Alexa

Caffeine_Vampire

As a self confessed luddite I was resistant to the demands of Mrs Vampire that we replace the broken firestick as the new version came with the Alexa dohicky that I intended to avoid like the plague.

However...

'Alexa play 80's metal' 

I'm so easily swayed 

TheMarlin

I would have one in the house. 

jonnyburgo

Or in my kids case "Alexa do a long wet fart"

Caffeine_Vampire

TheMarlin said:

I would have one in the house. 

I had a burping competition with Alexa yesterday.  She's the woman I've been waiting for my entire life.

TheMarlin

Caffeine_Vampire said:

TheMarlin said:

I would have one in the house. 

I had a burping competition with Alexa yesterday.  She's the woman I've been waiting for my entire life.

She’s just a server in a data centre. But, I guess she does know everything about you.

thecolourbox

We only use ours as a radio, because it came free with something else. I keep meaning to research more into them as to how intruding it is even just using it to play Classic FM. Use Chromecast into the TV for playing Spotify or Youtube as the sound is way nicer, but I suppose there's probably even intrusion from that.

At half time at the football, they have a competition where somebody kicks a ball to a target and depending on where it lands, you either win an Echo Dot or a Boilerman Air Freshener. I've more need for the air freshener...

darthed1981

... I'm a murderer...

oh sorry, Alexa, not Aisha...

darthed1981

...seriously though.

I love the Echo speakers, I've got four dotted around the house, all picked up in Amazon's various sales.

Easy access to Spotify and Radio, and one is a "Show 5" now, so I can use it as a bedside alarm clock.

EricTheWeary

We've got a Google mini we were given in the kitchen. I think it's fair to say it struggles with my accent. And if I say Okay Google it also sets my phone off. 
It's fine and good for setting alarms when cooking but I'm not sure it's transforming my life.  

Caffeine_Vampire

The intrusion issue is a concern if I continue to adopt the technology but really, have any secrets survived the internet?

axisus

I have no interest in that stuff personally, nor do I ever want a car telling me where to go. I realised some time ago that I am 'out of the loop' of life.

I has been left behind.

FelineGuitars

Caffeine_Vampire

axisus said:

I have no interest in that stuff personally, nor do I ever want a car telling me where to go. I realised some time ago that I am 'out of the loop' of life.

I has been left behind.

Your statement described me approximately 52 hours ago.

Now however...

Paul7926

I'm really not convinced how useful they are.  Step daughter has one and it's used to set alarms for when she is cooking.  I know I'm old but I just look at a clock, add the required number of minutes and remember to check.  <shrugs>

I'm not a Luddite,  I've worked in IT as a programmer all my life but as yet I can't really see what use they are. 

thecolourbox

Paul7926 said:

I'm really not convinced how useful they are.  Step daughter has one and it's used to set alarms for when she is cooking.  I know I'm old but I just look at a clock, add the required number of minutes and remember to check.  <shrugs>

I'm not a Luddite,  I've worked in IT as a programmer all my life but as yet I can't really see what use they are. 

I agree with this, though I use the timer on the oven. Likewise with playing music, Chromecast seems a much better product as you can then just use nicer sounding hifi. For the question asking etc, just use google search, nice and easy. Has always seemed like a box of solutions looking for a problem to me. 

EricTheWeary

Paul7926 said:

I'm really not convinced how useful they are.  Step daughter has one and it's used to set alarms for when she is cooking.  I know I'm old but I just look at a clock, add the required number of minutes and remember to check.  <shrugs>

I'm not a Luddite,  I've worked in IT as a programmer all my life but as yet I can't really see what use they are. 

They are certainly useful for some people with disabilities. I've known people with learning disabilities, visual impairments or conditions like arthritis be able to use them for stuff they otherwise struggle with. 

RandallFlagg

Is it an offence to intimidate Alexa with misogynstic, sexually and racially discrinatory language? Asking for a friend.

ESBlonde

We seem to be going backwards, years ago Hi Fi was actually desirable and some people spent fortunes getting it. We got to CDs and ever since seem to be taking retrograde steps on both media and reproduction systems.

I'm capable of setting reminders and alarms on my cheap android, my life is not so complicated that I need or even desire that sort of help with daily tasks.

The security thing on networked devices concerns me greatly, many of the 'wonderful' hardware upgrades and software enhancements in recent years have been found wanting in the security stakes. In some cases just the database being compromised, but we have no REAL control over that content once we have ticked the box saying we have read 22 pages of small print legal terms and conditions.

I don't have any banking on my mobile devices either, that may be a pain, but being in control is how I want to be.

Paul7926

EricTheWeary said:

Paul7926 said:

I'm really not convinced how useful they are.  Step daughter has one and it's used to set alarms for when she is cooking.  I know I'm old but I just look at a clock, add the required number of minutes and remember to check.  <shrugs>

I'm not a Luddite,  I've worked in IT as a programmer all my life but as yet I can't really see what use they are. 

They are certainly useful for some people with disabilities. I've known people with learning disabilities, visual impairments or conditions like arthritis be able to use them for stuff they otherwise struggle with. 

Yeah I probably should of said "I can't really see what use they are to me, at the moment."  I can appreciate that if it makes anyone's life easier then they have a purpose.

FX_Munkee

Paul7926 said:

I'm really not convinced how useful they are.  Step daughter has one and it's used to set alarms for when she is cooking.  I know I'm old but I just look at a clock, add the required number of minutes and remember to check.  <shrugs>

I'm not a Luddite,  I've worked in IT as a programmer all my life but as yet I can't really see what use they are. 

This is what microwaves are for, aren't they?

Paul7926

FX_Munkee said:

Paul7926 said:

I'm really not convinced how useful they are.  Step daughter has one and it's used to set alarms for when she is cooking.  I know I'm old but I just look at a clock, add the required number of minutes and remember to check.  <shrugs>

I'm not a Luddite,  I've worked in IT as a programmer all my life but as yet I can't really see what use they are. 

This is what microwaves are for, aren't they?

You see I don't really 'get' microwaves either.  I prefer food cooked in an oven rather than nuked in a box.  It's probably better in terms of resource usage to nuke it as it's quicker but for actual cooking I can't figure out how to use one.  Perhaps I should retract my "I'm not a Luddite" comment after all.