 This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
 
 -Original Message-
 From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
 [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn Krasniuk
 Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
 To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
 Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
 assistant game
 
 Hi Scott. I'm not Yuma but I can tell you who I think is the better 
 AI. After watching demos of the two of them, Alexa still wins hands 
 down. Sure, with Google Now, when you ask it questions, you can ask 
 subsequent questions about the topic you started with it. Alexa has a 
 hard time with that, but she has more smart devices she can connect to 
 than Google. On a video I saw, you can rectify the problem by using 
 IFTTT, but that sounds like it could be more complicated than it 
 should be. Also, it just sounds better to call your virtual assist

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Jessica Moss]

Whatt are your thoughts on the amazon firephone?  I thought about that when I 
was about to upgrade my phone, but was really uncertain about it at the same 
time sense I didn’t know anyone who owned one, and also had never used a fire 
tablet as much as I really lusted after one.
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:51 AM, Anders Holmberg  wrote:
> 
> Hi!
> Actually i will get myself an Iphone Se just as an ipod and daisy book reader.
> But i think i am not going to use it anymore as a phone and this just because 
> apple doesn’t seem to have any intresting development in regards to Siri.
> It took them forever to bring siri to Sweden but google seems to have made it 
> 3 times as fast as Apple.
> I admit that apple was the introducer to touch screens for me but since then 
> things has changed a lot.
> The fact that you can do a lot more with your Android pixel or any other 
> brand also has changed my opinion.
> Though i am not goin to give up the Ipad and the mac yet.
> The mac is still a good computer and since things works as flawless as they 
> should for me on the mac its not worth getting into something new.
> And whats new anyway?
> Windows isn’t and isn’t even going to be used by me either.
> Maybe for fun but if i will give up mac i guess i will stick to linux.
> /A
>> 22 apr. 2017 kl. 12:27 skrev Scott Granados :
>> 
>> So, Apple brought us Siri and we had hi hopes but they’ve let it fall flat 
>> on it’s face and are being schooled by Amazon and especially google.  Let’s 
>> look at the announcements recently from the 3 companies.  Alexa continues to 
>> make strides with additional integration across multiple platforms and 
>> expanded languages and ability to parse complex sentences,  Google takes 
>> things even farther allowing their units to distinguish between users by 
>> their voices, provides tight integration with hundreds of data sources and 
>> literally adds features on a biweekly basis, and Apple, what’s Apple 
>> announcing.  Siri now can read your what’s app messages.  (Big freaking 
>> whoop Apple).  Google announces multiple voice recognition and the addition 
>> of real neural net technology and Apple can now read text messages from a 
>> 3rd party app.  They have to do better.  The iPhone is such a good phone in 
>> every way but then you’re stuck with Siri.  You are letting us down Apple, 
>> you’re not innovating any more and you’re going to see folks like my self 
>> for example jump off the Apple band wagon and squarely on to the Google 
>> Pixel band wagon if you don’t get your act together.  Here’s a link to the 
>> big announcement AKA Apple’s continued stagnation.
>> 
>> http://www.redmondpie.com/siri-on-ios-10.3-can-now-read-out-new-whatsapp-messages-for-you/
>> 
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Re: Connecting to Airport Router Using WPA/WPA2 Personal

[Scott Granados]

Well you see it may be and I don’t know for sure that Canadian and US WiFi uses 
slightly different channels.  I know that US and Japan are different where 
Japan has more channels if memory serves.  So if there are different spectrum 
management methods and channels used they will overlap in unpredictable ways 
which may be why your neighbor is introducing issues.  On 2.4 GHz try to be 40 
MHz apart from your neighbor and on 5 GHz just be on a different channel 
entirely and you should be good.

