Date of Meeting: February 8, 2020
When: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Where: 77 mass Ave., Cambridge MA building 5 room 134, Cambridge, MA
The meeting was called to order at 1:00 p.m. by Frank Ventura. The minutes were approved as written and read, with motions to accept made and seconded by Tim and Nina respectively. Jerry agreed to hold off on the discussion of how minutes will be handled in the future at meetings until March.
jerry Berrier welcomed everyone and announced that we have 26 paid members as of this meeting. He said it is never too late to pay dues and encouraged people to pay when they can. There are no problems with the email lists.
Tim Cummings stated we have a mixer, a regular microphone and one that is wireless. We are using the zoom client which is free for members who cannot attend the meetings. They can use their phone, iPhone or computer to join. Go to the website for more information.
Frank described in more detail the set-up which allows the zoom client to work both on line and in the room, with additional information provided by Tim.
Frank announced we need a program committee for people who would like to come up with presentations and guest speakers for the year. If interested, please contact frank at frank@littlebreezes.com. You can also contact David kingsbury at davidkingsbury77@gmail.com or jerry at jerry.berrier@gmail.com. Jerry stated he peruses podcasts, attends demos and develops relationships with speakers and invites people and sets up demos based on this process. David Kingsbury stated he would like to widen the number of members who present at meetings.
Frank discussed some of our history from our beginnings as a part of the Boston Computer Society.
There is a new update to the Victor Trek, made by Humanware. Maria Rueters offered to review some apps like soundscape and blind square, and others. Frank will contact someone about discussing the Victor Trek. She suggested we could also discuss advantages and disadvantages of using the GPS on iphones versus streams.
A discussion was held about groups that monitor and fix, or monitor and advise about how to fix websites to make them more accessible. No decision was made as to whether we should consider either of these options but the option of possibly interacting with some of these companies was left open for further discussion.
Paul, a professor of Computer Science from Olin College, discussed their product which combines iphone use with indoor mobility. Their app is clue which has been updated. You can now go frorward on a route, navigate backward to the beginning of the route and save routes. Routes can also be shared. Kelsey demonstrated IXquick, a private search engine. Another rep from Olin College updated us on the VIA app, which assists people in pre-planning routes. There is more ability to record routes. It is now possible to know when pages are loading. Some people tried out their latest audio app.
The meeting was adjourned at 3:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Jeanette Kutash, Vibug Clerk