Among Friends

[Justice4all]

@LilacTree 

Lilactree has explained eloquently that she has not been able to type due to advanced RA, without subsequent excruciating pain.

Lilactree, I know you are stoical and we do not want you to exacerbate your pain by responding.

Perhaps someone here can recommend some voice activated system so that we may again enjoy your particularly wise, sensitive and interesting insights.

In the meantime, you have so many friends here who miss you...perhaps we can keep you entertained here until a solution is found, your pain diminishes, and more energy returns.

                                            All love, hugs and kisses,

                                                                             Justice

Lilactree's poignant response can be found on the Shabbat Shalom thread

[qualitygal]

Maybe one of her daughters could answer for their mother one evening or day (hours) a week.  Just a thought.  Waving HI to Lilac Tree.

[butterfly123]

@Justice4all @LilacTree

 https://www.lifewire.com/use-ipad-voice-dictation-4103815

[Pandalady]

@Justice4all  Thanks for posting this.

@LilacTree

[BirkiLady]

When in pain, the last thing one wants to do is spend energy communicating. Sleep and quiet time is the best medicine from what I've recently experienced. Additional expenses or learning curves may not be possible, either.

ETA: Hopefully, she will be able to see her Rheumatologist for relief in the near future. Lab tests will be necessary and a visit will be necessary. I don't know if she's up to it or not. 

Keeping @LilacTree and her daughters in my thoughts and prayers.  

[dooBdoo]

              Sweet @Justice4all, you are a gem.❤️   After reading @LilacTree’s post, I sent some information to her in email with several instructional links about the native iPad  “Dictation” feature.  (She is using an iPad.)  

Example:

”60+ dictation commands available on your iPhone or iPad”

https://matthopkins.com/gadgets/60-dictation-commands-available-on-your-iphone-or-ipad/

            It’s a good system, with more than 60 voice commands to aid in formatting and punctuation, so I hope it will be a feasible option for her.    

            I’ve used it before to compose the initial text in the “Notes” app to make it easier to take time with the draft and then copy and paste to the final destination.   Love and (((hugs))) to both of you!

~❤️~

[LurkyLoo]

💗 Bless you, @Justice4all for letting us know about @LilacTree. I have advanced RA myself and don’t read all threads in every forum, so I have lost track with her condition. I'm so sorry to learn of her pain and ongoing struggles. 🙏

The only “talk to text” program that I'm familiar with is the one that comes standard on my iPad. It's not perfect, but it may be of some help to her, since she said she uses one to post. Here are some instructions for using it: 

How to Use iPad Voice Dictation

1. Tap the microphone button on the iPad's on-screen keyboard. This tells the iPad that you want to start dictating. Not seeing a microphone button? Remember, you need a valid internet connection to use voice dictation and SIRI must be enabled in the settings.

2. Talk. The iPad will record your voice and turn it into text when you are finished. (Be sure to read over the keywords below to find out how to start a new sentence or a new paragraph.)

3. Tap the microphone button again to stop dictating. In a few seconds, the iPad will turn your speech into words on the screen. Be sure to read it over or use speak selection to listen to your text.  Voice dictation isn't perfect, so you may need to make a few adjustments using the keyboard.

iPad Voice Dictation Keywords

The iPad's voice dictation is surprisingly good at translating voice into speech, even for those of us who have thick accents. But what about ending a sentence with a question mark or starting a new paragraph? To get the most out of voice dictation, use these keywords:

* "Period". The "." is the standard way to end a sentence. It includes a space after the period, so you are ready for your next sentence.
* "Question Mark". The "?" also includes a trailing space.
* "New Paragraph". This keyword phrase starts a new paragraph. Remember to end the previous sentence before beginning the new paragraph.
* "Exclamation Point". The "!" includes a trailing space.
* "Comma". The "," includes a trailing space.
* "Colon". The ";" includes a trailing space.
* "Semicolon". The ":" includes a trailing space.
* "Ellipsis". The "..." includes a trailing space.
* "Quote" and "Unquote". The " produced by saying "quote" does not produce a trailing space. The " produced by saying "unquote" does include a trailing space.
* "Slash". The "/" symbol.
* "Asterisk". The "*" symbol.
* "Ampersand". The "&" symbol.
* "At Sign". The "@" symbol.

If you can't see the microphone appearing on the keyboard...
The new generation of iPads also has voice dictation.  Please note that for the on-screen microphone to appear on the keyboard, you must enable Siri (the iPad's personal assistant) in the settings for the iPad.  If you need the microphone, but you don't need Siri, just make sure to enable the restrictions in settings, set a passcode you will remember and turn Siri off!

[LurkyLoo]

I see I was posting at the same time as @dooBdoo.. Oh, well, maybe the instructions I shared here can help others. The feature does work here, though I don’t often use it. I usually can still type, placing my iPad on a stand- on a tray attached to my wheelchair. 

[dooBdoo]

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@LurkyLoo wrote:

I see I was posting at the same time as @dooBdoo.. Oh, well, maybe the instructions I shared here can help others. The feature does work here, though I don’t often use it. I usually can still type, placing my iPad on a stand- on a tray attached to my wheelchair. 

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              (((@LurkyLoo))),  I’m sorry you have advanced RA.   Sending prayers and gentle cyberhugs.    

              As for the posts, you were generous in your time and effort, and the more that’s shared the more eyes will see and the information is multiplied and benefits more people — and love is multiplied, too!  

              Your kind and thoughtful post is carefully detailed and especially useful, so thank you.❤️

[LurkyLoo]

Bless you, @dooBdoo- and thank you so much for the prayers and hugs. ❤️ Yes, someone else reading here may benefit from the instructions, just as I was helped by friends here to first learn to use that feature.. and many others. 

(((You))) are always so generous with helping others, and I'm glad you were able to send the instructions directly to Lilac. So much easier for her than copying and pasting from a post here. Thank you on her behalf.. and multitudes of others!