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:36 AM, Jeff Berwick  wrote:
> 
> I have three Airport devices advertising the same network and I discovered 
> that two of them were set to wpa/wpa2 personal while one of them was set to 
> just wpa2 personal.  This seems to have solved my issue for the moment, but 
> we will see if it crops up again.
> 
> Also, I did a diagnostic and it indicated that there were devices advertising 
> a US country code and I am in Canada.  These devices are not mine, so there 
> isn’t anything I can do about them, but I found it interesting that network 
> diagnostics would identify this as a problem—especially since I don’t connect 
> to these other devices which probably belong to my neighbour.
> 
> Jeff
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 6:56 PM, Jonathan Cohn > > wrote:
>> 
>> Any possibility that yo have more devices connected to your router than it 
>> allows in its settings area?  I used to have DHCP problems when I used wired 
>> networking because of somebody else on the segment also sending out DHCP 
>> responses, mind you that was a long time ago on a network that no longer 
>> exists.
>> 
>> Another thing to verify is that nobody else is using your Network ID. If you 
>> named your wireless networ My Home Network and your next door neighbor did 
>> the same there would be a very good chance that on occasion you would run 
>> into issues like this.
>> 
>> 
>>  Best wishes,
>> 
>> Jonathan Cohn
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:21 PM, Jeff Berwick >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi there,
>>> 
>>> I have an interesting/odd WIFI issue that one of the gurus  may be able to 
>>> solve here.
>>> 
>>> From time to time, I am unable to join my Wireless network as, even though 
>>> I have instructed my device to remember the network/password in my 
>>> Keychain, it prompts me for a password.  When this happens, I type in the 
>>> password and it tells me I am wrong—I know I’m not—and denies me access.
>>> 
>>> Today, when I was prompted for the password, I noticed a hint telling me to 
>>> enter in exactly 64 hexadecimal characters.  So, my question is, where is 
>>> this setting for the Airport Extreme or Airport Time Capsule in the latest 
>>> Airport Utility?  I’ve never seen an option to switch between a pass key or 
>>> phrase and a hexadecimal value.
>>> 
>>> Thx,
>>> Jeff
>>> 
>>> 
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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Anders Holmberg]

Hi!
Actually i will get myself an Iphone Se just as an ipod and daisy book reader.
But i think i am not going to use it anymore as a phone and this just because 
apple doesn’t seem to have any intresting development in regards to Siri.
It took them forever to bring siri to Sweden but google seems to have made it 3 
times as fast as Apple.
I admit that apple was the introducer to touch screens for me but since then 
things has changed a lot.
The fact that you can do a lot more with your Android pixel or any other brand 
also has changed my opinion.
Though i am not goin to give up the Ipad and the mac yet.
The mac is still a good computer and since things works as flawless as they 
should for me on the mac its not worth getting into something new.
And whats new anyway?
Windows isn’t and isn’t even going to be used by me either.
Maybe for fun but if i will give up mac i guess i will stick to linux.
/A
> 22 apr. 2017 kl. 12:27 skrev Scott Granados :
> 
> So, Apple brought us Siri and we had hi hopes but they’ve let it fall flat on 
> it’s face and are being schooled by Amazon and especially google.  Let’s look 
> at the announcements recently from the 3 companies.  Alexa continues to make 
> strides with additional integration across multiple platforms and expanded 
> languages and ability to parse complex sentences,  Google takes things even 
> farther allowing their units to distinguish between users by their voices, 
> provides tight integration with hundreds of data sources and literally adds 
> features on a biweekly basis, and Apple, what’s Apple announcing.  Siri now 
> can read your what’s app messages.  (Big freaking whoop Apple).  Google 
> announces multiple voice recognition and the addition of real neural net 
> technology and Apple can now read text messages from a 3rd party app.  They 
> have to do better.  The iPhone is such a good phone in every way but then 
> you’re stuck with Siri.  You are letting us down Apple, you’re not innovating 
> any more and you’re going to see folks like my self for example jump off the 
> Apple band wagon and squarely on to the Google Pixel band wagon if you don’t 
> get your act together.  Here’s a link to the big announcement AKA Apple’s 
> continued stagnation.
> 
> http://www.redmondpie.com/siri-on-ios-10.3-can-now-read-out-new-whatsapp-messages-for-you/
> 
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Re: Question for Sonos users

[Donna Goodin]

Hey Simon,

I think the grouping thing isn't working right.  I've looked at that, but saw 
no option for regrouping rooms.
Cheers,
Donna
> On Apr 24, 2017, at 3:47 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
> 
> Donna,
> 
> I'm not sure what your really getting at,
> 
> I take it you pick one speaker up and take it outside but if you have them as 
> individual speakers surely they should just work as I have!
> 
> I take one from my bedroom and move it to the kitchen and it keeps working,if 
> I want it playing what is on my living room pair then I just group the 
> speakers again or to sepperate the sounds I split the grouping 
> 
> This can be done under the room settings grouping rooms 
> 
> And if you don't have things running at the time you unplug may be good to 
> try, I make sure I move the bedroom play 1 before I start playing the audio.
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
> Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 12:50 AM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Question for Sonos users
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> So, my husband and I just relocated, and we're sort of camping out in a tiny 
> rental house while we sell our old home.  As a result, the only sound system 
> we currently have unpacked is our Sonos.  We have two Play ones.  Because 
> that is our only system, I need to move one of the speakers from inside to 
> outside when we want to sit outside and listen to music out there.  Every 
> time I do this, it's a major hassle, and I spend at least an hour putting 
> things back to rights, when I bring the speaker back inside.  This time I've 
> spent several hours, and I still can't seem to get the speaker that I moved 
> added back into the Livingroom room.  Does anyone know if there is a less 
> painful way to accomplish this?  Stated another way, is there  a pain-free 
> way to be able to use one speaker in more than one location?  I thought there 
> was a way to manage this in the iPhone app, but I'm not seeing it.
> Thanks,
> Donna
> 
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Re: Connecting to Airport Router Using WPA/WPA2 Personal

