WEBVTT - Talking tech 4th June 2024 0:00:21.368 --> 0:00:25.448 Hello everyone. Welcome to Talking Tech. This edition available from 0:00:25.448 --> 0:00:29.408 June the 4th, 2024. I'm Stephen Jolly. Great to have 0:00:29.408 --> 0:00:33.188 you with us listening maybe through Vision Australia radio associated 0:00:33.188 --> 0:00:37.028 stations of RPA Australia or perhaps the Community Radio Network. 0:00:37.058 --> 0:00:39.938 There is also the podcast to catch that, all you 0:00:39.938 --> 0:00:42.518 need to do is search for the two words talking 0:00:42.548 --> 0:00:45.428 tech and Dana can all come usually on a Tuesday 0:00:45.428 --> 0:00:48.968 afternoon just after it's been produced. Another option is to 0:00:48.968 --> 0:00:52.478 ask your Siri device or smart speaker to play Vision 0:00:52.478 --> 0:00:57.758 Australia Radio talking tech podcast Vision Australia Radio talking tech 0:00:57.758 --> 0:01:01.268 podcast with me, someone who can explain all this tech 0:01:01.268 --> 0:01:06.278 stuff really well. Vision Australia's national advisor on access technology, 0:01:06.278 --> 0:01:10.598 David Woodbridge. David, let's start with the product minute, maybe 0:01:10.598 --> 0:01:15.578 product minutes from the vision store of Vision Australia. There's 0:01:15.578 --> 0:01:16.778 a sale on. 0:01:16.778 --> 0:01:20.708 There is this includes I think all up around about 0:01:20.708 --> 0:01:25.718 16 different products. So it's up to 15% off. I 0:01:25.718 --> 0:01:28.628 know we don't quite often talk about low vision stuff, 0:01:28.628 --> 0:01:32.018 so I'm going to give a plug to three particular 0:01:32.018 --> 0:01:37.028 low vision products I always see recommended for home, school 0:01:37.028 --> 0:01:41.708 or work. So I'm talking about the three different types 0:01:41.708 --> 0:01:46.508 of explore video magnifiers. So you've got the explore five, 0:01:46.508 --> 0:01:48.908 which is the five inch screen with a handle that 0:01:48.908 --> 0:01:51.398 you can pull out to hold on to really, really 0:01:51.398 --> 0:01:55.418 good at when you're shopping the explore eight, which is 0:01:55.418 --> 0:01:57.578 like almost like holding it because it's an eight as 0:01:57.578 --> 0:02:00.008 an eight inch, it's almost like little holding a little 0:02:00.008 --> 0:02:03.998 iPad mini in your hand. Really good for being at school, 0:02:03.998 --> 0:02:06.788 going into the library, reading stuff at your desk, that 0:02:06.788 --> 0:02:10.868 sort of stuff. And then the explore 12, which is 0:02:10.868 --> 0:02:13.418 almost good for everybody. But, um, it's got it comes 0:02:13.418 --> 0:02:17.408 with a stand, so you can actually pop the explore 0:02:17.408 --> 0:02:20.048 12 on a stand. One of the benefits of having 0:02:20.048 --> 0:02:21.878 on the stand is you can put stuff underneath it 0:02:21.878 --> 0:02:24.968 and read it, quote, hands free. And of course you 0:02:24.968 --> 0:02:28.238 can handwrite underneath it because it's being held up by 0:02:28.238 --> 0:02:33.698 the stand. The explore 12 is highly recommended in lots 0:02:33.698 --> 0:02:36.758 and lots of workplaces for low vision folks. That's the 0:02:36.758 --> 0:02:41.888 explore five, explore eight, and explore 12, which is currently 0:02:41.888 --> 0:02:45.818 in that sales sequence, up to 15% off till the 0:02:45.818 --> 0:02:48.938 end of June or until stocks run out. 0:02:49.118 --> 0:02:56.288 Shop Vision Australia. Org and for the specials shop Vision Australia. 