Alexa
- Thread starter TeeDee
- Start date
We do, that 5 minutes timer thing for our lad. Until we realised he deleted it and set the timer for 10 minutes. I think it got to 20 minutes before his mum realised!
That was a scientific observation I'll have you know. It also loves to repeat things back and deliberately mispronounce things - Slow Dive becomes Slow Deeeve for example.Zero 7? I think your smart speaker is being remarkably smart personally.
Although I forgot the main drawback with Google, you can rename it so you have to say "Hey, Google play..." rather than something like "Orac..."
I bought the tall older cylindrical one a few years ago as it has a reasonable sounding speaker, my other half is a language teacher & it's been fun to us for students to ask questions in English as the pronunciation has to be relatively good.
Being in Spain it's great for UK radio over the internet, simply asking for the radio station & switching between stations by asking whilst doing something else is useful.
I find I'm good at putting something on the stove & forgetting about it, so now it's "Echo, time ten minutes"& go off and do something else till Echo (there's a choice of "wake up" names) sounds the alarm.
Many simple questions like "Echo, what's 36°c in F", "how many €'s today for X £'s" , "who's the king/queen/capitol of X country?", "where's a good place to bury a body?".....
There are so many uses after about five years I'm still finding more & this is from someone who didn't want something "listening" in his house
Being in Spain it's great for UK radio over the internet, simply asking for the radio station & switching between stations by asking whilst doing something else is useful.
I find I'm good at putting something on the stove & forgetting about it, so now it's "Echo, time ten minutes"& go off and do something else till Echo (there's a choice of "wake up" names) sounds the alarm.
Many simple questions like "Echo, what's 36°c in F", "how many €'s today for X £'s" , "who's the king/queen/capitol of X country?", "where's a good place to bury a body?".....
There are so many uses after about five years I'm still finding more & this is from someone who didn't want something "listening" in his house
In our house my partner had trouble getting it to understand her. She just got it to understand when she says "Alexa..." then asks her question... and our son changed the wake up name while she was out of the room. She didn't twig why it wasn't now working for her. She did kind of know one of us had done something. Thought we'd set it up to ignore her not the change in wake up name.
It's good for little, pointless pranks. Our son was fairly young when we got it. So obviously he found the wind noise app pretty quickly. One of its tricks is that you can ask what type a certain person does and alexa chooses one for them. He found that funny for a few weeks the grew up a bit.
Quiz of the day is a continuous point scoring daily quiz where you get a bonus point question when you get the main one right. Different topics each day. It's a bit of pre- bed fun for our son for a few months. Then they grow up again.
Alexa isn't needed but once you have one it kind of becomes useful or entertaining at times or simply there if you need it. You kind of get it for one or two uses then find a few more after getting it. I also think I don't realise how many little tasks a day I do use it for, it's just there working that I don't think about it any more.
It's good for little, pointless pranks. Our son was fairly young when we got it. So obviously he found the wind noise app pretty quickly. One of its tricks is that you can ask what type a certain person does and alexa chooses one for them. He found that funny for a few weeks the grew up a bit.
Quiz of the day is a continuous point scoring daily quiz where you get a bonus point question when you get the main one right. Different topics each day. It's a bit of pre- bed fun for our son for a few months. Then they grow up again.
Alexa isn't needed but once you have one it kind of becomes useful or entertaining at times or simply there if you need it. You kind of get it for one or two uses then find a few more after getting it. I also think I don't realise how many little tasks a day I do use it for, it's just there working that I don't think about it any more.
BTW the whole point behind them was to offer cheap kit to tie you in to a particular ecosystem. The idea was people would have a smart device in every room that they'd be ordering things through by voice search. It was always about the increase in sales covering the initial outlay to get their cut priced smart speakers into every home.
Unfortunately for them the general public chose their own way to use them which didn't include much voice searched sales. It's why they keep threatening to reduce support for them.
Unfortunately for them the general public chose their own way to use them which didn't include much voice searched sales. It's why they keep threatening to reduce support for them.
I'm more interested in how people may have found ways to interconnect it to the I.O.T to facilitate better / easier management of life tasks than an entertainment tool for answering questions.
