ihatescreennames

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ihatescreennames
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  • Editorial: Siri is greatly improved in iPadOS and iOS 13, but we still need more

    ihatescreennamesihatescreennames
    mike1 said:
    Now that I have more HomeKit accessories, I really wish you could use Siri to activate or deactivate with a timer functionality, for one-time events. For example, "Hey Siri, turn off the pool filter in one hour". Or, "turn on the bedroom light at 9:00.
    Check out this app: Controller for HomeKit by Jan Andre
    https://apps.apple.com/us/app/controller-for-homekit/id1198176727

    I haven’t used it yet but it allows similar commands to what you are looking for (at least, it says so in the description).
    gregoriusmmike1

  • Apple decorates McEnery Convention Center with WWDC livery [u]

    ihatescreennamesihatescreennames
    mobird said:
    "Dub Dub"
    Anyone care to speculate what this is all about?
    FTA: “The artwork at McEnery differs from prior designs in that it bears the words "Dub Dub" realized in large script, a reference to WWDC's nickname.”
    mobirdcornchip

  • Review: The Caseta Fan Speed Control is the best way to integrate your fan with HomeKit --...

    ihatescreennamesihatescreennames
    bwalls said:
    I'm not clear how this switch works to control the fan speeds. Does it only work with certain fans?

    At this moment, my bedroom and closet each has a fan with a light kit that controlled by a single switch on the wall, with pull chains for the fan and lights. It was originally a toggle switch, but I replaced those with Caséta dimmer switches. For winter, that worked fine, since I was only using the lights with the dimmer, and the fans stayed off. Now that my wife wants to use the fan, it's actually kind of dangerous. The switch isn't rated for the fan surge currents, and the fan isn't designed to deal with partial voltage from dimmed lights.

    To add the fan control, I'd need to add a gang box, run a separate control wire, and rewire the fan to go to the new fan control switch. But how does it control fan speed? Do I need yet another piece of electronics to go in each fan? If so, seems like it might be better to just install a remote controller in the fan, run unstitched power to the fan, and have a HomeKit-compatible (or homebridge hackable) remote on the wall. 
    I’m not and electrician but the way I understand it is that for my fan with a pull chain, the motor goes faster or slower just by how much voltage is coming through. The Lutron switch adjusts that at the wall so as long as the pull chain was set to the highest speed the switch can vary it for the different speeds.
    dave marshcornchipStrangeDays

  • BMW owners unable to access CarPlay due to apparent subscription service outage

    ihatescreennamesihatescreennames
    GeorgeBMac said:
    I don't get it.   Does CarPlay require a subsciption of any sort from anybody?
    I thought it worked off of the iPhone like an Apple Watch without LTE.
    No, CarPlay does not require a subscription. Turning on the the CarPlay functionality in a BMW requires a subscription through BMW, where in cars from other manufacturers that functionality is on by default.
    cornchip

  • Google Assistant response speed getting improved by on-device processing

    ihatescreennamesihatescreennames
    vonbrick said:
    entropys said:
    vonbrick said:
    chasm said:
    gatorguy said:
    As far as I know Siri voice requests are still processed "in the cloud" rather than on-device. What Google is planning is something improved from that aren't they? 
    My understanding is that that's partially incorrect. Where it is possible, Siri processes requests or questions on-device, but also does do some (most? No idea) queries via internet relay to Apple servers, albeit encrypted and anonymized. I believe there's a white paper about this, but I'm not able to grab a link just at the moment.

    As for Google, they're just trying to speed things up a bit -- no change in their privacy invasion.  
    =====================================

    As a user of Google search (and Bing, too, actually)...I'm always interested to hear of how Google "invaded my privacy" today...?  What exactly did Google do to me after several web searches today to make my private life less private?
    It merely added today’s activities to the vast and extensive database records it already has collectively called “Vonbrick the innocent”
    Cool snark, bro.  And yet, I await a substantive answer as to what it is that Google does that invades my personal privacy.  [TICK TOCK TICK TOCK]
    DED had a good example the other day. (https://appleinsider.com/articles/19/05/04/editorial-the-new-services---how-will-apple-arcades-exclusivity-privacy-affect-android-google-play)

    ”Modern ad tracking goes well beyond just profiling users into various demographics to show them "relevant ads." Ad networks exist to find cross-app and cross-site web browsing correlations they can market to ad buyers. 

    So when their user surveillance notices, for example, that a large number of users who install a specific workout app and also use a food delivery service are also statistically likely to pay for a subscription to Grindr, they can offer strategic ad placement to the vendor of that gay hookup app within every app that particular population of users will see. 

    ...

    The specific example above of an attempt at "relevant advertising" is potentially valuable to an advertiser seeking to target their ad budget at gay men willing to pay for a cruising tool, but it may make faulty assumptions about the user of a device. That could end up being embarrassing at best and plausibly even cause a person to lose their job in any number of states or countries where there is no legal protection from discrimination launched in the mere suspicion of a person's private life details. 

    That targeting could also destroy a relationship. And if you're traveling in some countries, it could potentially threaten you with detainment and even persecution at the border. All because your private behaviors were interpreted by an algorithm to imply a potential interest that others might notice. Targeted advertising can appear to reveal private things about you that may not even be accurate, yet with such confidence that it makes you look like you're hiding something.”

    Perhaps this doesn’t reflect you or your habits, but it’s an example of what is going on behind the scenes that many people are unaware of.
    n2itivguylolliverflyingdpwatto_cobra