Alexa has left the building.....well not quite yet....but

[Blansky]

I never use this tech or any of them Alexa, Siri, or Bob, and I guess a lot of people don't either.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022...4-12c07276430c

[twinturb089]

Yeah ! another tech gizzmo that listens to everything you say. Just what i always wanted....... NOT. none of that crap in our home. The smart phones, fridges, thermostats, tvs are enough. getting rid of the smart thermostats now in our home as we bought the house with them. come home from work and the damn heat or ac is off .... because it decided it didnt see anyone walk bye it in a few hours. so off you go. I am old enough to decide when i want heat and ac. Back to the old fashion slide thermostat. set it and forget it.

[Chewbacca]

All my forum engagement is via Alexa. This is a terrible revelation.

[rolexpatek363]

Having read Orwell's 1984, I do not want a listening device connected to the internet in my house.

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by Chewbacca

All my forum engagement is via Alexa. This is a terrible revelation.

THAT answers a lot of questions.

She's probably not too great an interpreting wookie.

[mountainjogger]

Originally Posted by Blansky

THAT answers a lot of questions.

She's probably not too great an interpreting wookie.

Some, perhaps. But it does not fully explain Chewie.

[erhein]

Four or five years ago, my sister got the devices and began using Alexa. I said to her, "If a strange guy rang your doorbell and said he'd pay you $1,000.00 if you let him install live microphones in your house, you'd call the cops on him. Yet you'll pay Amazon for the privilege of allowing you to do exactly that." Her response? "Well, I don't have anything to hide." I can't even imagine thinking that way. My sister-in-law tells me she turns it off when she's not using it. No, thank you. Of course, we all know "they're" watching and listening anyway.

[Star Ferry]

It was a robot voice that eaves dropped and then tried to sell you crap on Amazon. An “assistant” that can’t hand you a coffee or a sandwich with a smile is no assistant at all. Goodbye, Alexa — there was never any spark between us.

[erhein]

Originally Posted by rolexpatek363

Having read Orwell's 1984, I do not want a listening device connected to the internet in my house.

Agree 100%. Unfortunately, it seems to me that more and more people in this country see "1984" as less and less of a worst-case scenario and more and more of an acceptable trade-off for government "protection." (Hope that's not too political.)

[Chewbacca]

Originally Posted by Blansky

THAT answers a lot of questions.

She's probably not too great an interpreting wookie.

I’ve never been asked to buy anything. So you’re probably right.

[Chewbacca]

Originally Posted by mountainjogger

Some, perhaps. But it does not fully explain Chewie.

[GB-man]

We have Alexa and use it daily for mundane tasks like controlling our sonos system and smart lighting. It works great to be honest. That said we’ve definitely contemplated axing it for obvious reasons.

[Chester01]

I have said this for a while, we have reached peak tech. At this point any so called benefits of tech are offset by the down sides. The reality is we are no better off today than we were in the 1980’s and by many metrics and some authors not significantly better than we were on the eve of World War II.

We as a society are interested in $$$ and recognition today and not solving the worlds largest problems. We largely have tech to blame for that as media spins things and the talking heads tell people what to think and so we remain stagnant as a society. We will largely not be able to solve the major issues, but hey we got tic toc and Twitter, and suri, and the like. The best and brightest are making sure we spend as much time in the fake world doing nothing at all.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Chester01

I have said this for a while, we have reached peak tech. At this point any so called benefits of tech are offset by the down sides. The reality is we are no better off today than we were in the 1980’s and by many metrics and some authors not significantly better than we were on the eve of World War II.

We as a society are interested in $$$ and recognition today and not solving the worlds largest problems. We largely have tech to blame for that as media spins things and the talking heads tell people what to think and so we remain stagnant as a society. We will largely not be able to solve the major issues, but hey we got tic toc and Twitter, and suri, and the like. The best and brightest are making sure we spend as much time in the fake world doing nothing at all.

People haven’t changed, and there’s a good chance they never will.

On the bright side I disagree, the benefits have been worth it. I couldn’t even know where to begin and I’m sure I don’t even know what all they have been.