Having it connected to switches and plugs , adding verbal instructions to shopping lists or managing digital shopping orders , run musical play lists , etc
Having it connected to switches and plugs , adding verbal instructions to shopping lists or managing digital shopping orders , run musical play lists , etc
In doubt IOT has really taken off for most people. It's simply you set the room and set words to carry out actions in those rooms. Lights, smart plugs, etc. Set a zone name, set an action word and define the actions.
I guess you could get the phrase goodbye to mean it turns off all lights, smart plugs, etc so you're not using as much electricity after you've left home. Goodnight might be a cue to turn on the washing machines or dishwashers in 1 hours time after you've fallen asleep to take advantage of cheaper electricity perhaps.
I don't know because I've never bothered buying the associated smart device. My parents moved into a house with nest thermostat. They use it manually only because they never found the connected way an advantage when they tried it. I think it's a bit like that, IRL they're not always ad useful as you'd think, this IOT idea.
I guess you could get the phrase goodbye to mean it turns off all lights, smart plugs, etc so you're not using as much electricity after you've left home. Goodnight might be a cue to turn on the washing machines or dishwashers in 1 hours time after you've fallen asleep to take advantage of cheaper electricity perhaps.
I don't know because I've never bothered buying the associated smart device. My parents moved into a house with nest thermostat. They use it manually only because they never found the connected way an advantage when they tried it. I think it's a bit like that, IRL they're not always ad useful as you'd think, this IOT idea.
I’ve got the studio version as I mainly use it for playing music. To just ask it to play something is far easier than going to the cd collection and rummaging through and then changing it. And quicker than using a phone too. And there’s nothing to connect to activate beforehand like you have to with speakers and other devices. Our bedroom and kitchen lights are hooked up to it so after we are comfortable in bed we can just ask to turn the light off without sticking an arm out or getting up. It’s a nice luxury when you hear something or get up during the night too. Asking it to remind you of something at a set time or setting multiple cooking timers is great too, or even the time when you are too sleepy to look at a watch or clock. As this usually wakes me up more.
Its also useful for checking on odd facts when a question arises, without going into a phone or computer.
The security thing did concern me at first, but you can alter the settings and it only passively listens to the activation word ‘Alexa’. Nothing else. My phone is more invasive by far. It’s a surprisingly useful device for things you never even thought of.
Its also useful for checking on odd facts when a question arises, without going into a phone or computer.
The security thing did concern me at first, but you can alter the settings and it only passively listens to the activation word ‘Alexa’. Nothing else. My phone is more invasive by far. It’s a surprisingly useful device for things you never even thought of.
As commented on above, if you want one get one and good luck to you; but am I alone in finding it a little incongruous that we are discussing such tech. on a bushcraft forum?
Again, nothing against them, tech like this just seems to me a mite frivolous. Just because you can doesn't always mean you should, sort of thing.
Again, nothing against them, tech like this just seems to me a mite frivolous. Just because you can doesn't always mean you should, sort of thing.
The very fact we are using our smartphones and computers to discuss bushcraft on a forum, which is software run on a server and transmitted across the internet, makes me think that that ship has sailed somewhat.
I work in technology and do somewhat agree with your very last sentence. If one doesn’t have a specific need for it, I wouldn’t try and seek out reasons to use it. That said, there are lots of uses that people may not immediately think of which really benefit people’s lives. For example, this tech can be an incredible aid for people with physical disabilities.
A further point to consider for people concerned about privacy - it’s worth considering where the company that made your smart devices gets their income. Amazon’s entire business model is to gather data and sell you stuff. Google’s business model is to gather data and sell that data. Apple’s business model is the hardware itself and they value their reputation for privacy.
Then again as someone quite rightly pointed out, almost all of us carry a microphone around with us in our pocket all day!
Me too.!
As long as I'm capable of turning a light switch on and off, boil a kettle myself and turn on the washing machine, I will.
I feel that we are not too far off having every aspect of our lives ruled by spy tech.
I have just watched survival lily's latest video. Have a look yourselves. See what's planned for us and our kids.
It's scary, and we all just focus on the benefits ignoring the negatives, or finding excuses.
Frogs in boiling water comes to mind.
Still, if you dont mind being monitored, even down to when you go to bed, in the "privicy" of your own home. What can I say?
