The many microphones of the iPhone 6

Siri stopped hearing me when in speakerphone mode right after my last software update to iOS 9.1! However, I can still talk to people and do other things normally. 

Working:

• Voice memos
• Siri via headset
• Voice dictation via headset
• Speakerphone voice

Not working:

• Voice dictation via phone itself
• Siri via phone

I haven't resolved the problem and have a case opened with Apple Support. However, during troubleshooting, I learned the iPhone actually has 3 microphones as shown in this diagram from Apple:

Siri went deaf. She couldn't hear me nor could I do voice dictation.

I upgraded (?) my iPhone 6 to iOS 9.02 the other day. I didn't realize Siri wasn't working until this morning. Here's what I did that didn't fix her:

1. Power on/off
2. Toggle Siri on/off.
3. Toggle Cellular data on/off.
4. Soft reset (hold down power and home button simultaneously for 10 seconds.)

Here's another procedure that did not work:

Try resetting your network settings:

WARNING: These steps will make you lose any entered passwords in already joined networks. SAVE ANY IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS OR WEBPAGES, YOU MAY LOSE THEM.

1. Open Settings
2. Tap General
3. Go down, tap Reset
4. Tap Reset Network Settings
5. If prompted for a pass code, enter it.
6. Tap Reset Network Settings
7. A series of different screens will show. This is normal.
8. Once this is done, unlock your phone and try connecting to a network or cellular network.
9. Try using Siri.

Problem adding GMail Account to Outlook MS-Office 365

This threw me for a loop this morning for a couple of hours. I logged in via the web browser just fine. I set my GMail account for IMAP. Still couldn't add it to Outlook.
Kept getting this error message despite several attempts and triple-checking my spelling, etc.

Your IMAP server wants to alert you to the following: Please log in via your web browser:
http://support.google.com/mail/accounts/bing/answer.py?answer=78754 (Failure)

Finally found the solution here: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2984937

Cause

This issue occurs when you try to sync to a Gmail account after July 15, 2014 and Basic Authentication has not been enabled for your Gmail account.

Google has increased its security measures to block access to Google accounts after July 15, 2014 if those accounts are being set up or synced in apps and on devices that use Basic Authentication.

Resolution

To resolve this problem, enable Basic Authentication for your Gmail account. To do this, go to the following Google website, and then select Enable when you are prompted about whether to let less secure apps access your Gmail account:

Allow less secure apps

For additional security, consider enabling Google’s two-step verification and app passwords as documented at the following web pages:

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/180744?hl=en

https://support.google.com/accounts/answer/185833?hl=en&topic=2784804&ctx=topic


Note The workaround described here takes you to the page in the following screen shot. You click Enable to work around the issue.

Gun-free zones and gun bans will not decrease mass shootings

I would support both a gun ban and gun-free zones if I thought they would work. But for numerous reasons including the sheer number of guns out there, it won't work.

We should be alarmed at the seeming increase in mass-shooting events. For the record, I prefer to call them "Mass Shootings" like the website www.shootingtracker.com instead of "Mass Murders" like the FBI.

There is one expert gun nut out there names James Alan Fox who states that the definition of a "Mass Shooting" is one in which 4 or more MURDERS are committed. This conveniently leaves out shootings in which people are merely crippled, paralyzed, or maimed but manage to survive.

For example, the shooting in a Layfayette, LA, movie theater on 7/23/15. In that case, 10 people were shot but only 2 victims died (along with the shooter). So, James Alan Fox would not call that a "Mass Shooting" event.

I'm not sure why James Alan Fox feels this should not be classified as a Mass Shooting. I suspect he is funded by the gun manufacturer's lobby (the NRA) or some such organization. But I digress.

Having said all that, I do sincerely wish we could come up with a solution to the problem of excessive gun violence. I don't believe we should just accept it as a fact of life and move on in denial. It's a complicated problem and simple solutions like "banning all guns" or "gun-free zones" don't address the root of the problem.

I believe the underlying root causes are societal and therefore harder to "fix." Look at the profiles of mass shooters. They are typically (not in every case) male, caucasian, loners, with demonstrated anti-social tendencies. Many are known for being video gamers or dabbling in fringe organizations. I suspect these are folks who feel disenfranchised from society. They may feel fear, loneliness, and victimization. I know it is dangerous to make sweeping generalizations.

So, what are the causes of such feelings? Mental issues could be both the cause and a result.

I believe it is due to the breakdown of our sense of physical community. Our generation spends a lot of time in self-containment. Whether in our cars, in our homes, or with our heads buried in our phones or on social media. We have replaced physical connections with virtual ones which are nowhere near as healthy.

Adding to this sense of alienation is the pressure to be as happy or as fulfilled or have as much stuff as we see others on social media. It is becoming a sickness and adding misery to those who already feel as if they're not getting their fair share. There's even a term for it, Fear Of Missing Out or FOMO (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear_of_missing_out.)

The solution is to try and rebuild those bonds of community. It's going to take a massive grass roots effort. It's going to take outreach. We have to come up with ways to make people feel included and draw them back from out of their dens.