WhatsApp – Page 2 – Thought grazing

January 9, 2021January 21, 2021

Why do I dislike Facebook (Fb)? [Addendum – Jan 21st]

I was challenged with this question last Thursday when I told my family about the intended changes to the WhatsApp Terms and Conditions of Use. I didn’t reply to my IT-savvy son until this morning when I was first asked to agree to these new Ts&Cs. This is what I wrote …

“It starts with trust, and then you work away from that. It’s what a company does with information and whether you can then trust them to handle it properly. Google+ was a closed system that you opened up; Fb is an open system that even though it has Privacy Controls – which you need a degree to work out how to set them – essentially allows them to do anything with what appears on their platform.

You take a photo – you don’t retain copyright, you assign that right to them when you publish to the platform. You have to struggle to find a way to opt out of adverts (understandably – that’s how they make their money) – you are conned into thinking that in allowing them, you will get a better experience.

For whom? For you – no, they’re just an annoyance to me, but for others they just drive people to buy stuff they might not want/need. For them – yes, that’s how they drive income and more.

So it’s the more that’s more interesting and insidious because what they do with that information leads to targeting people with posts, hence my reference to Brexit and Trump. [I had said in my brief first reply – Cambridge Analytica, Brext and Trump.] The algorithms behind the scenes work the data and susceptible people get targeted with posts as well, not just adverts. I could go on, but as I said – it’s all about Trust, and Fb as a company is one that I just don’t trust. [Addendum: Fb would say that it’s not them that uses the data; but we now have plentiful evidence that Fb Service Users have found ways of manipulating the data they have access to as Fb Business Users.]

Getting data from WhatsApp was something they committed at take-over they wouldn’t do. Now they are starting to do just that. Next step targeted adverts on a platform which is advert free; then “posts from others you might be interested in” – not the encrypted ones, but ones from Public Figures. Then “oh! dear” we have to drop encryption because of new privacy laws in the US. [Aside: is it a coincidence that Google, Twitter and Fb appear to be more privacy focussed since the Republicans lost control of the Senate and they just might want to be on the right side of the argument that’s going to come in the US in the next four years ].

So I always logout of Fb to stop them tracking me; I suspect that WhatsApp will have a mechanism that prevents a user from being disconnected so Fb with these new Ts&Cs will be tracking as well as getting the other personal info from users. [However, see the addendum below which has caused me to change my views on that.]

Please feel free to comment either on the post, or in the Topic I’ve created to discuss the subject in the Privacy and the Internet Forum.

Addendum: After posting this article, a former colleague provided a link to a page on Facebook’s website. That article is included in the many posts to Flipboard I’ve added in the past three weeks. However, it’s worth looking at, particularly as it affects the advice I’ve given many times to Logout of your Fb account. It would appear that Fb’s reach is wider than I thought, and so I can only now recommend that you logout. Some salient passages from the article …

When does Facebook get data about people from other websites and apps?
Many websites and apps use Facebook services to make their content and ads more engaging and relevant. These services include:
Social plugins, such as our Like and Share buttons, which make other sites more social and help you share content on Facebook;
Facebook Login, which lets you use your Facebook account to log into another website or app;
Facebook Analytics, which helps websites and apps better understand how people use their services; and
Facebook ads and measurement tools, which enable websites and apps to show ads from Facebook advertisers, to run their own ads on Facebook or elsewhere, and to understand the effectiveness of their ads.
When you visit a site or app that uses our services, we receive information even if you’re logged out or don’t have a Facebook account. This is because other apps and sites don’t know who is using Facebook.

I’ve added the emboldening to the last paragraph. So it means that if you do any of the above things on a site that uses Fb Services (ie pays to advertise on the Fb platform) personal information will be transferred to Fb.

Finally, if you’re just a bit more curious about Facebook’s Data Policy, take a read of this and be just a little gobsmacked at what’s going on behind the scenes and just consider it might be worthwhile reviewing your security settings. In particular look at the last section which explains how your information will be shared and especially look at the last part where they describe what they do with third-party partners (eg Cambridge Analytica ???).