[Jeff Berwick]

I have three Airport devices advertising the same network and I discovered that 
two of them were set to wpa/wpa2 personal while one of them was set to just 
wpa2 personal.  This seems to have solved my issue for the moment, but we will 
see if it crops up again.

Also, I did a diagnostic and it indicated that there were devices advertising a 
US country code and I am in Canada.  These devices are not mine, so there isn’t 
anything I can do about them, but I found it interesting that network 
diagnostics would identify this as a problem—especially since I don’t connect 
to these other devices which probably belong to my neighbour.

Jeff

> On Apr 23, 2017, at 6:56 PM, Jonathan Cohn  wrote:
> 
> Any possibility that yo have more devices connected to your router than it 
> allows in its settings area?  I used to have DHCP problems when I used wired 
> networking because of somebody else on the segment also sending out DHCP 
> responses, mind you that was a long time ago on a network that no longer 
> exists. 
> 
> Another thing to verify is that nobody else is using your Network ID. If you 
> named your wireless networ My Home Network and your next door neighbor did 
> the same there would be a very good chance that on occasion you would run 
> into issues like this. 
> 
> 
>   Best wishes,
> 
> Jonathan Cohn
> 
> 
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:21 PM, Jeff Berwick > > wrote:
>> 
>> Hi there,
>> 
>> I have an interesting/odd WIFI issue that one of the gurus  may be able to 
>> solve here.
>> 
>> From time to time, I am unable to join my Wireless network as, even though I 
>> have instructed my device to remember the network/password in my Keychain, 
>> it prompts me for a password.  When this happens, I type in the password and 
>> it tells me I am wrong—I know I’m not—and denies me access.
>> 
>> Today, when I was prompted for the password, I noticed a hint telling me to 
>> enter in exactly 64 hexadecimal characters.  So, my question is, where is 
>> this setting for the Airport Extreme or Airport Time Capsule in the latest 
>> Airport Utility?  I’ve never seen an option to switch between a pass key or 
>> phrase and a hexadecimal value.
>> 
>> Thx,
>> Jeff
>> 
>> 
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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Scott Granados]

Totally blind friendly in terms of accessibility.  The app you use to configure 
and update the device is absolutely 100% accessible on both major platforms, 
the settings are very simple and clean to set up and the directions you follow 
on the web for example to configure translate perfectly to a blind or sited 
user.  One of the easiest accessible things to set up I’ve ever used, right in 
line with the Apple experience we’re used to in terms of accessibility.  Also 
can say the same for the associated devices like the chrome cast devices I 
added.  I’ve reviewed products for years and I usually have a ding or two for 
accessibility or some area but the google home was the first thing I ever gave 
a full 5 stars.

Hope that helps


> On Apr 24, 2017, at 7:12 AM, Ryan Mann  wrote:
> 
> Could you set up Netflix yourself or did your partner have to set it up?  
> What about other settings such as the WIFI network?  I live alone, so if I 
> was to get a Fire Stick, I would need to be able to set it up.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:10 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
>> 
>> I believe there is an accessibility solution for COdi now.  Something that’s 
>> come out with in the last few weeks.  THere’s been mention of it on the 
>> android list although I don’t have specifics at hand.  You. Might google for 
>> a solution as I think one has recently been released.
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
>>> possible to check the local weather.
>>> 
>>> That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we 
>>> have it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer Fire 
>>> Stick over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any show 
>>> and get around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech 
>>> accessible, so my partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
 
 Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
 and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio 
 stations and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts 
 for both services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work 
 in Canada and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to 
 Tunein just fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but 
 that's no problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say 
 Winnipeg where I'm from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, 
 there are a bunch of articles and Youtube videos that show that you can 
 use Alexa outside the US, you just gotta search for them.
 