[brandrea]

I’ve often thought I should’ve been born in the 30’s and been a young man in the 50’s. Simpler times.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by brandrea

I’ve often thought I should’ve been born in the 30’s and been a young man in the 50’s. Simpler times.

I often say I’m sure glad I grew up back in the 60s and 70s. When children actually played outside and didn’t sit in front of a video game.

[Chester01]

Originally Posted by dddrees

People haven’t changed, and there’s a good chance they never will.

On the bright side I disagree, the benefits have been worth it. I couldn’t even know where to begin and I’m sure I don’t even know what all they have been.

Exactly, one can't really name the benefits. Especially when one considers the down side. There is a bias toward all tech is always good. The reality is on the major metrics: education, health; longevity, quality of life we have peaked long ago (see Robert Gordon's work) and peaked and in many metrics now heading down hill, crime, health, longevity, and quality of life. Congrats you have your tech toys on on average we as a society are more depressed and miserable than ever.

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by Chester01

Exactly, one can't really name the benefits. Especially when one considers the down side. There is a bias toward all tech is always good. The reality is on the major metrics: education, health; longevity, quality of life we have peaked long ago (see Robert Gordon's work) and peaked and in many metrics now heading down hill, crime, health, longevity, and quality of life. Congrats you have your tech toys on on average we as a society are more depressed and miserable than ever.

I realize this is a "get off my lawn" moment but I sort of agree.

I grew up in the 50s and 60s and it was pretty amazing even though we only had 3 channels on the TV and had to get up to change them.

I understand that people who grew up with tech can't even imagine being without it. And I realize that being a white hetero male gave me options and choices that many others did get, but from my perspective I can't really think of much that is better with all the tech, than what we had then.

We traveled, we flew, we ate real food, we partied, we drag raced cars, we scored with women, we got married, had homes, read books, had good jobs....etc etc.

So much of it is just unnecessary toys.

[Chester01]

Originally Posted by Blansky

I realize this is a "get off my lawn" moment but I sort of agree.

I grew up in the 50s and 60s and it was pretty amazing even though we only had 3 channels on the TV and had to get up to change them.

I understand that people who grew up with tech can't even imagine being without it. And I realize that being a white hetero male gave me options and choices that many others did get, but from my perspective I can't really think of much that is better with all the tech, than what we had then.

We traveled, we flew, we ate real food, we partied, we drag raced cars, we scored with women, we got married, had homes, read books, had good jobs....etc etc.

So much of it is just unnecessary toys.

Yes, when we traveled and flew in a plane, you rested and read as we did not have laptops to continue working. When we ate food, we looked and spoke to one another and connected.

I’m not sure what you mean by a get off my lawn moment? I mean to a large degree my main points are data driven. I’m not speaking globally meaning we were all better off “back in the day.” What I’m talking about is the general plateau of technology and how it has impacted society and what technology is giving us now versus in the past.

Can you imagine if we had all this media/tech decades ago to make money by creating drama and doubt about the polio vaccine and penicillin? We have on the metrics I mentioned above gone backwards and well we are able to tweet, and get real angry on line and post our feelings. No flying cars, no serious increase in education, no solution to wars, still clinging to fossil fuels, no answer to world hunger. Tech has done a great job of anesthesizing the masses giving the the illusion of real progress. We won’t have answers/solutions to the worlds biggest problems but man, we will have iPhone 15 and it’s going to be .00001 faster and I’ll have more emojis!

[Blansky]

Originally Posted by Chester01

Yes, when we traveled and flew in a plane, you rested and read as we did not have laptops to continue working. When we ate food, we looked and spoke to one another and connected.

I’m not sure what you mean by a get off my lawn moment? I mean to a large degree my main points are data driven. I’m not speaking globally meaning we were all better off “back in the day.” What I’m talking about is the general plateau of technology and how it has impacted society and what technology is giving us now versus in the past.

Can you imagine if we had all this media/tech decades ago to make money by creating drama and doubt about the polio vaccine and penicillin? We have on the metrics I mentioned above gone backwards and well we are able to tweet, and get real angry on line and post our feelings. No flying cars, no serious increase in education, no solution to wars, still clinging to fossil fuels, no answer to world hunger. Tech has done a great job of anesthesizing the masses giving the the illusion of real progress. We won’t have answers/solutions to the worlds biggest problems but man, we will have iPhone 15 and it’s going to be .00001 faster and I’ll have more emojis!

