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From there, the conversation shifts to coding workflows. Michael shares progress on a Flask project built with Claude, and Damashe walks through Git branching, atomic deployments, and what happens when your LLM decides to push to production without permission. Both talk about using Claude, Gemini, and GPT for different tasks, and Damashe shares early impressions of the Claude desktop app.

Then Michael highlights an affordable tri-band ham radio with braille on the keypad and built-in voice output, and gives a quick rundown of how ham radio works, why it matters for emergency communication, and how linked repeaters let him talk to someone near Seattle from a handheld in Coos Bay. The two wrap up discussing Artemis 2's laser communications, the case for alternative communication networks, and yes, Outlook failing in space.

feedback@technicallyworking.show | Mastodon: @tw@technically.social | #TechnicallyWorking

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From there, Damashe gets into his Blindshell Classic 3 experiment. He's been using it as his actual work phone, which means carrying it when he leaves the house, taking calls on it, and finding out what it can and cannot do when theory meets reality. The short version: phone calls work fine, T9 input is usable with a tip Michael drops about the down arrow shortcut, Be My Eyes camera quality genuinely surprised him, and the dual SIM situation does not work. At all. Whatever is in SIM slot 2 does nothing. Switch the cards around and the other one works fine in slot 1. Damashe has a hypothesis. Blindshell, he is sending you this episode.

He also paired a Bluetooth keyboard to the Blindshell, got his Meta Ray-Bans connected, and found out phone calls come through the glasses just fine. Screen reader audio does not, at least not by default. That test is still pending.

A few other Blindshell notes worth knowing: there is no company name field in contacts, apps access your microphone without asking permission, and the lock screen keypad instructions are printed right on the lock screen, which is not exactly a security feature. Damashe is not bashing the phone. He is just reporting what he found.

There is also a broader point he makes about what Blindshell missed. The community already named the product. They call it the shell phone. Blindshell should have listened to that, leaned into it, and used it to market the device beyond just the blind community. A well designed keypad phone with accessible Android underneath could appeal to a lot of people. Instead the branding closes the door before anyone outside the community even considers it. The Clix Communicator gets a mention here as a device that might actually do this right, if it ever ships.

Then there is Graphene OS. Damashe has it running on a separate Android device, kept completely isolated, for reasons he will describe only as just in case. If that makes sense to you, run with it. If not, everything is fine.

Messaging apps come up next. Damashe breaks down Signal versus WhatsApp in plain terms, including a genuinely useful explanation of metadata using a letter in the mail as the analogy. He also wants Signal to add device linking because it would make recommending it a lot easier. Michael mentions an ACB affiliate mailing list that uses Signal groups, which he did not know was a thing.

Michael's OpenClaw setup gets a proper rundown. He is running the assistant named K on his Raspberry Pi, connected through Telegram, using three models depending on the task: OpenRouter free for simple back and forth, GPT-5.4 mini for emails and scheduling, and GPT-5.4 for deeper content work. He burned through $35 in a weekend before the API cut him off at negative two cents. The system now sends him a daily recap at 7:30 PM, manages its own memory, and archives previous days into markdown files. He has not set up the 1Password skill yet but it is on the list.

Damashe spent the entire week not using AI and felt strange about it. Not unproductive, just strange. He also has thoughts about the Claude code leak and whether anyone is actually reviewing what gets pushed. He does not have answers. Neither does Michael.

Proton Workspace gets a quick mention as a direct competitor to Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. If you use Proton Mail already and want to talk about it on the show, email them.

The Keychron folding keyboard arrived. Damashe opened it, looked at it, and said it is not what he expected. He has not paired it to anything yet. Full report coming.

Episode closes with a shout out to tip jar subscriber number six, whoever that is.

Topics covered:

• VoiceOver volume reset bug and how to back up your VoiceOver settings
• Blindshell Classic 3 as a daily work phone: what works and what does not
• Dual SIM on the Blindshell Classic 3: broken, probably by design
• T9 input tip: down arrow shortcut to speed up letter entry
• Be My Eyes camera quality on the Blindshell
• Meta Ray-Bans paired to the Blindshell: calls yes, screen reader no
• Blindshell's missed opportunity: the shell phone name and broader market appeal
• Clix Communicator as a phone that might get this right
• Graphene OS: no further questions
• Signal vs WhatsApp: features, metadata, and why Damashe is on WhatsApp now
• Metadata explained with a mail analogy
• Michael's OpenClaw setup: three models, one budget, daily recaps
• GPT-5.4 mini, GPT-5.4, and burning through $35 in a weekend
• The Claude code leak and vibe coding concerns
• Proton Workspace as a Google and Microsoft competitor
• Keychron folding keyboard: first impressions, not great

Send feedback: feedback@technicallyworking.show Support the show: technicallyworking.show Follow on Mastodon: Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space Damashe: @damashe@technically.social Show bot: @tw@technically.social

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From there, we get into recording setups. Michael is back in the garage with a rug, a mic stand from Damashe, and the Vocaster running into an OWC dock. Damashe is on the Zoom P4 Next, and he breaks down how that compares to the Vocaster for anyone thinking about a step up, including what he likes, what he doesn't, and why locking XLR ports matter more than you'd think.

We also share a few honest tips for improving your recording environment without buying new gear. Rugs, soft surfaces, and where you point your microphone matter more than most people realize.

Then: the Todoist situation. Michael came home from CSUN with a 114-day streak that didn't survive the trip. He explains what happened, how he's building back, and what his 7,000-plus completed tasks say about how he actually uses the app. Damashe broke his streak around the same time for a much more relatable reason.

The back half of the episode is dedicated to a question from Chad, who just closed on his first house. Congratulations, Chad. He wanted follow-up on cameras and smart locks, so we go wide first: start with your ecosystem, know your priorities around cloud storage versus local recording, and think about who else in your home is going to be using this stuff.

Damashe is using Reolink cameras with a network video recorder for fully local storage, a Level Lock Plus for his front door, and Aqara devices throughout the house. Michael is running Eufy cameras through HomeKit Secure Video and has had mixed results with the Level Bolt. Both of us agree: Aqara makes solid, affordable hardware, and if you own your home, power-over-ethernet cameras are worth planning for even if you can't run the cable today.

We also make a case for water leak sensors, which are less exciting than smart lights but probably more important once you own the place.

We close with a tease of something new coming likely by end of April. If you follow Michael on Mastodon, you'll probably hear about it there first.

Topics covered:

• Apple kills the Mac Pro: what it means and why it probably happened
• Mac Pro history: cheese grater, trash can, 2019 refresh, and the M2 Ultra version that didn't save it
• Apple Silicon unified memory and why it complicates expandability
• Recording environment tips: rugs, soft surfaces, closets, and mic placement
• Vocaster vs Zoom P4 Next: comparing two portable interfaces
• Shure Beta 87A and why condenser vs dynamic matters for your space
• Todoist streaks, gamification, and what 7,000 completed tasks looks like
• Smart home ecosystem advice: start with what you're already in
• Cameras: Reolink, Eufy, Ring (why Damashe won't recommend it), POE vs battery
• HomeKit Secure Video and what it means for local vs cloud storage
• Smart locks: Level Lock, Aqara retrofit deadbolts, U-Bolt (avoid)
• Water leak sensors and why they matter if you own your home
• New show incoming

Send feedback: feedback@technicallyworking.show

Support the show: technicallyworking.show (Support Us link)

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• Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe: @damashe@technically.social
• Show bot: @tw@technically.social

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Next up, the technically.social Mastodon instance went offline after a billing issue with masto.host. Damashe walks through the full story of how a separated email alias caused him to miss payment failure notifications, how the hosting provider cancelled the account with no option to reactivate, and how he rebuilt the Mastodon server on CloudRun. The Technically Working bot is back online, refederated, and ready for followers at @tw@technically.social.

Damashe is recording on the Shure Beta 87A, and both hosts take time to explain why this super cardioid condenser microphone is their top recommendation for podcasters and content creators looking to upgrade to XLR. They cover the mic's pickup pattern, durability, price point (typically around $200 on sale), and how it compares to alternatives like the Samson Q2U, the Audio-Technica ATR 2100X, and a brand new Audio-Technica 2500X that neither host has tested. They also discuss the Focusrite Vocaster One and Vocaster Two as affordable audio interfaces with phantom power for anyone building a home podcast studio setup.

Michael brings a detailed CSUN 2026 recap from Anaheim. His hands-on impressions cover a wide range of assistive technology and accessibility products including the Dot Pad X multi-line braille display from AT Guys, the Mnemonic portable Bluetooth braille labeler that embosses onto DYMO and metal tape from a phone app, and the Cadence, a 48-cell refreshable braille tablet with four lines of 12 cells, an impressive refresh rate, and the ability to daisy-chain up to four units together. Michael also visited the DOT and LG booth where they demonstrated a fully accessible self-checkout kiosk with speech output, headphone jack, and a 12-cell braille display built into the unit. LG showcased accessible home appliances including a washer, dryer, refrigerator, and dishwasher with braille labels, adaptive features for users with upper body limitations, and the ThinkQ smart home hub with voice control. Samsung's accessibility sticker program for appliances also gets a mention.

On the braille display side, the episode covers the Thinkerbell Labs 40-cell braille display running Linux and targeting a $1,200 price point, the Orbit Flow (a USB-only 40-cell aluminum braille display, and the Orbit Strata with combined braille and speech output. Michael also shares his experience with the Orbit Optima and discusses the differences between Piezo and True Braille cell technology.

Damashe and Michael discuss braille on business cards, why QR codes linking to vCard contact information should be the standard at conferences, and the challenge of scanning business cards accessibly. Damashe puts out a call to listeners for accessible business card scanning app recommendations.

Damashe introduces changedetection.io, a self-hosted website monitoring tool he installed on CloudRun to track product pages for stock changes. He set it up to watch for Ubiquiti mobile routers that were out of stock, got a Pushover notification when they came back, and grabbed them before they sold out again. He explains how he's planning on using the routers with SIM cards to provide cellular Wi-Fi for security cameras at his rest area vending locations, and discusses the tradeoffs between rugged outdoor-rated routers and cheaper alternatives with 3D-printed enclosures.

The episode wraps with a podcast download stats update: 31,092 total downloads, 409 in the last seven days, and 142 downloads for episode 154 in just three days. Damashe teases the new Technically Working website, confirms the URL structure will support direct episode links like technicallyworking.show/155, and shares plans to expand the show's social media presence to Blue Sky. They celebrate three years of weekly podcast publishing with no missed episodes and welcome new listeners who discovered the show at CSUN.

Links and resources:

• Technically Working: technicallyworking.show
• Send feedback: feedback@technicallyworking.show
• AT Guys Braille Apps for Dot Pad: braille.atguys.com
• changedetection.io
• Support the show: technicallyworking.show (tip jar link on podcast page)
• Mastodon bot: @tw@technically.social
• Damashe on Mastodon: @damashe@technically.social
• Michael on Mastodon: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Hashtag: #TechnicallyWorking

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From there, the episode shifts into the next chapter of the audio gear mini-series: a thorough look at the Focusrite Vocaster 1 and 2. The hosts cover what makes these interfaces stand out for screen reader users, including the accessible Vocaster Hub software, auto gain, the bidirectional aux port, Bluetooth on the Vocaster 2, and one major trade-off you need to know about before you unplug your laptop.

Listener feedback from Chris leads to a candid conversation about how Michael and Damashe each got started using AI tools and writing code. Michael traces his path from a 2024 Python class through GitHub Copilot to building accessible desktop apps with PySide6. Damashe reflects on using LLMs to debug server logs, review code, and solve real problems without spending hours in Stack Overflow. Together they make the case for starting simple, finding a problem worth solving, and not letting the hype push you somewhere you're not ready to go.

The episode wraps with thoughts on the Samsung event, Apple's AI missteps, Google I/O timing, and the launch of an AI-powered Mastodon bot for the show.

Send feedback to feedback@technicallyworking.show. Support the show through TipJar . Find Michael on Mastodon at @payown@dragonscave.space and Damashe at @damashe@Technically.social. Follow the show bot at @tw@technically.social using #TechnicallyWorking.

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This week, Michael and Damashe are joined by Chris, an assistive technology professional who is one of the few people in the accessibility community using both of the major multi-line Braille displays currently on the market: the APH Monarch and the DotPad X. The conversation covers what these devices do, how they compare, and how Chris is using them in her teaching and personal life in ways that go well beyond what most people have imagined.

The episode also gets into AI tools for everyday work, recording gear, iPhone versus Android as a daily driver, and some genuinely great audience feedback about the show.

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Episode 152 - Technically Working

Michael and Damashe are back with a packed episode covering gear, passwords, transactional email, and how to get the most out of your AI tools. Plus, Mike hits a milestone and there's a guest teased for next week.

Topics covered:

Mic Talk (Mini-Series Continues) Damashe is back on the Audio-Technica ATR 2005 over USB, and explains why this style of mic remains a solid starter or travel option. The ATR 2100x and Samson Q2U both offer USB and XLR connections, making them flexible picks for new podcasters or anyone who wants a good-sounding mic for Zoom calls. Neither is recommended for run-and-gun situations, but both shine at a desk.

Password Managers One Password recently raised prices for individual and family accounts. Michael's annual plan jumped from $35.88 to $47.88. That sparked a longer conversation about where people's passwords actually end up, spread across multiple apps and browsers. The guys walk through several options, including 1Password, Bitwarden (free tier available, $10 per year paid), ProtonPass, Apple Passwords, and KeePass. Apple Passwords works well for people deep in the Apple ecosystem, but the sharing and permission structure has limitations. ProtonPass got a positive accessibility mention from a listener. If you're cross-platform, 1Password and Bitwarden are still the strongest picks. Tip from a listener named Scout: ProtonPass is accessible.

AI Tools and How to Use Them Well Both hosts have been using Claude heavily for scripting, Google Apps Script, and Python work. Key prompting tip: don't lead the AI with your assumptions. Instead of asking if a specific approach will work, describe what you want to accomplish and ask for options. Then interrogate the answer. Even if you don't know the subject well, asking "are you sure?" causes the model to recheck itself. This tip came from Matt Geek Gal and both hosts have been applying it regularly.

Postmark: Transactional Email Made Approachable Damashe has been setting up Postmark for transactional email and invited Michael to explore it together. Key concepts broken down: servers in Postmark are essentially folders, not web servers. You verify your domain by adding two DNS records, a DKIM record and a return path record. Postmark puts new accounts in a sandbox that limits sending to verified addresses only, protecting their deliverability reputation. Getting out of the sandbox was quick, with a human review and approval happening overnight. Postmark separates transactional and bulk email into streams, and you can add additional streams for testing or staging environments. Inbound email routing is also supported. For 10,000 emails per month, pricing runs around $18 to $20.

Siri and ChatGPT Siri's integration with ChatGPT has made both hosts more willing to ask quick questions by voice. Answers now come back summarized rather than handing off to a browser link. Still not perfect, especially with home automation commands, but noticeably better than two years ago.

Milestone As of this recording, Michael has been with ACB for one year. Damashe points out he's automated himself into more work, not less, which is exactly the kind of employee you want to keep.

Listener News A new listener was recruited by Michael while on a phone call. Shoutout to Chris for pioneering the one-time Tip Jar option. Another tip came in since then. Monthly subscribers are appreciated too.

Next Week A guest is joining the show. No hints were dropped, but Damashe will be on different gear.

Links and Resources

• Postmark: postmark.com
• Bitwarden: bitwarden.com
• 1Password: 1password.com
• ProtonPass: proton.me/pass
• Samson Q2U mic
• Audio-Technica ATR 2100x
• Subscribe on your favorite podcast app and search Technically Working

Follow the hosts:

• Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe: @damashe@technically.social
• Show bot: @tw@technically.social
• Hashtag: #TechnicallyWorking (capitalize the T and W on Mastodon)

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Damashe kicks off a new series where he'll rotate through several audio interfaces, using the same Beta 87A microphone as a constant, so listeners can hear real differences and eventually land on a recommended setup alongside Michael. This episode features the DJI Mic Mini. Future episodes will feature the Vocaster One, the Zoom H5 Studio, the Soundcraft MTK 12, and others.

Damashe also reveals that his go-to recording microphone has been the Earthworks Ethos condenser, and explains why he picked it over the Beta 87A as his studio mic while keeping the 87A as a travel option. For most listeners, his current recommendation for a podcasting mic is the Beta 87A, typically found between $200 and $215.

On the tech side, the guys talk about vibe coding updates, including how Michael used Claude in planning mode to shrink his Builder app's load time from around 30 seconds down to about two seconds by switching to lazy module loading. They also discuss IFTTT webhooks, Pushover notifications, and how Damashe built a system to get push alerts whenever the podcast gets a new tip or reaches a download milestone.

Other topics include Bluetooth auto-connect annoyances and how to fix them on Mac, the Project Hail Mary movie coming to Prime, and a quick update on Damashe's MacBook Pro and iPad mini repair situation with Apple.

Marketing Plan Notes (not written out yet, just the approach):

When you're ready to build the marketing content, the main angles to plan around are:

• The audio interface series as an ongoing hook, giving people a reason to tune in each week
• The vibe coding / Claude planning mode moment as a standalone clip or short
• The DJI Mic Mini review content, which plays well for video creator and accessibility audiences
• The IFTTT + Pushover automation walkthrough as a practical tip post or thread
• Listener shoutouts and the tip jar mention as community engagement touchpoints

Let me know when you want to build that out.

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The solution to broken menu bar navigation in VoiceOver Why "Mouse pointer follows VoiceOver cursor" causes problems How to configure VoiceOver Utility settings properly When mouse tracking is useful vs. problematic

Audio Hijack Exploration

Real-time compression testing and audio processing Setting up test sessions to experiment with effects The difference between recording with effects vs. applying post-production Tips for session documentation and organization

Hardware Updates

Damashe's DJI Mic Mini purchase and setup ($80 with charging case) Insta360 Flow 2 Pro gimbal for iPhone video content Loupedeck controller for podcasting workflows Apple repair adventures with MacBook Pro and iPad Mini 6

Podcast Marketing Strategy

Using Claude AI to identify clip-worthy moments from transcripts Creating video shorts with AI-generated visuals Buffer integration for multi-platform scheduling Open Claw (ClaudBot) automation coming soon YouTube growth plans and content strategy

Shout Outs

Christopher Sims - Thank you for the Tip Jar support! All our Tip Jar subscribers - You make this show possible

Mentioned Resources

Audio Hijack by Rogue Amoeba DJI Mic Mini (2 transmitters + receiver + charging case) Insta360 Flow 2 Pro gimbal Buffer for social media scheduling VoiceOver Utility settings

Contact & Support Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show Mastodon:

Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space Damashe: @damashe@technically.social Bot: @TW@technically.social

Hashtag: #TechnicallyWorking (please capitalize the T, T, and W) Support the show: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/technically-working

Support Technically Working by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/technically-working

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Check out our podcast host, Pinecast. Start your own podcast for free with no credit card required. If you decide to upgrade, use coupon code r-431b7d for 40% off for 4 months, and support Technically Working.

Episode Description

This week, Damashe considers canceling his Claude subscription... only to immediately sign up for a more expensive plan to hire Claude as his virtual assistant. Meanwhile, Michael tackles a Stream Deck accessibility project with help from Claude Code, and the guys make potentially dangerous plans to unleash OpenClaw on their Mastodon bot. Plus: RSS reader workflows, notification rage-quitting, Bitcoin regrets, and why good help really is hard to find (whether human or AI).

Topics Discussed

AI Assistants & Claude (2:00)

• Damashe's plan to use Claude as a $100/month virtual assistant
• The $50 API credit offer (expires February 16th!)
• Why AI hasn't taken jobs... yet
• Claude Code living in the terminal

Stream Deck Accessibility Project (15:00)

• Making Stream Deck usable for blind users on Windows and Mac
• The power of profiles and context-switching
• Integration possibilities with Bunches, shortcuts, and automation

RSS Readers & Workflows (6:00)

• Net News Wire, Liray, and the eternal search for the perfect feed reader
• Why preview mode matters
• The Verge's Twitter-on-their-website approach

OpenClaw Plans (1:07:00)

• Security concerns and Leo's removal
• The bot that got itself a phone number and called its owner
• Plans to unleash it on the @TW Mastodon bot
• Building a kill switch (before the bot reads this transcript)

Good Help is Hard to Find (30:00)

• Why reliable contractors are priceless
• The 90-day test for employees who think the job is easy
• Michael's subcontractor success story

Also Discussed

• Cash App notification rage-quitting
• Uber's marketing message problem
• Bitcoin: "I would have sold it at $2,000"
• Home Assistant Yellow module installation anxiety
• Raspberry Pi 5 (16GB) for sale!

Links & Resources

• Follow the bot: @TW@technically.social (before OpenClaw takes over)
• Claude $50 credit: Redeem in settings before Feb 16th
• Harper's blog: Early Claude Code adopter mentioned on TWiT
• Net News Wire: Open source RSS reader
• PineCast referral: 50% off first 4 months (link in show notes)

Show Stats

• Total downloads: 29,312 (just 688 away from 30K!)
• Episode 148: 45 downloads
• Episode 147: 154 downloads
• Help us grow: Subscribe a friend!

Contact

• Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show
• Michael: @Payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe: @Damashe@technically.social
• Use #TechnicallyWorking to join the conversation

Support the show at technicallyworking.show/tipjar

Episode 149 • Runtime: ~1:13:00

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This episode covers a wide range of real-world tech experiments, AI tools, and the line between helpful automation and “maybe don’t give that full access yet.”

We start with money talk (not advice). Damashe shares that he finally opened a Fidelity account and bought his first stock, while Michael talks about using watch lists and trade notifications. They also explore how accessible investing apps are getting, including audio charts and VoiceOver support, plus where accessibility still falls short.

Claude Bot and AI with real power A big chunk of the episode focuses on Claude Bot, an open-source tool that lets you interact with an AI through messaging apps like Signal, WhatsApp, and more. The idea of giving an AI access to your computer is exciting… and a little terrifying. This leads to the show’s unofficial safety rule:

> If an AI tool can take actions on your system, run it on a Raspberry Pi or other isolated setup first.

They break down risks like prompt injection, why connecting AI to email and calendars can be dangerous, and why curiosity should always be paired with caution.

AI for everyday life: meet Cookie On the more practical side, Michael shares a cooking app called Cookie. It reads recipes out loud, lets you ask questions like “What’s the next step?” and even suggests ingredient substitutions. It was not originally built for accessibility, but turned out to be incredibly useful for blind cooks. A great example of AI being used in a focused, practical way.

Smarter notes and personal workflows Damashe talks about using AI with DevonThink to automatically organize documents, and why he’s eyeing Drafts with new automation features. The goal: speak a quick note and have it turn into structured data, lists, or tasks without manual sorting.

Social apps, open source, and platform politics There’s also discussion about:

• A new accessible Mastodon and Bluesky client
• Mastodon instances blocking apps built with AI assistance
• The tradeoffs of open platforms where each server sets its own rules

Linux curiosity returns More blind tech users are experimenting with Linux on the desktop again. The hosts are curious what’s improved, especially with screen readers, and ask listeners to share their experiences.

And yes… Todoist check-ins They wrap with progress (and setbacks) on staying consistent with task tracking.

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🤖 Apple, AI, and the Future of Siri

We dig into the rumors around Apple’s AI direction and what it might really mean for Siri, a possible Home hub device, and Apple’s partnership with Google’s AI models. Are we finally close to a version of Siri that feels truly useful? We share what we’re hopeful about and what still feels like vaporware.

🧠 General AI vs. Specialized AI

From Perplexity to Amazon Q, we talk about the shift from “AI that tries to know everything” to smaller models trained for specific tasks. Why focused AI might actually be more helpful and less likely to make things up.

☁️ Amazon Q and Learning AWS the Easy Way

Michael has been setting up Amazon SES and got a firsthand look at Amazon’s built-in AI assistant, Q. We talk about how tools like this can make complex platforms like AWS more approachable, especially when you can ask follow-up questions in plain language instead of digging through documentation alone.

📧 Why Michael Is Switching to Amazon SES

Michael walks through why he’s moving WordPress email over to Amazon SES. The big takeaway: sending email at scale can be shockingly inexpensive if you’re willing to do a little setup yourself. We also cover SPF records, sending domains, and a few beginner tips to avoid common mistakes.

🏠 Smart Home Wins and Headaches

From smart locks that won’t unlock to garage lights that randomly stop responding, we share real-world smart home frustrations. We also talk about Matter, Thread, hubs, and why the future of smart homes should mean fewer extra boxes and more reliable automations.

📞 When AI Customer Service Goes Wrong

Damashe shares a frustrating experience with an AI phone system that slowed everything down instead of helping. We talk about what good AI customer service should look like and how companies are missing the point when bots just add extra steps.

🎬 Apple’s New Creator Subscription

Apple now has a Creator bundle subscription that includes Final Cut, Logic, and more across Mac and iPad. We break down who it might make sense for and when it’s probably cheaper to just buy what you need.

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In this episode, we talk about:

• More expressive on-device voices (and why “emotion” in TTS can be impressive but unpredictable)
• Why some AI voices drift over long reads (like losing low end after a few thousand characters)
• The practical fix: chunking text around 3,000 characters at sentence or paragraph boundaries
• The jarring side of expressive TTS: when the tone suddenly shifts mid-training

• Mac code editor accessibility and workflow:

• VS Code feeling clunky with VoiceOver navigation

• Nova being close, but still having VoiceOver quirks (like wrapped-line re-reading)
• Missing the flexibility and simplicity of TextMate
• A quick audio reality check: room reverb, mic position, and loud breathing in the mic
• Why it’s worth listening back sometimes, even if you usually don’t
• “Personal intelligence” assistants: Gemini connecting deeper with Gmail, Calendar, Photos, and Drive, and what that could enable
• Stream Deck Plus on sale (knobs!) and the bigger question: is the software accessible enough?