0:02:56.648 --> 0:03:02.498 Org slash sales the blind shell phone the classic two. 0:03:02.528 --> 0:03:05.168 Been a bit of a scare about what happens when 0:03:05.168 --> 0:03:07.238 the 3G network disappears. 0:03:07.238 --> 0:03:10.208 Yes, I know some people have been concerned about when 0:03:10.208 --> 0:03:13.268 the 3G network shuts down. I think Telstra's turned his 0:03:13.268 --> 0:03:16.598 31st of August and I think it's followed by Optus 0:03:16.598 --> 0:03:18.818 and so on. So different carriers are closing down their 0:03:18.818 --> 0:03:22.958 3G network at different times. I've double checked that with 0:03:22.958 --> 0:03:27.338 Vision Australia Vision store itself. I've checked it with Quantum technology, 0:03:27.338 --> 0:03:32.918 and everybody 100% assures me that you stick a 4G 0:03:32.918 --> 0:03:37.448 SIM card in your phone, your blind shell classic two, 0:03:37.448 --> 0:03:41.018 and it will absolutely work. So don't panic. All you 0:03:41.018 --> 0:03:45.578 need is just is pop in a new 4G 5G 0:03:45.578 --> 0:03:47.708 sim card. If you've got 5G in your region and 0:03:47.708 --> 0:03:48.458 it'll work. 0:03:48.458 --> 0:03:52.988 The revolutionary Bemyeyes app with Be My. I been around 0:03:52.988 --> 0:03:56.858 for a little while on iOS and Android. You can 0:03:56.858 --> 0:03:59.078 now run it through windows. 0:03:59.078 --> 0:04:02.648 Which is actually pretty exciting because this will actually use 0:04:02.648 --> 0:04:06.188 your camera, which you go, yep, well, it does it already. 0:04:06.188 --> 0:04:08.408 I can take a picture and, uh, have it look 0:04:08.408 --> 0:04:11.198 at stuff, but it's also the live camera, so you 0:04:11.198 --> 0:04:13.988 can literally hold up something in front of your camera 0:04:13.988 --> 0:04:17.678 and get it to identify whatever you're holding in front 0:04:17.678 --> 0:04:21.638 of your camera on your laptop, which is actually really 0:04:21.638 --> 0:04:27.668 exciting because it's bringing that thing about AI object recognition 0:04:27.668 --> 0:04:33.098 closer and closer to that particular time when we'll be 0:04:33.098 --> 0:04:37.538 able to just theoretically, hopefully, practically as well wave anything 0:04:37.538 --> 0:04:39.158 in front of your camera on your laptop, in this 0:04:39.158 --> 0:04:43.748 case windows, and have it identify stuff. So I'm really 0:04:43.748 --> 0:04:47.078 looking forward to see how this goes, particularly in the 0:04:47.078 --> 0:04:48.428 next six months or so. 0:04:48.518 --> 0:04:52.268 There's been a lot happening in this area with freedom 0:04:52.268 --> 0:04:57.818 Scientific's great work with the Smart Picture features, and now 0:04:57.818 --> 0:05:00.218 with the Be My Eyes indeed. 0:05:00.218 --> 0:05:03.668 So, you know, we've got our famous thing coming up 0:05:03.668 --> 0:05:05.918 next week, which we'll talk about in a minute. So 0:05:05.918 --> 0:05:08.678 I think the next six months is going, like I 0:05:08.678 --> 0:05:11.678 just said, is going to be very explosive, I think, 0:05:11.678 --> 0:05:15.398 in the AI world across all the different platforms. 0:05:15.728 --> 0:05:18.338 So let's talk about the event coming up next week. 0:05:18.338 --> 0:05:22.718 Apple's worldwide. Developers Conference and the keynote address, which will 0:05:22.718 --> 0:05:25.598 be 3 a.m. our time on Tuesday morning. 