Facebook have attempted to respond to the uproar about privacy with the announcement, and release of a Clear History Tool – and you should take a look at this page which explains What off-Facebook Activity means and describes how Fb’s third-party partners and business service providers may be interacting with Fb, and you.

Now you might realise why I dislike Facebook – they’ve lost my trust, and it’s just too much effort to make sure I’ve closed all the doors to protecting the personal information they hold on me.

March 23, 2020April 14, 2020

Video calling – Covid-19 and beyond [Updated]

The current crisis is forcing us all to consider how we can maintain face-to-face social contact at a time when that simply is not desirable, or even permissible. To this end we might look to video-calling as a possible solution. Let’s look at the options – this list will undoubtedly be updated, so please check back and also add your thoughts and experiences in the Comments area below.
WhatsApp is the simplest means of keeping in contact face-to-face and works well for a one-to-one call; you can also use it for audio calls and of course chat – but you can use it for calling up to four others. Here’s how you do it. It’s available for iPhone (iOS) and Android phones and you can use it from a webapp that runs on Windows or MacOS. It’s encrypted which means that your conversations should be secure, but it is owned by Facebook so one can never tell what might happen to it, or your data, in the future. You can also use Facebook Messenger to connect to up to 50 people – but I wouldn’t go there!
If you are a Mac/iPhone/iPad user wanting to call someone who also has Apple equipment you should really just use Facetime and look no further. Here’s how to use it from mobile devices, and here from your laptop or desktop. If you want to do a Group video-call then you can – up to 32 people can be on the same call! Here’s a User Guide which is applicable if you’re using the latest versions of Apple’s MacOS – Catalina (or Mojave), and here’s one for the mobile users. You cannot use Facetime however to chat with someone who doesn’t have Apple equipment.

So we turn to Google Hangouts which has the benefit of working cross-platform (that is Apple, Windows, Linux and Android users can all use it) and can also support Group video-calling as well of up to 25 people. This is the application that on the surface of things is well suited to most group video-chat situations, and is the one I’ll be focussing on using most over the next few weeks. It has the real advantage that whilst there are dedicated apps for mobile devices, it just requires a browser and a web-address on desktop/laptops. Here’s how to get started with Google Hangouts.
There’s a Microsoft offering as well – perhaps the oldest and best known piece of video-calling software, so much so it’s been adopted as the generic term for video-calling – Skype. It’s the most obvious competitor to Hangouts as again it’s cross-platform and indeed it’s hugely scaleable as you can have up to 50 devices on a single call (how do you manage that?!) but I’m afraid I find the way of calling, the potential for charging (why and when), the connection with your phone number and account, and general way to go about using Skype just a little bit too complicated for me. One day, maybe I’ll find the time to research it more, but for the moment …
Finally, in this first pass of applications you can use for video-calls, there’s Zoom. We’ve used it and set it up for a call from a Mac to an iPad. It is cross-platform – so that’s good. It has a good reputation for person-to-person calls where it’s free but a little fiddly to setup, but I believe it won’t scale well for Group chat – as it’s principal focus is Business. I believe you’ll have to pay for that facility, so for the moment, I’m discounting it.
[Update]
Since writing this I’ve been pleased to here that several U3A members have been using Zoom – I’ll be trying it out myself shortly. However there are a few things you should take notice of which are described in this article and this one. I’d suggest you take the time to read both of them and don’t think they’re not relevant because they’re from a Mac user website.
There are a couple of other articles I’ve come across just recently on setting up Zoom, and using Zoom for online meetings, and again I’d suggest that you might read them. One hint/tip that seems quite sensible – get someone else to setup the meeting/server – don’t host it yourself. Selfish but safe!
Please add comments on your use of Zoom, or any other video-calling software in the Comments below.

February 13, 2020April 14, 2020

Whats Up with WhatsApp

[11:18, 28/01/2020] David Hughes: I have just discovered I can access what’s app on my iPad as well as my phone. Isn’t technology wunerful !

[11:27, 28/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: I think you still have to have your phone connected, David.

[11:30, 28/01/2020] David Harrison: I think you do too. Paul showed us a way of doing that at tge beginning of the year when we started using WhatsApp. I’ll share the link later. Me … it’s rumoured they’re going to release an iPad App – I’ll wIt for that! But, perhaps, you’re ahead of me!