• Capture friction and follow-up problems:

• Getting ideas out of your head fast

• Using automation to sort notes into reminders, drafts, and follow-ups
• Why the Apple Watch action button might help reduce steps
• PLAUD recording devices: improved hardware button design, but app accessibility still matters
• Local processing ideas: Raspberry Pi options for local transcription and LLM workflows
• Listener feedback: Squarespace questions and a quick look at support options (tip jar vs Buy Me a Coffee)

Feedback and contact: feedback@technicallyworking.show

Support the show: Visit technicallyworking.show and click “Support Us” to leave a one-time tip or set up a recurring amount.

Mastodon: @payown@dragonscave.space @damashe@technically.social @tw@technically.social

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This week we bounce between real life and real tech: why tethering still makes us want a MacBook with built-in cellular, what passkeys look like in the real world, and how Google Family Link pushes you into creating Gmail accounts for kids. We also talk honestly about teaching tech, why we often prefer working with people who are ready to level up their productivity, and how listener feedback shapes where the show goes next. Plus, a quick CES roundup with a few gadgets and ideas that actually stood out.

In this episode

• Late-night work limits, and planning so tomorrow doesn’t get wrecked
• Tethering frustration, and the “just give us a MacBook with cellular” wish
• Michael’s living-room recording setup: Vocaster + OWC dock + Zoom, no virtual device chaos
• Google Workspace security alerts: suspicious login emails and what to check
• Passkeys: what’s great, what’s still confusing, and why some services still ask for a code
• Family Link and kids’ Google accounts: why Google requires @gmail.com, and how passkeys fit in
• Shared iCloud Passwords groups so parents can manage kids’ logins
• Password manager friction on Mac: Apple Passwords prompts vs 1Password workflows
• Listener feedback and the point of the show: it’s not a weekly “how-to,” it’s real conversations
• Teaching tech: beginner wins, real frustrations, and why “productivity level” training can be a better fit
• CES notes: mobility tech, batteries, smart locks, and a few other items that caught our attention
• Quick Surf app check-in: progress, but still clunky in places
• Support and contact info, plus Mastodon handles and the show hashtag

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Testing Our Audio Stack and Rethinking Support for 2026

This episode is a wide-ranging, very on-brand Technically Working conversation that starts with audio workflow testing and ends with bigger-picture decisions about the future of the show.

We spend time digging into what actually happens when we record with the Zoom Podtrack P4Next, , how computer audio is handled, and why VoiceOver and other system sounds can be harder to separate than people expect. A key takeaway is that once audio leaves your computer, it is just stereo audio, and whatever comes out is what gets recorded unless you do very intentional routing ahead of time.

From there, we revisit the idea of switching from Cleanfeed back to Zoom. The main driver is flexibility. If one or both of us are away from a computer and need to record from an iPhone or iPad, Cleanfeed is not an option. Zoom gives us more freedom, removes a extra subscription, and opens the door to potential YouTube livestreams. We also talk about Zoom’s Original Sound setting and why it finally feels usable.

Michael shares ongoing Raspberry Pi frustrations, including re-imaging systems, adding hardware based on advice from others, and why using separate microSD cards for different projects can be the right call. This turns into a broader conversation about hobby projects, learning by doing, and knowing when to ask for help.

Damashe walks through discovering damage to his MacBook Pro screen in a very real-world way while trying to complete an ID verification process. That discovery leads to a plan involving AppleCare, backups, wiping machines, storage limitations, and the general annoyance of migrating between Macs with different capacities.

We also talk about Bluetooth audio switching, why Apple’s automatic device switching is often more frustrating than helpful, and how shortcuts and third-party tools can give you back control over where your audio goes.

Later in the episode, we read and respond to listener comments and reviews. We talk candidly about the structure of the show, why it does not follow a traditional format, and who it is actually for. We acknowledge critic

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In this episode (TW142): Michael and Damashe follow up on VoiceOver weirdness, then dig into listener Callum’s question: how to build a portfolio site (with a blog) when you’re blind and do not have strong visual design context. They compare platforms, talk themes and hosting, and share a bunch of practical workflow tips for browsing, tabs, and keeping projects from turning into endless rabbit holes.

Topics we covered

• Recording workflow: Cleanfeed vs Reaper, and why Reaper habits stick even when you deliver the Cleanfeed track.
• VoiceOver volume oddities: how settings can get weird, and why “start from scratch” sometimes helps (even if it does not explain the root cause).
• Callum’s website question: portfolio + blog, accessible building, and design confidence without sighted visual feedback.

• Platform options and tradeoffs:

• Squarespace as a “simple builder” option (with a note about past backend accessibility issues and the hope that it has improved).

• Google Sites as a low-cost, template-driven option (with less flexibility and potential domain-setup friction).
• WordPress as the flexible option, but possibly overkill depending on goals.

• WordPress specifics:

• The block editor (Gutenberg) has improved, but it can still feel clunky.

• You can use a single “classic” style block or approach to avoid fighting the full block workflow.
• Theme recommendation: GeneratePress (lightweight and accessible).
• Using AI tools to help choose color palettes and layout decisions (especially with accessibility in mind).
• Tip: use AI to produce CSS, then apply it globally with a “site-wide CSS” plugin or customizer area instead of pasting code everywhere.

• Hosting and infrastructure talk (high-level):

• Shared hosts mentioned: DreamHost, Namecheap, RackNerd.

• VPS options mentioned: DigitalOcean, Linode (Akamai), and a note that Vultr’s interface can be rough.
• “Build your own server” is possible, but often more work than Callum needs.

• Local development and tooling:

• Local WP for testing and experimenting without breaking a live site.

• WP-CLI for command-line WordPress management.
• Magic-link login workflows and why they can be annoying in practice.
• Passkeys and Auth0 as an advanced direction (with a reminder: that is beyond beginner setup).

• Browser workflow wins (Mac):

• Switching tabs and recovering when you accidentally end up on a blank “start page” tab.

• Reopening a tab/window you closed by mistake.
• Why multiple windows can still be useful even if you love tabs.

• Search and platforms:

• Damashe’s take on Kagi and why Google search results feel worse than they used to.

• YouTube as a learning tool, and why ads are pushing people toward Premium.
• Mastodon + the “bot” account that posts links you forget to add to show notes.
• Threads and the fediverse: hopes for better cross-platform hashtag visibility.
• Scheduling: exploring a weekday recording night to keep Monday releases consistent without Sunday crunch.

Listener question

• Callum: building a portfolio site as a blind creator, plus blogging, plus choosing a platform and making it look “clean” without visual design instincts.

Get in touch

• Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show

• Mastodon:

• Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space

• Damashe: @demashe@technically.social
• The bot: @tw@technically.social
• Hashtag: #TechnicallyWorking (capital T and W if you want)

3 Mastodon posts (ready to paste)

Post 1 TW142 is out. Callum asked a big one: how do you build a portfolio site (and blog) when you’re blind and don’t have strong visual design context? We talk Squarespace vs Google Sites vs WordPress, plus how AI can help with colors, layout, and CSS. #TechnicallyWorking

Post 2 If you’ve ever closed windows and “lost” tabs, TW142 has a few shortcuts that might save you. Cmd+W (tab), Cmd+Shift+W (window), Cmd+Shift+T (bring it back), and tab switching tricks we somehow missed for years. #TechnicallyWorking

Post 3 We also wander into Kagi vs Google search, YouTube as a learning tool (and the ad problem), and why picking a weekday recording night might keep Monday releases consistent without the Sunday editing sprint. Feedback welcome: feedback@technicallyworking.show #TechnicallyWorking

Episode image

Alt text: A simple black-and-white graphic summarizing TW142: Callum’s website question, platform choices (WordPress, Squarespace, Google Sites), using AI for design/CSS help, key Mac tab shortcuts, and tools discussed like Local WP, WP-CLI, Kagi, and YouTube.

Download the image

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We then explore using Be My Eyes / Be My AI for on-the-fly visual assistance, tips for using AI co-pilot tools for email and task planning, and how Ramble + Todoist can be tuned for better task automation.

We also share frustrations and shortcuts for Voiceover on Mac and iOS, grapple with phone app UI behavior, and talk about staying productive with tools like Scribe, Gravity Forms, and Builder in the Cloud.

As always, we close with listener shout-outs and gratitude for your support. If you enjoy the show, tell a friend and leave a rating!

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In this episode of Technically Working, we start off with a correction from a listener—yep, they were right, you can power the Zoom P4 Next over USB if you just take the batteries out. That kicks off a cable rabbit hole, and from there… well, you know how it goes.

We talk about voiceover bugs, fighting with macOS audio, and SoundSource 6’s updated UI (spoiler: it’s slick). Michael goes off on my mail app losing focus. Damashe shares why he’s messing with Gemini more than ChatGPT right now. And yes, we get into local AI, accessibility tech, and a little Meta smart glasses shade.

Also in this one:

• Cable troubleshooting the lazy way
• Don’t reset VoiceOver unless you’re ready to be real annoyed
• SoundSource 6 walkthrough + gripes
• Aira vs Be My Eyes vs real-time AI help
• Thoughts on local LLMs and why they matter
• A $99 Touch ID button Apple should make but probably won’t
• Home screen minimalism and iOS gestures you forgot existed

Drop us a line: feedback@technicallyworking.show
And tell someone who doesn’t already listen—appreciate you.

🎧 Listen at: technicallyworking.show

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In this episode, they cover:

• Using GitHub Copilot and Gemini 3 in VS Code for real projects.
• Letting AI help plan features for the Builder tool and solve scheduling headaches like an 8 hour Friendsgiving event.
• When AI is helpful for planning, routes, and admin work, and when it still gets in the way.
• Privacy concerns around feeding financial data and messy spreadsheets into online tools.
• What the Zoom P4 Next is like in the hand, how it compares to the original P4 and Vocaster, and what Mac users should know about routing and Loopback.

Tip Jar supporters get early access to episodes like this one, plus a way to support the show if it brings you value.

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• 🧺 Michael’s new Samsung washer-dryer combo and its surprising accessibility
• 📱 How Damashe’s using iOS screen recognition to solve real-world app frustrations
• 💻 Resetting VoiceOver settings on Mac – and the chaos that follows
• 🎮 Why Ben's gaming experience drove a Wi-Fi upgrade to Eero
• 🧠 Ramble in Todoist: The AI-powered feature both hosts are now hooked on
• 🧼 Should you clean out your to-do list and start fresh?

Plus: A surprisingly emotional discussion about Apple's leadership, the future of macOS, and the practicality of using an iPad Pro like a laptop.

💬 Feedback? Hit us up at feedback@technicallyworking.show or on Mastodon @TW@technicallyworking.social.

🎧 Listen Now ```

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🎙️ What We Talk About

• Amanda’s background, including:

• Growing up totally blind in Australia

• Her 17-year government legal career
• How accessibility tools evolved from cassette tapes and scanners to the tech we use today
• The journey from being laid off to finding her life’s purpose
• Why she wrote her book “Seeing by Vision, Not by Sight”
• Her upcoming audiobook, the recording process, and the decision to hire a narrator

• How blind authors, creators, and coaches build workflows using:

• Ulysses

• Mantis
• Vocaster 2
• Reaper
• Ecamm Live
• Loopback
• The importance of knowing when to stop DIY-ing everything and let someone help
• Video setup tips, lighting, and building a background that tells your story
• Editing challenges and the joy of remembering phantom power exists
• Building online courses, checklists, and systems that keep content creation accessible and stress-free

📘 About Amanda’s Book

Title: Seeing by Vision, Not by Sight Tagline: How to discover your life's purpose and put it into action.

Amanda shares the process she used to move from fear and uncertainty to clarity and purpose — and teaches you how to do the same. It’s filled with exercises, reflections, and real client stories.

Available on:

• Amazon
• Apple Books
• Kindle

Audiobook is currently in production.

💡 Amanda’s $25 Experiment Through 2025

Amanda is challenging herself to help as many people as possible uncover their purpose — for $25 AUD. (Which is even less in USD.) If you’ve been feeling stuck, curious, or wanting clarity, this is an easy way to get started.

📬 Connect with Amanda

• LinkedIn: Amanda J. Heal
• Email: amanda@amandaheal.com.au
• Website: amandaheal.com.au

🔗 Where to Find Us

• Michael on Mastodon: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe on Mastodon: @damashe@technically.social
• Show Bot (seriously, follow it): @TW@technically.social
• Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show

And no — you don’t need to write us with Garth’s address. (Unless you’re Sean… maybe.)

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Summary

In this reflective and lively episode, Michael and Damashe return to their usual unscripted banter after a series of guest interviews. They dive into confessions, personal updates, and rediscovering balance in life and work. Damashe admits the Technically Working site still isn’t live, citing exhaustion and carpal tunnel issues. Michael talks about post-cruise laziness and guide dog emergencies. The duo chat about productivity cycles, tech frustrations, health challenges, and how life (and sometimes Siri) doesn’t cooperate. Damashe also shares what it's like traveling for conventions and being recognized by listeners, while Michael recounts his cruise and convention chaos. They wrap with a deep dive into member management tools for WordPress and appreciation for their tip jar supporters.

Highlights

• 🎙️ Confession time: The website is still not live — and why.
• 🧠 Productivity and burnout: Damashe struggles with energy levels, sleep issues, and navigating burnout.
• 🥩 Barbecue blues: It’s been over a year since Damashe lit his grill — and it’s hitting hard.
• 🚢 Michael’s cruise adventure: Accessibility wins and fails, and yes, he worked on vacation.
• 🐕 Titan’s tooth trouble: Guide dog vet emergencies are expensive.
• 💳 Michael makes Damashe spend money on vacation: Preordering the Zoom PodTrack P4 Next.
• 🌐 Convention updates: ACB Oregon, Washington, and Houston — listener shoutouts included!
• 🛠️ Tool talk: Podcast setups, tech rants, and a detailed debate over Paid Memberships Pro vs MemberPress.
• 📈 Audience growth: Episode numbers are climbing, and listener engagement is strong.
• 🗣️ Shoutouts: New and long-time listeners, tip jar supporters, and significant others — you rock.

Tools & Services Mentioned

• Zoom PodTrack P4 Next
• Paid Memberships Pro (PMP)
• MemberPress
• Gravity Forms
• Stripe
• WordPress local dev tools: Valet, WP Migrate
• Apple Watch sleep tracking
• Costco melatonin
• Farago, Audio Hijack

Feedback?

Drop us a line: feedback@technicallyworking.show

Support the Show

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A relaxed, gear-forward wrap-up with Damashe, Steven, and Michael: we talk favorite portable keyboards, why a tidy desk matters (especially when you’re done optimizing for TV backdrops), and how changing screen-reader pricing/models ripple across the community. Along the way we compare headsets, celebrate NVDA, reminisce about third-party Twitter apps, and poke fun at shipping hacks and world travel plans.

Highlights

• ProtoArc Tri-Fold keyboard (with numpad)

• Folds small, charges over USB-C, pairs to 3 devices with one button.

• Paging/Editing keys (PgUp/PgDn/Home/End/Delete) sit in a vertical strip between the main keys and numpad.

• Verdict from Steven: “Sold.” Damashe: “It’s been my favorite.”

• Studio reset > comfort over cameras

• Steven’s annual clear-out: retire “dead cables,” stop designing the room for TV backdrops, and optimize for radio/podcasting comfort.

• One-cable desk: laptop on a Belkin 11-in-1 wedge dock; power and peripherals route out the back so you unplug just one cable and go.

• Headsets & open-ear audio

• Damashe’s pick: Shokz OpenComm (OpenComm/OpenComm UC). Bone-conduction, comfortable, hardware mute button that works with Zoom/Teams—perfect for “mute-and-talk-to-the-cats” moments.

• Steven’s rotation: OpenComm boom when it counts; otherwise inexpensive open-ear “TrueFree” style buds (à la OpenFit/OpenFit Air). Caveat: if you don’t use them daily, they’ll be dead when you need them.

• Screen readers, pricing, and real-world choices

• UK JAWS “Home” subscription discussed as ~£420/year with no monthly option—raising hard questions for home users.

• Many will weigh NVDA more seriously; workplaces may still fund JAWS, but at home, cost and consistency matter.

• Michael notes he’s productive with JAWS plus add-ons (e.g., Leasey), but could script NVDA add-ons for what he needs.

• Sustainability & “single-developer” risk

• Open projects like NVDA thrive on community—but dependence on a few key people is a risk.

• Corporate stability (e.g., Vispero) helps, yet platform owners can break hooks/APIs at any time.

• Platforms that shift under our feet

• X/Twitter cut third-party apps—many accessibility gaps those apps filled never returned.

• Google’s habit of retiring products makes people wary (Gemini likely safe; everything else… maybe). Pixel leaks are practically a calendar feature.

• Chromebooks: fast for web, but hard to justify versus a Windows PC or a discounted M1 MacBook Air when prices climb.

• Travel & life bits

• October is packed: conventions (NFB state events, Texas), cruises, and training new employees.

• Future trip goals: Scotland soon—and Giza by 2028 for the pyramids promise.

Mentions

• ProtoArc Tri-Fold Keyboard with numpad
• Belkin 11-in-1 wedge dock
• Shokz OpenComm / OpenComm UC
• NVDA, JAWS, Leasey (JAWS productivity add-ons)
• Twitterrific, Spring (third-party Twitter clients, RIP)
• Google Gemini / Nest, Chromebook/ChromeBox
• MacBook Air (M1)

Follow

• Double Tap
• Double Tap Newsletter

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We continue our conversation with Stephen Scott from Double Tap about why unscripted, human-first shows resonate. Stephen shares how he and Sean decide what’s worth airing, why consent and care with guests matter, and how their new newsletter and “Extra” feed create space for deeper, sometimes non-tech discussions. We dig into person-first identity, balancing the social and medical models of disability, and why nuance and personal responsibility beat one-size-fits-all advocacy.

Highlights

• Pre-show judgment calls: Hold topics until there’s enough perspective—or a third voice—to do them justice.
• Let conversations breathe: A planned ACB chat became a powerful, unscripted deep-dive on prosthetic eyes.
• Consent & care: Check in with guests when things get personal; offer pre-release review for sensitive segments.
• Newsletter → “Extra”: A site and monthly email for quick catch-up, plus a companion podcast for tougher conversations that don’t quite fit Double Tap’s daily tech focus.
• Boundaries on hot-button topics: Keep the core tech-centric while handling politics/religion with care and context.
• People before labels: Person-first identity, with descriptors used for discovery—not definition.
• Social and medical models: Society should fix barriers (e.g., ramps); individuals can adapt with tools (e.g., reading menus)—both responsibilities matter.
• Advocacy without monoculture: One blind person’s view is just that—avoid pretending a single voice speaks for all.
• Perspective changes everything: From on-train demos to travel that reshapes assumptions; curiosity > echo chambers.
• Algorithms & attention: Feeds nudge extremes; resist by seeking opposing views and valuing nuance.

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This week's episode is part 1 of a multipart recording featuring Steven Scott of Double Tap.
Michael hears voices in his head, Steven and Damashe discuss the aftermath of coping with being in car wrecks, and how Steven got on as a camera man in his youth.

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They dive into why investing in your craft (and your gear) pays off, the art of delegation, and how small process fixes make big differences. Damashe also reveals why he’s paying for search with Kagi and what makes the Helium browser worth a look.

Whether you’re a gearhead, builder, or productivity nerd, this one’s for you. 💡 Plus: download numbers are up, vacation plans are brewing, and there’s a reminder that sometimes “no new features” is the best feature of all.

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• 🎤 Mic Talk & Audio Gear Michael tests the Shure Beta 87A and debates keeping his wireless setup, while the guys swap stories about missing adapters, mic stands, and shock mounts.

• 🤖 AI Voices Gone Rogue Things take a weird turn when one of Michael’s AI voices starts adding its own opinions. The duo tests multiple Google Gemini TTS voices—some sound scarily real, others... develop personalities.

• 🧠 New AI Tools: HUX, Lere, and Apple Intelligence Damashe tries out HUX (an audio summary app from former Google Notebook LM engineers) and runs into some accessibility issues. They also chat about Apple Intelligence in Lere and how AI summarization is creeping into RSS reading.

• 🐍 Python + PySide6 on macOS 26 Michael shares how ChatGPT helped him build a Python GUI to manage Google AI Studio’s TTS system—and the quirks that come with macOS 26 compatibility.

• 💻 macOS 26, Homebrew Fixes, and Remote Screen Sharing Damashe upgrades early to macOS 26.0.1, discovers improved screen sharing, and finds creative ways to connect remotely with Tailscale.

• 🧩 Gravity Forms, Gravity Wiz, and Building Tools the Smart Way From API connectors to booking add-ons, the pair geek out over how Gravity Forms’ ecosystem can (almost) run an entire business website—if you can afford all the plugins.

• 💬 Closing Thoughts & Listener Shoutouts The hosts thank their Tip Jar supporters, remind listeners not to spend money they don’t have (even if it’s tempting), and share a good laugh about accidental listener spending sprees.

• Shure Beta 87A, SM58, SM7B
• Google Gemini 2.5 Pro TTS
• PySide6 + Keyring for Python
• HUX app (by ex-Google team)
• Lere RSS Reader
• Gravity Forms, Gravity Wiz, Gravity Kit
• macOS 26 screen sharing with Tailscale
• Bedrock Innovations IVR experiment

From AI voices that argue back to macOS updates that move your Safari tabs, this episode is a mix of practical tinkering and unpredictable AI fun. Whether you're into audio gear, accessibility, or the future of digital voices, TW131 brings laughs, lessons, and a reminder: always double-check what your AI is saying.

Would you like me to add a short promotional blurb (2–3 sentences) for the podcast feed and website too?

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Michael and Damashe dig into real-world audio and workflow upgrades—why Cleanfeed’s aux routing can quietly reset, how the DJI wireless kit performs (32-bit float, monitoring quirks, accessibility gaps), and when handheld SM58s beat Beta 58s for live/hybrid rooms. Damashe talks through pre-ordering the Meta Oakley Vanguard (and why the Seeing AI partnership nudged him), then shares first-hand notes from flashing GrapheneOS on a Pixel—eSpeak’s direct-boot advantage, practical setup caveats, and who this is actually for. Plus: Zoom H6 Studio vs. H6 Essential (hello, physical gain knobs), Windows 10 life support via ZeroPatch, and a simple plan to keep UTM links consistent when you reshare site content.

Highlights

• Cleanfeed gotcha: Aux output mapping can revert when a guest reconnects—double-check before relying on a backup/stream path.
• DJI Wireless notes: dual TX, on-unit recording, 32-bit float, line-out monitoring; menu accessibility is limited.
• Live sound choice: SM58 handhelds for forgiving pickup and crowd control; add disposable windscreens for shared mics.
• Zoom H6 Studio: larger XY mics, physical gain knobs, 32-bit float or 16/24-bit mode, clearer layout for quick tweaks.
• GrapheneOS on Pixel: open-source, stronger posture; you’ll need sighted help during install; eSpeak enables speech at boot.
• Meta Oakley Vanguard: interest driven by Access API and Seeing AI tie-in—buy for what it does now, not just potential.
• Remote event tip: Always get an off-site listener to sanity-check your mix; in-room monitoring can mislead.
• UTM consistency: Prefer a simple builder (inside WP or a script) so source/medium names stay uniform over time.
• Win10 after EOL: Consider ZeroPatch if you must stay put—but be cautious online regardless.

Rough Chapters

• 00:00 Cleanfeed aux routing & backup recording
• 04:30 DJI Wireless kit: hardware tour & monitoring
• 17:45 Meta Oakley Vanguard pre-order & Access API musings
• 28:50 Zoom H6 Studio vs. H6 Essential
• 39:05 SM58 wireless set & live-room strategy
• 45:35 Remote sound-check best practices
• 47:00 Double Tap appearance & misc. follow-ups
• 50:00 Windows 10 options (ZeroPatch)
• 54:40 GrapheneOS setup, eSpeak, and security takeaways
• 1:08:15 UTM link-building idea for consistent sharing

Say hi: @damashe@technically.social • Follow updates: @tw@technically.social Feedback: feedback@technicallyworking.show

(Thanks for listening—and extra thanks to Tip Jar supporters for keeping the mics on.)

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• Smart glasses roundup: – Meta Display now has a screen reader and an Access API. Why that could open the door to third-party apps and what it might mean for Envision and other niche devices. – Real-world wants: trigger descriptions without saying “Hey Meta,” FaceTime/Zoom/Meet compatibility, and using glasses as a true external camera. – Ray-Ban/Oakley interest: better cameras and battery life make them tempting. Ship dates and why Mike probably won’t have them for the cruise. – Samsung rumors: watching the late-month event to see how XROS-based glasses might change the landscape.

• iPhone 17 Pro Max first impressions: – Trade-ins, in-store luck, and day-one battery life that actually lasts. – The new camera button (and ideas like mapping Seeing AI), plus the action button still set to ring/silent for now. – USB-C is still the quality-of-life upgrade that changes everything. – Apple Intelligence tied to ChatGPT: handy that Siri queries show up in your ChatGPT history… until they clutter it.

• AirPods and Apple Watch: – Eyeing AirPods Pro (3rd gen) for smaller size, better ANC, and battery bumps. – SE is a solid value; Ultra 3 is appealing for battery and the physical action button—no new sensors this year, lots of ML-driven insights.

• Privacy and platforms: – Using AI where it’s strongest, keeping assistants in their lanes, and tying AI apps to shortcuts/action buttons for real device control.

• Domestic interlude: – Potato-and-sausage crock-pot soup (Tabasco optional). Turkey or beef swap works.

• Quick bugs and fixes: – macOS Calculator chatters “left-to-right mark” with VoiceOver. For quick math, use LaunchBar. For deeper work, try Soulver. Nerds: PCalc.

• Housekeeping and how to reach us: – Tip Jar keeps the lights on (and maybe funds a pair of smart shades). If you’re enjoying the show, head to technicallyworking.show and chip in. – Feedback: feedback@technicallyworking.show – Mastodon: Michael = Payown @ dragonscave.space • Demasi = Demasi @ technically.social – Follow the bot for episode posts: TW @ technically.social

• P.S. – If you work at Meta (or any smart-glasses team) and want real-world feedback, we’re happy to test. Listeners picking up the Meta Display or new Oakleys—tell us how you’re using them.

