Goodbye 32-Bit Apps

On my iPhone 6 Plus running iOS 10.2, I've recently I've received error messages like the following:

Curious as to what this means, I found the following article which does a nice job of explaining the error message: iOS 10.1 Adds 'App May Slow Down Your iPhone' Warning for 32-Bit Apps. So if you're seeing this message too, it likely means that the app you're using has not been updated since June 2015 which is when Apple stopped accepting updates to 32-bit apps. Since then Apple has required all apps to support 64-bit architecture.

Do you have any apps that are affected by this?

HDTV Software Upgrade

On January 15, I upgraded the software on my Samsung HDTV. One of the major networks (CBS, channel 2 in Los Angeles) had no signal whereas other channels were OK. Realizing that it was probably due to a weak signal, I wondered if a software upgrade might be of any benefit. Upon asking Google if there was a software update available, I found out that there was. Based on the instructions, television software updates seem to be like firmware updates for computers in that they are not to be taken lightly since a mishap during the upgrade could render the devices inoperable. Unfortunately I did not see any release notes that accompanied the data file or installation instructions, so I was unable to evaluate how I might benefit from a software upgrade. I doubted that a software upgrade would resolve the issue. That being said, I was feeling curious and adventurous, so I decided to go for it. Here's the model number of my TV:

This is what I saw upon initiating installation (again, I did not see any documentation about what the differences were between version 1018 and 1024):

So far so good...

After completing installation, the TV automatically "rebooted" as stated. Everything was working fine, although unfortunately I was still unable to view CBS, but the problem corrected itself by the next day as I had suspected. To this day, I have not noticed any differences in functionality or the user interface, so I suspect that this upgrade may have only included some minor bug fixes. In any case, I thought I'd share this experience in case it might benefit others. Have you upgraded the software in your TV, and do you have success stories or horror stories to share?

Bizarre Love Triangle - Photos for iOS, Google Photos, and Photos for macOS

Has this ever happened to you?

In the last 2 years since we both bought a 64 GB iPhone 6 Plus, my wife has rarely deleted photos and videos from her phone. Today she received the above error message. Given that everyone has a finite amount of space on their phones, I thought I'd share my "phonetography" workflow on iOS and macOS. This of course applies to both iPhones and iPads.

1) Take pictures, lots of them. Why not? Storage space is cheap, and memories are precious. Fire away. Turn on HDR and save both the regular and HDR versions. Record video in the maximum resolution and maximum frame rate. View them in Photos for iOS.

2) Periodically sync to Google Photos. As long as you have a Google account, you can upload an unlimited number of photos to your account, provided that you allow Google to apply some compression to your photos. While you currently get 15 GB if you save the original full resolution images from your phones, I think a small amount of compression (no noticeable difference in image quality in my opinion) is worth having unlimited storage. Two reasons for this: most people take rather mediocre smartphone photos and this option is just a backup for hard drive disasters.

3) After syncing to Google Photos, sync photos to Photos for macOS (formerly iPhoto). This will include your original unaltered photos, plus any in-phone edits you might have applied. Also backup these photos to at least 1 (preferably more) external hard drives to insulate against hard drive failure on your main Mac.

4) Only after completing steps 2 and 3, go back and delete photos that you do not need immediately accessible on your phone. Keep the ones you absolutely want to have on your phone, knowing that you have full-resolution backups on Photos for macOS (and external hard drives) as well as your entire library available in the cloud on Google Photos which can be accessed anywhere that you have an internet connection. If you are judicious about preserving a selected number of "keepers" on your phone, you should rarely run into trouble with running out of space on your phone--at least not due to photos.

If you have a workflow and archival programs you'd like to share, leave a comment!

Accessing Your Health Data

It is becoming easier and easier to access one's own health data. Many healthcare organizations offer patient portals, and many patient portals support the Blue Button and Get My Health Data movements. Although I have heard horror stories of some patients having to jump through an endless number of hoops (both administrative and financial) to access their health data, I have been relatively fortunate to be able to access lab tests, request medication refills, schedule appointments, and email my doctors through the Kaiser Permanente patient portal.

Recently I underwent a study whose results were not posted to the patient portal, and I was told that I needed to request my results through the medical records department. I was hoping for the best while fearing the worst case scenario that I would have another horror story to add to the numerous patients who found it unnecessarily difficult to access their health data.