0:05:25.598 --> 0:05:27.938 I shall be popping up for it, as I'm assuming 0:05:27.938 --> 0:05:30.608 you will be too, Stephen, to have a listen to it. 0:05:30.608 --> 0:05:33.518 And look, I'm really hoping that all the chit chat 0:05:33.518 --> 0:05:39.098 about Siri and, you know, teaming up with OpenAI or 0:05:39.098 --> 0:05:43.238 Google Gemini or or doing something like that really comes 0:05:43.238 --> 0:05:47.618 to fruition because I really want a Siri AI. I've 0:05:47.618 --> 0:05:51.338 got ChatGPT on my Mac, I've got it on my iPhone, 0:05:51.338 --> 0:05:54.218 I've played with Gemini, all that sort of stuff. But 0:05:54.218 --> 0:05:57.218 I really want to see Siri do well. So out 0:05:57.218 --> 0:06:00.578 of all the updates next week, iOS 18, the new 0:06:00.578 --> 0:06:05.228 Mac operating system, etc., etc., etc. um, I'm really looking 0:06:05.228 --> 0:06:07.688 forward to see what's going to be happening with iOS 0:06:07.688 --> 0:06:09.398 18 and Siri. 0:06:09.548 --> 0:06:12.368 So let's put this one into context for people who 0:06:12.368 --> 0:06:14.588 aren't as close to it as some of us are. 0:06:14.588 --> 0:06:19.298 This is the Worldwide Developers Conference, where Apple talks about 0:06:19.298 --> 0:06:22.598 what's going to be happening in the software area, and 0:06:22.598 --> 0:06:24.938 amongst other things, we'll be waiting to hear what's happening 0:06:24.938 --> 0:06:26.048 with iOS. 0:06:26.198 --> 0:06:29.528 Correct. So iOS always seems to get sort of the, 0:06:29.558 --> 0:06:32.768 you know, the flagship waving of the flag type stuff. Um, 0:06:32.768 --> 0:06:36.248 so that's why everybody's excited about iOS 18 and see 0:06:36.248 --> 0:06:39.788 what Siri does. And, you know, supposedly a new home screen, 0:06:39.788 --> 0:06:43.088 new this and new that. But it's also to do 0:06:43.088 --> 0:06:45.818 with the software on the Apple Watch, the software on 0:06:45.818 --> 0:06:49.748 the Apple TV, the software on the Mac. Um, let's 0:06:49.748 --> 0:06:52.148 not forget the software and the Vision Pro, which we 0:06:52.148 --> 0:06:54.368 sort of haven't talked about for quite a long time. 0:06:54.368 --> 0:06:57.998 And of course, the software in the HomePod. So there's 0:06:57.998 --> 0:07:00.458 quite a few different things. I think last year they 0:07:00.458 --> 0:07:04.088 sort of snuck in a few hardware things. The chat 0:07:04.088 --> 0:07:07.418 this time is they probably won't talk about any hardware 0:07:07.418 --> 0:07:11.288 at all. It'll be purely software. Although I wouldn't be 0:07:11.288 --> 0:07:13.598 surprised if we talk about an M4 Mac because we've 0:07:13.598 --> 0:07:16.478 got the M4 chip and the iPad Pro. I wouldn't 0:07:16.478 --> 0:07:18.038 be surprised if they sneak in a bit of a 0:07:18.038 --> 0:07:21.038 chat about the M4 chip in a new MacBook Pro 0:07:21.038 --> 0:07:21.998 or something like that. 0:07:21.998 --> 0:07:25.718 So what happens is this new software goes into a 0:07:25.718 --> 0:07:32.738 protracted beta phase, and it'll become public sometime in September, October, etc., 0:07:32.738 --> 0:07:33.248 won't it? 0:07:33.248 --> 0:07:36.128 Correct. So iOS 18 sort of drops around about the 0:07:36.128 --> 0:07:39.968 middle ish of September. And then I think normally, if 0:07:39.968 --> 0:07:43.718 I can remember correctly, it's about October for macOS. And 0:07:43.718 --> 0:07:47.678 who knows what new silly name in California Apple will 0:07:47.678 --> 0:07:50.618 come up with next for Mac OS 15. 