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The conversation shifts to gear talk, including Ben’s upcoming birthday gifts—a Sennheiser Profile microphone, boom arm, and windscreen—and why headset mics didn’t make the cut. Michael and Damashe share candid opinions on the Sennheiser Profile versus classics like the ATR2100X, with plenty of laughs about Amazon “streaming bundles” and discontinued favorites.

They also chat about e-bikes, Twitch streaming versus YouTube, and what makes an affordable but effective setup for creators just getting started.

If you enjoy a mix of tech banter, practical gear advice, and a dose of humor, this episode has it all.

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They also chat about UPS shipping tricks, buying gear on eBay without getting burned, and whether Apple is overreaching—or finally catching up—in AI. With Apple’s September event on the horizon, the guys weigh in on what’s coming with new iPhones, Watches, and maybe even AirPods with health tracking.

Got a take on the next iPhone or a favorite automation trick? Reach out and let us know what’s working for you.

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TipJar bonus this week: a concise Reaper tutorial from Michael on saving projects the smart way—defaults, folder structure, and why it’s always FLAC.

We compare render times (Intel Windows vs Apple silicon), touch on Windows on ARM machines and battery life, and swap notes on iZotope tools (D-Verb love, when Dialog Isolate shines). Then we nerd out about real-time translation: Google’s call demo, Microsoft’s past Skype magic, and Michael’s hands-on with Meta Ray-Bans translating Spanish in the wild.

iOS 26 chatter: a friendlier Phone app, voicemails in the calls list, and the delightfully simple “Set as Ringtone” from an audio message. Also: SharePlay memories, dictation auto-capitalizing hashtags, and Mastodon clients we like.

Shout outs to Garth (ReaProducer, Reaper wiki crew), Jacob, Robin, and Sean. Thanks to every listener spreading the show. If your podcast app lets you rate, that helps a ton. Want to go the extra mile? Add “Technically Working” to your email signature or share a link on social—tag #TechnicallyWorking with the T and W capitalized for screen reader clarity.

Get in touch Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show Mastodon: Michael is payown at dragonscave.space, Damashe is damashe at technically.social Follow the bot for new episode posts: twatecniche at technically.social

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• Search and Safari Limits – Why Safari won’t let you set a truly custom search engine and how paid options like Kagi might be worth a look for cleaner, ad-free results.
• Keyboard Maestro Adventures – Michael finally convinced a friend to try Keyboard Maestro. The two share tips on disabling default macros, using ChatGPT for macro ideas, and avoiding the “Command+Tab hijack” surprise.
• Ad Overload and Usability Woes – A candid rant on how ads and cluttered websites break the browsing experience, and why many sites are losing trust with readers.
• Playing With Android – Michael activates a Samsung phone and runs headlong into AT\&T’s frustrating two-factor process, sparking a bigger conversation on usability and accessibility.
• VoIP and Short Code Roadblocks – Damashe shares insights from Doug on handling SMS for 2FA with VoIP numbers, SIM card workarounds, and forwarding solutions.
• Signal vs. WhatsApp – A deep dive into what works and what frustrates in both apps, from voice message playback speeds and call quality to cluttered interfaces and cross-device limitations.
• Beeper and Consolidation – Exploring how Beeper (now owned by Automattic) tries to unify messaging apps like Signal, WhatsApp, Google Messages, and more.
• BSI Braille Input – Michael and Damashe trade notes on Braille Screen Input across iOS and Android, including iOS 18’s expanded command mode.
• Passwords and Productivity – From being locked out after updates to GitHub’s new AI agents, the duo talk about tools that make workflows smoother—and the risks when they don’t.
• Community Thanks – A shout-out to tip jar supporters, reminders to rate the show in your favorite podcast app, and a call for listener feedback on search engines, messaging apps, and accessibility quirks.

Feedback is always welcome at feedback@technicallyworking.show, or connect on Mastodon:

• Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe: @damashe@technically.social
• Bot updates: @tw@technically.social

Hashtag your thoughts with #TechnicallyWorking so we can join the conversation!

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• Perkins Brailler Talk – Michael’s newly repaired Perkins returns home, and the guys reminisce about fixing braillers, paper jams, and carrying them through school hallways.
• Smart Glasses Showdown – A deep dive into Solos, Ally, Envision, Meta Ray-Bans, and even AGIGA. They discuss features, battery life, pricing, accessibility concerns, and why customization matters for blind users.
• Prompt Injection & AI in Glasses – Michael raises questions about prompt customization, injection risks, and the possibilities of tailoring AI outputs in wearable tech.
• Home Networking & Automation – Damashe’s new Ubiquiti gear sparks talk about segmenting networks, smart homes, and moving toward Home Assistant.
• Builder Saga – Michael shares progress (and setbacks) with rebuilding his scheduling tool, working through PRDs, Supabase, and GitHub remote agent experiments.
• Vibe Coding & Rubber Duck Debugging – They unpack what “vibe coding” really means, why talking through problems often reveals solutions, and how collaboration (or even a rubber duck) helps.
• Community Feedback – Listeners weigh in on show length preferences and using BlindShell Classic to tune in.

As always, they wrap with laughs, real-world coding tips, and appreciation for listeners supporting the show.

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• 🎛️ Michael’s adventures debugging his custom scheduling tool, lovingly named Builder—including the moment it completely broke everything… and how that led to several much-needed fixes.
• 🧠 A look at PromptBoost.dev, a slick VS Code extension site to supercharge your AI prompts.
• 🤖 Comet, the AI-powered browser from Perplexity, surprises us by editing Gravity Forms on the fly—even clicking the save button!
• 🎤 CSUN 2026 prep: hotel vs Airbnb debates, hallway networking, and conference value tradeoffs.
• 🚐 Damashe shares his progress training a new vending route driver and the eternal rollercoaster of finding dependable help.
• 💻 Rediscovering old domains and deciding what to do with long-running podcast archives (including Your Own Pay).
• 🧹 Tools for cleaning up bloated WordPress installs and abandoned plugin tables.

Plus:

• A shared moment of reflection on why some people listen to podcasts on YouTube 🤔
• Uber cash, Lyft discounts, and the return of late-night dev spirals

💬 Got thoughts, tips, or questions? Email us at feedback@technicallyworking.show Or find us on Mastodon:

• Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe: @damashe@technically.social
• Hashtag: #TechnicallyWorking

Support the show by sharing it with a friend, sending in a clip, or hitting that tip jar if you’re feeling generous. Thanks for listening!

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• Apple’s Hidden Reminders Feature: Michael experiments with setting reminders from the Phone app and discovers a hidden section in the call screen. Does it actually work? Kind of.
• Damashe’s New Setup: From hanging mics on invisible selfie sticks to testing out the Zoom H5 Studio, he shares what’s working (and what’s not) in his portable podcast rig.
• Gadget Talk: We talk HomePods, Pelican cases, and the quirks of the Vocaster Hub mute button. Plus, shoutouts to Harper.bog and Tamir from Sweetwater.
• Android Adventures: Damashe digs into the quirks of managing CalDAV and CardDAV on Android, switching to GrapheneOS, using Google Messages on iPhone via Beeper, and trying to assign custom ringtones by phone line—not contact.
• Accessibility Wins and WTFs: Hear why Google’s calendar app needs help, why Gmail on Android frustrates, and why Michael still prefers LaunchBar’s clipboard manager over everything.
• Community Builder Project: Michael gives an update on his work automating ACB's community event scheduling—from Forms to Sheets to dreams of push-button approvals.
• Apple Support FTW: A weird clicking noise from the HomePod? Apple’s support team jumps into action with diagnostics and follow-up calls.
• Pixel vs iPhone: From earbuds doing double duty across ecosystems to automatic switching woes and notification syncing between macOS and iOS—this is a cross-platform conversation at its finest.
• Debugging Life: Michael solves a PySide6 selection bug thanks to Copilot’s debug log, and Damashe finds peace with his PowerBeats working across Apple and Android. Small wins, big impact.

Stick around for laughs, rants, shoutouts, and—of course—reminders that may or may not show up.

Links & Mentions:

• Follow Michael on Mastodon: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Follow Damashe on Mastodon: @damashe@technically.social
• Follow the bot: @TW@technically.social
• Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show
• Use the hashtag #TechnicallyWorking (capitalize the T and W for screen readers!)

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They recap recent tech conference experiences, including hands-on impressions of the Giga AI Glasses (spoiler: they’re still a little too chatty), vibration-based navigation shoes from Japan, and the impressive multi-line Dot Pad display with near-instant braille refresh.

Michael shares some behind-the-scenes tech wins from running hybrid ACB Convention events—including Gravity Forms automations, Lisi scripting magic, and a FedEx shipping lesson that cost him $81. They also nerd out over gear like the Zoom H5 Studio, run through Damashe’s audio setup powered by a Pixel 9 Pro hotspot, and trade thoughts on why sliders beat knobs on audio mixers.

Plus:

Why ChatGPT lied about Zoom recorder layouts Updates on the BITS AI class recordings Selling Lisi to pay off a car (yes, really) Using walkie-talkie on the Apple Watch in a hallway sprint Tips on cheaper shipping using Pirate Ship AccessibleAndroid.com and a mystery screen reader named Prudence And a push to keep the podcast under 58 minutes for distribution deals If you enjoy the show and want to support it, hit the Tip Jar and consider becoming a monthly backer. Every little bit helps!

Feedback? Questions? 📧 feedback@technicallyworking.show 🧵 Hashtag: #TechnicallyWorking 🐘 Follow Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space 🐘 Follow Damashe: @damashe@technically.social 📡 Show bot: @tw@technically.social

Thanks for listening

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They discuss:

• Why more BITS members are tuning in—and how to join the AI course
• Using Google Classroom effectively vs. bloated school tech platforms
• Damashe’s safe disaster and impromptu locksmith plan
• Michael’s TikTok growth and Gravity Forms pet peeve
• Recording setups, GitHub Copilot agent mode, and code workflows with ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini
• How Lisi's AI integration streamlines tasks right from JAWS
• The behind-the-scenes of automating newsletter audio with Azure voices
• Prime Day skepticism, API usage surprises, and tip jar shout-outs

It's an episode filled with laughs, tech experiments, and just a touch of closet-based podcasting.

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They also respond to Scout’s questions on ProtonMail, network gear placement, and smart home setups—complete with temperature sensors and leak detectors. Michael wonders how far he can push smart home automation, and the duo get inspired by a wild idea involving a Bluetooth toothbrush starting a car.

Plus: Reolink doorbell app accessibility, the ongoing debate between Ubiquiti vs. Reolink, and Damashe’s slow march toward buying a Synology NAS.

Got feedback? Email feedback@technicallyworking.show or toot it with #TechnicallyWorking.

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They also cover:

• Autoplay and accessibility considerations in web players
• Comparing Raycast, LaunchBar, and Alfred for Mac navigation
• The realities of editing audio with a giant powered speaker in your office
• Speaker feedback issues with the Shure Beta 87A and experiments with the Q2U
• Why most apps shouldn't request local network access—and when it's okay
• Little Snitch vs. BlockBlock for app-level firewall protection
• Homebrew cleanup, Hazel automation, and uninstall tips
• Using Perplexity and GPT for real-world tech support and research
• Frustrations with Gemini on Android and Google's assistant transitions
• GitHub Copilot changes, Claude for coding, and the fading GitHub Pro tier
• Ubiquiti Device Bridge, mesh Wi-Fi fixes, and fiber dreams
• The dangers of not running a backup audio recording
• An idea to revisit old episodes and reflect on how far they’ve come
• Whether they’ll ever do a feedback episode (spoiler: maybe tomorrow)

And yes—there’s KFC grease jokes, egg prices, Flipboard flashbacks, and why the Technically Working bot is the real one to follow on Mastodon.

Follow the Show: Subscribe, share, and support at technicallyworking.show. Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show Mastodon:

• Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe: @damashe@technically.social
• Bot: @TW@technically.social (follow it—seriously)

Want to help keep the studio from turning into a sauna? Consider becoming a Tip Jar subscriber.

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Send your feedback:

feedback@technicallyworking.show.

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• Struggles with inconsistent GPT model behavior
• Tips on preserving your writing style before resetting memory
• Voice mode quirks like excessive filler words
• Model-switching experiments to improve output

Also covered:

• Why some interfaces make or break AI tools
• Mac accessibility wins and workarounds for scripting and coding with VoiceOver
• An ongoing Mac setup experiment: LaunchBar vs. Alfred

Finishing things off, there's a quick reflection on podcast automation bots, a reminder about using the #TechnicallyWorking hashtag, and appreciation for listeners and Tip Jar supporters who keep the show going.

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• Migrating a WordPress Site: Michael walks through how to back up and move a WordPress site from one domain to another using UpdraftPlus and Dropbox.
• Navigating the Terminal with VoiceOver: Demasi shares tips for VoiceOver users working in Terminal, including VO text selection tricks, bash vs. zsh navigation shortcuts, and piping output to files.
• Switching Back to Bash: Why Demasi still prefers bash over zsh, how to install the latest version with Homebrew, and how to set it as your default shell on macOS.
• MultiMarkdown to Rich Text: Demasi demos Brett Terpstra’s services for converting Markdown to formatted email with rich links and bullet lists.
• A Deep Dive into LaunchBar: Get a full walkthrough of Demasi’s customized LaunchBar preferences—from clipboard history to file actions—plus how to remove its Dock icon for a cleaner workflow.
• Apple’s Developer Drama: The hosts weigh in on Judge Gonzalez Rogers' ruling, Apple's hostile handling of third-party links, and what it says about Apple’s current priorities.
• Where Is Apple Headed? A passionate discussion on accessibility, developer trust, and whether Apple’s user-first culture is fading.

This episode is loaded with practical tips, frustrations, and honest conversations about tech. Be sure to follow:

• Michael on Mastodon: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Demasi on Mastodon: @demasi@technically.social
• Show bot: @tw@technically.social

Want early access to bonus clips and behind-the-scenes chatter? Support the show at technicallyworking.show and get the Tip Jar feed.

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• Live streaming experiments using Owncast and Cloudron
• A rundown of unexpected audio and network issues (including Michael’s mysterious Mac Wi-Fi fail)
• Why you may have only heard one side of the live broadcast
• A heartfelt update from Michael about stepping back from Club Unmute and issuing prorated refunds
• Real talk about prioritizing passion, family, and work
• Listener feedback from Tim, Robin, Shazard, and Scout
• Damashe’s upcoming trip to the Alabama School for the Blind tech symposium
• Shout-outs to Rogue Amoeba (yes, someone’s listening) and longtime fans like Matthew
• Honest download numbers and a much-needed perspective check
• Future plans for federated social, website improvements, and maybe merch—but definitely not mugs

Despite the rocky audio and robot voices, this episode is a raw behind-the-scenes glimpse of what happens when two tech heads push through chaos to keep the show going.

📧 Feedback? Send it to feedback@technicallyworking.show
🐘 Follow the show: @tw@technically.social
💬 Use hashtag #TechnicallyWorking on Mastodon to join the convo

No bonus show this week—but we’ll be back. Probably with fewer glitches.

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This week:

Reaper, Audio Hijack, and VO shortcuts: Michael discovers Audio Hijack's behavior when blocks are disabled, and Damashe reminds us of handy VoiceOver key combos.

Finder tip: Learn how to group selected items into a new folder using Command-Control-N. The duo explores Finder views (column vs. list) and relives the chaos of a long-past Finder bug.

LaunchBar, Hazel, and file organization: Damashe shares how he uses LaunchBar to move files efficiently. Michael appreciates Hazel for keeping his Downloads folder neat.

Rage-quitting Todoist: Michael shares how missing a single day ended a streak and triggered a dramatic break-up with his task manager.

TikTok accessibility talk: Michael compares the experience between iOS and Android, and Damashe wonders about passkeys, logins, and using multiple accounts.

Doorbell drama: Listener Shahzad wants to know which video doorbell works best for blind users. Michael and Damashe dive into pros and cons of Reolink, Eufy, Ring, and Akara options—plus some thoughts on creepy listening features.

Screen recognition rants: The guys debate Apple’s screen recognition and its reliability—or lack thereof.

Chapters in podcasts? Shahzad's feedback leads to a bigger conversation about how chaotic their episodes are and whether chapters would help (hint: it’s complicated).

The future of the Technically Working website: Damashe breaks the site while trying to add pagination and a summary button. They explore self-hosting, podcast membership plugins, and maybe even building their own subscription system.

Belkin's tracking stand as a DIY CCTV: A surprise use case for a MagSafe stand shows how accessibility tools sometimes come from the most unexpected places.

Apple's new magnifier for Mac: Could your Mac become your CCTV with Continuity? Possibly.

Tip Jar perks: A teaser for Tip Jar subscribers—bonus episodes, early access, and a soon-to-be test group for new site features.

Links mentioned:

Double Tap on Air - Subscribe

Reolink Video Doorbell

Eufy Security

Belkin Auto-Tracking Stand

To share your thoughts, email: feedback@technicallyworking.show Want early access and bonus drops? Become a Tip Jar supporter at technicallyworking.show

Follow on Mastodon:

Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space

Damashe: @damashe@technically.social

Bot: @tw@technically.social

We’re not organized, but we’re still here.

Enjoy what’s next in your queue—it won’t be us. Not until next time.

Recorded with questionable Finder settings and occasional muting that wasn't muting.

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Damashe shares updates on spinning up a streaming server with AWS, possibly tying it into Audio Hijack, and revisiting automation tools like Bunch and Keyboard Maestro. We also dive into Joplin for cross-platform note-taking, prompt storage, and maybe even shared show notes down the road.

Also in this episode:

• Michael’s first impressions of the Insta360 Link 2 webcam
• The camera mount Demasi didn’t want to give up
• Early thoughts on Surf.social
• Prompt-crafting tips, saving specs, and getting ChatGPT to stop rambling
• Rants about TikTok comments and the ChatGPT sidebar

Thanks as always to our Tip Jar subscribers—you get this one a little early. Let us know what stood out: feedback@technicallyworking.show.

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From there, the conversation jumps into LaunchBar indexing fixes, email quirks in macOS Mail, and whether podcasting is still worth the time investment (spoiler: it is). They also dive into small business operations, exploring the often-misunderstood distinctions between W-2 employees and 1099 contractors. Damashe shares his recent HR frustrations and the need to implement clear employee agreements, even in small teams.

Later, they get transparent about download numbers across multiple shows (Technically Working, Shell Phone Show, and Unmute Presents), and emphasize how consistency is still the most effective form of podcast marketing. Expect honest talk, a few AI tool rants, and maybe a podcast name for your washer.

Topics Covered:

• Loopback & ARC plugin update issues and workaround
• LaunchBar indexing fix walkthrough
• Email navigation and link preview fixes in macOS Mail
• When to use W-2 vs. 1099 in small business hiring
• Pros and cons of payroll vs. contractor systems
• Honest download numbers across podcast projects
• Thoughts on burnout, consistency, and podcast marketing
• Experimenting with Perplexity and ChatGPT Pro for workflow support

Resources Mentioned:

• Loopback Debug Mode: Help menu > Relaunch in Debug Mode
• macOS Mail Fix: Uncheck "Show Link Previews" in Preferences > Composing
• Perplexity AI (Free & Pro tiers): https://www.perplexity.ai

Send feedback to: feedback@technicallyworking.show
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They also cover unexpected changes to work routines, reflections on managing employees and hiring backups, and how simply talking to people (like postal workers) can solve logistical headaches. Plus: nostalgic radio moments, movie theater trade-offs, and the eternal struggle of naming smart home devices.

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The two dive into:

• Why assumptions and leading questions can steer you wrong—even with AI.
• Lessons learned from a tough live audio setup and the temptation to beat yourself up over tech failures.
• Creative ideas for talkback communication systems using Shokz, Zello, and even FaceTime Audio.
• Android experiments: Michael’s iMessage-on-Pixel attempts, thoughts on BlueBubbles, and the appeal of the Pixel 9.
• VM cleanup strategies and the case for consolidating multiple virtual machines into one solid Windows environment.
• Decisions around Google Workspace vs. DIY setups for small teams—and why simplicity may win.

Plus, a quick reminder: new episodes drop Monday evenings. Follow the TW bot on Mastodon to stay updated.

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We also dive into ChatGPT’s deep research mode and how Michael used GPT and Google Apps Script to streamline weekly workflows—what used to take hours now takes seconds. There’s talk of accessibility in Google Sheets and Docs, frustrations with VoiceStream Reader, and Bluetooth weirdness with Apple’s audio routing.

And yes, that one setting in Parallels that makes Mac/Windows integration so much better? We finally figured it out. You’ll want to hear this if you use SharpKeys and Keyboard Maestro.

Bonus rants: the B device still sucks, the Plod is promising, and surprise—your notifications don’t mean what you think they mean.

Links Mentioned:

• Review: “I Outsourced My Memory to AI and All I Got Was Fan Fiction” – The Verge
• Technically Working Tip Jar

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Damashe jumps in with thoughts on where VoiceOver stands in Apple’s priority list (spoiler: not high), and they both trade tips for avoiding Safari freeze-ups and digging into macOS settings. There's also some behind-the-scenes talk about how automation projects are making them think more like coders, even if they’re just feeding prompts to GPT.

They talk about:

• Renting vs. buying speakers for events (and how hotel AV pricing is wild)
• Michael’s growing collection of smart appliances (yes, Sniffy McGee the vacuum makes a return)
• Network upgrade ideas, attic fails, and future cable runs
• Damashe’s vending machine script to automate reporting from Cantaloupe
• Using Hazel with GPT to build automation rules on the Mac

Toward the end, Michael shares a serious PSA about a family member who nearly fell for a phone scam—and why it's time to have a plan in place before you get a scary-sounding call. Damashe adds tips for protecting yourself as deepfakes and voice cloning get better and easier to pull off.

They wrap it up with a quick look at download numbers, what’s working with the “live to tape” style, and why Damashe regrets not buying that fancy Dyson fan when it was on sale.

Links & Mentions:

• Email us at feedback@technicallyworking.show
• Follow the show: @tw@technically.social
• Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe: @damashe@technically.social
• Use #TechnicallyWorking on Mastodon to chat with us
• And yeah—huge thanks to our tip jar supporters. You're the real MVPs.# Episode Notes

Notes go here

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• Michael recaps CSUN takeaways, airport barbecue, and zinc-powered travel hacks.
• Damashe shares how ChatGPT helped him sound-dampen his room and why Velcro tape is now a top-tier solution.
• They both talk backpacks—Michael stuffed his to the brim, Damashe vacuum-sealed his—and share why they're both oddly excited about compartments.
• Talk turns to running live audio setups, prepping for conventions, and dreaming about better comms gear (Zello, Sonobus, or something smarter?).
• Michael might reset his Mac. Damashe might buy a Mac Studio. Both are eyeing new mixers.
• The Home Assistant rabbit hole begins—will Damashe become that guy? Stay tuned.
• Shoutouts to Scout, an unnamed dinner guest, and every Technically Working listener who's still with them after 90+ minutes.

Plus: Homebrew, MASS, Clubdeck, AutoGain, chickens, cilantro, and the ultimate tip—don’t hand someone a mic with a used windscreen.

Follow the Show:
@TWE@technically.social on Mastodon for episode drops, bonus links, and future livestreams.

Support:
Big thanks to Tip Jar supporters. Want to help us buy more random gear? You know what to do.

Contact:
Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show
Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space
Damashe: @damashe@technically.social

Let me know if you want this trimmed down or need a shorter version for Mastodon/threads too.

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• Michael and Damashe reflect on how their episodes often start mid-conversation instead of with a structured intro.
• Michael notes that this mirrors their real-life calls—jumping straight into discussions without formal greetings.

• New Layout: Desk now faces the room instead of the wall, giving a more executive feel.
• Tech & Workspace Adjustments:
• Boom Arm Swap: Back to the Rode boom arm for smoother, quieter adjustments.
• Microphone Change: Using the Beta 87A after stashing away the Earthworks mic.
• Acoustic Challenges: Removing boxes increased reverb—plans to install sound dampening panels.
• Networking Upgrade: Exploring Ethernet setup, possibly running cables through the attic.
• Additional Changes & Plans:
• Coin sorter and bill counter now have dedicated spots.
• New storage system for organizing cables and tools.
• Plans to mount wall cabinets for more space.
• Top Wish List Item: Better climate control—the office lacks central heating/AC, making it challenging in extreme weather.

• Garage Setup:
• Two-tier sit-stand desk (mostly used sitting).
• Logitech MX Keys keyboard, Mackie 1204FX mixer, and Vocaster 2 audio interface.
• OWC dock connects everything neatly.
• Living Room Workstation:
• Uses the DJI Wireless 2 Mic for portable calls and recordings.
• Primary workspace: the living room couch with his MacBook Pro and headphones.
• Recording process: Quickly reconnects his setup in the garage, ready to go in seconds.

• Audio Switching Just Works™:
• macOS now remembers and restores audio devices when reconnected—something that was unreliable in the past.
• No more manually resetting inputs and outputs after unplugging an interface.
• MacBook Battery Life = Game Changer (but we won’t say that)
• Long-lasting battery means less time tethered to power, more time working from anywhere.

• Damashe switched his personal and business lines to US Mobile, now offering:
• AT&T and Verizon network switching for better coverage.
• Unlimited data on a second line for free when both lines are on the same phone.
• Future dream: MacBooks with built-in cellular, making tethering a thing of the past.

• Thanks to Tip Jar subscribers for the support! Your contributions help keep the show going.
• Expect a new Mastodon bot account to automate episode release posts.
• Reminder: Tell a friend about the show! Repost on Mastodon or share with someone who’d enjoy it.

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Then, they dive into Gravity Forms and how it might replace an entire workflow currently running on Google Sheets. Could automation save hours of manual work? Probably. Will Michael drop everything to build it right now? Almost certainly.