 Shawn
 Sent From My White MacBook
 Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
 Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
 Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
 Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
 
> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
> wrote:
> 
> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of those 
> digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside the US. I’m 
> not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter works at their 
> fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even begin to talk Samsungs new 
> Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it will ever reach these cold is it 
> latitudes?:-)
> /Krister
> 
>> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
>> 
>> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, 
>> Alexa does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. 
>> This is why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in 
>> scope.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  
 wrote:
 
 So Sean,
 
 This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
 
 -Original Message-
 From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
 [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn Krasniuk
 Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
 To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
 Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
 assistant game
 
 Hi Scott. I'm not Yuma but I can tell you who I think is the better 
 AI. After watching demos of the two of them, Alex

Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Ryan Mann]

Could you set up Netflix yourself or did your partner have to set it up?  What 
about other settings such as the WIFI network?  I live alone, so if I was to 
get a Fire Stick, I would need to be able to set it up.


Sent from my iPhone

> On Apr 24, 2017, at 6:10 AM, Scott Granados  wrote:
> 
> I believe there is an accessibility solution for COdi now.  Something that’s 
> come out with in the last few weeks.  THere’s been mention of it on the 
> android list although I don’t have specifics at hand.  You. Might google for 
> a solution as I think one has recently been released.
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  wrote:
>> 
>> I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
>> possible to check the local weather.
>> 
>> That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we have 
>> it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer Fire Stick 
>> over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any show and get 
>> around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech accessible, so my 
>> partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
>>> and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio stations 
>>> and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts for both 
>>> services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work in Canada 
>>> and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to Tunein just 
>>> fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but that's no 
>>> problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say Winnipeg where I'm 
>>> from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, there are a bunch of 
>>> articles and Youtube videos that show that you can use Alexa outside the 
>>> US, you just gotta search for them.
>>> 
>>> Shawn
>>> Sent From My White MacBook
>>> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
>>> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
>>> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
>>> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
 wrote:
 
 That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of those 
 digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside the US. I’m 
 not certain that even Google or Siri for that matter works at their 
 fullest here in Sweden and then let’s not even begin to talk Samsungs new 
 Bixby. I wonder when or rather if it will ever reach these cold is it 
 latitudes?:-)
 /Krister
 
> 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
> 
> Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, Alexa 
> does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. This is 
> why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in scope.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
>> 
>> Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>>> 
>>> So Sean,
>>> 
>>> This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
>>> 
>>> -Original Message-
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn Krasniuk
>>> Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
>>> To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
>>> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
>>> assistant game
>>> 
>>> Hi Scott. I'm not Yuma but I can tell you who I think is the better AI. 
>>> After watching demos of the two of them, Alexa still wins hands down. 
>>> Sure, with Google Now, when you ask it questions, you can ask 
>>> subsequent questions about the topic you started with it. Alexa has a 
>>> hard time with that, but she has more smart devices she can connect to 
>>> than Google. On a video I saw, you can rectify the problem by using 
>>> IFTTT, but that sounds like it could be more complicated than it should 
>>> be. Also, it just sounds better to call your virtual assistant by a 
>>> name rather than Google or Amazon, so Alexa wins there too. Lastly, I 
>>> can use Alexa anywhere I wish, on my Mac or on my phone using Reverb 
>>> and Google doesn't have anything like that yet to my knowledge besides 
>>> Allo, which like I said in my last message, only sends messages through 
>>> text. I'd rather have the app speak the messages the assistant sends 
>>> automatically like Alexa d

Re: Sitrix access

[Scott Granados]

I would think you could enable sharing on the laptop and then mount the shares 
via the browser possibly.  It’s been a long long time but I thought I 
remembered something along the lines of using the safari browser as the file 
browser.  Let me know if you get stuck I’d take this on as a project to figure 
it out as well and be glad to help.  Possibly Simon has run in to this as a 
systems admin.  Might be a good question for the blind sysadmins list as well.  
THere’s a lot of smart windows admins there.



> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:52 PM, David Chittenden  wrote:
> 
> Hi Scott,
> 
> I really like that suggestion. I had not considered it. Now, to figure out 
> how to set it up.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com 
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On 24/04/2017, at 00:33, Scott Granados  > wrote:
> 
>> One other idea David is possibly sharing a volume or folder on one device 
>> and making it available to both so you can just drag and drop content with 
>> out needing an intermediary.
>> 
>> Just another suggestion.
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:04 AM, David Chittenden >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Thanks for the reminder. I will ask about both, Google Drive and OneDrive.
>>> 
>>> Kind regards,
>>> 
>>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com 
>>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>> On 22/04/2017, at 21:30, Scott Granados >> > wrote:
>>> 
 What about Google drive?
 