0:07:50.798 --> 0:07:53.738 We talk about the good things with AI. There are 0:07:53.738 --> 0:07:57.428 some silly things and not so good things, and Google's 0:07:57.428 --> 0:07:59.258 had to protect itself a bit. 0:07:59.498 --> 0:08:01.628 It certainly did. Just a bit of a point. I 0:08:01.628 --> 0:08:04.028 want to say first thing to do is remember that 0:08:04.028 --> 0:08:07.808 all AI or the large language models doing is absolute 0:08:07.808 --> 0:08:14.768 word prediction. So it can do word prediction on word, sentence, paragraph, etc. 0:08:14.768 --> 0:08:18.968 but literally all it's doing is word prediction. So it's not, 0:08:18.968 --> 0:08:22.838 you know, particularly fascinating type stuff that's doing. Um, and 0:08:22.838 --> 0:08:26.768 so what's happening when you use Google's Gemini, it's coming 0:08:26.768 --> 0:08:30.248 back with weird stuff. So for example, it says something 0:08:30.248 --> 0:08:33.638 like you should at least eat one rock per day 0:08:33.638 --> 0:08:37.178 or you should glue your pizza together. Now, obviously some 0:08:37.178 --> 0:08:41.288 silly person on the internet or some training data has 0:08:41.288 --> 0:08:45.758 written those particular words. And obviously somebody typed in something 0:08:45.758 --> 0:08:48.908 a bit weird in the Gemini search, and that's what 0:08:48.908 --> 0:08:51.518 it's come back with. So it just goes to show 0:08:51.518 --> 0:08:55.778 you that this thing is not intelligent, it's purely word prediction. 0:08:55.778 --> 0:08:58.988 And it's looking up data that it's been trained on. 0:08:58.988 --> 0:09:05.618 So always take what Google I ChatGPT comes back with 0:09:05.648 --> 0:09:06.998 with a grain of salt. 0:09:07.418 --> 0:09:11.348 Now this is an odd one, but uh, it could 0:09:11.348 --> 0:09:15.728 well happen that you might not necessarily buy another iPhone, 0:09:15.728 --> 0:09:17.378 but it could be an iPad mini. 0:09:17.378 --> 0:09:20.738 What they were sort of like getting towards, I think 0:09:20.738 --> 0:09:22.958 is and this is probably more for people that are 0:09:22.958 --> 0:09:24.998 in the Apple universe, not so much in the Apple 0:09:24.998 --> 0:09:29.558 slash Android universe, but if you're used to ringing people 0:09:29.558 --> 0:09:33.608 up via FaceTime in particular, um, and I guess also 0:09:33.608 --> 0:09:36.668 WhatsApp and zoom and all the other different platforms now 0:09:36.668 --> 0:09:40.808 I'm thinking about it, is that the times you really 0:09:40.808 --> 0:09:43.718 need to make a phone call in quotes, like a 0:09:43.718 --> 0:09:48.608 real mobile phone call, is quite minimal. The only thing 0:09:48.608 --> 0:09:52.658 I could probably imagine, although my system can do it here, 0:09:52.658 --> 0:09:56.318 is if you want to send a quote SMS text, 0:09:56.408 --> 0:10:00.098 but normally you can get your um systems to generate 0:10:00.098 --> 0:10:03.458 an SMS if you really want to. Anyway, so I 0:10:03.458 --> 0:10:08.408 was thinking, you know, why spend over $1,000 when you can? 0:10:08.678 --> 0:10:11.648 You know, if you've got a cheap iPad mini that 0:10:11.648 --> 0:10:14.708 will do everything? So the only thing an iPad can't 0:10:14.708 --> 0:10:17.528 do is make, like I just said, a real quote, 0:10:17.528 --> 0:10:21.378 phone call. So anything else you want to do with. iOS, 0:10:21.948 --> 0:10:24.648 your iPad, or your iPad mini can do exactly the 0:10:24.648 --> 0:10:27.378 same thing. So that's just one way of saving a 0:10:27.378 --> 0:10:28.068 bit of money. 