The life-changing magic of wearing smartglasses | Letters

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I read with sympathy the concerns of Elle Hunt in relation to privacy issues around Meta smartglasses (I wore Meta’s smartglasses for a month – and it left me feeling like a creep, 1 April).Clearly there needs to be ongoing development of technology and protocols that protect the public from ill-intentioned users.As the chief executive of a charity supporting people with a visual impairment, however, I would like to emphasise the point touched upon in your article: how transformative this technology is already proving for blind people.We are seeing significant numbers of our visually impaired staff and clients using Meta glasses in conjunction with their mobile phones to improve their ability to perform ordinary functions that most of us take for granted.A visual impairment can be disempowering and isolating.

Having a tool that can read your bills to you, tell you when your bus is coming, make calls for you when your hands are full and read the cooking instructions on your dinner is offering a level of independence that many visually impaired people have lost.I am mindful that the visually impaired population (more than two million people in the UK) will not be a large enough market for Meta and other companies currently developing such wearable devices.So let’s hope that they can resolve the concerns about privacy soon enough to ensure that this gamechanging technology continues to be developed.Sherine KrauseChief executive, Sutton Vision Elle Hunt says smartglasses are, for now, “not reliable or functional enough to offer consistent support” as an assistive technology, but for some of us they are already changing our lives for the better.I have suffered a progressive hearing loss since around the age of 10; it terminated my first career, hobbled my second, destroyed my social life and caused me years of stress.

Recently I discovered AirCaps, a phone app that comes with a pair of Rokid smartglasses.This app converts live speech to captions which are displayed on the glasses for me to read.Accurately, in real time, subtitles for life.It has been 100% reliable so far, and completely unlike the Meta experience that Hunt describes.For people with disabilities, the age of smartglasses that subtitle speech really has arrived, and some acknowledgment of this might help us when people accuse us of being “creeps” for wearing “pervert glasses” (although at least we’ll know what they’re saying).

Laurence AmeryHastings, East Sussex I have juvenile macular dystrophy and have no central vision.My Meta glasses are terrific.I use them to read newspapers, which I have not done for more than 30 years.We receive a monthly Welsh language magazine and now I’m able to read it.I just say: “Hey Meta, look and translate into English.

” At Worcester Cathedral, I was able to read the plaques on the wall for the first time in decades.I came across one that sounded like Latin, and again the glasses translated it successfully.Last week I was at the National Maritime Museum, and was able to enjoy the exhibits without the need for any assistance.I could read all the plaques using my glasses.Walking around Kensington, I came across a fancy sports car.

I asked the glasses to tell me about it.It was a Ferrari, and the glasses gave me all the details that I could have wished for.Certainly a life-enhancing device.Vaughan LewisPontardawe, Neath Port Talbot Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
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Can’t face another mouthful of chicken? You’re probably coming down with the ick

Name: The chicken ick.Age: Chickens have been around since, well, eggs …Unless it’s the other way round. Whatever. The chicken ick, on the other hand, is new.And what is it, please? You know when you suddenly feel disgusted by the chicken you’re eating, possibly mid-bite, despite previously enjoying it?Er, not really, to be honest

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Georgina Hayden’s quick and easy recipe for gochujang butter salmon | Quick and easy

The classic combination of soy sauce and honey salmon is a staple in our house, and works for kids and adults alike. However, sometimes I want to change things up, so here I’ve elevated it slightly with a gochujang dressing – similar principle, but with a bit of heat and depth, as well as richness from the butter. Using butter might seem unusual, but it is often paired with soy sauce in Japan (shoyu butter) with an indulgent result. Serve the fish over sticky rice, to soak up all those spicy, buttery juices, with steamed greens on the side.Prep 10 min Cook 25 min Serves 41 tbsp sesame oil 4 tbsp soy sauce 2 tsp gochujang paste 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated4cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated½ tsp caster sugar 4 sustainably caught skin-on salmon fillets Sea salt and white pepper70g unsalted butter 150g bean sprouts Sticky rice, to serveA handful of roasted peanuts, roughly chopped10g coriander, leaves pickedHeat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7

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How to make the perfect Portuguese feijoada – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect

If you are trying to incorporate more beans and pulses into your diet, as I am, then this robust, one-pot feast, which food writer Edite Vieira describes as “a marvellous standby of the Portuguese kitchen”, is one to bear in mind. Though each region has its own variations, “basically”, she explains, “feijoada is a rich bean stew with pork and sausages”. The Brazilian version, often cited as that country’s national dish, is the product of the West African “love of beans”, according to the Oxford Companion to Food, with some suggesting that it’s a South American creation that travelled to Europe along with returning colonisers. Others insist with equal fervour that the dish was “born in the north of Portugal, and imported and adapted to what was available in Brazil”. Like so many such homely favourites, its precise history will probably ever remain a mystery; what’s important is that it’s simple to prepare, easy to adapt according to taste and budget, and very satisfying

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Burro, WC2: ‘Big but the opposite of brash – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants

Brings old-school charm to a touristy part of townBurro, a new Italian restaurant in Covent Garden, London, had been on my horizons even before the napkins were on order, because Conor Gadd, the chef-owner, has form. His first restaurant Trullo, up in Islington, has sat unshakably around the top of my recommendations list for about 15 years and is namechecked by me at least twice weekly when complete strangers want a tip for a birthday, proposal or a client they need to impress. Or simply, “somewhere to take a foodie” who “really likes food”. Yes, the brief given to restaurant critics is often that vague, but to all these things I say: “Have you been to Trullo? Order the beef shin ragu and some good red wine. It’s been there for ages and they know what they’re doing

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Sunday best: Thomasina Miers’ recipes for aromatic chicken one-pot and salted caramel banana cake

I love Mexican chillies for the subtle flavour they give to cooking. Take the ancho, with its sweet, earthy notes of chocolate and plum. That adds immense depth to dishes traditional and avant garde alike, and is now readily available online and in shops. In today’s one-pot, which is a near-perfect way to cook a whole chicken, the ancho adds character to a classic sofrito, while in the pudding the savoury notes and touch of heat complement the dark caramel, helping to create a banana cake that is anything but bland. If you can’t find ancho, try any other medium-heat chilli flake in its place (nora, aleppo), or simply leave it out

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Oats, sardines and crisps: emergency foods to stockpile – and why you should share them

People should have an emergency stockpile of food in their homes in case conflicts, extreme weather or cyber-attacks shut down supplies, leading UK experts have told the Guardian.In an ever more turbulent world, they say it is essential to choose long-life items that can be eaten without cooking – think tinned beans, vegetables and fish, rice crackers, and oats that can be soaked. But it is also important to choose items you actually like to eat, and some treats such as chocolate or crisps to keep your spirits up. You will also need water – lots of it – not just to drink but for washing too.Perhaps the most surprising advice is to be prepared to share your stockpile with neighbours