> On Apr 22, 2017, at 7:28 AM, David Chittenden  > wrote:
> 
> Yes, but the organisation does not support Apple (save for iPads), so 
> they will probably require OneDrive. I personally would prefer iCloud. I 
> seriously doubt they will accept dropbox.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com 
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
> On 22/04/2017, at 18:12, Simon Fogarty  > wrote:
> 
>> Hi David,
>> 
>> One drive is very usable on IOS and jaws obviously,
>> 
>> But remember that Interlectual property is questionable within One Drive 
>> especially for government organisations
>> 
>> Good luck though.
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>  ] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>> Sent: Saturday, 22 April 2017 4:37 PM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> 
>> Subject: Re: Sitrix access
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> Yes, once I receive my local access laptop, I will find a way to easily 
>> transfer documents between the iPad and the laptop. Email will 
>> definitely work. However, I will first try Microsoft One Drive. It will 
>> depend on the permissions desktop support gives me on the laptop. At the 
>> very least, they will allow me to install the screen reader. My question 
>> is JFW or NVDA. That will depend on how well NVDA can access our 
>> specialised programs. I would prefer to avoid the several hundred dollar 
>> JFW upgrade cost as my JFW license is 5 years out-of-date..
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com 
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>> On 21/04/2017, at 19:05, Simon Fogarty > > wrote:
>> 
>> David,
>> 
>> Have you thought of other possible options to get your documentation 
>> from the iPad to the shared drives?
>> 
>> I’m just wondering if it might be possible to save documents to a secure 
>> cloud environment
>> 
>> Can’t believe there wouldn’t be something that could be used
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>  ] On Behalf Of David Chittenden
>> Sent: Friday, 21 April 2017 9:41 AM
>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> 
>> Subject: Re: Sitrix access
>> 
>> As for running Windows, I will do most of my admin work on the iPad. The 
>> computer will mainly be used to place my completed paperwork on the 
>> network drives.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> 
>> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
>> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com 
>> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>> On 20/04/2017, at 17:58, Scott Granados > <

Re: Looking for a good SIP client for the iPhone that is accessible

[Scott Granados]

That sounds like the right one but as long as the FQDN resolves to a  
record it should use V6 no?

I’ll look in to that.  YOu’re absolutely right as always that V6 is much easier 
with SIP, none of that damn NAT silliness.  Verizon FIOS is still woefully 
behind the times and not offering native V6 yet (surprise surprise).  I 
actually called about this the other day and the tech told me that they had 
IPv6 training scheduled for the entire support team and it was suddenly pulled. 
 So, something has gone sideways behind the scenes.


> On Apr 23, 2017, at 11:19 PM, 'Janina Sajka' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
> 
> If Bria is the app I'm recalling on the Mac, I would hope they've now
> added IPv6 support. Not supporting IPv6 in SIP calls is simply asking
> for trouble, imo.
> 
> As I say, I may not be remembering correctly. The Mac app I was looking
> at cost $50 or so.
> 
> Janina
> 
> michael babcock writes:
>> I’ll second this, Bria is well worth the investment.
>>> On Apr 22, 2017, at 8:22 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Bria soft phone is the one I use.  Completely accessible, well maintained 
>>> and I haven’t found any accessibility problems.
>>> 
 On Apr 22, 2017, at 8:47 AM, Michael Busboom  wrote:
 
 Hey everybody,
 
 Well, the subject line pretty much says what I am looking for.  I have 
 several contacts who have been encouraging me to use their Sip address to 
 reach them.  Since I have never done this, I don’t know which client works 
 best and if I need to sign up for a Sip service.  I sometimes use 
 VoipBuster to make international calls, and they do have Sip capabilities, 
 or so it seems.
 
 Thanks for any advice you can give.
 
 Mike
 
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Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Scott Granados]

I believe there is an accessibility solution for COdi now.  Something that’s 
come out with in the last few weeks.  THere’s been mention of it on the android 
list although I don’t have specifics at hand.  You. Might google for a solution 
as I think one has recently been released.