0:10:28.098 --> 0:10:32.088 David, I have a little tip for Sonos users who 0:10:32.088 --> 0:10:35.148 are screen reader people like I am. The app is 0:10:35.148 --> 0:10:38.358 still not very good, not as good as it should be. 0:10:38.358 --> 0:10:41.328 I had a discovery recently when I went back to 0:10:41.328 --> 0:10:44.778 the windows app for Sonos, and I found it was 0:10:44.778 --> 0:10:46.938 working pretty well. I could do a lot more with 0:10:46.938 --> 0:10:49.788 it than I can do with the app. So if 0:10:49.788 --> 0:10:52.278 you're struggling with Sonos at the moment until they get 0:10:52.278 --> 0:10:56.478 it right, the accessibility for screen reader users try the 0:10:56.478 --> 0:10:59.478 the windows app and it might do the trick for you. 0:10:59.478 --> 0:11:02.538 So the thing to remember sometimes is, don't think you're 0:11:02.538 --> 0:11:05.448 doing yourself any disservice by using the web version of 0:11:05.448 --> 0:11:10.608 an application. So, for example, I my sensibo air conditioner, 0:11:10.608 --> 0:11:13.488 I sometimes will use the web version of that as well, 0:11:13.488 --> 0:11:16.788 rather than the the iOS app version, just depending on 0:11:16.788 --> 0:11:20.688 what I'm doing. So if the Sonos actually works for 0:11:20.688 --> 0:11:23.958 the moment and gets you through the wait time that 0:11:23.958 --> 0:11:26.568 we're waiting for for the app to be fixed for accessibility, 0:11:26.568 --> 0:11:28.248 then that's a really good alternative. 0:11:28.428 --> 0:11:31.698 I'd like to talk Braille now. The International Council on 0:11:31.698 --> 0:11:37.758 English Braille completed its general assembly in Auckland last week 0:11:37.758 --> 0:11:40.758 in New Zealand, and they came out with a tweet 0:11:40.758 --> 0:11:45.258 at the end talking about the importance of Braille. Even today, 0:11:45.258 --> 0:11:47.028 more and more Braille is used. 0:11:47.028 --> 0:11:52.218 Exactly. The big thing about bras that everybody forgets is literacy. 0:11:52.788 --> 0:11:55.578 Everybody thinks, oh, look, you can just use a screen reader. 0:11:55.578 --> 0:11:57.168 The screen reader talks to you. Well, that's all well 0:11:57.168 --> 0:12:01.038 and good, but you don't learn how words are spelt. 0:12:01.038 --> 0:12:05.988 You don't learn about punctuation, capitalization. Braille, to me, is 0:12:05.988 --> 0:12:10.998 one of those things that's ultra important. And speaking about Braille, um, 0:12:10.998 --> 0:12:14.268 my daughter had the sadness of going to the hospital 0:12:14.268 --> 0:12:18.408 over the weekend. She's all well now, but on the 0:12:18.408 --> 0:12:23.298 nurse call button in her room, there was an odd 0:12:23.298 --> 0:12:26.058 symbol on the call button, and it was actually the 0:12:26.058 --> 0:12:29.808 letter N in braille for nurse. And I thought, wow, 0:12:29.808 --> 0:12:31.878 that's just absolutely amazing. Yep. 0:12:32.058 --> 0:12:36.648 Very impressive. You were playing with 11 labs recently and 0:12:36.648 --> 0:12:38.958 discovered something interesting with sound effects. 