[13:01, 28/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: When I started using Whats App, pre Computer Group days, I found I could not have it on both Android phone and tablet. Had to be one or the other. Confirmed by kids, and its now only on the tab. I would be delighted if anyone knows a way to have it operational on both.

[17:31, 28/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: Margaret, your tablet will have a different phone number to your mobile’s, yes? That means they can both be on WhatsApp, but they won’t be able to read each other’s messages, any more than they can read mine.

Now, you are a member of the Computer group, so you can read and reply to other members’ WhatsApp messages.

So the answer to your problem is to form a new WhatsApp group, and make your tablet and your phone members, so they can then see what each of them are doing. Simple! (I hope.)

(If the problem is that you want your phone to be in the Computer group too, then send a request from it to David.)

[17:37, 28/01/2020] Paul de Geus: Jim, That sounds an interesting option wrt grouping.

[18:04, 28/01/2020] David Harrison: Hi @Margaret Lewis As far as I know (or knew) I’d added your phone to the Group, unless your tablet has a SIM in it and that’s the phone number you gave me.

[18:05, 28/01/2020] David Harrison: The number I have ends 5213

[18:32, 28/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: Thanks for all the comments.

Yes, it all operates through the one and only mob no. that you have.

The issue seems to be that, as far as I understand it and was led to believe, WA only operates on one device for the account.

I have several WA groups so live happily with the present set up but availability on the phone too would obviously give more flexibility and more instant access.

[18:37, 28/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: Have you read my reply, Margaret? You can open a new WhatsApp account for your phone, and ask David to add it to the Computer group. Jim

[11:50, 29/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: “The one and only mob. no. that you have.” Are you saying your tablet uses the same number as your phone, Margaret?

[19:01, 29/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: As far as I know it doesnt have a number. I certainly only have one number, on the phone.

[20:39, 29/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: Can anyone else in the Computer group tell Margaret how to find out if her tablet has a phone number? (Presumably it has a sim.) She obviously won’t be able to join the WhatsApp group without one.

[21:41, 29/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: Well Ive been in the computer group Whats App since last Sept and others before that.

[21:44, 29/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: Yes of course, Margaret, but via your phone, not your tablet. That is what I am trying to help you with.

[21:54, 29/01/2020] Paul de Geus: Most Tablets in the UK do not have a SIM, it is usually an extra cost option , that cannot be retrofitted. There are various workarounds for extra connectivity if really needed.

[22:37, 29/01/2020] David Harrison: Just a thought – there are unofficial Messenger apps for WhatsApp on the iPad (maybe Android as well) – could it be this that’s causing confusion?

[22:39, 29/01/2020] David Harrison: I used one for a while about 18months ago before deleting it. These apps link to WhatsApp Web which is the only way I’m aware of that allow you to use WhatsApp through browser technology.

[22:40, 29/01/2020] David Harrison: This is really confusing to me as well as @Margaret Lewis no doubt. Bring both devices in next meeting if you can and we’ll try and sort it out.

[09:29, 30/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: That’s a good plan, David. Then we will be able to see if Margaret’s tablet has a sim slot, (like my Nexus).

[14:36, 30/01/2020] David Harrison: I’m truly confused with WhatsApp. I’ll write a blogpost about it when I eventually feel confident enough about how it works to do so !!! 🤣🤣🤣

[18:00, 30/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: I definitely do not have a sim on the Android tablet. The WA app is the official one.

Shedding a bit more light, it was originally set up on the Android phone, which has a number. Not understanding the technicalities, I assumed at that stage that I could just add the app to my tablet also, which I did over a year ago, and then use both. I discovered that it did not operate on both devices together and so deleted the phone one and kept the tablet which has worked without any problems.

Does this explain things, have I inadvertently discovered that you can set up on the phone with a number yet operate on another device?

My original query was to try to get the same WA on both, but as no one seems to know if or how I think I will leave well alone and carry on. “Keep calm and carry on”. Many thanks for all the input.