> On Apr 23, 2017, at 4:45 PM, David Chittenden  wrote:
> 
> I have, and use, an Amazon Fire Stick. In Australia and NZ, it is not 
> possible to check the local weather.
> 
> That said, Fire Stick works very well with NetFlicks. Like Apple TV, we have 
> it set to always play Audio Description when available. We prefer Fire Stick 
> over Apple TV, especially because of Codi, a way to watch any show and get 
> around geo restrictions. Unfortunately, it is not speech accessible, so my 
> partner is the only one in this household who can run it.
> 
> Kind regards,
> 
> David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
> Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
> Mobile: +61 488 988 936
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On 24/04/2017, at 06:32, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi David and Krister. I just purchased an Amazon Echo Dot a few weeks ago 
>> and Alexa works perfectly. I can listen to my favorite iHeartRadio stations 
>> and Pandora just fine. Granted I used a VPN to create accounts for both 
>> services but even if I didn't have them because they don't work in Canada 
>> and if I didn't have a VPN, I could still probably listen to Tunein just 
>> fine. Also I had to use an American zipcode for weather but that's no 
>> problem. If you ask Alexa for weather conditions in, say Winnipeg where I'm 
>> from, she'll tell you what it's like here. Anyway, there are a bunch of 
>> articles and Youtube videos that show that you can use Alexa outside the US, 
>> you just gotta search for them.
>> 
>> Shawn
>> Sent From My White MacBook
>> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
>> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
>> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
>> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 8:29 AM, Krister Ekstrom  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> That was what i was about to write a couple mails ago, many of those 
>>> digital assistants have no or limited functionality outside the US. I’m not 
>>> certain that even Google or Siri for that matter works at their fullest 
>>> here in Sweden and then let’s not even begin to talk Samsungs new Bixby. I 
>>> wonder when or rather if it will ever reach these cold is it latitudes?:-)
>>> /Krister
>>> 
 23 apr. 2017 kl. 14:18 skrev David Chittenden :
 
 Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, Alexa 
 does not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. This is 
 why it is able to be so much better there, it is limited in scope.
 
 Kind regards,
 
 David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
 Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
 Mobile: +61 488 988 936
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
> 
> Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>> 
>> So Sean,
>> 
>> This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn Krasniuk
>> Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
>> To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
>> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
>> assistant game
>> 
>> Hi Scott. I'm not Yuma but I can tell you who I think is the better AI. 
>> After watching demos of the two of them, Alexa still wins hands down. 
>> Sure, with Google Now, when you ask it questions, you can ask subsequent 
>> questions about the topic you started with it. Alexa has a hard time 
>> with that, but she has more smart devices she can connect to than 
>> Google. On a video I saw, you can rectify the problem by using IFTTT, 
>> but that sounds like it could be more complicated than it should be. 
>> Also, it just sounds better to call your virtual assistant by a name 
>> rather than Google or Amazon, so Alexa wins there too. Lastly, I can use 
>> Alexa anywhere I wish, on my Mac or on my phone using Reverb and Google 
>> doesn't have anything like that yet to my knowledge besides Allo, which 
>> like I said in my last message, only sends messages through text. I'd 
>> rather have the app speak the messages the assistant sends automatically 
>> like Alexa does in Reverb. So for me, Alexa takes it.
>> 
>> Shawn
>> Sent From My White MacBook
>> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
>> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
>> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
>> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:19 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow there’s a lot of great points here.
>>> 
>>> I

RE: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

[Simon Fogarty]

Hi David,

 I did see advertising for the play base but what is it?

 I know they recently baught out a white sub but hwat is this play base?


-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of David Chittenden
Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 9:38 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

We upgraded to the new Sonos Play Base to go with our new 70" Samsung TV. We 
needed to factory reset all the Sonos speakers in the house to get them working 
with the new configuration. It took about an hour.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 24/04/2017, at 07:13, Donna Goodin  wrote:
> 
> Hey Les,
> 
> Yep, done both those things several times.  I decided to try the factory 
> reset, but still no joy.  May need to wait for tech support tomorrow to get 
> the second speaker back.
> 
> Thanks for the suggestions.
> Cheers,
> Donna
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:34 PM, Les Kriegler  wrote:
>> 
>> Donna, before I would do anything radical like that, I'm wondering if you 
>> have uninstalled and reinstalled the app on your advice. Perhaps it could've 
>> gotten corrupted. The other thing you might try is unplugging the speakers 
>> it isn't working, let it sit for about a half a minute and then plug it back 
>> in. I've had difficulty with one of my speakers on occasion losing its 
>> connection, and that's what I've done. I have been speaking with Sonos about 
>> this and we are trying to nail down what the issue might be. They want me to 
>> call them when I actually lose sound because they can perform diagnostics on 
>> there and to check out what might be going on.
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:53 PM, Donna Goodin  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi all,
>>> 
>>> So what I'm reading online says you should not do this, but I'm wondering 
>>> why not?  Yeah, yeah, everything will be erased, but isn't that kind of the 
>>> point?  And I would assume that all content will be restored when I re-add 
>>> the player to my network.  Just wondering if anyone has done this?  If yes, 
>>> is there any good reason why I shouldn't do it?
>>> TIA,
>>> Donna
>>> 
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RE: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