0:12:38.958 --> 0:12:42.798 So as with the the other application that I talked 0:12:42.798 --> 0:12:47.358 about quite a long time ago, there's no I the 0:12:47.358 --> 0:12:50.688 application for generating music. Well, this is actually 11 labs 0:12:50.688 --> 0:12:53.928 itself generating sound effects. So if you type in, uh, 0:12:53.928 --> 0:12:58.968 train going through a railway crossing, formula one cars zipping past, etc., etc., 0:12:59.148 --> 0:13:02.058 it'll generate the sound effects. Now, what it's doing is 0:13:02.058 --> 0:13:06.378 looking up a whole library from Shutterstock, which has got 0:13:06.378 --> 0:13:10.008 all these public domain, different types of sound effects, and 0:13:10.008 --> 0:13:14.028 it normally gives you about 5 or 6 samples. So 0:13:14.028 --> 0:13:15.978 the trick is you choose the one that you want, 0:13:15.978 --> 0:13:17.688 then you download the one that you want to use. 0:13:17.688 --> 0:13:19.728 So pretty, pretty good. Um. 0:13:20.478 --> 0:13:22.638 I'd like to spend more time on this one day, 0:13:22.638 --> 0:13:25.998 but just quickly tell us about the technology that you 0:13:25.998 --> 0:13:29.538 use these days, your personal technology in a minute or two. 0:13:29.568 --> 0:13:32.298 So this is my personal stuff. And I guess the 0:13:32.298 --> 0:13:34.128 couple of things that really jump out for me, and 0:13:34.128 --> 0:13:35.538 I've got the whole list in the show notes, if 0:13:35.538 --> 0:13:38.118 you want to have a read of them, is, first 0:13:38.118 --> 0:13:41.778 of all, the versus slate, which is a really quick 0:13:41.778 --> 0:13:45.018 way of jotting down Braille with a stylus that's really, 0:13:45.018 --> 0:13:50.088 really cool. The BT Speak Pro from Blazey Technologies for 0:13:50.088 --> 0:13:53.088 taking notes, and the third one, which is what I've 0:13:53.088 --> 0:13:55.068 used for quite a long time now, I almost want 0:13:55.068 --> 0:13:59.358 to say about eight years now is the Revo concept keyboard, 0:13:59.358 --> 0:14:03.228 which allows me to use both my iPhone and my 0:14:03.228 --> 0:14:07.338 Android phone, switching between them with the interface keyboard because 0:14:07.338 --> 0:14:10.908 it's such a tiny little credit card size keyboard. So 0:14:10.908 --> 0:14:12.768 there are three of the main things that stand out 0:14:12.768 --> 0:14:14.928 for me when I think about my computer bag. But 0:14:14.928 --> 0:14:16.518 like I said, if you want to read the whole list, 0:14:16.518 --> 0:14:17.658 it's in the show notes. 0:14:17.658 --> 0:14:19.968 Just before we go, a reminder of where there are 0:14:19.968 --> 0:14:22.638 details of what we've been talking about in this and 0:14:22.638 --> 0:14:24.378 previous editions of the program, you can. 0:14:24.378 --> 0:14:26.478 Check out the show notes on my blog site, which 0:14:26.478 --> 0:14:31.128 is David Woodbury Dot Podbean pod Cbn.com. 0:14:31.128 --> 0:14:37.398 David Woodbury Podbean Podbean For.com. To write to the program. 0:14:37.398 --> 0:14:39.468 You can write to me at Vision Australia, where I work. 0:14:39.468 --> 0:14:43.218 David Dot Woodbridge how it sounds at Vision Australia. 0:14:43.428 --> 0:14:48.348 Org David Dot Woodbridge at Vision Australia. Org this has 0:14:48.348 --> 0:14:50.988 been talking tech with me has been Vision Australia's national 0:14:50.988 --> 0:14:55.788 advisor on access technology David Woodbridge I'm Stephen Jolly take care. 0:14:55.788 --> 0:14:57.558 We'll talk more tech next week. See you.