Meanwhile, Damashe wrestles with business finances and OCR woes, looking for ways to automate receipt tracking (because let’s be real, OCR is still a mess). Plus, the two discuss Mistral’s new OCR tool—will it finally solve their document headaches?

And in an unexpected turn, Michael realizes that Coke deliveries have taken over Damashe’s life. Not that Coke—the kind that keeps vending machines stocked. Ever wondered what it’s like to have a “Coke guy” on speed dial? This one’s for you.

Bonus Topics:

• Why Apple Music as a stream filler may or may not be a terrible idea
• The real reason Windows still has a place in their workflow
• The importance of good Mac apps (Rogue Amoeba, Hazel, TextExpander, and more)

If you enjoy geeky deep dives, automation hacks, and tech chaos, this episode delivers.

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What to Expect in This Episode

• Hitting the 100th Episode Milestone
• Reflections on how the podcast has evolved since the DM Series
• The importance of consistent weekly recording and publishing

• Plans for growth and new ideas in the next 100 episodes

• Automation and Coding with Python

• How Michael’s Python scripts are automating repetitive tasks
• Using GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT to assist in code development

• Tips on iterating and refining your automation projects

• Managing Email and Information Overload

• Why unsubscribing doesn’t always work—and the alternatives
• Considering tools like Clean Email and SaneBox

• Balancing minimal inbox management with real-world demands

• Damashe’s Vending Route Updates

• The ups and downs of hiring and training employees
• Lessons learned about delegating, scheduling, and logistics

• How better planning and a solid team are freeing up more time

• Michael’s New Role at ACB

• Transitioning into Membership Services Administration
• Immediate projects, including large-scale event coordination

• Embracing new workflows, audio streaming, and hosting technology

• Looking Ahead

• Preparations for upcoming travel, conferences, and conventions
• Potential for new interviews with a wider variety of guests
• Continuing to refine workflows, gear, and future episode content

Stay Connected

• Send us your feedback:
  feedback@technicallyworking.show
  Let us know what you’d like to hear in future episodes or share how you’re tackling similar challenges.

• Find us on Mastodon:

• Michael (Payown) at @Payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe at @Damashe@technically.social

• Use #TechnicallyWorking (please capitalize T and W for accessibility)

• Tip Jar Subscribers
  Thanks to all our supporters! Your contributions help us keep the mics on and the episodes rolling. Want to join in? Check the show notes in your podcast app for our Tip Jar link and receive extra content as a thank-you!

Thanks for celebrating with us on this journey to 100 episodes. We appreciate every listener and supporter who’s helped us reach this milestone. Here’s to the next hundred!

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• Podcast Growth the Direct Way – Inspired by Allison from Podfeet.com, we discuss an aggressive (but effective) approach to getting people to subscribe.
• Would You Buy a ChatGPT Speaker? – Damashe is diving into Home Assistant and debating whether a locally run AI assistant is worth the setup.
• Plod vs. B: The AI Recording Showdown – How do these two AI-powered recording devices compare, and which one makes more sense for real-world use?
• GitHub for Beginners – Michael’s learning GitHub, and Damashe thinks it might be time for a mini-series.
• Digital Business Cards Done Right? – Michael gets his Dot Card working but runs into some accessibility quirks.

Also, Tip Jar subscribers got an exclusive 21-minute bonus episode where we went deep into navigating the Mac’s Terminal, Zsh vs. Bash, and some quick navigation tricks. If that sounds like your kind of thing, you might want to check it out.

Got thoughts? Find us on Mastodon or email feedback@technicallyworking.show.

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• New Tech Adventures: Michael shares his experience with the Dot Card Metal and Dot Band, digital business cards that use NFC technology. He discusses the setup process, challenges with accessibility, and the overall functionality of these innovative tools.

• Dynamic Ad Insertion: The duo discusses the pros and cons of dynamically inserted ads in podcasts and YouTube videos. They explore how AI could potentially improve the placement and relevance of these ads in the future.

• Braille Displays: Damashe gives an update on his experience with the Brailliant BI 40X, highlighting its features, usability, and how it compares to other braille displays he has used.

• New Employee Onboarding: Damashe talks about bringing on a new employee, the challenges of training, and the importance of finding the right fit for his business needs.

• Podcast Recommendations: Both hosts share some of their favorite podcasts, including Decoder and Business Wars, and discuss why these shows are worth a listen.

• Upcoming Events: Michael mentions his plans to attend CSUN and invites listeners to connect with him there. Damashe shares his upcoming attendance at the NFB of Alabama State Convention.

• Listener Interaction: The hosts encourage listeners to reach out with feedback, questions, or just to say hi. They provide various ways to get in touch, including email and Mastodon.

Contact Information:

• Michael on Mastodon: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe on Mastodon: @Damashe@technically.social
• Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show
• Website: Technically Working

Support the Show:

Become a Tip Jar supporter by visiting Technically Working and clicking on the "Send a Tip" link. Your support helps keep the show running and ad-free for supporters.

Special Thanks:

A big thank you to all our Tip Jar supporters. Your contributions are greatly appreciated, especially in these times of rising costs.

Call to Action:

If you enjoy the show, please share it with someone who might find it valuable. And if you’re a new hire, make sure to brush up on your Technically Working trivia – you never know when it might come in handy!

Tune in next week for more tech talk, personal stories, and maybe even a giveaway!

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The conversation shifts to productivity tools, with Michael detailing his Python script for podcast downloads and Demasi's recent upgrade to Hazel 6, highlighting its new OCR capabilities. They also touch on the importance of clipboard history and the convenience of tools like LaunchBar.

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to Demasi's switch from Google Workspace to Fastmail. He outlines the migration process, the benefits of Fastmail's features, and the cost savings compared to Google Workspace. They also tease upcoming discussions on dot cards and other tech gadgets.

Join the duo as they navigate their tech setups, share useful tips, and explore new tools to enhance productivity and efficiency.

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🎙️ Listen now: TechnicallyWorking.show

Damashe’s juggling a lot—running multiple businesses, managing employees, and trying to keep things moving while dealing with exhaustion. In this episode, he breaks down what’s been working (and what hasn’t), including hiring struggles, time mismanagement, and why being too busy can actually set you back.

Michael jumps in with some outside-the-box ideas, like tapping into Uber drivers and cleaning crews for better business logistics. They also chat about the B wearable device and whether AI-powered tools actually help or just add another layer of complexity.

What’s Inside:

• The impact of poor hiring choices and how to fix them
• Managing a business when your schedule keeps falling apart
• A real talk about energy levels, burnout, and figuring out what’s going on
• Testing AI wearables: B device vs. Plaud AI
• Thoughts on making tech more accessible and actually useful

Links & Resources:

🔗 Podcast website: TechnicallyWorking.show
🤖 Plaud AI: https://plaud.ai
📌 The B Wearable: https://bangle.ai
🐘 Find us on Mastodon:

• Damashe: @damashe@technically.social
• Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space

Got thoughts on this episode? Drop a message at feedback@technicallyworking.show or tag #TechnicallyWorking on Mastodon. 🚀

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• Google Gemini in Gmail: How it helps with searching email efficiently and what works better on iOS vs. the web interface.
• The B Pioneer Wearable: Michael’s initial impressions, setup process, and concerns about privacy, accessibility, and utility. Damashe shares thoughts on AI summarization and compares it to existing tools like Zoom’s summaries.
• Privacy vs. Convenience: A thoughtful discussion on trust and transparency in AI-powered devices.
• Apple Watch Alternatives: How Apple could integrate similar features into their ecosystem securely.
• Practical Use Cases for AI: From managing reminders to capturing meeting notes, they discuss where these technologies can genuinely simplify life.
• Accessibility Challenges: Michael outlines some key hurdles with the B Pioneer app and suggests improvements.

Join us as we balance the potential of AI with its limitations and ethical considerations. Have feedback or thoughts about the episode? Email us at feedback@technicallyworking.show.

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In this episode of Technically Working, Michael and Damashe cover a range of tech topics, including the promising Bee Pioneer AI wearable, accessibility tools, and navigating virtual machines. Here’s what’s inside:

• Bee Pioneer AI: Michael orders the Bee Pioneer Edition, a personal AI device designed to convert conversations into tasks, summaries, and reminders. They discuss its potential for productivity, accessibility, and their first impressions of the app.
• VOCR Automation: Michael shares insights into VOCR settings, including the auto-scan feature that simplifies OCR workflows on macOS.
• Windows on Mac: The hosts dive into configuring Windows in Parallels, including accessibility quirks and remote support tools like RIM.
• Voice Vista for Navigation: Tips for using Voice Vista to set navigation markers and explore new areas efficiently.
• AI for Research: Michael and Damashe talk about how they’re using GPT for quick research, fact-checking, and everyday problem-solving.

Mentioned in the Episode:

• Bee Pioneer Edition: Wearable AI for personal productivity (Website)
• VOCR: Automation tool for OCR on macOS
• Parallels Desktop: Virtual machine software (Official Site)
• Voice Vista: Navigation and accessibility app (App Store)
• Reaper: Professional audio editing software (Website)

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• Sean’s journey into podcasting and how Double Tap evolved into a daily show.
• How AI tools like ChatGPT can solve real-life problems and enhance workflows.
• The balance between quality and authenticity in podcast editing.
• Smart home automation and what features would make users pay for AI assistants.

Join us for laughs, insights, and practical takeaways in this fun and tech-packed episode.

• Double Tap Podcast: AMI Audio's Double Tap
• Home Assistant: Home Assistant Official Website
• ChatGPT: OpenAI ChatGPT
• Make Automation Tool: Make (formerly Integromat)
• Paul Hibbert's YouTube Channel: Paul Hibbert's Smart Homes
• Google AI Studio (Live): Google AI Studio
• NVIDIA AI Computer: NVIDIA AI Edge Devices

• Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show
• Mastodon:
• Damashe: @Damashe
• Michael: @Payown
• Follow Technically Working: Use the hashtag #TechnicallyWorking

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They also discuss:

• The practicality and challenges of XLR versus USB microphones for podcasting and live events.
• Michael's adventures in Python scripting with GitHub Copilot to simplify podcast production workflows.
• Smart home setups, including Reolink cameras, Aqara devices, and exploring Home Assistant.
• The importance of AI-optimized content (AOC) for podcast discovery and growth.

Plus, a special listener email from Scout sparks a discussion on soundproofing, databases for inventory management, and the intricacies of audio setups.

As always, the hosts encourage feedback, questions, and sharing the show with friends. Here’s to an exciting 2025, with new ideas, themes, and connections to come!

Links Mentioned:

• Feedback: feedback@technicallyworking.show
• Mastodon:
• Michael: @payown@dragonscave.space
• Damashe: @damashe@technically.social
• Support the show via the Tilt Jar.

Stay Connected:
Follow the hashtag #TechnicallyWorking on Mastodon to join the conversation!

Happy New Year from Michael and Damashe—see you in 2025!

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Highlights:

• The Origins of Blind Bargains
  JJ shares how Blind Bargains started as a resource for finding affordable tech and accessible products, evolving into a platform for podcasts and breaking industry news.

• From MobileSpeak to AT Guys
  Learn how JJ transitioned from software sales to physical products and scaled AT Guys into a respected name in accessibility.

• Accessible E-Commerce Challenges
  JJ breaks down the evolution of shipping logistics, adopting Shopify, and maintaining customer trust through accessible user guides and high-quality customer service.

• AI's Role in Accessibility and Business
  Hear JJ's thoughts on how AI tools, like image and video description technology, are improving accessibility and where they still fall short.

• Tech and Tools Talk
  Discussion about tools like Synology NAS, Home Assistant, accessible keyboards, and power banks, including insights into how AT Guys evaluates products for their catalog.

• The Importance of Community and Feedback
  JJ emphasizes how customer suggestions and partnerships drive AT Guys' growth and product selection.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Blind Bargains -- www.blindbargains.com
• AT Guys -- www.atguys.com
• Home Assistant -- www.home-assistant.io
• Zoom Accessible Recorders -- Zoom Products on AT Guys
• Meter Smart Meat Thermometers -- Meter on AT Guys
• Shokz Bone Conduction Headphones -- Shokz on AT Guys
• Top Tech TIDBITS (Email Newsletter) -- Subscribe to Tidbits

Stay Connected:

• Follow JJ on Mastodon: @jage@mas.to
• Reach AT Guys: jj@atguys.com
• Contact Technically Working: feedback@technicallyworking.show
• Follow Michael on Mastodon: @payown@dragonscave.space

Closing Thought:

This episode offers a candid look at the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurship in the accessibility space. From crafting business strategies to embracing new tech trends, JJ's story is a testament to adaptability and passion.

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• Smart Power Strips: Michael and Damashe explore the pros and cons of using Meross smart power strips, including their functionality and limitations.
• Contact Management Chaos: A humorous and reflective discussion on cleaning up years of cluttered contacts and managing digital address books.
• macOS 15.1 and 15.2 Updates: They dive into the fixed Notification Center with VoiceOver, issues with the broken Escape key in the Dock, and the usability of LaunchBar.
• Garage Door Installations: Damashe shares his experience getting a garage door installed and his plans for smart garage upgrades.
• Audio Setup Insights: Michael highlights tools like the DJI Lavalier mics and explains how he enhances recorded audio with Auphonic.
• Task Management Tools: The duo compares Apple Reminders, Todoist's new deadline feature, and the potential of OmniFocus for staying organized.
• AI Adventures: A discussion about ChatGPT, Google's AI Studio, and Android XR, emphasizing their potential for accessibility and productivity.
• A Tribute to John Panarese: A heartfelt farewell to a beloved community member.

Stay tuned for insights, humor, and a tribute to someone who made a lasting impact.

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Key Topics:

1. Office Heaters and Robot Vacuums: - Michael's search for a small office heater. - The allure of Dyson products. - The debate over robot vacuums and their practicality.

2. Tech Setup for a Wedding: - Michael's experience setting up AV for a wedding. - The tech tools used: Tribit Stormbox Blast, Mackie mixer, Gemini microphones, Vocaster, MacBook Pro, Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro Max, Firago, Loopback, Zoom, and DJ app. - Challenges faced and lessons learned.

3. Zoom vs. Riverside: - Issues with Zoom's billing communication. - The decision to cancel Riverside in favor of Zoom.

4. Tech Tools and Services: - The importance of communication and reminders for subscription renewals. - The struggle with managing multiple streaming services and subscriptions.

5. ChatGPT and MacGPT: - Michael's experience with the ChatGPT app on Mac. - The pros and cons of using voice mode vs. text input. - The integration of ChatGPT with MacWhisper for generating bug reports.

6. Black Friday Purchases: - Demasi's new tech acquisitions: UTECH Bolt Fingerprint lock, Reolink doorbell camera, and Home Hub Pro. - The benefits of these new tools and how they fit into his home security setup.

7. Jetpack CRM: - Michael's use of Jetpack CRM for invoicing and integrating with Stripe. - The potential of Jetpack CRM to streamline business operations.

Listener Shoutout: A big thank you to all our listeners for tuning in! Your support and feedback mean the world to us.

Tip Jar Supporters Promo: For our amazing Tip Jar supporters, we have an exclusive offer just for you! Check your Tip Jar subscriber podcast feed for a special discount on Jetpack CRM. If you're not a Tip Jar subscriber yet, head over to technicallyworking.show and show your support to get access to this and other exclusive content.

Connect with Us:

• Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show
• Mastodon:
• Michael: @Payon@dragonscave.space
• Damashe: @Damashe@unmute.community
• Use the hashtag #technicallyworking (please capitalize the T and W for better screen reader accessibility).

Thank you for listening, and we'll catch you in the next episode!

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This week, Michael and Damashe are joined by Taylor Arndt, a WordPress plugin developer and all-around AI enthusiast. Taylor shares how she’s using AI to do everything from coding smarter to managing accessibility projects, and even navigating the quirks of driverless cars (spoiler: grass patches may be involved).

Here’s What We Covered:

• Meet Taylor: Accessibility specialist, plugin wizard, and fan of all things AI. Oh, and she works for Techopolis, which Michael just realized spells "TOS" (terms of service, anyone?).
• AI Tools Galore: Taylor’s setup includes VS Code, GitHub Copilot, Cursor.ai, and ChatGPT. She even uses Humanize AI to make sure her writing doesn’t get flagged as “too robotic.”
• The Plugin Process: From brainstorming names to spec sheets in Microsoft Loop, Taylor spills the details on how she builds WordPress plugins like WPGPT and WPAI Search.
• AI Gets Creative: Want to control your entire WordPress site with AI? Taylor’s on it. Plus, she’s building local models and experimenting with tools like Hugging Face and Llama for even more AI magic.
• Adventures in Transportation: Taylor’s experience with Waymo’s driverless cars is equal parts futuristic and hilarious. (Pro tip: Don’t get dropped off in the middle of a grassy patch.)
• What AI Can’t Do...Yet: Taylor dreams of AI that could vet clients and streamline complex decisions—because who doesn’t want a digital assistant that just gets you?

Where to Find Taylor:

• Website: Techopolis for all her plugins and services.
• Socials:
• Mastodon: @tayarndt@techopolis.social
• LinkedIn: Taylor Arndt
• BlueSky: @tayarndt
• Email: taylor@techopolis.online

Taylor’s blend of tech know-how and relatable moments (hello, Panda Express misadventure) makes this episode a must-listen. Don’t forget to share the show with a friend and tag #TechnicallyWorking when you do!

Get in Touch: Send your feedback to feedback@technicallyworking.show.

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The conversation shifts to managing tech workflows, including tips on handling digital clutter and writing smarter LinkedIn posts with AI. It’s a mix of tech gripes, practical fixes, and the usual back-and-forth you’ve come to expect.

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Episode Resources

• Join Bits
• Noodlesoft – Simply Useful Software
• Paid Membership Pro

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We also explore the world of portable scanners, with a focus on finding the best options for scanning receipts and invoices on the go. Our hosts discuss the pros and cons of different models, including the Doxy Go, and invite listeners to share their recommendations. Additionally, we touch on the latest updates in macOS and iOS, including the new features in Hazel 6 and the integration of GPT with Siri. Tune in for a mix of practical advice, tech insights, and a few laughs along the way.

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Segments:

1. Riverside App Frustrations (02:00) – Damashe encounters issues using Riverside’s mobile app with USB mics on an iPhone, and Michael shares his thoughts on the troubleshooting process.

2. New iPad Mini and Tech Chat (09:00) – The duo discusses Apple’s surprise release of the new iPad mini, comparing its chip to the current iPhones and speculating on Damashe's possible upgrade.

3. Live Event Audio Setup (13:00) – Michael details his complex audio setup for a recent live event, involving the Mackie Pro FX12 V3, multiple microphones, and integrating Zoom audio with in-room speakers.

4. Handling Tech Glitches and Flexibility (22:00) – They talk about the challenges of tech glitches during live events and how staying flexible saved the day for Michael’s recent event.

5. IVR System Discussion (57:00) – Damashe proposes a project involving IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems for small businesses, asking Michael for feedback on possible setups with VoIP.ms and how they could expand the project.

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In this episode of Technically Working, Michael and Damashe dive into the complexities of audio setups and workflows. Michael shares his intricate setup involving a Mackie ProFX12, the Shure Beta 87A mic, and the Vocaster Two. The duo discusses balancing inputs, managing audio channels in Reaper, and troubleshooting issues with VoiceOver playback. Damashe also reveals a new discovery about Zoom’s ability to select specific input channels, which could streamline audio management during calls.

As the conversation shifts, Michael reflects on organizing personal and professional life, including the importance of having a clear purpose. He also talks about recent challenges with accessibility features on iPhones and iPads, and the ever-present dilemma of balancing volunteer work and productivity.

In the second half of the episode, the discussion turns to WordPress tools like Local by Flywheel and WP Migrate DB Pro, with a brief exploration into the changes surrounding Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) and its security concerns. Michael and Damashe also share insights about using Riverside.fm for podcast recording and the importance of ensuring backups work as intended.

Tune in for a mix of technical tips, personal reflections, and practical advice for podcasters and tech enthusiasts alike!

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In this episode of Technically Working, Michael and Damashe share their recent tech struggles and solutions. Michael’s trusty Lenovo laptop finally bites the dust, forcing him to switch to Mallory's MacBook Air—sparking a discussion on the pros and cons of Mac vs. Windows and the importance of having solid backup systems. Damashe highlights the significance of testing backups and restoring them, sharing some recent issues with restoring systems that didn’t go as planned.

The duo also dives into the quirks of using AI tools like ChatGPT for task management and troubleshooting. Michael shares his experience with AI’s limitations in understanding voice commands and personal reminders, while Damashe reflects on building tailored AI models for local usage.

Other topics include internet stability woes, frustrations with Riverside.fm’s handling of recordings, and the surprising new features in macOS and iOS that have made their workflows smoother—despite a few glitches along the way.

Key Takeaways:

• Why Michael canceled Aira and switched to ChatGPT Plus.
• Mac’s new features that make VoiceOver more consistent.
• Damashe’s issues with local AI recording in Riverside.
• The importance of testing backup systems.
• Using AI for task management and its current limitations.

Tune in to learn about their tech trials and how they’re navigating the latest changes in AI, Mac, and Windows systems!

Let me know if you need any adjustments!

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Damashe kicks things off with a funny story about forgetting to send a surprise package to Michael, which sparks a discussion about the chaos of juggling schedules, rescheduling meetings, and balancing life and work.

The conversation quickly shifts to Damashe’s vending machine business. He talks about managing an increase in customers at one of his rest areas, the challenges of keeping track of sales through card readers, and the decision-making process when upgrading technology for his machines. It's a deep dive into the balance of managing a small business, embracing tech, and keeping costs in check.

From vending machines to organizing personal spaces, Damashe shares how he stays on top of labeling and organizing products, touching on the larger theme of accessibility for those who are visually impaired. Michael joins in, adding his thoughts on technology and its role in staying self-sufficient.

They then dive into a tech tangent—discussing tools like personalized podcast feeds that turn articles into audio, and how these tools make their workflows more efficient. Both share stories of their latest tech adventures and misadventures, adding a good dose of humor to the episode.

In a practical turn, Damashe opens up about the realities of managing his vending machine inventory, dealing with different locations, and the unpredictable situations that arise when transporting goods. Entrepreneurs and small business owners will find this segment particularly relatable.

Towards the end, they review the latest Apple announcements, particularly on accessibility features. Damashe gives his take on what excites him—and what disappoints him—about Apple's incremental updates. They finish up with some grocery shopping hacks, focusing on using Scan and Go at stores like Sam’s Club for maximum efficiency.

This episode is packed with laughs, tech tips, and real-world business insights, all wrapped in Damashe and Michael’s laid-back and authentic conversation style.

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We also explore the latest advancements from Google, including AI integration, and reflect on humorous tech mishaps during my computer setup. The conversation wraps up with a focus on optimizing productivity and the impact of technology on small business operations, laying the groundwork for future discussions.

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Today, we covered a wide range of topics from audio configurations and equipment choices, to the decision to close Apple Vis after 14 years. We explored the significance of Applevis forums for app accessibility, reflected on technology changes over the years, and discussed Section 230 and internet user behavior. Personal updates were shared, including facility offers, with practical advice on payroll systems and service selection. We delved into establishing a vending route, highlighted tools like GPT for operational efficiency, and discussed online strategies and Riverside for remote recording. Overall, we provided valuable insights and engaged in lighthearted banter on business formalities.

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The discussion extends to navigating life with sight loss, emphasizing vulnerability, support systems, and technology for independence. Steven advocates for empathetic human interaction and unity over division, promoting quality broadcasting and diverse voices in podcasting for unified engagement and authentic conversations.

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• Streaming and Download Numbers: We kick off the episode discussing our recent streaming and download numbers, along with a sneak peek into our upcoming content.

• Facility Application: Damashe shares exciting news about applying for a new facility.
• New LLC: He also announces the launch of his new LLC, outlining his goals and vision for the business.

• ACB Convention: Michael talks about the events and activities that BITS hosted at the ACB Convention, highlighting key moments and takeaways.

• Mac and VoiceOver Issues: Damashe opens a discussion on the challenges he's facing with tables and VoiceOver on his Mac. He seeks input from other Mac users to see if they are experiencing similar issues.
• Web Accessibility Issues: The conversation transitions into a broader discussion about web accessibility, sparked by an issue Michael encountered online.

• User Switching Plugin: Damashe introduces the User Switching plugin to Michael, explaining how it can be helpful for testing purposes.

• Damashe's AI Use: We delve into how Damashe is leveraging AI in his workflow and projects.
• Michael's AI Use: Michael shares his experiences and applications of AI in his work and daily life.

• Level Lock Install: We follow up on the installation of the Level Lock, sharing insights and experiences.
• Smart Bulbs: Damashe discusses the smart bulbs he's currently using, including their features and benefits.

• Upcoming Content: We tease some exciting upcoming content and projects that listeners can look forward to.
• Listener Interaction: Encouraging listeners to share their thoughts, feedback, and experiences on the topics discussed in the episode.

Subscribe and Review: Reminding listeners to subscribe to the podcast and leave a review if they enjoyed the episode.

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In our chat, we explore the latest iOS beta updates, highlighting setup processes, custom emojis, and more. We share experiences and insights on broken features and nuances of beta testing. New features like moving icons on the home screen intrigue us, offering valuable perspectives for iOS beta testers. We delve into Apple's innovations, discussing the potential carrier service, Siri's personalized evolution, and AI models. Comparing password managers, we emphasize the importance of secure data backups. We wrap up with a discussion on KeePass app's user-friendliness and strong data security, inviting listeners to engage and provide feedback.

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Join us this week as we navigate the intricate world of technology tailored for the visually impaired. Listen in as we share our experiences with various apps and their integration into our existing tech ecosystems. From our hesitation to include new apps into a perfectly functioning setup like Clean Feed, to discovering the potential of Sofa, an accessible list-tracking app, we've got insights and anecdotes that will resonate with anyone who values a seamless user experience. We also reminisce about our show's early days, our trials with Riverside, and the evolving landscape of app discussions in the tech podcast community.