[18:22, 30/01/2020] Jim Bartlett: If you wrote that on your tablet, Margaret, then your tablet has the number +44 7480 925213. What I don’t understand is how it could have a number if it doesn’t have a sim. Anybody?

[18:28, 30/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: Yes I only ever use WA on the tablet, the only place it is installed. While on line now I have also been successfully engaged in a WA chat with my daughter, using same app, same device. The number is my (only) mobile phone number. It accesses the phone for which I pay a monthly sum. I pay nothing for the tablet and never have.

I think I will keep things running as they are rather than investigate too closely and lose things!

[18:30, 30/01/2020] David Harrison: Fascinating! Android is obviously one step ahead of Apple because there isn’t an app for iPad, only iPhone, so it’s not possible to do what you seem to have done.

[18:34, 30/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: My husband is sitting here. I am reminded that he uses WA on his tablet too. He hasnt even got as far as a smart phone!

[18:37, 30/01/2020] Paul de Geus: Margaret has inadvertevly but effectively followed the procedure I outlined at one of our sessions last year, When I explained how to What’s App an Android tablet that does not have a SIM, but using another spare android phone number.

[18:38, 30/01/2020] David Harrison: Ah! Yes! It’s coming back to me. However I’ve just done a quick search @Paul de Geus and there categorically is not an official WhatsApp app for Android tablets – at least that’s what I’ve read 🥴

[18:40, 30/01/2020] David Harrison: https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/how-to/google-android/whatsapp-tablet-3517280/

[18:43, 30/01/2020] Paul de Geus: You just download WhatsApp from Playstore on the android tablet and follow instructions, but use an existing android phone number not already linked to What’s App.I think we wrote it up on Thoughtgrazing

[19:22, 30/01/2020] David Harrison: Yes you did @Paul de Geus – I’m confused of course, again (not being an Android person), the article above (Nov. 2019) states that there isn’t an official WhatsApp app – can you comment on that?

[19:25, 30/01/2020] Paul de Geus: They did not expect you to find the workaround for a non SIM device,that can use the official WhatsApp app.

[19:28, 30/01/2020] Paul de Geus: When you load and use the app,it expects you to provide a phone number for the device it is on…..but, it does not realise that you may have supplied a phone number not physically connected to that device.

[19:29, 30/01/2020] Paul de Geus: Hence the workaround works.

[19:56, 30/01/2020] Margaret Lewis: Sounds about right. I would have downloaded from Play Store, provided the number but then found, as I now realise, that it was not possible to have 2 copies of the app operational on the same number. As I said, I uninstalled the one on the phone to keep the tablet up and running. I assumed I had overlooked something and was hoping that one of you knowledgable folks maybe could help in sorting it on 2 devices. I now understand the system and reasons why I cant do this, so sorted.

February 13, 2020April 17, 2020

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

Boot-up

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gear Guide

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

Apps Galore

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

What’s IT all about?

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

The main topic

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

September 26, 2019April 17, 2020

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

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

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

Helping others in Cardiff U3A with Computing/IT issues …

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

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

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

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

September 12, 2019April 17, 2020

Adding Whats App to a non SIM card Tablet / Pad

Equipment Required: Tablet, £1 Pay As You Go SIM card, Spare Mobile phone.
You probably have a Whats App account associated with your phone.
You may have a tablet and wish to use Whats App on that tablet. This method gives you a second Whats App account – separate from your original one, – Don`t confuse the two !
1 Obtain a £1 PAYG SIM card from any store
2 Insert the SIM card into the spare phone, there is no need to make any calls, or send texts & hence no requirement to “Top Up” the SIM card
3 Record this phone number and leave the phone turned on
4 On Your Tablet, Download Whats App from Google Play or Apple Store,Select a name you wish to be known as on this Tablet account (different from your normal Whats App account on your normal phone)
5 When the App requests the Tablet to provide a VERIFICATION phone number, enter the Phone Number of your PAYG SIM card from step 3
6 Whats App will send a verification Text to the phone, Confirm the Text if required
7 You are now up and running and can Whats App to and from the Tablet, you can now switch off and forget about the spare phone as it is no longer required.
Enjoy…..
Paul

September 12, 2019April 17, 2020

Welcome to the Computer Group – 12th September 2019

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

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

Our Windows 7 Medion Laptop in Holland slowly died after over 10 years, it was originally running Vista.