Like I said, I agree.

The get off my lawn was us old guys complaining about "these young people today......."

I actually think, like you say, the tech has unfortunately enhanced and magnified our ability to be terrible people, instead of bringing us closer together.

[Brenngun]

When used in a beneficial way mankind has benefited from Tech in numerous ways. Medicine, agriculture and communications to name just a few. The problem with Tech is not Tech, it's people who are unwilling to only use it to improve their lives. Just because a Tech company offers a product to the general public doesn't mean people should line up to get it. That's a lack of personal control that flows down from parents to children. For those who complain about Tech being the problem but spend an inordinate amount of time using it for frivolous reasons or, have kids doing the same just need to look in the mirror to find the real problem.

[subtona]

Good news

[Wcdhtwn]

I don’t do face recognition on my iPhone/ipad or any voice commands. No Alexa, Siri, voice activated TV remotes, nothing. I push buttons… especially my wife’s when I won’t do a voice search on the TV.

[GradyPhilpott]

Originally Posted by JoeJoeBobo

And she’s taking a record of all the things you ever said in your house to Amazon with her.

That's not even close to the truth.

I have Echo devices all over my apartment, five to be exact.

I like music in every room, while I walking around. I like to turn lights on and off with just my voice. I like to do the same with my phone app, when I'm not at home for various reasons. I like music from my music library and also from the enormous library of Amazon Music.

As for listening devices in the home, just be aware that since the widespread adoption of the telephone, there has been a listening device in virtually every home in the country for over a century. And don't forget the cellphones that abound and almost everyone has within reach at all times.

You can also use the app to see all the recorded material, which isn't much and is of no use to anyone, and erase it all at will. Each device has a button to disable the microphone also.

I'm like most people, it seems, as I don't use my Echo devices to buy products. I can do that well enough from my computer without Alexa's help.

Anyway, I'm a big fan of the so-called "smart home."

[JoeJoeBobo]

And she’s taking a record of all the things you ever said in your house to Amazon with her.

[MrGoat]

Alexa, Siri, whatever the other ones name is aren’t allowed in my house unless they’re paying rent. Siri is disabled on all of our devices and someone gifted us an Alexa one year, we promptly regifted it.


Sent from my Apple privacy invasion product

[epicurus]

the smart plugs are great. i use it to turn on my espresso machine in the morning....not by voice but from the app. that voice technology is too intrusive for me personally.

[dddrees]

Originally Posted by Brenngun

When used in a beneficial way mankind has benefited from Tech in numerous ways. Medicine, agriculture and communications to name just a few. The problem with Tech is not Tech, it's people who are unwilling to only use it to improve their lives. Just because a Tech company offers a product to the general public doesn't mean people should line up to get it. That's a lack of personal control that flows down from parents to children. For those who complain about Tech being the problem but spend an inordinate amount of time using it for frivolous reasons or, have kids doing the same just need to look in the mirror to find the real problem.

Well said.

[rolexpatek363]

Originally Posted by Brenngun

When used in a beneficial way mankind has benefited from Tech in numerous ways. Medicine, agriculture and communications to name just a few. The problem with Tech is not Tech, it's people who are unwilling to only use it to improve their lives. Just because a Tech company offers a product to the general public doesn't mean people should line up to get it. That's a lack of personal control that flows down from parents to children. For those who complain about Tech being the problem but spend an inordinate amount of time using it for frivolous reasons or, have kids doing the same just need to look in the mirror to find the real problem.

Indeed. Tesla have almost perfected the self-crashing car, thus saving the owner considerable time and trouble.

[joeychitwood]

It’s not just dedicated listening devices. Unless disabled, the listening apps and microphones in our phones and iPads are listening to us 24/7. How many times have you talked or texted about a new carpetangulum or discombobulator and a few hours later received ads for the newest model discombobulator or carpetangulum? The controls for the listening components in our phones are hidden so deep in the Settings that many people can’t disable them.