In our tech talk, we cover everything from the challenge of browser tab management to the nitty-gritty of kitchen gadgets. We examine the practicality of various read-later services and discuss the frustrations of technical hiccups, such as JAWS going silent in Edge. Get tips on recording shows from Android devices and using headphones to avoid feedback, and join us as we express our anticipation for an upcoming busy summer with exciting new content collaborations. Plus, we'll share why it's important to choose the right tool for the task, sometimes resorting to quick fixes like Zapier to meet those pressing deadlines.

Finally, wrap up your listening session with our reflections on project management and personal growth. We discuss the perils of setting personal benchmarks for seeking help and the moments of clarity that come from mentorship. We delve into the strategies behind developing projects, emphasizing the importance of breaking down tasks into manageable milestones and the allure of creating a minimum viable product. And don't miss our tips on utilizing taskbar shortcuts to boost productivity, whether you're a Windows or Mac user. Tune in for a blend of personal stories, practical advice, and a peek into our podcast planning as we gear up for a charity event with St. Jude.

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In this episode, Damashe and Michael discuss a variety of tech topics including USB-C cables, macOS vs Windows productivity, AI tools like Perplexity.ai, server preferences like Nginx, and maintaining work-life balance.

Key Segments

USB-C Benefits and Laptop Setups Discussion on the convenience of USB-C for connecting devices and power options across MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro models. Exploring ideal laptop setups, port availability, and frustrations with docks and hubs. Transitioning to Windows for Productivity Insights into potentially switching from macOS to Windows for enhanced productivity workflows. AI Advancements with Perplexity.ai Exploration of AI tools like Perplexity.ai and their capabilities for information sourcing, synced queries, and contextual conversations. Comparison of Perplexity with other AI assistants like ChatGPT. Server Preferences: Nginx vs Others Debate around the merits of different server technologies, highlighting Nginx as a preferred option. Work-Life Balance Challenges Discussion on the importance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance amid business demands.

Episode Links

• Free credit freezes are here | Consumer Advice
• [Try perplexity with Damashe's Link](https://perplexity.ai/pro?referral_code=NKFZF480
• David smith: no new features sign

Conclusion

The episode concludes with Damashe and Michael reflecting on personal setup changes, teasing future show topics, and emphasizing the value of listener feedback.

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In this episode, we express gratitude for listener support and discuss potential delays in episode releases due to commitments like cooking sausage. We delve into the importance of community feedback, exclusivity of content for Club Unmute members, and planning standalone product offerings. Technical challenges at events prompt discussions on microphone systems, lapel microphones, and audio setup details. Insights on return policies for equipment purchases, financing options, troubleshooting audio setup issues, and audio processing solutions are shared. Accessibility features of audio interfaces, apps, tech services, and subscription costs are explored. Personal experiences with tech tools, journaling apps, and the significance of feedback for improvement are discussed. We reflect on mishaps, breakfast orders, gratitude for listener support, and invite engagement through various channels for future episodes.

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Ambutech Graphite Telescoping Cane Ambutech Cane Tip: Ceramic 8mm Threaded Instant-Read Talking Cooking Thermometer

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Join Michael and Damashe as they discuss plumbing challenges, audio recording equipment comparisons, and technology for individuals with visual impairments. The conversation also covers robotic pets, AI capabilities, security camera setups, and reflections on personal experiences. Grateful for listener support, they seek feedback and encourage communal engagement.

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In this episode of "Technically Working," Michael and Damashe discuss various topics, starting with a detailed process of setting up audio equipment and troubleshooting technical issues. They explore the functionality and setup of a Zoom H6 recorder, emphasizing the importance of proper equipment setup for podcasting. The discussion covers the nuances of using different microphones, including the Shure Beta 87A, and the importance of phantom power for quality audio recording. They also touch upon the advantages of using a Zoom recorder as both an audio interface and a standalone recorder.

Damashe introduces the Quiet Comfort Plus headphones, sharing his experience with their noise cancellation feature and comparing them to other headphones. The conversation shifts to web work and the focus on managing customer experiences and online orders, highlighting the challenges of handling in-person orders and exploring potential solutions.

The episode transitions into discussing podcast listener statistics, emphasizing the importance of listener engagement and feedback. Michael shares insights from a Reaper class he's teaching, aiming to make the audio editing software accessible for more users. They explore the potential of Memberful for managing memberships and subscriptions, discussing recent pricing changes and the impact on users.

Damashe and Michael brainstorm about alternative solutions for subscription management, contemplating the use of Gravity Forms and Members plugin for WordPress. They conclude with a conversation about the benefits of using TextExpander and mention a bundle offer that includes it, underscoring the value of such tools for productivity.

Listeners can find more information and support the show by visiting technicallyworking.show, and feedback is welcomed at feedback@technicallyworking.show. Follow Michael (@payown) and Damashe (@damashe) on Mastodon at unmute.community for more updates and discussions.

ChatGPT can make mistakes. Consider checking important information.

?

ChatGPT

Resources

• Check out the Zoom Essential Recorders
• The bundle Hunt We discussed

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The conversation between Michael Babcock and Damashe Thomas covers a range of topics, focusing primarily on the practical aspects of cooking with Blackstone griddles, including the decision-making process behind purchasing different models and sizes, and the operational nuances involved. They also delve into technology tools and software, discussing Google Docs, JAWS for Windows, GPT for Mac, AI applications, and updates for mobile devices. The discussion reflects a blend of lifestyle choices, technological adaptability, and the pursuit of hobbies that complement their professional interests in accessibility and technology.

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• The Power of Calendars: We kick off the discussion by exploring how vital it is to have events or tasks on our calendars. This simple practice can significantly boost productivity and ensure that important things don't fall through the cracks.
• Customizing Shortcuts in macOS: Next, we delve into the world of macOS, discussing tips and tricks for customizing shortcuts. This segment is perfect for users looking to streamline their workflow and make their interaction with macOS more efficient and personalized.
• Gravity View and Web Customization: A major highlight of this episode is our exploration of Gravity View. We discuss how this tool can revolutionize the way information is displayed on webpages, offering a level of customization that can enhance both functionality and aesthetics.
• Reliability of Web Tools: We also have a candid conversation about the reliability of various tools on the web. This discussion is crucial for anyone relying on web-based services and tools for their day-to-day tasks.

Links:

• Gravity View

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Notes go here

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Notes go here

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Michael and Damashe dive into the world of technology, discussing the thrills and challenges of podcasting, their roles in BITS, and the intriguing world of AI tools. They share their insights on the evolving tech landscape, touching on topics from AI text-to-speech tools to their personal goals and themes for the year ahead.

Links

• Join BITS: Discover more at joinbits.org
• Cortex Podcast - Yearly Themes Episodes:
• 2024 Yearly Themes - Cortex #150
• 2023 Yearly Themes - Cortex #136
• 2022 Yearly Themes - Cortex #123
• Mastodon Profiles:
• Michael: @payown@unmute.community
• Damashe: @damashe@unmute.community
• Feedback Email: feedback@technicallyworking.show
• Support the Show: yourownpay.com/TW or technicallyworking.show/tips

Join Michael and Damashe on this fascinating journey through the twists and turns of tech and life's unexpected changes.

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​.

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"Join us in this episode where we extend our thanks to our listeners and dive into a discussion on various tech topics. From phones and devices to MarsEdit, time tracking apps, and VoiceOver navigation, we cover it all. We also explore the challenges with Safari on Sonoma and delve into the fascinating world of AI tools.

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In this part of the conversation, we discuss microphone setup, Apple's new MacBook Pro chips, recording software, organizing web information, password management tools, and adding podcasts to YouTube. We celebrate our podcast's growth, share future plans, and express gratitude to our listeners. We consider the possibility of launching a YouTube channel and provide updates on Google Workspace. We emphasize transparency and thank our audience for their support. Tune in next week for more and stay connected as we set up our website.

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Links for this Episode

• Damashe on Mastodon
• Michael on Mastodon
• Using Laravel Valet to Set Up Local WordPress Dev in ...

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The discussion then moves to audio and Google Chrome, highlighting Clean Feed's beta feature for audio mixing. The hosts also explore the potential of AI Cast for live streaming and discuss the search for alternatives to Chrome. A special guest, Sean, is announced for the upcoming show, adding an element of anticipation.

Diving into the world of TV streaming services, Michael shares his experiences with Channels, including the challenges of recording a football game. The conversation then pivots to the realm of password security, with Damashe discussing his trials with iCloud shared passwords and iCloud Keychain's password sharing feature.

The hosts also touch on the topic of time and task management, sharing their experiences with Timing, Timery, and Todoist. They explore the benefits of using Siri to open Waterminder, a water tracking app, and the role of widgets in enhancing accessibility.

The episode also delves into the intricacies of using calendar apps like Fantastical, with the hosts sharing valuable tips and discussing the potential of a Fantastical Android version. The conversation then shifts to the limitations of Apple's family subscriptions and the advantages of Fantastical's family plan.

Data backup strategies take center stage towards the end, with Damashe sharing his switch from ARK to Wasabi and Backblaze for local computer data backup. The hosts discuss the importance of reliable backup systems, especially for client data. They also explore the potential of Arc for business data backup and optimizing cloud storage.

Wrapping up the episode, Damashe and Michael invite listeners to share their own tips for Windows or Mac setup, encouraging them to reach out via Mastodon or email.

Links:

• Taylor Arndt
• Gravity Forms
• Channels
• Backblaze
• Cloud backup software for Mac and Windows : Arq

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In this episode of Technically Working, We kick things off with a discussion on whether or not Damashe should sell one of his web cams. Michael shares some tips on using notifications in Mona. We answer some listener submitted questions, including one about WordPress.

We disclose our thoughts on wearing shoes when working from home, which naturally goes on to discuss work environment, and some suggestions.

We love hearing from our listeners, so feel free to reach out to us via Mastodon or email.

Links

• iACast Special – Apple September 2023 Event – iACast Network
• Insta360 Link - The AI-powered 4K webcam
• 2030 Status | Mother Nature | Apple - YouTube
• Cocoon - Backpacks

• Dream Machine Special Edition - Ubiquiti Store United States

• UniFi Dream Router - Ubiquiti Store United States

• Access Point U6 Plus - Ubiquiti Store United States

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Links

Please note: This referral link will give Michael credit and you $5 in Sandbox Credit.

• Sanebox

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In this week's episode, we discuss various applications and tools that we use in our daily lives.

## Applications for Trip Information

We talk about our experiences with keeping track of trip information and Damashe shares his experience with a new application he is trying out.

## Pirate Ship

We discuss Pirate Ship, a tool that both of us use to ship products. Michael has a question for Damashe about it, but Damashe doesn't have the answer.

## Medical Updates

Michael shares an update on his health and Mallory helps him find an accessible and affordable blood pressure monitor. We provide a link to the IPROVEN New 2023 Smart Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor which has a large adjustable cuff and a widescreen backlit display.

## Technology Updates

We briefly talk about resetting a Mac and touch on the topic of WordPress.

## Upcoming Events

We invite our listeners to connect with us in person at both of the national conventions.

## Product Mentioned

Slinger - A tool that helps you carry your phone and other small items while on the go.

Thank you for tuning in to this week's episode. Don't forget to subscribe and leave us a review!

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In addition, we cover IOS17, travel tips, and our plan for convention week. We have some exciting plans in store for the upcoming convention week, and we can't wait to share them with you.

So, sit back, relax, and join us for this week's episode of Technically Working, where we discuss all things tech, productivity, and more. Don't forget to visit our website at https://atguys.com/ for more information on our products and services.

Links

NOTE: the amazon links are affiliate links.

• MEE audio M6 PRO In Ear Monitor Headphones for Musicians, 2nd Gen Model With Upgraded Sound, Memory Wire Earhooks & Replaceable Cables, Noise Isolating Professional Earbuds, 2 Cords Included (Clear)
• Comply Foam Ear Tips for MEE Professional M6 Pro 2nd Gen, 1MORE Dual Driver ANC, Ultimate Ears UE 900, MEE Audio M6 Pro 2nd Gen, and More (T-200), Ultimate Comfort | Assorted, 3 Pairs
• Countryman B3 Omnidirectional Lavalier Microphone - Standard Sensitivity with Hardwired XLR Connector - Black
• Westone Audio UM Pro 50 Monitor Earphones - Clear](https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UMPro50v2--westone-um-pro-50-monitor-earphones-clear)

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There's Demossian, he probably hears my music.

I'm gonna stay doing what's do best.

Very faintly?

Do you even hear me?

And I'm doing auto gain, so you don't hear me yet.

Yeah, now I hear you.

Do you hear me?

Yep.

All right, and we're already recording at clean feed.

Okay.

I'm going to...

Oh, let me start audio hijackers to back up over here.

So you guys on the live stream don't hear Damacy because Michael

didn't think something through.

So

and that is how we're opening the show.

So you want to know what position I got myself in

and then you can give me some feedback?

• Yeah. - Okay.

• Give me a sec though, hold on.

I gotta turn off some blocks.

• Ah ha ha ha.

Oh man, Damacy, Damacy, blocks.

You think you just solved my problem, but.

• All right, so now I got audio hijack running

as a backup, so we are good.

• How's it going, Damacy?

It's going good, man.

I'm gonna close the stream on the phone.

• 'Cause you don't hear yourself right now

in the stream, right?

• Nope.

• Okay.

So I'll explain what I did,

and then you can give me some thoughts if you have them.

And maybe for people in the live stream, I'll keep talking.

And if you didn't know,

we're trying to figure some tech issues out.

And I took a sledgehammer and said,

"Hey, let's make this work."

So what I did right now is, and I believe right now,

Demasi, if I do this, you hear music, come on, right?

And so I'm gonna take that away.

And now you don't hear that.

So what I did is I went into loopback and I said,

hey, I want you to send all of my audio in here

to this live streaming software called Auden.

Well, I'm sorry, that's my default microphone.

And I just attached a VLC to that.

If I attach Microsoft Edge to this device,

which is what's streaming into Auden,

then Demasi's gonna hear himself,

and I don't have the flexibility that Demasi has as a host

to set up multiple auxes to send audio

from just clean feed to different destinations.

Do you see where I'm coming from?

I'm probably poorly explaining that.

• So I was listening to you in Safari on the iPhone.

Like right after we hung up, I went and clicked on your link

and signed in to Mastodon.

And then I was able to hear you.

They do mute the audio on the stream by default when you first connect.

So you have to go unmute the audio, but it does say to protect your ears.

And it tells you, there's a nice little.

Are you a message alert that comes up that says, you know, to protect your ears.

Audio is muted on start.

It gives me that notification too.

When I signed in on the Mac before I could even connect or do anything.

It gave that, I saw that notification.

Cool.

Yes, I'm sure I want to send a request to be a speaker.

Trust me, I know what I'm doing.

Oh, this is one there.

So I did get a notification.

It says badge status one.

So that tells me that there's a notification and I did get a sound.

So now I have to find the button that says open list of speaker requests.

And I'll hit that.

And it says Damacy and one more item and two more items group.

(laughing)

So I'm gonna press VO's face on that.

And Mallory's calling me.

Great, we're technically working.

Hold on, I'm gonna hit VO's face

and then you should be on.

• All right.

• Did it ever let you come on and speak?

• Nope.

• Oh, okay.

So can you hear yourself now or did you leave?

No, I'm still here.

Because I accepted your request to speak.

Oh, okay. Right now my microphone is muted.

So let me un-view my microphone on the stream.

There you are.

All right.

Huh.

What?

I don't hear.

Oh, never mind.

Because I'm in here.

No, I don't hear me because I'm not listening on the stream anymore,

which is what I was confused about.

I was like, wait, I don't hear me.

me because I hear you twice with just like a slight delay half second delay yes yes

but why do you hear me oh because you hear me and okay so now I can switch my microphone now you

only hear me I guess I would have to change my default now you only hear me once now right

• Yeah. - But the livestream

does not hear me.

• 'Cause you muted yourself for the livestream.

• Correct. - Yeah.

• And I hear two of you.

• Yeah, so hold on one second.

I'm gonna mute me in the livestream.

You stay muted for a sec. - Okay.

• And I'm gonna

get both of us going into the livestream.

• So now we just hear us once.

All right.

So one way I need to go check my loop back device to see what I have handy.

See, we're technically working, aren't we?

We're figuring out how to stream audio the way that we intend to and not having

to hear each other twice.

Well, I mean, I could have used two different browsers and then I know how to

do it, but I wanted to do everything in edge.

No, it's not a factor of two different browsers though.

we still would have had the same problem.

• But you're gonna use audio hijack to solve the problem

versus using loopback to make everything.

• Well, actually I'm gonna try to use loopback.

I gotta see what I got in here.

• In your handy little loopback toolbox.

So if I do this, now you hear me twice, right?

Or do you only hear one of me?

• There we go.

There's the audio hijack.

And I think this is just a--

yep, it's just a pass-through device.

So I'm going to try this.

Now here's the downside, at least.

So I'll-- let me get over to Chrome and do the thing.

All right, so first let me save the audio.

Hadn't done that at all.

Boom.

Yep.

So you've heard half of Mind and Marty's conversation then,

too?

• Yep.

• All right, tilde slash sync.

• Live stream, we're trying something soon,

so if you're listening, we will be back shortly.

• Slah, technically working, boom.

We'll just save it there.

• So I see you here as a speaker.

You have a speaker badge.

And then, all right.

So one downside here for me, at least, and I don't know if it's like this

and, and edge, cause I have, uh, Auden open in Safari.

Okay.

So I have to, I think change my default system wide input device in

order to be able to change the device in Safari.

That's not a Safari only issue.

Okay.

'cause that was gonna be my initial thing,

is to go and set up just an Auden device itself.

And then whenever I stream, use that in Auden

and then send audio to that specific device

if I'm streaming into Auden.

And I could not immediately find a way to

change my input or my output in Auden.

And I'm still not seeing any way to do that on Edge.

But if and when you can stream,

I can verify that I can hear both of us if you're able to.

And then I can leave the Auden stream

so I don't hear duplicates

and it allows me to leave it open.

So it's not like other things.

It looks like as long as someone's in here

that can be in the room and stream,

then people should be able to come to the room.

And so I shared it on Mastodon,

but right now people are hearing silence.

And Auden does not tell me if you're muted or unmuted,

but I know you're muted.

Well, I think I know you're muted.

• Okay, now I'm gonna unmute in Auden,

and if this is working,

you should be able to hear me on the string.

• Yes, I do hear you on the string.

• Did you hear you on the string?

• I do not hear me on the string.

• Okay, let's see, I think I have just discovered something.

All right, now say something.

• Now I am saying something,

And I still do not hear myself, but if I unmute, nope, I don't hear myself.

Yeah.

I unmuted now you hear two of me, right?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Um, mute yourself back.

Yeah.

I muted.

So maybe you can't configure.

I don't know.

I don't know what you're trying to do.

This is a learning experience though.

So I'm using the ox and that's what I'm trying to do right now.

anyways, use the aux to send my audio to me and you to hold on.

Let me reload. You may have to let me back in here to the

string because I wonder if it didn't change just because I

changed my device. Good point. Good point. You also Oh, and I'm

gonna unmute myself so Demossie can hear me. Wait, you could

still hear me in clean feed, right?

You can feed yourself now.

Yep.

Sure.

Yeah.

So now I gotta send another speaker requests.

Because you don't hear anything right now.

Well, you hear me in clean feed, but not, I mean, I would hear you there, but it's,

it's a fact I can't speak anymore because I gotcha.

So good to know if you're reload and Auden, you have to send a speaker request again.

There you go.

And that's a little pop.

Open this to speakers.

Alright, so now I'll unmute my microphone.

So now I should be heard.

Wait, I didn't have to approve you to come back on.

Whoa, I hear myself.

Now you hear yourself.

Hold on.

Let me.

Testing one, two, three.

Yes, I do hear myself.

Now you don't?

Now I do not hear myself. Yes, that is correct. Now you do hear yourself. Yes, I think yes I do but

Something's doing some noise cancellation and I think it's oh, I think it's odd and so

I'm gonna leave on in do you still have it on your phone or well, it probably won't let you join on your phone. Will it?

Nope. I am just well. No, cuz I don't think it let me let me connect in two different places with this

I'm gonna close this so I only hear one of you. I

I did hear myself. So we should I am out of Odin. So we'll get into the show now.

And that is going to be a freaking mess. Clean it up. Just say I doubt it. Actually,

we'll we get it figured out. But yeah, so I heard myself, but it sounded like something was noise

canceling me, which I don't understand why. But you know, that happens. And that could be odd. And

it could be because we have both of us, but we're now relying on Demossy to

stream us into, well, actually maybe not.

I might've just killed the whole room.

I think it's still going.

Okay.

Let me go see if I command shift T.

It appears to still be going.

I'll say that.

Right.

It says connecting right now to me and I can send a speaker request.

Are you sure you want to send us a request?

I'm going to hit OK.

And you may or may not get a notification.

Oh, wait, I don't even need to.

That mute button got me.

So say something.

Oh, you're back. What?

I said you're back.

Yep, I am back and I hear myself still.

OK, so I'm going to go properly leave the room.

And then we can get into the show today.

All righty.

So technically working 11, I think.

Is that right? Yep. Yeah.

Did you have to look?

I wasn't sure.

I think I just completely disconnected everything.

Okay.

Oh my god.

I can still hear you.

Let's record the show and then we will-

No, you can still hear me at clean feet of course.

Yes, yes.

I'm not sure if anybody's in- there's nobody there.

There's gotta be nobody there.

Close it out.

No, I mean I just looked there.

I just looked, there's nobody there.

• Well, I don't know.

It never told me when you were just there listening.

• Oh.

• So I don't know if people are actually there.

• All right, so using the OX in Clean Feed,

I only see one OX device that I add.

I select the device I wanted to send audio out of,

and then there's a radio button that for me

in Chrome on the Mac isn't labeled very well.

it says, "Hear everyone or just hears us."

I don't know who us is, 'cause who would everyone be?

Everyone I'm assuming is everyone but us.

• What's the difference in everyone and us?

• So. - I mean, maybe it's just

sending me, like, the host is us,

but why not say host instead of, anyway, I'm gonna.

But we tried it and now we know a couple of things

to explore for next time, if that makes sense.

'Cause now I know how it works.

I knew how it worked or I assumed how it worked

because see, I consciously went into Edge and I'm like, hey,

and I'm like, hey, let's give this a try

but I should try it in Edge

because that's gonna give me the best experience.

Well, come to find out, maybe,

I assumed I would be able to pick my input to me.

And the fact is I can't, and that's disappointing.

I could just set up a pass-through device

and then send that audio into either of the tabs.

But I think the problem is, is I was trying to do streaming

both in and out of edge,

and that just didn't work out very well.

• Yeah.

Well, it was an interesting experiment.

• It was.

streaming into Odin, Odin, whatever it's called.

• Yeah, whatever the tool is called, yes.

We are streaming in there and if you're listening,

we appreciate you.

Unfortunately, we can't see if you're listening.

So send either one of us a mention on Mastodon

and one of us will eventually see it

and thank you for listening as well.

And you have both of our Mastodons

because that's how you got the link.

If you're wondering how do I find you on Mastodon?

I tell you what though, I am definitely going to set up this Mastodon instance.

Yeah, I was gonna ask you what we needed to do to start that process.

Because the more I'm using it, the more I'm like, huh, I need to start branding myself

and not other people.

Not that there's anything wrong with that, but yeah.

Yeah, well, I mean, gives you more flexibility as well with the platform.

And it's kind of the idea, like as I watched the landscape of what's going on.

So blue sky is a thing I don't have an invite.

I haven't applied for getting on the waiting list either, but blue sky is out there.

Mastin on is out here.

There's a couple other things that I need to look into that have been around as well.

that are part of the overall activity pub protocol,

which is what powers Mastodon.

But what I think, or what I'm starting to kind of see,

at least Mastodon, because it's the one I'm most familiar

with, blue sky still hasn't really gotten anywhere

as far as expanding, they're still defining their spec.

But I think the idea of Mastodon is not necessarily

everybody has their own instance,

but kind of what we're thinking about doing,

where we just want to set up an instance,

'cause it helps brand a product that we're doing

that we're involved in.

And it's lightweight management

'cause we're not opening it up to the rest of the world.

It is just a small known quantity of people.

It gives us a lot more flexibility with our social media,

with our branding, with even possible configuration options

or automations, et cetera, on our own server

without being beholden to what a server administrator

wants to do or what a service actually wants to do.

• Yes.

• As a whole, right?

Like, you know what I mean?

Jetpack, I just heard a story where Jetpack

is removing the automatic post to Twitter integration

because Twitter first turned off their API access

without saying anything and then, you know,

they did that to everybody, so they're not special

in that fact.

But then when they turned it back on,

the pricing was weird, et cetera.

So they're just taking that out as a feature

and a lot of people that use the Jetpack plugin

WordPress probably use that feature to auto post their tweets, their posts to

Twitter. Well that's going away. They're gonna add Mastodon integration but the

Twitter is just completely gone, right? Yeah. Well that's one of the advantages

to the Mastodon model is you can be as customized and and set it up your own

way or use it just generally like you and I have been but now that we're like

hey you know I'm actually at least this is the way I'm speaking for myself. Now

that I'm like, Hey, I'm actually using this on a regular

base. I'm posting three to five times a day. I'm, I'm

interacting with other people and then I'm boosting other

people's posts. I'm, I'm actually using it like I

initially use Twitter mainly honestly, because we are getting

responses on there. I had 5000 followers on Twitter and I was

happy if I got a boost or a retweet or even a mention. So I

think that's what's what's keeping me on Massadon at least

for the time being, is it's working how social networks should be working.

I have went in and full transparency customized Mona on the iPhone, at

least to hide all other people's boost posts, mainly because I want to get

through it more, but I can go disable that at any point and see boost posts

again, which I realized that a lot of people probably done that as well.

Therefore, when I boost people's posts, it's probably pointless, but you know,

that's just the nature of the game.