[Simon Fogarty]

Hi Donna,
 Time zone delays and things but yeah a couple of times for all my speakers,

 Can't say it's been an issue but it worked out some kinks 

 And it only kills the settings on the speaker not the actual content of your 
sonos library which is app based. 

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 7:54 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Anyone ever factory reset their Sonos player?

Hi all,

So what I'm reading online says you should not do this, but I'm wondering why 
not?  Yeah, yeah, everything will be erased, but isn't that kind of the point?  
And I would assume that all content will be restored when I re-add the player 
to my network.  Just wondering if anyone has done this?  If yes, is there any 
good reason why I shouldn't do it?
TIA,
Donna

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RE: sonos going from bad to worse

[Simon Fogarty]

HI Donna,

 Assuming you have checked your wifi and all is working,

 Uninstall the sonos app and then reinstall it to your phone,

 Then when you start the app up again it will ask if you wish to setup a new 
sonos system or connect to an existing one,


If both your speakers are plugged in and turned on then the app should find the 
existing sonos system

If you find they still don't work then unplug the play 1 devices from mains 
power and then hold down both buttons that is power and vol up, then while 
holding them down plug the power back in and hold for approx. 30 seconds 

 This should from memory reset the speaker 
Then once you have done that to both setup the sonos system again from scratch 

If you get really unhappy with them then let me know and you can mail them to 
me here in NZ.

Hope that helps.


Simon F

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 1:45 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: sonos going from bad to worse

Hi all,

Up until last night, I had two Sonos controllers, my iPhone and my iPad.  For 
some reason, my iPhone decided not to connect any more.  I have tried 
everything: pressing the plus and mute buttons, plugging and unplugging the two 
Sonos speakers, unplugging and restarting our wireless router, deleting and 
re-downloading the app to my phone, nothing is working.  Phone, iPod, and 
speakers are all connected to the same wireless network, and app still works 
from my iPod though with the absence of the speaker that I moved outside last 
night.  For outside use, I set up a room called Patio, and that room currently 
does not seem to show up in the App.  Not sure why, I didn't delete it.  The 
only idea I have left is to give up on Sonos altogether and put our speakers on 
Craig's list.  Anyone have a better idea?
TIA,
Donna

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RE: Question for Sonos users

[Simon Fogarty]

Donna,

 I'm not sure what your really getting at,

 I take it you pick one speaker up and take it outside but if you have them as 
individual speakers surely they should just work as I have!

 I take one from my bedroom and move it to the kitchen and it keeps working,if 
I want it playing what is on my living room pair then I just group the speakers 
again or to sepperate the sounds I split the grouping 

This can be done under the room settings grouping rooms 

And if you don't have things running at the time you unplug may be good to try, 
I make sure I move the bedroom play 1 before I start playing the audio.

-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of Donna Goodin
Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 12:50 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Question for Sonos users

Hi all,

So, my husband and I just relocated, and we're sort of camping out in a tiny 
rental house while we sell our old home.  As a result, the only sound system we 
currently have unpacked is our Sonos.  We have two Play ones.  Because that is 
our only system, I need to move one of the speakers from inside to outside when 
we want to sit outside and listen to music out there.  Every time I do this, 
it's a major hassle, and I spend at least an hour putting things back to 
rights, when I bring the speaker back inside.  This time I've spent several 
hours, and I still can't seem to get the speaker that I moved added back into 
the Livingroom room.  Does anyone know if there is a less painful way to 
accomplish this?  Stated another way, is there  a pain-free way to be able to 
use one speaker in more than one location?  I thought there was a way to manage 
this in the iPhone app, but I'm not seeing it.
Thanks,
Donna

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RE: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant game

[Simon Fogarty]

ThanksDavid,

 I wondered about that,

 Like siri when it was first released, great in the USA but crap in the likes 
of everywhere else.
-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] 
On Behalf Of David Chittenden
Sent: Monday, 24 April 2017 12:18 AM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital assistant 
game

Step outside the US, and Alexa falls apart. Unlike Siri and Google, Alexa does 
not support anything outside it's limited geographical area. This is why it is 
able to be so much better there, it is limited in scope.