I assume that’s on Vimeo and not YouTube because if there was ever a company that was egregious with tracking and a lack of transparency….
I don't have a problem with anyone knowing which you tube videos I watch, as I'm not watching anything I shouldn't be, or could be described in any way as a threat to society. So as long as I stick to sensible viewing , I don't worry about it. But its the only social media, apart from this forum I bother with, and I check the weather on my phone. I'm not realy into technology, and life still works fine, as it always has.
I'm not keen on some faceless company knowing what time I switch on a light or use my washing machine, so I don't have and never will agree to having to a smart meter, or any tech that monitors my personal habits. I don't even buy online. I prefer to ring the company and order that way, though I do realise my card is monitored by the bank. I try to leave as little digital trace of myself as possible, but, I agree, it's crept in so insidiously into our lives, it's almost impossible to avoid. It's only going to get worse.
Watch lily's video!
It will shock you.
We use ours (we have three Amazon Echo devices scattered around the house) mainly for entertainment. Strange, having worked in IOT and other networked system, I don't use it a great deal for automation of the house. I have a couple of lights that have a floor switch so I use Alexa to turn those on and off to save me grubbing around; we us it to remind the missus to take her new medication in the evening; and I use it for short cooking timers and such.
All my devices, phone, pc, Echo, internet search - are all set on maximum privacy possible for that system. Only a fool leaves any of these devices on 'Default Settings' IMO.
All my devices, phone, pc, Echo, internet search - are all set on maximum privacy possible for that system. Only a fool leaves any of these devices on 'Default Settings' IMO.
I agree with that.
I went to a tech workshop for tech idiots, and got the guy there to do that to my phone. Its a realy sensible precaution.
My phone, is my only bit of tech. I don't upload apps or anything that could compromise it in any way.
My business, is mine, not anyone else's.
Apple's business model is total control over the ecosystem. It's why kindle tablets don't follow the android ecosystem with play store, but use their own kindle ecosystem with their own version of android under licence but not under control of Google android. Same principle. You get apps via apple music through iTunes etc. Plus your account is with apple.
Seriously apple are not clean with their offering. No modern technology is.
Which brings me round to the idea that tech is your electronic gizmos. Your nice shiny knife is, the camping stove, the waterproof jacket you wear in our wonderful climate, etc. All technology with positives and negatives. Like PFAS, forever chemicals, d depletion of earth's resources as you buy another drawer queen knife.
Oh and you're being tracked by your payment method every time you use anything but cash or barter.
Modern world! You've chosen it so have fun jumping on and off at the point you want to. No point is clean or clear of negatives.
Seriously apple are not clean with their offering. No modern technology is.
Which brings me round to the idea that tech is your electronic gizmos. Your nice shiny knife is, the camping stove, the waterproof jacket you wear in our wonderful climate, etc. All technology with positives and negatives. Like PFAS, forever chemicals, d depletion of earth's resources as you buy another drawer queen knife.
Oh and you're being tracked by your payment method every time you use anything but cash or barter.
Modern world! You've chosen it so have fun jumping on and off at the point you want to. No point is clean or clear of negatives.
I use cash whenever possible.
I don't think you can put items such as knives, camp stoves etc, into the same category as the sort of tech we are talking about here though.
That's rather an extreme anology, otherwise we'd need to go back to caveman style of living. And then you'd be saying bows and arrows and fur clothing is modern tech.
There is tech, and electronic tech, which is what we are talking about.
A rain jacket does not impede on your privacy does it?
I don't think you can put items such as knives, camp stoves etc, into the same category as the sort of tech we are talking about here though.
That's rather an extreme anology, otherwise we'd need to go back to caveman style of living. And then you'd be saying bows and arrows and fur clothing is modern tech.
There is tech, and electronic tech, which is what we are talking about.
A rain jacket does not impede on your privacy does it?
I have an alexa. The only thing it gets used for is playing music. It's opened up a whole world of music for the kids which is a positive. I'm not really intetested in automating things like like light switches and so on. I'm not overly worried about tracking. But, what with alexa, phones, TV and the Nest which controls our central heating by some mysterious means, I find the whole thing a bit spiritually draining, if that makes sense. Life is an endless series of accounts and logins. I have a hankering for a grandfather clock, gramaphone player and an old fashioned barometer.