Right.

And I know why I am hearing you twice.

All right.

Say something, Michael.

Hello.

Nope, that did not fix it.

All right.

Oh, screw it.

Just deal with it.

Turn the block back on.

Okay.

So broke something.

So I posted a message on Mastodon speaking and it said curious minds wonder,

what are you doing about email when you have tasks in it?

Hashtag technically working.

And then the two choices is I do it right then,

or I use a project management application,

or my two choices.

So if you were curious how that poll results,

go check out my Mast-Don profile,

we'll share more at the end of this episode

on how to get there.

100% of people say I do it right then,

I've had one vote.

So it's only been up for an hour,

but we'll see how it goes.

I could have solved this problem just by,

you know, that one.

Yeah, actually I could have.

I could actually, so I solved the problem, Demossy,

that we could have did.

I could go set up a pass-through device

that also takes my microphone,

make that my default input device on macOS,

then set the headphone output to that pass-through device

in Clean Feed, and then load Auden,

and that would use the default audio device for macOS,

which has my mic and the audio from Clean Feed.

That's basically what I did.

• Gotcha.

And it's working.

• Except--

• You hear two of me?

• Nope.

Well, I was hearing two of you

because I was trying to also,

I was trying to pipe audio to the aux and clean feet.

I see how it works.

I'm not necessarily sure that I personally need that

because of having to look back on Audio Hijack.

So now what I'm doing is I am,

because this session was already set up

from when we streamed into Zoom last week.

Was it last week?

Yeah.

Yeah, it was last week.

So I already had a block set up that

was grabbing audio from my microphone and from Chrome

for me and sending it through a pass-through device.

So I just set that pass-through device

as the default input for system-wide.

And then now that's the microphone

that's being used in Auden.

And therefore, people are hearing us.

But I'm just using audio hijack with that pass through device.

Gotcha.

Okay.

So audio hijack is just routing the audio where it needs to know that.

And pretty much.

Yep.

Huh.

See multiple ways to accomplish the task on macOS.

Now this autumn is a little weird because you got to sign into your

mastodon account before you can even hear the stream that is.

Signing in so you could join.

Make sense just to hear it.

Not so much.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I get that.

Well, I don't get it.

Cause I thought I'd be able to just click the link in the recording that I did

before we actually started the show.

I thought I'd be able to just click the link and that would allow me to listen to it.

Nope.

Did not work that way.

Yep.

I noticed that.

Okay.

Let's see.

Let me make sure.

And that is going there.

So yep.

Everybody should be hearing us in Auden.

If they are there, send us a message somewhere and let us know.

If you mention me on Macedon, I will.

• Yup, me too.

Me too.

• Those notifications are still currently coming through Ivory.

• I wanna know your opinion about Ivory actually,

because.

• I'm gonna start, so here's the problem.

I've left notifications in Ivory 'cause I'm like,

well that'll make me go look at Ivory, right?

But when I go to Macedon to just go even just browse,

I go to Mona.

So I gotta break that habit and use Ivory

and just start using it more from the phone or the iPad.

I've also been trying to use the iPad a little bit more

for browsing and just kind of consumption stuff

instead of using the phone.

• Yeah, yeah.

Interesting, 'cause Marty and I talked about that today.

He's an Ivory user.

He likes the fact that you can customize Mona

and he likes the fact that you can use it

and it's fully accessible, but for him--

• You don't wanna do none of that.

• Exactly, for him, Ivory just is set up

and works the way he wants it.

And I'm like, I don't, I don't, at first I told him, I said, I will never

support that company no matter what.

And then by the time we got off the phone, I'm like, well, maybe I might go check it

out and actually probably what I'll do is ask to Mossy his opinion.

But for me, Mona is the Mastodon app of choice.

I'm going to record some content showing people how to use Mona on

the Mac a little bit as well.

So we're possibly going to start producing even more content because I was

having a chat and Mike will talk more about it officially kind of offline but

having a chat with somebody today. I was called this person a good friend and

they're trying to get, well I'll say trying to get you know any work that can

be thrown their son's way right now is would be appreciated. Well he's a

computer you know guy's going for computer science I think or something in

in the IT space.

• Okay, I know who you're talking about.

• So, one thing came up was I was like,

hey, we're working on this app,

we need to get some video content recorded

for support documentation,

'cause that video works, and marketing.

And she was like, oh, he can do that.

And then I had the idea, well look,

a lot of times I don't produce or don't let go

of content I have created on how to do a thing,

because I'm doing it with a screen reader.

And while there's a audience out there

better screen reader users that would appreciate it.

There's also a wider audience and more of my customer base

that is sighted.

Well, I'm not moving my mouse to do things.

So oftentimes the way that I just did this

is not even a pathway they could follow in some cases,

or it's not the pathway that they would follow if they could

because again, they're gonna use the mouse.

So I was like, oh, well, I have stuff.

I could share it with him and he just go rerecorded

uh, from a mouse user's perspective for visual people.

And then he can post that on his YouTube channel.

Like, I don't care.

Like, you know, and, and, and, hey, we get, gets

yourself out there as a content creator.

Starts establishing some voiceover stuff that we need.

And yeah, get some stuff done that we need.

Huh?

So, huh.

Interesting.

Yeah.

That could be, hmm.

I see where you're going.

We will talk that one through some more.

Cause that is interesting.

And yeah, finish your thought

'cause I think I interrupted you.

• Oh, well, no, I said the only thing that I,

and I just think I may have come across the way

to deal with it is do,

you know, so some content is, you know,

screen reader focus that goes on,

let's say pay on media's channel, for example.

His content could go, you know, on his channel.

That he's kind of, in effect,

duplicating what I've already shown,

but it's a faster way for him to learn how to do it

and then go show somebody else how to do it.

But what we could do is do the cross-post thing.

Like if you're looking for how to do this

with a screen reader, you know, click the link here

and then that'll take you to the screen reader version.

And we do the same thing on the screen reader user version

of the video.

• If you'd rather not hear the screen reader,

click here. - How to do this

more visually, you know, go there, right?

• Huh.

So I have over 6,000 views on one of my videos,

which to me, that's a lot.

I mean, it's in the grand scheme of things, not a lot,

but it is a lot over six years.

Well, actually really anyways, 6,000 views.

It's a big number.

One of the biggest complaints in the comments

is the fact that they had to hear Alex

while I was showing people how to do things.

One of the biggest appreciations in the comments

was that they could hear Alex.

Well, I was telling you to do something.

So, you know, that's something to be aware of for sure.

• Yeah.

• Yeah, we needed to talk that one through.

• Yeah, and I still need to,

I still have not found a satisfactory way.

So anybody hears this and wanna reach out to us on Mastodon

or via email, do so, if you have a way to do this.

There is a way to put like the AD track,

the audio described track into a YouTube video, right?

I have not found a consistent way to do it easily,

like efficiently, like it needs to just kind of be a drop in

into a pipeline.

I record a video with, you know, macOS built in screen

recording zone, whatever you use, edit, you know,

make your edits for me, I'll probably make those edits

in Reaper and just carry on about my day.

But then I want to be able to add the separate audio track

of voiceover or NVDA to that video.

and then people can turn on the audio describe track

if they need to hear the screen reader

and leave it off if they don't.

• Or a discussion we were having on Mastodon today was,

maybe YouTube would actually honor

the audio description checkbox under accessibility

and automatically give you the content that you want.

• Automatically give you, that would be even better

if they would do that, but you know.

• I told--

• I'm just wishing for a way to make it easy.

• I told Marty and Allison on Mastodon,

Hey, I think the only app that consistently does this for me at

least is Apple TV. Netflix might, but I don't watch a lot

of Netflix content anymore.

Right now. So we should look into peer to how you looked at

any of those other activities. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. I

gotta get this freaking CRM in place. I can start making sales.

I can start paying things. So I can go look at other things.

Did you get my email this morning?

Uh, I did.

Okay.

And side note on the CRM, what I think we should do, uh, is just sit down together

and go through some configuration stuff as we're doing it.

So if there are questions, there are questions, maybe that's some content we

could record and then, you know, edit down later on to be useful for something as well.

Like a membership.

Oh, yeah.

Should we say that?

We don't know yet.

Go to your own pay.com/tw.

Get on the mailing list if you're interested

because we're trying some weird, not weird,

we're trying some different things out

to experiment with sustainability instead of just hobbies.

• What about your podcast network?

I hear you, I heard that.

I heard that.

(laughing)

It is coming but all man is it different.

Things can change in an afternoon.

• Very rapidly, very rapidly.

But that is coming.

Target release day for, I don't,

actually I don't have a target release day yet.

• I have an internal target release day

that neither of us has shared

with the other one. - I have one in my mind

that hasn't been discussed with anybody.

Right, right.

It ain't been discussed at all.

So that discussion has to happen.

But oh man, I am more excited about it now, I think.

than I was, like I still wanted to get it done,

but I think that final little piece just fell into place.

And it's like, all right, let's go.

• Yeah, we'll see where it goes.

Unmute presents, we've been publishing

some interesting content.

Lately we had the Friday Finds episode with Lynn,

where she talked about three tech stories

that you might wanna go check out.

And then this coming Thursday,

interesting discussion with Even,

who is the individual behind the Voice Central application,

a semi-competitor to Voice Stream.

And I hesitate when I say that because in my eyes,

that's really not a competitor

because I use Voice Stream for more than just reading books.

And for me, Voice Stream is my MP3 player really.

And even said in the interview that he has no intentions

for the foreseeable future to support playback

MP3 files in the application. So to me it's like, oh no, I'm not going to use this application.

Nothing against what he's doing. If you need a book reader, it's a very simple interface.

And it was really easy to set up. And we had a pretty, pretty good discussion with him. So

check that out coming up this Thursday on unmute presents. Damacy, have you done anything lately

you want to mention? Or do you want to add? Yeah, I just nearly broke the base on my webcam.

Yeah, see, this is why we shouldn't be playing with things.

Oh, wait, no, no, it's starting to sound like Mallory. Dude.

Oh, man. So, you know, Mallory.

Yesterday, we were talking, I forget exactly what she was,

what came up and I said, yeah, but the podcast listeners know

that you have an obsession with shoes. And she goes, are you

telling me that your podcast listeners know about me and my

obsession with shoes? I'm like, yeah, like your name comes up

probably at least once every couple of episodes.

So people know your name, they know your...

She goes, "Does that mean thousands of people

know who I am?"

I'm like, "No, not yet, I don't get that many downloads."

And she's like, "But it still means like hundreds

of people know who I am."

And I'm like, "Yeah, probably a thousand people.

I mean, over everything, maybe a thousand people."

So, you know, that's a interesting conversation to have.

The unexpectedness of finding some sort of success

with a little bit of podcasting.

I mean, a little bit of successful podcasting.

Yeah. So, yeah. Yeah, that that that conversation. So, I'll

tell you how I broke my webcam. Mike's telling the story of of

of he's or he's getting the word out about the episode

coming up with the guy from uh what's his name called again?

Voice Central. Speech Central. Yeah. Speech Central. Hold on.

So, I just deleted it off my phone. Uh well, I think it's

Voice Central but. Yeah, I think that is what it's called.

• Speech Central.

• Speech Central, okay.

Here's the thing, right?

I downloaded it 'cause you told me about the episode

and the interview, well you told me about the interview

that was coming up and you were like,

take a look at it, you know, this and that.

So I wanted to go look at it.

Well, I downloaded it, all right?

That's the first step in looking at it,

is downloading it, all right?

So it was there, it was actually on my phone

right next to Voice Stream Reader

because I happened to download those

at the, you know, right behind each other, basically,

'cause I hadn't put VoiceStream reader on the phone yet.

So then I hear about the, he doesn't do MP3s,

and there's no plans to do MP3s.

(laughing)

Well, there's no point in me opening the application.

Conversation over.

• Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• Now, that's not saying that no one should go look

at the app or that it's not a good app.

From what I have heard from other people,

It sounds like it is a pretty well put together out, but it's just going to read

text.

I don't know enough about the type of text.

I don't know if it has the breadth of file type support that voice stream had

for, or has for docs and text and Markdown and HTML and so on PDFs.

But if it does, and it meets your knees, I mean, absolutely use it for me.

And this is why I said on the conversation I had with Marty and

then about the price raise coming for,

or already in effect for Voice Stream Reader,

then I will probably continue to pay that price

because I have been getting tremendous value out of that.

And again, as an app that if it's not on my phone,

at some point in the first week of resetting a phone,

depending on how aggressive I am

about actually using my phone,

I'm gonna realize that Voice Stream Reader is not on my phone

because I'm gonna go to do something

that it normally provides for me,

and then it's not gonna show up in my share sheet.

And I'm like, oh, gotta go install that.

• So Voice Speech Central,

and I probably call it Voice Central

and I'm not gonna go and cut that out,

but Speech Central is the real name of the application.

Did let me, so what I did is I installed it

and I did not actually connect it to any services,

but it did show up in the share sheet.

So I did share a PDF file with it.

And I believe it did OCR on the PDF file.

So it works.

It's just not gonna be the app for me because I need,

honestly, VoiceStream Reader, as I said,

I play more MP3s in there than I read text with.

It's great to have for text reading,

but I play more MP3s in there than anything.

• Yeah, I mean, I use it for both.

And for me, like there's not a replacement app

that I'm aware of for the MP3 playing back.

So there's no point in me having two apps,

one that I use for MP3s and one that I use for text,

if there's one that does both of those things.

And you know, as of right now, it's meeting my needs.

I get people are upset with the price hike

for Voice Stream Reader.

I'm frankly not surprised that this came

because as I pointed out,

and this app is going on sale several times over the years,

I bought Voice Stream Reader when it was 4.99

when it first released.

I have been using it and you know, this is when it first released that I was what 2012

2013.

I have been using it since then up until now and never given a guy any more money because

he never asked for any more money.

I would have gave it to him.

He's never asked for it.

He kept updating the app and adding features and staying current with the OS functionality.

Never asked for any more money.

Therefore, he never got any more money.

60 bucks a year for me is it's not excessive for what the app does.

Because you use it every day.

If not every day, you use it several times a week.

Right.

And for me, the ability to just throw away a PDF or any kind of text file, a lot of audio

formats in there and just listen to them, mostly the text files as though I'm listening

to an audio book is awesome.

still one of the most amazing features of having a smartphone

for me is that I can grab a PDF that is a white paper on

something, drop it into voice stream reader and then go do the

dishes.

And listen to it. And then press the button and answer your

headphones when someone calls you or skip back if it's like,

Oh, wait, what did you say? Let me skip back, right? Let me skip

back a little couple of paragraphs. I think I didn't

quite understand that.

Guess what? Your headphones actually work when you press the

buttons.

• Yeah, yeah.

So, I recently wiped my phone.

Actually, I wiped it after we recorded last week's episode.

• Yep.

• So, same deal, I think I said it in the last show.

When I wiped it, I was gonna throw this off

or out there, I'm gonna do it again.

We did have a winner, I think I mentioned.

• You did.

• For the Mac, but not on the iPhone.

Give me five, and this is easier on the phone.

You know, on the back there's so much stuff because I said on the back what did I install?

So that also included PHP.

That's a possible answer.

I think he used that as an answer too.

Yep.

Yep.

So that that's a possible, but on the phone it's just apps, right?

I can't install anything but apps.

So give me five of the first 10 apps that I installed on my iPhone.

We don't count any built-in apps and we don't,

and I'll even give a pass on something like TestFlight.

I'm not gonna count that.

If TestFlight was number 10 and VoiceStream was number 11

and you give me VoiceStream, not TestFlight,

I'll honor that 'cause TestFlight is TestFlight.

That's the thing.

Not everybody knows about it.

But Mike, what do you think five of the first 10 apps

I installed are?

• So to me--

And you, sir, do not get any points for saying one pass.

You knew that's right where I was going.

I was going to say, so to me, one password is the first one.

So you get there.

There's your free one.

So you only need to come up with four because you as the listener can use one

password, but to me, I think the UB co application, I forget the exact name of

it to manage your UB key.

Hmm.

You want me to list them off and then you tell me my five, or how do you want to do

this?

Yeah, just just list off the five. Okay, so so Yubico is what we'll call it.

I know it was not Stripe because of a comic you made the other day. So I'm not going to say Stripe

there. So this is an interesting one. I don't know if you're using Signal or Telegram. So I will say

Signal. So Yubito, Signal.

Can you tell that sometimes I don't pay attention to what Duwase is doing on his phone.

Are you using Brave? So I'll say Brave. I don't think you've actually used Brave, but an alternative

browser you can choose if you want to mention that or not. I guess you can't really tell me if I'm

right on the show. And a I'm wondering if you're using the data jar and the last one

that I'll say is toolbox for shortcuts.

Wow.

None of those, huh?

You are 100% wrong.

There you go.

The only one you would have gotten right if I let you get it would have been web pass

And funnily enough, this time, One Passware was not the first app that I installed on

the phone.

Right.

And I kind of knew not to, well, I kind of suspected not to choose some of the normal

ones.

I didn't say drafts on there, but I should have.

And the other one that I was thinking of, I don't know where you want to go with it,

but I know you're going to try not to use it.

And I don't know how long it's been since you've not used it.

The big F.

• Fantastic. So it is on the phone now.

So funny thing is like I have not done any customization

to my phone mostly.

So all of my apps are on the home screen.

And it was so I could look and see what did I install

and what order did I install things in.

• So what do you think I recently installed?

Because I'll tell you the five that I installed first.

And you might be surprised.

• One password would have been one of those.

Fantasticow.

WhatsApp.

Dropbox.

And Spring.

• So neither of us know each other's phones very well.

(laughing)

Like we know we talk about, but anyways,

so I will tell you what the first 10 are on my phone,

just so we can go over that.

It's gonna be Mona Overcast, Ira Explorer,

Capital One, Clubhouse Sonos, Unify Cash App,

One Password, and YouTube.

(laughing)

The only reason Cash App is on there

is because I had to send my sister money

and she hasn't figured out Apple Pay.

• Uh-huh, like that same for some of this stuff.

• So, Damacy just shared with the live stream

and me his 10 applications, and I'm interested in--

• Ha, ha, ha, I forgot about the live stream.

• Who is, so right, until you were done like,

"Oh, Damacy just shared with me,"

and then like, "And the live stream,"

'cause remember, you're always live in your mind, Michael.

• Yeah, I forgot about the live stream.

• So if you're listening to "Lifestream," send an email.

Reach out to us.

• You still gotta reach out and tell me.

I will not ask unless you give them to me exactly

if I just get you there.

• Right, right, right.

Come on, just mix it up a little bit.

• Feel a little clever about it.

So for me, that came out of basically necessity.

I needed Zoom to join into a meeting

and I wasn't at the computer at the time,

So I was like, oh, let me install Zoom.

And then click on this Zoom link.

All right.

Then one password, because I realized nothing else

I was going to do, I would be able to sign in too.

And I'm having this conversation with you.

We can't put that in the show.

Well, see, I was going to leave those in there,

see how far you went down there.

And I mean, if people are actually listening.

[LAUGHTER]

I just realized I'm about to do what the whole thing is.

(laughing)

But I'm talking to you,

I'm not even thinking about this shit anymore,

I'm just talking to you.

• Yeah, yeah, yeah.

• Moving along.

• So I told you to ask me a question today.

• Yeah, you did tell me that you had some big news

of some sort, so what is going on today?

• Steven was right.

Steven was right.

The MX keys keyboard is like magic,

and I'm pretty sure you've told me this too, so.

Nope, I haven't 'cause I've never owned one.

• Mallory--

• Now I may have to give one.

• Yeah, I, yeah.

So Mallory decided that, hey, you know,

I'm really just at this office for a couple hours a week.

I have a built-in keyboard laptop

and Michael's working at home.

Why don't I just give him that keyboard?

Which really means she wants to buy something

in the very near future and Michael got a keyboard.

Can you tell I've been married for a little while?

Anyways, I really like this keyboard.

I used Ira and we did figure it out.

So it was really hard for me not to call you and be like,

hey, how do you do this on a real macOS keyboard?

Because then that would have gave everything away.

So for example, I'm like, I knew he told me the FN key.

Oh, it was the same as the insert key.

And I remember that, so that works.

So it's the FN key, that six pack there

where it's FN home page up, but that row above that,

which is also F 14, 15 and 16 are the three buttons

that you can press and you press and hold one of them

to put it into pairing mode.

I haven't quite figured out how to switch devices yet,

but it will give you three devices.

I need to get the phone hooked up to the Vocaster.

I'm already telling you stuff you already know

because now I can just switch over to the phone

and then use that, which is pretty cool.

And then people are saying the app is not accessible

before Logitech.

So I'm gonna have to download that and try it with VOCR

and see how that works if it works at all.

But more importantly, I did go down the path

of starting to explore getting bit focused

to work with the keyboard to see if that's something

someone's hacked together if the software is not accessible

because now I have one to play with.

And then I can go to people and say,

"Hey, yeah, you could set these up."

'Cause I don't even know what the software does.

I don't know if you've, if you know,

or if you've looked or not, but yeah, that's-

• I have not looked 'cause I don't have,

I don't even have a Logitech keyboard at the moment.

I have been thinking about their portable version

of their MX keys, but I just haven't really needed

to buy one, 'cause I mean, if I'm traveling,

let's be honest, I got a laptop.

It has a keyboard on it, I buy another one.

That goes into a thing though,

and I wanna get this out there.

I have a small wish list for Apple.

I'm gonna have a very large one too,

but here's a small wish list of things I think

that are accomplishable and would honestly

serve your bottom line more than just a feature request from a random dude.

It's like, Oh, I want this.

So three things.

Number one, I want Apple to make a keyboard, make two versions of this keyboard,

a regular size, and then the full extended keyboard that allows

from multiple to vice pairing.

Give me at least three.

I'll take two, but three would be preferable or more.

and also will work with Touch ID for the device

that you are connected to.

So if I'm connected to my Mac,

it works for Touch ID to the Mac.

If I'm connected to my phone,

it works with Touch ID to authenticate me to the phone.

• Uh-huh, yep.

• Now, that ties into the second thing that I want,

which is on the next phone for some version

or next year's phone.

Hey, you really wanna sucker to Massey,

Make a USB-C phone this year with Thunderbolt speeds

on the Pro model and then make this phone

that I want you to make next year

and you'll sucker me into upgrading twice.

But make me a phone where I have Face ID and Touch ID.

Face ID as an option, Touch ID as an option.

Touch ID in the side button, the power button, right?

Give me that with the flexibility in the operating system

to configure how that's requested.

So let's say if I'm making a purchase,

I need to do Touch ID.

But if I'm unlocking an app, say one password,

I need to do Touch ID and Face ID or something.

Give me some flexibility in when and how that is used.

Like, you know, elevate my security

where I need both of them in some instances.

Like if I wanna change my Apple ID password,

for example, that should require face ID and touch ID.

And then the third thing, where was the third thing?

I think I've forgotten what the third thing was now.

So there may be only two.

• I think.

• Oh, no, I do know what the third thing is.

The third thing is give me the ability to mute

any call using my earbud.

• Ah.

Any app that uses the call kit framework,

so whether that's the phone app, FaceTime, Zoom, Signal,

any app that supports call kit,

that natively when I wake my phone up,

I can see the screen of that app

and mute and do all of that stuff

like I would in the phone app,

make it possible for me to configure my earbuds

with Beats, AirPods, whatever headphones Apple makes,

to mute in that call.

And it's pretty easy to do a thing right now

with the headphones,

because I recently got a notification that popped up

when I was putting in my beats that said,

would you change the way you hang up calls?

Would you like to single press the button

or you can double press the button to hang up?

So on the beats, I changed it to double press to hang up

because sometimes I'm trying to nudge the earbud

back in my ear with my hand

and actually then to push the button and hang up on people.

So now I have to double press it.

Well, what if a single press while I was on a call

with mute or unmute the call?

I need this.

• Yeah.

And Apple, if you're listening to us,

we're waiting for those updates

and hopefully we'll get more info

in about two and a half weeks or three weeks.

Wow, it's very almost true.

• I really want the keyboard, don't I?

I will pay $2.50 for a full extended keyboard

that did those things.

• That would be nice.

That would be nice.

I like this number pad though.

I'm just using, it's weird to just have three keys

on the left instead of four.

And I call my keys match up where they should on the Mac.

(laughing)

• So how's the keyboard, you know, typing wise?

Like it is--

• So I'm not a keyboard snob personally.

I am, it is very comfortable to type on, I will say.

There's enough travel for me that I'm able to

actually press it and feel that I'm pressing the key,

but it's not too much.

And it's also fairly quiet as well,

which for me, I prefer something quiet

because I'm often working with other people around and stuff.

It's not like super quiet, like you can't hear it,

but it's not like super clicky.

If I want clicky, I'll put clickies in my headphones

with that app that everyone was talking about for five bucks.

But I'm not buying it.

I will not buy it.

Yeah, clack or whatever it was, yeah.

• Yeah, not doing it.

• I refuse to.

What's been throwing me off those

because on the other keyboard that I was using,

I had to go to the third key over to get to the option key

because I swapped my, huh, I wonder.

Oh, my brain is broken.

I'm gonna reset my computer one of these days

in the near future.

But I reset my command and option keys.

And so I had to go to the third key over,

but now to get to my option key,

I think it fixed itself.

So I just hold the right option,

which is the second key over.

That is taking a little bit to get used to,

but aside from that, yeah.

• Cool, the MX key.

• I haven't played with it in Parallels yet.

I want to see how that goes.

Or fix it, so this other keyboard that I have

is my Parallels keyboard that's plugged into my USB port,

and then can I set it so Alt + Tab works the way it should,

but it's really Option + Tab,

because I'm using the MX keys in Mac OS,

I can just keep my command key where it is.

Does that make sense?

• Yeah, it does.

• The only thing I would lose in that instance

is the task manager for Windows, which is Windows key tab,

because that would be command tab into Mac OS,

but I don't use it as much as I do

when I'm using a regular Windows computer versus bootcamp.

