2021-10-25 MUGOO Zoom iMeeting

[AdminMan]

We are still unable able to have an in-person meeting at the library, so the following Zoom details apply.

Date: 2021-10-25 (Monday)
Time: 7:30 PM ET  You can join the Zoom meeting starting at 7:20.
Venue: A Zoom meeting that you can join on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

Although Zoom works in many browsers we STRONGLY recommend using the dedicated app on your device with the largest screen for the best experience.
You do NOT need a Zoom account to join a meeting!
If you need instructions, go here: https://mugoo.com/index.php/Main/UsingZOOM



Agenda For Oct 25th iMeeting :

0 - Group chin-wag while folks log on                                                   7:20 - 7:30

1 - Digital Minimalism                                 with David Rhynas              7:30 - 7:50

2 - Apple's Sept & Oct events PLUS
     Members' M1/Silicon experiences             group discussion                7:50 - 8:50

3 - Q & A / Fixit Forum                                 group discussion                8:50 - ?                                                             

4 - November MUGOO elections
     and Presidential sign-off                          with Wally Kuzmicz             2.5  minutes


Unfortunately, no after meeting wings or desserts at the Royal Oak, but feel free to prepare your own snacks and share them with us on screen!

Zoom meeting details:   <---  will only work for this meeting! Join any time after 7:20, meeting starts precisely at 7:30!!
Meeting ID: expired
Meeting pass code: expired


Did you miss a meeting?
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Don't forget the Ottawa Public Library!
Even though we are unable to meet in person at the library, the OPL still offers a wealth of services you can access online. Go to https://biblioottawalibrary.ca/en

[DavidR]

0 - Group chin-wag while folks log on
Laurence described a hydrogen-based energy storage system that he is considering for an off-grid property. https://lavo.com.au

He also recommended a climate and sustainable energy YouTube channel. https://youtube.com/c/JustHaveaThink

1 - Digital Minimalism - with David Rhynas
David presented a summary of the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport and you can see his remarks in the presentation deck below.

Here is a collection of comments that followed the presentation.

Neil: A tradesman was doing work at his cottage work without a radio blasting because he preferred to listen to the birds and ducks; so rare!  Constant radio background in the car can be very annoying.  With CNN all news is "breaking news."  He prefers the Washington Post Guardian for news coverage but even then, some articles are just too depressing to complete.  He got rid of his Twitter account several years ago, has never had Facebook, and Linked In has done nothing for his business.

Wally: The biggest question is often not whether we can but whether we should.

MarySue: Social media is not totally useless. She uses it to follow chief agents in companies.

Laurence: He referenced a MIT newsletter.  Humans were never meant to have thousands of contacts; more like a dozen at most.  No matter how perverse you view on any topic, social media can link you to other crazies with the same viewpoint.

John:  He shifted his focus from photography to music after he retired. Facebook helps support these interests.  It has been invaluable in keeping up the social interaction with people he might not otherwise reach.  Depends on how you use it.

LeRoy: He is selective with his news media consumption, following columnists, editorials, and a few people on twitter e.g. André Picard, health reporter and columnist for The Globe and Mail.  His wife dropped FB because it made her anxious.

2 - Apple's Sept & Oct events PLUS
     Members' M1/Silicon experiences
This was an open format group discussion.

LeRoy has a friend who purchased a $5K Macbook Pro which is now outshined by the new M series computers, at lower cost.  LeRoy's M1 Mac Mini, attached to an old 24 inch monitor, has been very good.  His wife has a 24 inch M1 iMac and it's a beautiful machine, excellent video and audio, 4 USBC ports.  The speed is excellent.

Laurence was an early adopter with his M1 MacBook Air and has been very happy, although he tends to use his iPhone and iPad more.  The Air is snappier and faster than his 2018 MacBook Pro.  All of the dock apps open instantly.  The newer M chips have much faster graphics and will likely take over the games market. The battery life is exceptional.  Laurence has not yet tried video editing.

macOS Monterey is available as of today.  Roaring Apps https://roaringapps.com will let you look at the apps that are compliant and those that are not.  Apple also has a compatibility page.  IOS 15 connects to the new OS.  Before upgrading Carbon Copy Cloner recommends making a backup, but not a bootable one.

Currently you can make a bootable clone for Big Sur with Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper.  Time will tell for Monterey.

[Command Info] will indicate whether the app is Universal or Intel.  If Intel, Rosetta Stone will be automatically be installed.  You now can run iPad OS on M1machines.

Graham has a MacBook Air that he primarily used for travel and can confirm its snappy speed.  He also has his first Apple watch with pages of settings, most of which are turned off ... "digital minimalism."

Neil has a Macbook Air with two USBC ports.  You can use the USBC cable to charge at optimal charging speed with his RAVPower charger.  The Air has a fingerprint sensor for authentication, which finds to be quite useful.

By the time of the meeting, Neil had already installed Monterey.  It was quicker to download over his Gigabit Ethernet than to configure.  He demonstrated the speed improvements using Speed Test https://www.speedtest.net and DSL Reports http://www.dslreports.com Much of the snappier performance is due to the SSD drive and just the M series chip.

The mac App Store now lists iPhone and iPad iOS 15 apps that can be installed on M1 machines.  Some apps such as Snapseed https://snapseed.online and DuoLingo https://www.duolingo.com have not yet been ported over, even thought capability has been there since April.

There is a $400 price difference between the least expensive MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.  The Pro has a bigger screen, more connectors, HDMI, MagSafe power plug, SD card slot, faster M1 Max processor.   LeRoy believes it is priced correctly.  Thunderbolt 4 is faster than USBC.  It appears that Apple has recently been responsive to user comments requesting the reinstatement of ports and MagSafe.

Stephen Richards is very impressed with the M1 start-up speed.  Does anyone put their M1 to sleep or just turn it on or off?  He is concerned about burning out the SSD.  Neil does not believe there is any significant difference either way.  The SSD drive should outlast us all.  It disadvantageous to defragment a SSD since the internal electronics move things around to maximize life.  Laurence believes that it's better to leave the drive powered on so this housekeeping activity can continue.

3 - Q & A / Fixit Forum                                 no discussion this evening                                                           

4 - November MUGOO elections
     and Presidential sign-off                         with Wally Kuzmicz
Wally  reminded the group that there are several MUGOO executive positions coming up for re-election: Meeting Coordinator,  President,  Treasurer and  Secretary.  David has previously committed to stay on as Secretary for another year.  Jonathan is stepping down as the Membership Coordinator and we thank him for his many years of service.  Elections are next month.  Any nominations can be submitted prior to or at that meeting.

Gillian inquired whether her meeting MC role was still useful.  All commended her meeting time management and encouraged her to stay on.