Fortunately, the process at Kaiser was quick and easy. Upon calling my local Kaiser facility and being transferred to the Release of Information Department, I was sent an Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Patient Health Information form via email which arrived within a couple minutes of my call. The form was 1 page long and asked for my demographic information, medical record number, the recipient of the information, purpose of the request (eg, personal use, worker's compensation, FMLA, legal), which records I was requesting, media type (electronic or paper), delivery preference (electronic, mail, or pickup), and a few other simple questions. I completed the form in about 5 minutes, scanned it to PDF format, and sent it to the specified email address (alternatively I could have sent it via US mail or driven to the Kaiser facility to drop off the form in person). Within 24 hours, I received an email reply with a link to a secure file download of the study results that I requested.

Since it was my first time accessing Kaiser's Secure File Transfer, I had to verify my email address which took about 1 minute. I was then able to download my study results in PDF format. I felt that overall the process was quick and easy and that most people with access to email and a printer would be able to complete the process quickly and without much difficulty. Kudos to Kaiser Permanente!

Have you had any positive or negative experiences with accessing your health data?

Lee Family 2016 Year In Review

Here is our Lee Family 2016 Year In Review. It is our 11th edition, and prior editions can be viewed here. For home movies, visit Victor's YouTube channel.

A Virtual Reality Revolution

Yesterday I went to Six Flags Magic Mountain and rode The New Revolution Virtual Reality Coaster for the first time. I believe this is the same roller coaster that I last rode 25+ years ago, with the addition of Samsung Gear VR headsets that provide a virtual reality experience while the coaster is in motion. Here are images of what the headsets look like:

I wasn't able to record any photos or videos of the virtual reality content, but this video illustrates how the movement of the roller coaster is synchronized with a movie of fighter jets in the midst of battle, with the rider having the co-pilot's vantage point. Since it is December, the standard fighter jet video was replaced by a holiday edition of the video featuring the rider sitting next to Santa in his sleigh, flying through a town whose streets and rooftops are blanketed with snow, presumably on the night before Christmas. Santa's reindeer take the "scenic route" by twisting, turning, and looping through the streets before safely landing on a rooftop to deliver presents.

I was impressed by the immersive feeling that the VR headsets provided. The video was well synchronized with the motion of the roller coaster. I thought that in the absence of a "true" visual input, the twisting and turning of the roller coaster might have felt magnified (and perhaps made me feel nauseated), but that was not the case.

Unfortunately my 7-year-old daughter was not allowed to wear a VR headset (but she was still able to ride the roller coaster). When asked why, the attendant said it was a policy to prohibit the use of the VR headsets in riders under 13 years of age to protect their vision. While I have not researched the potential adverse events caused by VR usage, I doubt that occasional use of VR headsets would incur any long-lasting damage, but I look forward to seeing safety data on this.

Overall, I found VR to be a refreshing addition to the theme park experience, and I hope to see more usage of VR in the future.

Social Media and Child Privacy

At the American Academy of Pediatrics 2016 National Conference & Exhibition, researchers discussed potential harms of parents posting information about their children on social media. A summary is provided in a news release which states that “92 percent of 2-year-olds in the United States have an online presence, and about one-third make their first appearance on social media sites within their first 24 hours of life.”

The researchers presented their findings and recommendations in an abstract entitled “What Parents Should Share: Child Privacy in the Age of Social Media and the Pediatrician's Role” and whose text can be found by navigating to https://www.eventscribe.net/2016/aapexperience/agenda.asp and selecting the 11:30 AM - 5:30 PM session entitled “C0017- Peds 21- The Medium Is the Message: How Electronic Media Are Transforming Our Patients’ World” which will then reveal an option to click on the “What Parents Should Share...” abstract.

For convenience, I'm providing their best practice guidelines verbatim. The authors state that parents should:

1. Familiarize themselves with the privacy policies of the sites with which they share.
2. Set up a notification to alert them when their child’s name appears in a Google search result.
3. Share anonymously if they choose to share about their children’s behavioral struggles.
4. Use caution before sharing their child’s actual location.
5. Give their child “veto power” over online disclosures, including images, quotes, accomplishments, and challenges.
6. NOT post pictures that show their children in any state of undress.
7. Consider the effect sharing can have on their child’s current and future sense of self and well-being.

I think these guidelines are both reasonable and practical. More importantly, I think it sheds light on a topic that many parents are not aware of or at least do not consciously think of in this fast-paced digital world. It certainly makes me reconsider my use of social media involving my child and to think about how we all should be respecting the privacy of children who cannot always speak up for themselves.