Well, not bootcamp, but Parallels,

because interestingly enough,

and maybe it's the way the keyboard's assigned,

I don't use virtual desktops on Windows,

surprisingly, in Parallels.

(laughing)

And that's what I used the Task Manager for, was to move,

'cause if you didn't know,

if you're on a Windows computer and you hit Windows tab,

this'll bring up a list of all your virtual desktops,

which you can create by going to the desktop with Windows D

and pressing Control Windows D,

and it will give you as many desktops as you want.

Alt-Tabbing then will only Alt-Tab you through the items that are open in that specific desktop.

From your desktop with Windows D, you can use Ctrl+Windows left and right arrow keys to move

back and forth between the desktops. But Windows Tab will give you a list of all of your desktops.

You can press F2 on the desktop name to rename it if you want to give your desktop's names.

And then you can press Shift+F10 or Applications key on an applications window or a programs window

that's listed and there's an option that says move to a specific desktop or you

can actually have it make available on all desktops which when I discovered that

that was like magic because I wanted the soft phone to be available on all

desktops but I only wanted certain applications on each desktop.

So much of that sounds similar to the way that workspaces on the Mac work.

Except that whole part about when you're in a specific virtual desktop and hitting alt tabs keeps you in apps only in that desktop.

That is the part of macOS spaces that has always been broken for me and is the reason I can't use them.

Yeah. Yeah. I would love that feature because I especially on the Mac because the thing that I've noticed, I thought about trying workspaces.

No, that's not what they're called. What is the new thing called stage manager? I haven't gotten to it yet.

gotten to it yet. I did not like it on the iPad at all. Okay,

it is. But

did you not like it on the iPad? Because you didn't like it? Or

did you not like it on the iPad? Because you didn't understand

it? Because my thought was I didn't, I don't understand it

myself. So I might go pick up Shelley's book and actually read

her section on it and see if I better understand how stage

manager works and then see if I can apply that on the Mac.

So on the iPad, I didn't like it because it didn't work. And when

I say it didn't work, I mean, like it kind of broke voiceover in

way because you couldn't navigate normally exploring my touch didn't

always move voiceover like it was just a horrible and fair enough it was on a

beta two so I think I kind of understand the concept of it enough and that's why

I said I probably will try it on the Mac at some point I just need time to

actually just be fiddling around I'm not actually trying to get work done because

it's probably I feel like it's gonna require some some setup slash

exploration so I know what it's doing before I start trying to

work in it and realizing, you know, thinking it doesn't, you

know, it's broken. So, my concept of what we're and that's

a good idea. Read Shelly's book. Uh yeah. Just in general. On

works. Yeah. Well, on the workspace as stage manager.

Yeah. Yeah. She has a stage manager section for uh iPad OS

sixteen. Uh I should read it. You can go to AT guys.com and

by the book. Yeah, people should read Shelly's book just on general principle. If you're

struggling with anything with accessibility or you want to know about what's new with

the accessibility features because that's the other thing that Shelly does and there's

so much that gets dropped in releases right now that without going through it all over

again like there's whole new sections this year in voiceover settings on iOS alone that

were not there before or have gotten very much extended.

You said something that I wanted to go back to when I forgot

what it was. Because sidetracked me with these workspaces and

virtual desktops and stage managers and parallels and

switching keyboards between Windows and ah parallels. That's

what it was parallels. So command tab for me does just work the

same with them in parallels or not. So I didn't have to do any

mapping to that now pressing just command by itself brings up

the menu and windows, other windows commands work with the

windows key. So like Windows D takes me to the desktop, for

example. We have command tab always switches me out of

switches apps for me. Gotcha. Okay. Good to know. So we'll play

with that. I do wish I do wish that there were a way to connect

directly to Windows over Bluetooth with the keyboard because that will make life

easier for me at least because I could map the Windows keys to be what I want

them to be and have a shortcut key that will switch me out of that back into

Mac OS or just you know hit a key on the keyboard and switch back to controlling

Mac OS. Now you've mentioned something to me a couple of times when we're not

recording and I'm gonna bring it up here. Have you went and looked in the setting

to find out if there's a way to do that.

Because I was gonna say,

when I plug in a new device and I'm in Windows,

I do get that screen that I have to OCR on

that asks if I wanna make it available

to the virtual machine.

I wonder if there's a way to connect keyboards directly

to the virtual machine and skip macOS.

• I think you can, I have looked in the settings.

And that's also an option you can change.

You can set by default when I plug in a device,

which OS should it go to, ask me or go to just macOS

windows. Uh but on the so from reading the documentation for

parallels, it looks like they intentionally block you being

able to connect like they they don't enable that capability

for you to connect to windows over a Bluetooth keyboard. I

understand why because if you only have the one Bluetooth

keyboard that just pairs to your Mac like say you're sitting

here with an iMac and a Magic Keyboard, right? Well, that's

only one connection and you go into Windows and say, I want to now pair this keyboard

with the Windows virtual machine, right? At that point, that keyboard is only controlling

Windows. Well, how did you can't get back to Mac OS to repair it because you broke your

keyboard. However, yeah, or plug it in with a cable will get you back there too. But that

It doesn't work for every single one device connection Bluetooth keyboard either.

So I understand that, but it doesn't account for like a way around it because I have a

keyboard that has multiple abilities to pair.

So F, whatever this is for me on my keyboard is because my keyboard that I'm using pairs

to four Bluetooth devices and I have four buttons that you use to put in pairing mode

and switch above the number pad.

So let's see if I count.

That's F12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 19.

F are device keys for me.

So F16 is the Mac, like it would be nice.

F17 is the Mac Mini.

F18 could be Windows.

Right now I'm controlling this Windows virtual device.

That would be kind of cool.

Or even some kind of virtual, that would be better.

'Cause then I could do some keyboard mapping

and have Windows key be where it's actually supposed to be

without it giving me unexpected results in macOS

when I press the option key.

• One of the unexpected perks that I realized

while you were talking was that when I do figure out

how I can switch devices, I have this state,

I shoot iPad to my left that has a keyboard on it as well.

Well, that's plugged into the Vocaster.

no one hears that. So I can check my Outlook email on there

to see if I have any new messages because I've been

neglecting that. So I'm trying to be more conscious of that

email account. And I don't want to tie it up with any of my

other personal stuff. But now that I have this up, because

it's not a device that synchronizes with my iCloud

account, I can actually go in and set it up as a Bluetooth

device. And then I'll have to take my hands off the keyboard

because I'm just wearing one pair of headphones. And that's

pretty cool. Like I like that. I probably won't find an adapter

and keep it on the bottom of my phone,

but that would be kind of cool for my phone

if I just plugged that into the Vocaster.

Maybe I need to get a Vocaster too

because then I can just Bluetooth to my phone.

I don't know, we'll see.

I might also download Castro to the Mac.

You'll have to stay tuned to find out.

Oh.

• Castro, yeah Michael, let's switch to Castro again.

• Yeah, yeah.

I don't wanna talk about it.

I really don't.

(laughing)

• You know, I should go look at this,

this command line thing, Mac up,

they used to be around and they used to see

if it's still around.

So what Mac up would do is it would copy

to a cloud storage of your choice,

or wherever you wanted it to honestly.

Your configuration files for a lot of apps.

So what the settings were for a lot of your apps, right?

So that when you reinstalled or set up a new computer,

you would just go sync those, you know, reinstall Mac up.

It's kind of like Homebrew and Brew file in a way.

but just for your settings.

• Yeah, so you install Mac up and then you run Mac up,

you know, restore or whatever,

configure it to point to where your files are.

And then it's basically sim linking the directory

for, you know, text mate settings to wherever it's stored

and drop box for you or something like that, right?

So I need to take a look at that,

see if it's still being actively developed

'cause that could be a way to resolve

that particular problem.

Put it somewhere, I could use my external drive

because it's encrypted.

And yeah.

We will follow up on that next week,

as well as me telling people most likely what the first 10

apps were that I actually installed

and why I installed them in the order that I did.

Because it's very strange.

Mike was so far off.

I was.

Mike was like, signal.

I was like, I haven't even installed signal.

Nobody's on signal.

And I just still am resistant to WhatsApp.

Yeah.

Yeah.

WhatsApp.

I literally just installed WhatsApp today because Steven

emailed me and said, Hey, I sent you a couple of messages over

here. So I replied to him. I'm like, you know what happens when

you sign into WhatsApp on the blind shell, but then you get a

phone call and you don't finish setting it up. It signs you out

of WhatsApp on your iPhone. And you don't get notifications

because you're not all the way to sign in.

Speaking of WhatsApp one, I can kind of feel my resistance

starting to crumble a little bit because it's not going anywhere.

And like I can't, me by myself can't move people over to where I am more comfortable

such as Signal or 3ma.

3ma was kind of dead to me very early though because one you had to pay for the app in

order to get it.

It was $2.99 but still you got to pay for it.

Like why would I pay for that when I could just use Facebook Messenger?

Okay.

Point made.

Signal however being free, I wish more people were using that.

They do have a couple of issues that I don't care for and I wish that they would figure

out a reasonable way to adjust or at least give me the option to opt out of it.

I don't like that they require your phone number.

That's one of the things I liked about three minutes.

It didn't require you to give them a phone number.

Now personally, I don't really care about signal having my phone number, but just from

standpoint of the most possible privacy you can offer a person in case they need

such a thing I would like to see them do something about that my resistance to

what's happens crumbling a little bit though because a lot of people are on

what's happened that's that's gonna be the most reliable way and as I start

jumping between devices because I can also feel that about to happen again

where I'm gonna be like oh I could just move this sim card over here all right

Now I'm using a pixel and it kind of sucks a little bit,

but it's okay.

WhatsApp is gonna be cross platform, right?

I can't take eye message with me.

People aren't gonna jump on signal.

Also, I appreciate the fact that WhatsApp is sticking

to their commitment for privacy and security,

which they've been doing pretty good

over the past couple of years.

They say they will pull out of the UK

If the UK enforces back doors on encryption, basically sign for signal.

So it's going to be interesting to see what happens there.

So yeah, there was plenty more that I wanted to talk about that we got

distracted by this, uh, Auden app.

Maybe we'll try it, be a little bit more prepared, but I figured we had to

actually try it out because yesterday I posted on Mastodon that we

were going to try something.

And then this morning I remembered, I don't even know what tool we're using.

So I had to go Google it to find the name of it.

So I could send it to the mossy.

Anyways, I just Googled Twitter spaces for mastodon and it popped right up.

Uh, yeah.

You have anything else?

Uh, I got my wish list out there for Apple.

Yes.

I haven't started to do it.

So me neither.

This is a USB C keyboard too, which I do like.

Yeah, that's one thing I don't like about this.

But I have some user right now is that as many as micro micro micro.

That's the second one I have here.

It's micro. Yeah.

So yeah, I'm really trying to get away.

Hey, we're going to put a call out right now for people listening.

If you happen to know so there, there was a thing that exists.

They still do exist. They're called USB hubs. Right.

A long time ago, when you had a laptop or a desktop where you were running out of

ports you will go out and buy USB hub they're bus powered in you know

electric group power ones but I like the bus power ones you could go out and buy

this and it will probably give you like four or five extra USB-A ports for your

computer you can plug stuff in everything worked just fine right I want one of

these that has just USB-C ports so just four three or four doesn't have to be

you know any more than that that is bus powered and I could carry with me just

plug into my laptop and boom,

I now have extra USB-C ports for things.

I have not found one that exists, that is just USB-C.

We'll have a conversation about this in Zoom the other day

and I forget what I asked 'cause we are a couple

of more years into this transition

and perhaps such a thing exists

and I just have not found it yet 'cause I'm not looking.

I have given up.

• You have given up and now if you have an idea,

reach out to Demasi on Mastodon or myself.

And we'll both get notifications.

I just sent my hand down on my desk

and I found this plastic thing

that we were looking at possibly carrying.

And I forgot about it until I found it.

(laughing)

Anyways, how can people reach out to us on Mastodon, Demasi?

• All right, so you can go to michael.yourownpay.com.

And I will redirect you to where Michael is on Mastodon.

Damacy.yorompay.com will redirect you to where I am on Mastodon.

If you were listening live, you know where that is today.

Probably won't be there next week.

But the redirections, uh, as your own pay will always work.

So you always know what server we're on.

And if you run your own website, think about doing that too.

Cause why not?

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Guess that gives me a good heads up though that I'm gonna be successful in the next two years

Like we start making a lot of money or something because somebody felt the need to go to the future

To register a domain that I was gonna want to buy for something

All right, so good sign. That's how we're gonna take it. Yeah

We're not gonna say that name keep is full of crap and they just didn't want to sell me that domain

Because it was great

All right, so I'm recording locally in Reaper on my own track so I can mark Rieker Reaper

Wow, it's gonna be a fun show so I can mark Reaper up

When things happen like that, huh? That's a good kind of

Backup, I mean it's not ideal. But what I can do now is you recording clean feet

Yeah, I'm recording in clean feet. Okay. Good deal. Go ahead. Oh, okay. So what I can do now

is like I have my hotspot for clean feed as zero so I hit Vio space on that and

that downloads that but I just picked a random place in Reaper and if I set Vio

one to that that opens Reaper I don't care where I am and then M and all of

a sudden I have a marker at least that should work but for some reason it is

not why is that okay for some reason keyboard so I just need to hit a

up arrow to make sure and then hit the mark.

And it's not gonna be perfect,

but it'll give me a good representation of, you know,

something needs my attention around this point.

• Yeah.

So I was gonna be cool and come into Clean Feed and Firefox?

• No.

• But I couldn't paste a link into the URL bar in Firefox.

So.

• That's not good.

Firefox alternately has good releases

and slightly screwy releases on the Mac with voiceover.

I found the most consistency, honestly,

either using the beta or nightly,

and then I will go to the release,

but I just did the release version, so.

It's been a little weird.

It works sometimes really well, sometimes it doesn't.

• Gotcha.

I ended up having to rebuild my loopback.

I'm gonna put that there.

I ended up having to rebuild my loopback device

because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.

And let's just say the headphones came off pretty fast.

And I frantically hit command delete, command delete.

And I'm glad I did because now what I set up

is any audio that's in my left ear tells me that that audio is live.

So for example, if I'm like, well, hey, let's do something kind of cool.

Sometimes I don't know exactly what I'm doing and what's going live.

But I know if I hit this button, faintly you'll hear music or other audio and I'm going to switch

it out. But I know that because I was able to faintly hear it

under my voice. And you know, I know what's going where, even

though there is a slight delay, to me, it is more reassuring.

So

it's a good hack, though.

It is. And then pass through devices, sir. Pass through

devices. With sound source. Because I'm at the point where I

I can just take in the audio that's playing on the Mac.

• That's how my left and right ear devices are set up.

It's like, they're just pass-throughs.

I just switch stuff to them in SoundSource.

• Yeah.

Your episode went live today.

Well, not your episode.

Lynn's episode went live on Unmute today

and I cut it down to 28 minutes.

• Good deal.

• You have to listen to it and see what you think

'cause you were part of the conversation.

So there was stuff that I cut, obviously,

'cause otherwise it would have been

about 43 minutes or so.

So there was stuff that I cut,

but I think I did an okay job.

The first time I published it though,

I got an email from someone

and Michael Doyes texted me

about the same time Marty called me

and I realized it on the Google Home,

I forgot to set the play right back to zero or to one

when I rendered the project and I did not change.

I did not lock the pitch.

So Marty sounded like a chipmunk.

I didn't tell Marty, he sounded good as a chipmunk.

He wasn't as thrilled as I thought he would be,

but I fixed it.

So if you happen to have a chipmunk,

you version of unmute on your pod catcher app,

then just re download it.

Cause Michael told me that Taylor downloaded it

a little bit afterwards and she not the right one,

which it was supposed to be that way.

So yeah, well, it wasn't supposed to be sped up, but yeah.

• It was supposed to work.

So when you updated the episode, it refreshed everywhere.

• Yeah, I've been making little mistakes like that.

Like I also, I'm not gonna go fix it

'cause it's not worth it, but like your audio super quiet

'cause I didn't normalize you,

which I probably should have done,

but I don't know, it's little mistakes that I've been making.

I think I need to slow down like Mallory always tells me.

• Hmm, yeah. - Go down.

• I was trying to Google something.

Oh, Reaper pre-render.

• Oh, to have it run actions before you render it,

so that way I can protect myself.

• Or at least check, like, warn you to check.

It's like that pre-publish in WordPress where it's like,

did you do these things?

Have you done these stuff?

If there's no title, it warns you.

Like, hey, there's no title.

I need to figure out how to hook into that.

So did you find it funny that,

I don't know if you cut this out of the actual show or not,

but did you find it a little ironic

that I just said yesterday or whenever we recorded that,

I would say that Max do get viruses.

It's a matter of scale, basically is what I said.

and then he dropped this story to me today from Macworld.

I was like, man, not Macworld.

I hate going to Macworld.

But anyway, it's a little better than it used to be.

Man, it used to auto-play movies all the time.

But I saw that and I was like, "Oh, that's funny."

I literally just got finished saying that yesterday

'cause she was like, "Oh, you know,

Macs don't get viruses."

I was like, "Actually."

I didn't really want to be that guy,

but I had to be that guy.

Well, actually, the Mac does have viruses.

they exist. Just this a matter of scale. You know, you got 300 million users of

Windows. I'm just throwing out random numbers and, uh, you know, 50 million Mac

users. Like, obviously if somebody hits, I mean, who are you going to go after?

More money over there. But then you're also going to hear more about the

Windows people because there's more of them. Right, right.

Okay, I'm going to leave that off.

Huh.

Good to know.

Yeah.

I thought that was quite interesting when I sent it over.

That's the one I sent over to you, right?

Cause I sent you one earlier.

I've been trying to use Lear more if you can't tell.

And that's one of the first stories and we go, that's funny.

I did leave that in the show.

I think, I don't know when, when I edit audio, sometimes I don't remember what

stays and what goes.

Well, I know the feeling when I have to, the times that I had to edit DM, like I

I couldn't have told, I may have been

to tell you what to tell you, like I cut this part out

because ultimately we found out that that wasn't true

or we didn't find the infro, you know,

something like that, that's easy, but the rest of it,

I don't know what I cut out, man, listen to it.

I mean, one time I did actually listen back to my episode,

but one of the episodes I edited and I was like, huh.

So I cut out the part about the thing

that I was looking for in the thing,

you know what I mean, tell nobody about it.

Oh, yeah, editing audio.

It's a fun art.

Going back to Michael Dooley for a second though.

Him shout out to Michael Doyce he chatted us up on mastodon. Yeah, he told me that I need to go get on mastodon

So I got a notification from ivory

I don't know if I told his story on the shore or not

But so when ivory came out everybody was all excited. Well when it was in beta everybody was excited about it now

97% of the people that were excited about it that I were hearing that I was hearing about or hearing from were sighted people

that were former Tweetbot users.

The Tweetbot developers, of course,

don't have an app anymore for Twitter

'cause they got their API shut down.

So they started making ivory.

I took...

I didn't get in on a beta.

I was like, "Well, it may be worth looking at

"because they have some years now of people

"talking to them about accessibility

"that may be starting here.

"This will be different."

And also, Mastodon, like, I mean, you got child apps.

It's like the early days of Twitter, right?

So I tried it I set up the free trial once it was released like I was like, okay

I'll do the seven-day trial what I did not do and I've started really trying to get into the habit of doing is I did

Not go counseling

So I ended up paying for ivory hadn't really used it. I was like, well, I got it for a year

I mean I canceled it now, but I got it for a year. It notified me that my

Macedon though. I did not get a notification from Mona, but yeah may not have set Mona up to do that either

So yeah me too because I did not get a notification but like you I don't think I set Mona up to give me notifications

That's interesting though that I've so tell me what did Michael say? Oh

What did Michael say

We will put a link to the

Mastodon can you do that and the show notes? Yeah. No, okay same way you do on Twitter

You just click the time and oh, I guess you could just share it too from the app

I mean, I really don't know how I'm going to do it

But we'll figure it can be done that much I do know like I can I can do it

I just I haven't done it yet. So we'll see but yeah, we'll put a link to it in the show notes

He was just sharing some travel tips. He mentioned

Pre TSA pre-check, I think

Yeah, usually mention that to me. I haven't looked into it any I should

He was like, "That way you don't have to take stuff out of your backpack."

I was like, "Oh."

Well, that's the...

People have to give me reasons to do stuff.

Just tell them, "Oh, yeah, pre-check will get you through a little quicker or whatever."

It's like, "Okay."

Right.

But I'm going to get through pretty fast anyway.

I mean, I'm not going to be bumped past a bunch of people, but I'm going to move along pretty quickly anyway.

Yeah, it's not gonna take me that long, so why not just get it done and just go through

it?

Why do I gotta pay money to do what I'm already doing?

It's that whole pay money thing and then am I gonna fly enough to really justify paying

this money?

Right, that's another thing.

But saying, "Hey, you don't have to take a month's crap out of your backpack."

Now that may get me interested.

That has to be interesting.

It's like, okay, this makes it worthwhile.

I don't have to take stuff out.

Okay, that's a reason to do it.

Even though I feel like I'm giving up more information

than I ought to be.

• Did you look it up?

• I had looked it up prior.

I have not gone to sign up for it yet.

'Cause there's still that question of like,

this may be the only time I fly this year.

• Right, right.

• It probably won't be, but it could be.

• But it could be.

• If it's the only time I fly this year.

• Every year if I'm only flying once.

• Yeah, like if I'm flying forward then it becomes a thing.

It's like I was looking at this app that I hear a lot of people talking about flighty.

I was like, actually, because it was on the front page of the home screen.

I like that app.

I use it to track Nicholas's flight whenever he comes in.

Oh, man, I wish you would have told me this.

I hadn't looked at it ever.

Because I mean, yeah, yeah, I use it like quite regularly just to like when Nicholas

was flying or when Mallory flew earlier this last year, I wasn't earlier this year, or

Maybe it was, I don't even know time anymore.

But yeah, I don't go trap just random fights,

but that's what I use to track other people's fights.

• Ah, makes sense, makes sense.

So do you pay for it or are you able to do everything

you wanna do for free?

• Yeah, I don't pay for it.

Maybe I could to get rid of the ads and stuff,

but for what I need for it, I don't pay for it myself.

So, the little app, if you haven't checked it out,

I will link, and I'm putting more work for myself,

to a Mystic Access review where Chris and Kim

actually went in and demonstrated the app

and showed people how to use it.

At uronepay.com/tw.

• Ureonepay.com/tw.

• So we're gonna work on the site redesign.

That's gonna get a big push through.

I gotta start focusing more on that

'cause we're having some technical issues

with the main site because, well, you know,

When you use a base WordPress database since 2013,

sometimes you just gotta scrub it and start over.

• Yep, yep, yep.

• Yeah.

Gotta figure out how to bring in.

I think I'm just gonna, huh.

So I don't have any content on your own pay.com

that's not a podcast.

What if I use the podcast importer plugin

and just imported each of the RSS feeds

for each of the podcasts

and then that already sets it up

to automatically import future content

if they have future content?

Instead of bringing in the content

directly over from your own head.

• You made all the developments, right?

• Yeah.

• Yeah, I thought that's what you were doing.

• Oh, no, I was just gonna bring it over

from your own pay.

So I'll just bring it in from Pinecast

'cause that makes more sense.

'Cause I don't need any of the old blog content.

• That's what we were doing.

That's why we haven't,

I didn't just use the Migrator plugin

to pull your own pay over to the dev site

'cause we were gonna import stuff from Pinecast

using the importer plugin.

• So what do we need from you now?

• 'Cause it's just ephemeral content, right?

We can always pull all of that in at any time, so.

• Yeah.

So what do we need from me to do on that set?

• Right at the moment, nothing,

because remember I'm gonna drop that database

and just start from scratch.

So, and then we gotta figure out what we're doing.

I think we did decide,

we did decide what we're doing with unmute situation.

• Yeah, unmute's gonna go into the network site

and then we're gonna do a separate WordPress install.

for e-commerce.

Yeah, yeah.

Hey man, I'm glad you remember where we was going,

because I had it slightly wrong.

We don't want to meet all over there by itself.

It's all by itself.

We talked about that, but then we decided to use that.

Yeah, but that's not what we decided.

The demo podcast site and stuff.

Yeah, yeah.

So I guess if you get some time,

you want to set up a separate WordPress install

and we can do some mapping of domain names,

Then I can start working on the shop aspect of your working on the subs or the

absent

Yep, multi-site gotcha makes sense

How we can make this happen as well commerce to the rescue the power of mailing lists, sir

Talking about 80 guys. Yeah, yeah, man

But in general like you know

Just in general but yeah top of mind for me was is what happened with the one we just sent out from there though

Yeah, if you're not aware the JJ is not paying us JJ. We're not doing recording this on the clock or anything

But if you want to check out the power banks, they're currently on the 10,000 million power bank

dot com is on sale through Sunday and you can check it out for $69.

Yeah, I'm still I'm gonna send JJ invoice for the advertisement.

Okay, you should just say it.

He'll probably just pay it and then be like, wait, what did I

just

Well, so Damasi, how is CRM stuff?

It is coming along. Right now I have a local install where I'm

kind of getting all the settings configured for my situation for

my site. And I'm hoping to get that deployed over the weekend.

So that'll be live next week. And I'm gonna try to send them our

first invoice out of there and make sure that works as

expected.

Okay, sweet. So I have a question about that invoice, but

I just thought about something that I really meant to put

towards the beginning. I've heard some feedback about how

our episodes are creeping a little longer past that hour. We

will try to stick around that hour time, but sometimes we just

get enthralled into different discussions. So yeah, we'll see

where it goes. It's your first year the membership pitch you

want to go you want a shorter precisely to the hour episode go

to your own pay.com/support and we will make sure you get that. Yes, yes. Is that first

invoice going to be to me for Dropbox family? Because you need to remember to do that. No,

it was not going to be. But that would be a good first one because one that I need to

send out, I need to send that out already. Yeah, that's a good test. But yeah, the CRM

is coming on pretty good. I got to get rid of Desiree on the copy and stuff for the website.