I looked at what we (Dolly) actually used it for …

Emails
Google Photos
Banking
Bit of Surfing
Some Games

I concluded that we could use a Chromebook for all this, apart from 2 Windows specific Games.

I purchased an ACER 15.6″ Chromebook for €260 (it runs Chrome Operating System (Nougat 7.11) and with the saving from not getting a Windows 10 Lap Top , I bought a Lenovo 10″ tablet (TBX104F) for €120 (16GB / 2GB, it runs Android Oreo 8.1).

The Chromebook set up was really easy, you follow the on-screen instructions, and connect to your WiFi. It did an Update when started for the first time, then, if you already have an active Google Account and were using a Chrome Browser, you enter your details and it loads up and mimics what you had before. It works with Google Drive (or Cloud ?) and is easy to use for all the Google apps in the Google suite.

The Android Tablet was also simple, again you follow the on screen instructions & once logged in to your Google Account, it asks if you’d like to Clone your nearby Android device; hence it loads all the Apps you have on your phone. Dolly loves the Tablet, and is sorry she resisted my efforts to get her one for years!!

We came back to the UK and have now bought a SIM-free HONOR 8A phone for £120 from CarPhone Warehouse, although they are easily available elsewhere.

HONOR is part of Hauwei , but any current phones will continue to be supported with Google products (thus there should be no problem with the current Import Restrictions placed upon Huawei. This device runs Android 9.0 and is a DUAL-SIM device so we can install a UK and a Dutch Sim and she can use a single phone. [She is waiting for me to go over and install the Dutch Sim.] Set up on the phone was again easy. I logged into her Google account, and it mimicked all the apps she already had. I resisted the offer to sign up to Hauwai app “for a better experience”. 🙂

The HONOR also has some nice features … take a photo, and answer a call by just touching the Finger Print Sensor, on the back.

Currently all is working well.

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

September 10, 2019April 17, 2020

WhatsApp location finder.

If you want to share your location with a friend eg if your delayed on a train – WhatsApp may come in useful.

Open individual chat or group chat, in text box, tap the paper clip icon. Tap Location in the box that pops up, (ensure you’ve already allowed whatsApp access to your location)
On next screen a google map of your exact position appears, and below this a list of nearby locations as well as the option to share live location.
Tap Share Live Location & choose how long to share your location (can be between 15 min -1 hour & 8 hours)
You can also add comment here eg train running late.
Tap the Send arrow, you’ll then see your location on the app map & an option to Stop Sharing – which can be used any time

January 13, 2017April 15, 2020

What's app doc?

Another U3A Computer Group meeting, another terrible experience with flaky WiFi, much more flaky than any experience any of us might have experienced anywhere else; a second attempt to discuss Facebook – failed because of the aforementioned WiFi problems; a reasonable attempt to get members registered into our Google+ Community and a discussion of WhatsApp – which is what this post is really about.
WhatsApp is a multi-media Messaging Application, owned now by Facebook (with potentially all that might involve), which allows the sharing of videos, photographs, as well as enabling voice and video calls, document sharing and straight-forward text messaging between mobile devices on WiFi. That’s about it in a nut-shell – if I’ve missed anything out, go to the link above and find out more for yourself. However the purpose of this short post is just to point you to another couple of links.
Members mentioned that there wasn’t a WhatsApp App for the iPad (or other tablets), well here’s a link to how you might be able to run WhatsApp on an iPad as long as you have a Smartphone, and here’s another one from MacWorld which explains the same workaround. Neither of these are truly satisfying, but at least it allows you to use the app from your iPad. If all you want is Chat, there is an App that you could install on an iPad, but I have no experience of using it.
If you want to install WhatsApp on your Windows or Mac device, there appears to be an App to allow you to do it, but again I can’t give you any advice on how good it is. This blogpost from WhatsApp explains where they are with the desktop version(s) of the App.
And that’s about it. I don’t use WhatsApp. Perhaps I should, but other tools I use such as Facetime and iMessage in my Apple ecosystem do the trick well for me, and I do still like Google Hangouts.