Kind regards,

David Chittenden, MSc, MRCAA
Email: dchitten...@gmail.com
Mobile: +61 488 988 936
Sent from my iPhone

> On 23/04/2017, at 20:50, Shawn Krasniuk  wrote:
> 
> Yes. Just search for Reverb for Amazon Alexa.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 5:44 AM, Simon Fogarty  wrote:
>> 
>> So Sean,
>> 
>> This amazon alexa is available through an app for my iPhone?
>> 
>> -Original Message-
>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>> [mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shawn Krasniuk
>> Sent: Sunday, 23 April 2017 9:47 PM
>> To: 'Chris Blouch' via MacVisionaries 
>> 
>> Subject: Re: And here's an example of why Apple is losing the digital 
>> assistant game
>> 
>> Hi Scott. I'm not Yuma but I can tell you who I think is the better AI. 
>> After watching demos of the two of them, Alexa still wins hands down. Sure, 
>> with Google Now, when you ask it questions, you can ask subsequent questions 
>> about the topic you started with it. Alexa has a hard time with that, but 
>> she has more smart devices she can connect to than Google. On a video I saw, 
>> you can rectify the problem by using IFTTT, but that sounds like it could be 
>> more complicated than it should be. Also, it just sounds better to call your 
>> virtual assistant by a name rather than Google or Amazon, so Alexa wins 
>> there too. Lastly, I can use Alexa anywhere I wish, on my Mac or on my phone 
>> using Reverb and Google doesn't have anything like that yet to my knowledge 
>> besides Allo, which like I said in my last message, only sends messages 
>> through text. I'd rather have the app speak the messages the assistant sends 
>> automatically like Alexa does in Reverb. So for me, Alexa takes it.
>> 
>> Shawn
>> Sent From My White MacBook
>> Facebook Username: Shawn Krasniuk
>> Twitter Handle: shawnk_aka_bbs
>> Skype username: bbstheblindrapper
>> Facetime: bbssh...@icloud.com
>> 
>>> On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:19 AM, Scott Granados  
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow there’s a lot of great points here.
>>> 
>>> I’m curious, as someone who’s heavily involved in AI who do you think is 
>>> the absolute cutting edge right now outside the classified space.  Maybe 
>>> you could rank a little the major publicly visible efforts like Watson 
>>> verses Google verses Amazon and such.  Who makes you think wow that’s 
>>> really impressive?  We know Apple in many ways is behind the times but 
>>> who’s way ahead?
>>> 
>>> Also, do you have any published papers or anything I could read of your 
>>> work you’ve impressed me with your response and I’d like to learn more 
>>> about where you’re coming from.
>>> 
>>> Thanks
>>> Scott
>>> 
>>> 
 On Apr 23, 2017, at 3:54 AM, Yuma Decaux  wrote:
 
 I wanted to chime in for a few points:
 
 Apple is dispersing itself a bit too much. What's next on the line? A 
 Lavazza partnership for a coffee machine? Or maybe some jogging shoes with 
 mag safe laces? Better yet, a Mars lander capsule with an enhanced version 
 of voice over? Wait, the latter is something they should aim for, shoot to 
 mars projects, not attempts at capturing consumer markets outside of what 
 they do best.
 
 In terms of the A.I, as a daily A.I programmer, I'm not impressed at all. 
 Why does siri forget a name I call all the time when it worked until then? 
 What is the use of asking me the same thing all the time, when siri should 
 know that I know the command better and faster than it can respond? And 
 what about putting some of the phrases together, and assist in performance 
 driven ways, which is the one major reason why I would like an assistant 
 as a blind user? Wait, this bleeds into all users anyway, and google now + 
 alexia are taking cloud based and data centric approaches way higher. To 
 be fair, Apple's frameworks are increasingly better, and the sheer breadth 
 of things you can do with their libraries is the model they have taken, to 
 create an eco system where the user can become one of the earners, and 
 participate in Apple's success, for some, along with their own. And taking 
 30% off their sales.
 
 But the fact is that Apple has lost in not using the data available to 
 them, and this comes to one thing Apple distinguishes itself