I expected target dates kind of shifted a little bit, but because of how I initially

set stuff, it moved me enough that I can still reach what was the, okay, this is last ditch.

You can't go past this target date.

Can people go to a domain name to sign up?

Not yet.

Next episode, at least in the next two weeks for sure that will be there.

Got to get the copy.

But yeah, that will be up so we'll announce that here first and you can go what you will be able to do is go sign up and

show interest as we continue building out the back end for

Multiple customers because this is all gonna be a hosted solution for everybody

So I gotta make sure all the security that's my primary concern is making sure like there's no leakage no data leakage

so

What do you got this week?

Man, I had something that I just saw.

And I forgot about it.

Like I saw before I rebooted.

I did get GPT API for access.

Oh, did you?

Yeah, you should check your email.

You may have gotten it too.

I did check my email.

But I don't think I got it.

No, I did not get it as of yet.

but that could come soon.

How much more is GPT-4 access?

Do you know?

Say it again.

How much more, how much does GPT-4 access costs more?

Like?

Dad, I don't know.

What's the most tokens you've done in chat GPT?

That you're-

I have not looked.

Oh, you don't monitor them?

Mm-hmm.

Okay, so you can set chat, you can set Mac GPT to show you the tokens in the amount of each of your

transactions that you have with it at the bottom of the screen,

which I think is kind of handy because I was averaging, you

know, two to 300 tokens. But when I started changing my

prompts around to become more specific and ask direct

questions, my token slash usage jumped up to about 1800 tokens,

because I was getting a lot more details and a lot more

information than my initial prompt. So it's interesting to

watch that number. And I will watch my bill here.

That's a good idea with the problem. So you've been we will

drop a link to this GitHub project where there's a lot of

different prompts.

Man, I didn't even count them. I did call just looked at the row

numbers because I clicked on the CSV and that opened a table.

I didn't see the CSV. You mentioned that to me the other

I just call the repo. Oh, yeah. The very last file in that repo is a CSV. And that's all it is.

It's just a CSV with all of them in there. So instead of even downloading, I just opened the

table and or opened it in GitHub and then save that. And then I can just look through the table

if I want. Oh, okay. Yeah, that does. Hmm. Different ways to do different things, you know.

Yep. Yep. Yep. Yeah. I was just thinking about them pulling from a CSV and just rendering that.

So we'll put a link to this in the show notes.

It is a GitHub repository where they just have lists

set out up on their headings, very good navigation there,

showing different prompts that you can use to craft

for chat GPT.

So by default, and a prompt here is not what you're typing

in to get your answer.

It's like the, and Mike tell me if I'm using the wrong word.

I don't know if it's prompt.

Is it prompt?

At any rate, you're telling chat GPT how you wanted to behave before you even start asking

questions or submitting, you know, uh, in the chat, you're telling it how you want it

to behave.

So some examples were like behave as though you are a, um, mathematics teacher and you're

going to assist me in building a quiz, a math quiz for a sixth grader to ensure they understand

division or something like that, right? So that is how chat GPT

will answer your responses now is as though it's a math teacher

that is helping you craft a quiz, assuming your questions

are about trying to make a quiz.

Yeah, so what I've been doing with I would have thought the

usage would have went down, but you did say you're getting more

information back out of it. So I'm getting more detail. And

we're doing a lot of follow up back and forth as because what

I'm doing, for example, as I say, you are an assistant to a

podcast host on the unmute presents podcast. We just

released our new episode, which is a Friday finds episode. He in

this podcast series, we release three, we talk about three news

stories within 30 minutes. Ask me for the transcripts of each of

the segments of this show. Then give me a show title and

description with a promotional paragraph to share this episode.

And then when I send that, it asked me what's the first story?

What's the second story?

What's the third story?

I give it the transcripts.

What it did initially is it actually summarized each of them.

And then I took those summaries.

It gave each of those stories, its own title, and then I, a show

note summary, and then a promotional paragraph.

So then after I did all that, I re like it cleared out, I copied all of the

responses and then I cleared it out.

And I came back to it and said, you are an assistant to a podcast host on the

unmute presents podcast.

Our Friday finds episode shares three news stories.

Here are the summaries of those news stories you provided to me from the

transcripts, create one show title and show notes with a promotional

paragraph to promote this episode, this week's episode.

And then I sent it that and then it came back with the

information that I needed and combined all of it.

It said accessibility for the first word.

I changed that to subscriptions.

But then I think the, the final result that it came out with

wasn't horrible as I'm frantically switching over to the

right window to see what it called it.

It says subscriptions, subscription scams and privacy,

exploring the latest tech names.

And that was what Friday Finds episode eight called this week.

So I'm using it, I think a little bit more

and I'm a little scared to get chat GPT-4 access

because I hear that does cost more,

but also I hear the responses are a lot better

and maybe I won't have to break up the transcripts as well

to be able to be creative about it.

I can just send it all the data at once.

'Cause do you know what the token limit is on GPT-4?

that I'm gonna have to check.

• Okay, you should see if you can invite me

and we can play with it.

• Ah, that I should do, I'll try that.

But I'll take them.

• Because then I don't have to wait.

• I literally haven't--

• I'll give them a card that you can add if you need one.

That's so.

• Yeah, so I saw the email today, I was doing,

I knocked out a good bit of stuff on AT guys, I think.

So I saw the email and the only thing that I've done

about it period is going into S-GPT

and changed from GPT 3.5 turbo to GPT 4.

That was literally the only thing I did.

I did start playing around with that shortcut.

• S-GPT?

• Yeah, so I wanted to take out the messages.

The first thing I wanted to do was add my API key

to data jar and then pull in my API key that way.

• Did you figure that out?

• If I can figure out how to move this freaking field

where I needed to go in the shortcut stack.

Yeah, I'll be trying on the map.

Yeah, that's what I'm gonna do.

I hadn't had a chance to try on the Mac yet.

But that's about all I've done.

So I hadn't looked into anything on the API for four

other than making that change.

I think I may have changed it in Mac GPT to be API for,

but that's it.

Like I haven't typed anything in yet or anything.

• Oh, by the way, if you want to know more about Mac GPT

on yesterday's unmute presents episode,

I demonstrate map GPT and how I'm using it.

And in that demo, I'm using 3.5,

but we'll see how 4 changes things up.

Yeah.

All right, so let's talk about the elephant

that's in my room.

And Damacy has absolutely no clue

'cause he probably hasn't paid that much attention.

I talked last week or the week before

about how super excited I was

that I was releasing newsletters every Sunday

and I wasn't dropping the ball on it.

And then I dropped the ball on it

and didn't actually release the newsletter that week.

The last one that I released was April 9th.

• Yeah, I did miss that.

• So I'm gonna try to get back into that habit.

• I'll tell you why I missed it though.

And it also highlights the fact

that even though I've been trying to use Learymore or not,

it's not gotten back to be a habit

as much as it used to be at one point.

I thought it probably ended up in my RSS reader.

• Oh.

• No, RSS reader instead of in my email.

• Gotcha.

I was looking at Sendy today and I'm like,

when was the last time I sent out a newsletter?

And then I knew I had to call myself out

'cause I mentioned it on that sample recording

I made for the weekly recap of unmute content.

I wanna kinda compress that a little bit.

I don't know if I'm gonna go anywhere with that idea,

but at least I tried it and played with it.

I think I sent you that file, didn't I?

I don't know, I sent you a lot of shit

that you probably only listened to like a quarter of it.

• Yeah, I just get a random audio file,

it's like, what is this?

I don't know if I can play that,

'cause I don't know what it is.

Yeah, you did send me that one.

I did not listen to that one though.

Oh, Michael also, I mean, did I tell you what?

Oh, Michael shared a backpack,

which I'm looking for a backpack.

I was like, man, this dude is really paying attention

because that was gonna be the next place I was going.

I'm not buying a backpack anytime soon.

But I do need a new backpack.

I looked at a couple.

So I've been using numpad commander a lot more on the Mac and I don't have we ever talked about what our commit? Yeah, we've talked about what we have. Yeah, most of our kids said it best.

that zero and five and four to go through headings

and then letting go zero and four and six

to go previous and next item, that is pretty nice.

I find myself doing that a lot more

because then I'm only using my right hand

to navigate the Mac and it doesn't take both hands.

• Yep, that is like, I've been thinking

about the Numpad Commander on both platforms actually.

So on the Mac, what I know I need to do

And I've been trying to track like what are the things I do a

lot to take two hands and I could do with one hand like

that with just using the modifier. Because I need to add

more stuff to the zero, zero modifier, like I don't have

enough custom stuff set there.

I need to also like change some of the things that I have set

because I set them to test them in the beginning. And now when I

use the keystroke, I mean, why? Why did I use that clear button

for this. I should have used like, zero two for that or

something to quickly get to it. So I need to go reconfigure

some things.

Yeah, like I need to reconfigure and put like the item chooser

the rotor list. And the web browser, like those need to be

probably like 0102. Because when I'm on the web, I'm always

bringing up item chooser or you know, like the links lists or

whatever. Did you know zero period will give you item

choose?

By default. That's awkward. It is. It is.

One of those things that I kind of want to change. Like maybe

zero, I don't know, zero nine or something. And then I want to

change my windows switcher and from the clear to the number

seven maybe, because I just want to be able to slide a finger up

to get there, because then I'll use it more right now. I don't

know, it's just an awkward place to have it. But right now seven

is stop interacting and nine is start interacting. So I'll

probably change those. I'll play with it. And I think we should

retouch on that in a couple of months to see where we're using

numpad commander.

Yeah, funny. I literally was just thinking about it too.

I gotta start customizing this a bit more.

Then start thinking about Windows.

I gotta figure out some ways to handle Windows.

I do kind of really like this coherence mode,

though, with Parallels.

It is 85, 90% great all the time.

Like if I order a four in Edge and Windows,

it quits the Edge app,

but then drops me back on top of whatever

last night. Oh, I didn't try that. So command queue, you know,

just yeah, and out of there. Thank you. Just like you

normally would. I did that the other day on an accident and it

worked. I'm like, Oh, well, that's one of those things that

shouldn't work. But it does. And I like it. It's like, no, I

just need to figure out how to read word by word. Oh, well, do a

couple of things like basically get the commands to map in a way

that I want to and I was trying to figure out,

I'm trying to figure out ways to do it

without disabling voiceover,

but what I've also thought about too

is just set up some keyboard maestro macros.

• 'Cause it's gonna solve the problem.

• And then use some system, use a system event or something.

Like when I switched to this app or just use shortcuts,

like option S becomes switched to Safari,

but also triggers the macro for, you know,

turn voiceover back on.

• Huh.

Oh, oh.

So option S turns voiceover back on

and then passes the keystroke to voiceover.

• Yeah.

• Well, I guess you don't even have to do that.

No, just open Safari and turn voiceover on.

'Cause then that'll do it faster

and voiceover will be on by the time you hit Safari.

Then think about a alternative keystroke

that would switch you back to parallels or back to edge and

turn off always like option ears. Yep. Use right option with

keyboard maestro. Wow. Keyboard commanders in the I don't think

you can.

Let me try to find somewhere where I know out takes the

Option. I don't think you can't eat. I think

keyboard commander

but you can trigger a

shortcut

Which could then?

Which there you go switch to a different app and turn voiceover. Yeah

Actually, I don't think you can do a bunch but you could

So I like it see this and then

And then you could just leave voiceover,

just have it on Macly-Tron,

'cause that's what gets me every time,

is voiceovers trying to read Windows.

And it would be cool if it could.

And it's almost there,

'cause there's been a couple of times where I'm like,

oh, we shouldn't be able to read that voiceover.

(laughing)

• Yep.

Either that or give me a way to switch my keyboard

when I'm in a Windows application, right?

To just say, okay, voiceover year now restricted

to the-- - Numpad.

• Numpad, yeah.

And I'm using the screen reader on Windows

as the laptop layout, right?

So, but then I would give up my features

'cause I thought about like,

I probably could figure out a way to switch the modifiers

from being caps locked to control option when I'm in Windows,

but then that loses me one of the reasons I started

and really stuck with using Windows,

which is Zendesk and control option commands.

• What if we picked up some of these Microsoft buttons?

I wonder what type of automation could be added to that

with its setup, and maybe we'll think about that.

You know, buttons, I'm talking about

those accessibility things they released last year,

that I said, "Oh, that would be a great add-on for Windows

to do automation with things like using a Stream Deck."

• Yeah, I thought about, I was thinking about,

there's another company that makes,

and it was on Mac Stories,

so another company that makes a Stream Deck-like device.

And I was thinking about checking them out,

'cause I'm like, "Well, maybe they're more accessible,

or they're on the come up,

like people don't really know who they are necessarily.

Maybe they'd be willing to work harder

on accessibility over their platform.

• They'd demonstrate. - Give them that extra boost.

• Use your chat GPT-4 access, find their name,

and send them this episode.

And if they wanna send you one to test,

then you'll send them some feedback.

• There you go.

• I read an interesting thing I unmasked it

on the other day when I was browsing it.

• Wow, man, I need a HomePod now.

• Why?

• Because, see, I could have just ran SGPT right then

or a modified version of SGPT and told it that idea,

had it generate the email and then save it somewhere

or something or run a shortcut against it

that would save it somewhere.

• So, funny thing, okay, I was literally going to send you

one of these HomePod minis.

I was like, oh, I'm gonna send Demacia a HomePod mini

I got that Sonos Play 3 from the...

Because I got that Sonos Play 3 from the San Francisco...

Goodwill.

Because I got that Sonos Play 3 from the San Francisco Goodwill on eBay, I think it was.

And I was like, "Oh, I like that.

Then I'll send them, I'll see one of these Home Pods, and I'll move the Sonos Play 1s

of the room because right now we're using the HomePods as a stereo pair for the Apple TV and it's

actually working quite nice. And you know, they're about head level. So you know, sounds pretty good.

But I'm afraid that I don't know, I might still send you one of these. But if I bring the Sonos

in here, I'm afraid that it's not going to work as seamless as it currently is. And if it doesn't,

then Mallory's not going to use it, then it's a waste. But that just means that I might eventually

have to get a pair of the HomePod standards because I'm not going to go buy minis again.

Now we know what they sound like, but I might send you one of these HomePod minis so that

you could have Siri and a HomePod and see how that works.

Try the, uh, try the Sonos is in there to see what happens.

Like just swap them in and see if it works.

But I don't know.

She seems like she said she came back after her little dalliance with Samsung or whatever.

Like she's been really going here for us Apple.

Yeah, we talked about that the other day with her dad.

Actually, he's like, I thought you weren't into the Apple

thing and we can actually, she tried it and she came back to

Apple and I don't think she'll try to get him for a little

while.

• Good, now everything is Apple.

You gotta go to HomeKit.

HomeKit.

• Did you see HomeKit support is now with Hughes devices?

• Didn't see that.

I mean, so what, Matter Support or like direct support

so you don't need their hub?

their support. Okay, now maybe they'll sell my money for a

couple of bulbs, very specific bulbs, though. I'm not going down

the path with their ecosystem altogether. But yeah, I need a

high push to firmware update on Wednesday. I think need to

figure out some shortcuts to make me look at Lear more.

Because when I look at it, I learned things. And then I'm

like, Oh, I already knew about that when some of the tech

sources are talking about.

• Yeah, I've been playing around and feed bin on the web

a little bit like tweaking some searches,

like trying to do some save searches and tagging things

to try and filter out stuff that I'm not going to read

from certain publications.

And to also cut some of the redundancy.

some of the redundancy because yeah because that can be a problem.

It was like Mac stories has this six colors has it the verge has this

I was like see this is where AI would be useful people keep trying to use machine learning

everywhere this is where machine learning will be good as if my RSS service would look at the fees

that I'm subscribed to and if you see the same stuff like this is just a basics

you'll get me to switch right now. I forgot the feature.

Did I tell you about chat GPT and it becoming my podcast assistant and what

it generated or did I say let's save that for the show?

I think I told you, you, you told me about it.

Yeah.

And they tried to get me to get put my Instagram username and password in a form fields.

And I said, this doesn't look secure.

How about we figure out a way that the user can click a button and authenticate

their Instagram account using the API.

And it came back and say, you're right.

That's not very secure.

Let's and then it modified the code.

I was going to send that over to you.

So you're going to take a look at it.

Oh, no, you didn't tell me about that part of it though.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I just read something not too long ago to where they were talking about, like

chat GPT will help you write code, but it's not necessarily going to be

secure code unless you ask.

Yes.

I was like, well, I mean, you just asked for some code.

I kind of see how that I can see both sides of that you act for code.

If you want to secure code, you should have said that.

Because I've said that, like when I've used it to help, you know, get some code started or something like, uh,

so can we make sure that this is done in a secure manner or in a way that does not leak data or whatever?

And of course review it all. Don't just don't just blindly don't just copy and paste into you know

a situation like, no, don't do that one.

Many of these text editors ids around allow you to run whatever code you're writing

inside them or in some external console or some way,

form or fashion.

So that's one way of very quickly testing some code

that you've written yourself or copied from somewhere,

whether that be chat GPT or Stack Overflow or GitHub.

• I do like chat GPT.

I've got some interesting ideas for some sites to play with.

So not to play with, but like some plugins to think of ways

to automate some workflows.

Now that you have GPT-4, I mean, I might start just paying you for access to your GPT-4 account

unless I get access to it soon.

Because, you know, if it can process a whole hour-long transcript and create show notes for that,

then we could use some gravity forms with GPT and have it automate getting the transcript

and then taking that transcript and making show notes and then creating some promotional material

and then build a plugin that would allow me to see that promotional material,

hit a button to schedule it to go out to social media.

And, you know, once you again, where I've said from multiple times, start from the end,

I want to get an automated post from my WordPress site to Instagram, and then realize, okay, well,

I need to be able to build that connection to Instagram. So it knows what account to post on.

And I need to have a list of the posts, but where am I going to get those posts from?

And when you map that out, and then you go to something like chat GPT and say, hey,

Here's where I want to start and the next step I want to get to help me build a plugin.

It gives you the details for that plugin.

And then you say, okay, now I want to add this functionality to the plugin,

rewrite it with this capability.

And then what I think is important because I discovered this and I, I'm

discovering it the more that I spend with different AI tools is some find a point

where you can pause, copy what you have, and then start over with the chat bot

Because eventually it's going to get confused.

But if you do that every so often, then you're going to build

a, to build out a better product and it's going to make you

actually be aware of what you're building.

Cause I did go down the path where it built out this cool

plug-in and then I was looking at what in the heck is this doing?

So yeah, it looked like it would do what I wanted, but I don't, I don't know about that.

That helps also refine your, your, your queries after that too, because

you've kind of gone down the long way of, you know, figuring out, getting it right where

you want it and where you can kind of refine those a little bit and get a much more detailed

answer without such a long, without such long prompts going in.

Huh.

I'm going to take some of the code that it gives me and tell it in a, or tell a different

chat bot, because we have choices that that chat bot is a WordPress plugin instructor.

And here's the code that one of your students submitted, grade it and tell me what you could

do to make this code more secure.

That's good.

See, that's what excites me.

I've seen here literally chatting with them.

I think it's because I like talking to people, but I don't like listening to people talk.

And you know, that's how it all starts.

That is what open AI figured out.

People love to talk.

They just don't want to hear what anybody else has to say.

• Yup, yup.

Oh, and I don't want bullshit answers.

Like what Bard gives Mallory when she's trying it out.

Like, man, I'm glad that was not my first experience

to this chat bot technology.

Or I would have said whatever, people are better.

• Oh man, you never would have got me to use it

if that way.

If Bard were where we were when I started,

like, no, I would have been done.

We would have kind of been like Clubhouse.

• Yeah.

What happened to Clubhouse?

Is Clubhouse still here?

Nobody talks about it anymore,

I guess 'cause Elon keeps his mouth going.

• Yeah, I don't know.

There's this other one, Auden, I think,

that was mentioned that is like a competitor to Clubhouse,

but more integrated with Mastodon.

So yeah, Doi shared it in that message that we have.

• I didn't click on it Friday night.

You know what it was.

• Oh, so that worked for you yesterday, huh?

Tagging you?

Oh, no, actually it did not.

Oh, okay.

I just happened to look, uh, I was like, Oh yeah, Mike was supposed to tag me.

I wonder if you didn't post a message.

Oh, he did post a message.

Oh, it wasn't that long ago.

Oh, I did not get a notification about this.

Okay.

Well, that's good to know.

So if you have a thread muted and someone tags you, you

may not get the notification or Michael didn't tag the mossy problems.

It said one mention, if you go back and read the message, almost only that worked.

Uh, just put at the mossy though.

It could be that I don't have,

oh, I wonder if that's why it didn't work.

• But it said, when I typed that Demosity,

it said mention Demosity Thomas, and so I double tapped.

• Oh, okay.

• So I think, and it says one mention,

so I assumed it was--

• It is also possible that there is a notification setting

that I don't have turned on that says,

notify me of mentions.

'Cause I may have turned it off or not turned it on

at some point, 'cause nobody's ever used them.

So I said, I don't need that on.

Nobody's mentioning me.

It's like having notification on on MasterDawn.

Like, I got a notification, it was like ivory.

And I was like, wait, what?

What is this madness going on?

• Play with Mona and see if I can get it figured out.

• I don't like it on the Mac.

• Mona?

• Yeah.

• Yeah.

• Now this app thing is pretty decent.

I'm gonna actually start trying to use that more

'cause I'm not really intending on keeping paying for ivory.

But then again, I don't know.

We'll see if there's something I like about one over the other.

I do know that there are more actions on the rotor

in more places in Mona than there are in ivory.

• And I do believe you can customize them in Mona.

I don't know if you can't, like the order of them,

I don't know if you can in ivory.

• Yeah, in Mona, yeah, I'm gonna check that

I've read that's what that's why I say I'm gonna start using mono a little bit more first kind of see what they did

their accessibility wise and then go back and look at ivory and

You know see what's different see what you know

What is there to like there and then you know where some things they could do that would make it a little bit

More efficient to use but I was shocked shocked that I had a massive dog mention it and then it said started with Michael

So I was thinking it was you know, wait a minute. Oh do it. Whoa. All right feedback

about the show. Yeah, for you, I replied to him people see for everybody. That's

impressive. I actually replied to him like you know we had a we had a little

short brief conversation on Mastodon. For you listening if you've ever thought I

should reach out to them but they don't want to hear from me we we enjoy all the

feedback because Tom explained it this way as a listener you think that

everyone submitting feedback to the podcast. As a host, you know

that no one's submitting feedback to the podcast. So your

feedback is more valuable than you think. Someone tell me that

Demasi sometimes sounds like his words mumble together. And I

think what happened is I had too much compression on Demasi's

his voice and you don't really need it.

And that was compressing it out.

So I'm, I've made a change last episode and this episode to the FX

chain that I use on Demosseus track.

And so I'm going to reach out to this person next week and say, Hey,

did you notice any difference?

But it's that type of feedback that can tell me, Oh, some people

think that's too muffled.

Cause I'm used to how I edit Demosseus voice.

So I don't really think about it too much.

Um, until we get the feedback.

• Yeah.

• Because, you know, maybe I need to change something

about my technique like that.

That's how we get better at doing this.

Do appreciate the feedback.

Mastodon was super cool.

I like that.

I don't have Twitter, so if you're mentioning me on Twitter,

'cause I'm still there on Twitter,

but I don't even have a Twitter app installed.

• Nope.

• So.

• I have the Twitter app on the Mac,

but I opened it today to congratulate Steven

on his 10 year anniversary with his wife yesterday,

I think it was.

And it just was too clunky.

And apparently there's something called Twitter circles

and I can add Steven to my circle.

And I don't even know what that is,

but on the actions of that notification,

I could add Steven to my circle, mute him or block him,

but reply wasn't an option.

And I'm like, well, that's interesting.

I thought you wanted engagement.

Twitter make reply be the first thing on that notification.

So yeah, that was my extent with Twitter today.

Congratulations, Steven, for 10 years if you hear this.

• Yeah, we should mention him on Mastodon.

He's on Mastodon. - We should, yeah.

• I will go do that. - You should do that.

• If I can find him, 'cause I'm still figuring out

how to work too. - I don't know what

Sarah

I don't see if I can find them though.

I heard a good analogy or explanation,

'cause it's not really a direct analogy,

but a good explanation of the decentralized nature

of Mastodon, right?

So, and this one made sense to me,

and I think it'll make sense to a lot of people.

So if you think about Mastodon,

one of the confusing things about Mastodon

is that Twitter was just a service.

You went to the Twitter website,

you signed in, you had an account,

you could talk to people that were also on Twitter.

Whereas Mastodon, you start out,

and the first thing you gotta make a decision about,

regardless whether you understand it or not,

is what server you're gonna put your account on.

And from that step, it still can be a little confusing

because can I only talk to people on this server?

Kinda like the way that Discord works.

Like, do I have to be on this server

to talk to people that are here?

Or can I talk to people that are on other servers in Macedon?

So that is possible, that's how it works.

You can talk to people anywhere,

it's just you're picking a home location.

But the way this person described it

was think about email, right?

I can have Gmail, you can have Hotmail,

somebody else can have Yahoo.

As long as I have their address,

which is kind of how a Macedon username looks,

you know, my actual Macedon name is,

or username is damacy@twit.social,

which looks just like an email address.

I can email anybody else in Macedon and the Fediverse

if I have their address and they'll get it.

Doesn't matter which server they're on.

Picking a server is just like picking

which email provider do you want.

If you were making a new email account today,

would you be Gmail?

Would you do Outlook.com?

Would you do, I don't know if you can sign up

for new Yahoo accounts.

If you can, it should be banned.

But that joke is, that has carried over for a long time.

• But-- - But it's not even one

of those podcasts for things where they like

keep this running gag going,

like I really don't like Yahoo.

• No, it's just Yahoo.

• Yeah, it's just Yahoo.

• I thought about going and picking up payon.social

just to run my own Mastodon,