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Alexa Devices

Discussion in 'Random Nonsense' started by booman, Sep 20, 2018.

  1. booman

    booman Grand High Exalted Mystic Emperor of Linux Gaming Staff Member

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  2. danrok

    danrok Administrator Staff Member

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    I wonder how long before you can fill your home with all the latest gadgets for free?

    Except they will all be "smart" Alexa enabled and you'll be paying on a per use or subscription basis, e.g. pay 5 cents to switch the lights on.

    Bank account empty? No problem, just watch this advert and then you can have the lights on. :rolleyes:
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  3. booman

    booman Grand High Exalted Mystic Emperor of Linux Gaming Staff Member

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    Ha ha ha! That was awesome!
    Yup, everything can be advertisement driven when you want to run the dishwasher, open the fridge or take out the trash.
  4. cloasters

    cloasters Moderator

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    Isn't Alexa from Amazon Intl Inc? All you need to know, right there. I have a friend who has an Alexa tattle-tale box in his Apt.
    I've counseled him about this but he says it makes tuning in a particular radio station possible.

    So what? Some pick up the clue phone, some don't. "Internet of Things," gimme a freakin' break!
  5. booman

    booman Grand High Exalted Mystic Emperor of Linux Gaming Staff Member

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    I can imagine Star Trek voice interaction coming true soon. We see it as lazy, but later generations who grow up with voice activation will see it as a norm.
    Just like my kids using the internet for school at home.
    They don't have to walk to school every day or ride a bus. Don't have to report to 5 different teachers in 5 different subject or even do homework each night.
  6. cloasters

    cloasters Moderator

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    Seems that homework is a lot less beneficial than was once thought. Sheesh, I had serious amounts of it, especially in Europe.
    Idle hands etc. But how true is that? It's not universal.

    Glad that your children don't have to deal with some real annoyances!
  7. danrok

    danrok Administrator Staff Member

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    Apparently, homework is completely pointless, just as I suspected when I had to do it.

    Social interaction, etc. is now being seen as the main benefit of school for children.
  8. danrok

    danrok Administrator Staff Member

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    I think all these smart devices can be life changing for someone people, those with disabilities, elderly people, and so on.
  9. cloasters

    cloasters Moderator

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    Didn't it all start with "Clap on. Clap off?"
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  10. Kaitain

    Kaitain Active Member

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  11. Kaitain

    Kaitain Active Member

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    Bah, like all kiddies, you missed the point of it. Homework isn't, and never has been, about academic success, but about organisation, time management and self-discipline. Except where maths, languages and music are concerned, as those also require practice, so the added time on task is a benefit.

    The ability to juggle tasks so as to do what you enjoy, while still getting the important stuff done, learning when it's appropriate to put tasks off or skip them altogether, is hugely important but takes practice to get right. So best get 'em started when they're young, before they're graduates and I get 'em. Then they'll wish they'd had more homework...
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  12. cloasters

    cloasters Moderator

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    The latest fashion seems to condemn all homework. Maybe 'cause "they" want us to spend ALL of our time on so-called smartphones? Or "talking to" Alexa and its clones?
  13. Daniel~

    Daniel~ Chief BBS Administrator Staff Member

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    I wonder if Amazon has produced a single piece of paper or electronic print that does not contain an add for
    fancy Al?

    It seems to be their sole obsession! As far as I'm concerned they will need to do a much better job if they want to be me for me.
  14. cloasters

    cloasters Moderator

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    Mr Bezos wants the world to work for him. He's done this extremely well. Haven't bought anything from Amazon for a long time.
  15. Daniel~

    Daniel~ Chief BBS Administrator Staff Member

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    Are you sure you don't want to blame your world on Mr Soros, that who trummy likes to blame?
  16. Daniel~

    Daniel~ Chief BBS Administrator Staff Member

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    Totally agree Dan. What concerns me just a little bit is how are these good folks going to get thought a power outage? Voluntary dependence is still dependency...Yes?

    Patti just bought a generator to power us through a power outage which while you can't depend on them are rather frequent. But were off by our self's a bit and the noise can be abated by putting it in a shed. Not really a solution for most city folks.

    I'm still staring at what I just wrote and it seems to me I've only narrowly averted hypocrisy, by the slimiest of margins.":O}

    I'm trying to make myself aware of the time.

    I barely understand the world of folks who arrived 30 years after me. Those 50 years younger are often foreign to me and Kiatian's and Boo' kids might have come from another planet or rather arrived on a different planet than I.

    I see all these people chasing their phones trying to get their phones to like them..And I keep hearing that old old very old Beach Boys song...

    "She had fun fun fun until daddy took her T-Bird away."

    It seems like the closer we as humans are getting to what seems like a time of hardship, the further away we are getting from being able to deal with hardship.

    I see us as becoming more and more frivolous. Nature has no use for the frivolous so this cannot be an enduring condition. But hey! What is?
    Last edited: Nov 19, 2018
  17. cloasters

    cloasters Moderator

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    C'mon. I do blame Democrats. Mr Soros isn't an angel, but I have no beefs with him.
  18. Daniel~

    Daniel~ Chief BBS Administrator Staff Member

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    I guess the point I wished to make is that Neither of theses men are any more in change than you are.

    They give orders that are followed.They lay plans that are most often carried out. But that's all just by the way.
    They cannot add an inch to anyone's stature. nor a single day to anyone's life.They cannot make themselves more intelligent or more courageous.They had no say in your birth or birth place. They don't know your deepest desire nor can they change it.

    They push stuff around and call it command.

    "There is a deeper wave than this running thought this world."

    Why trouble ourselves with what is only shallow and when what is deep calls to us from every puddle of rain?
    that sings to us from every throat-ed bird?

    They cannot change your world view, but I can. With no money changing hands.

    They have money you have reason. You have the grace we each receive on the day we are born.

    Envy no one in Samsara." (The realm of intelligent beings.")

    The rich will die. Rockefeller died. So where's the long term advantage?

    George just be happy and you will put all their lives to shame.

    "And awake the Devil from his dream."
  19. cloasters

    cloasters Moderator

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    "And awake the devil from his dream?" Perhaps leaving sleeping dogs alone isn't a bad idea?
    "George, just be happy..." Love the idea as well as the sentiment. Thank you!
  20. Daniel~

    Daniel~ Chief BBS Administrator Staff Member

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    I just knew you guys benefited from all the school work I never did...I just couldn't figure out HOW you benefited...Well hey you got to go to prom!

    But so Did I! Girls inviting drop outs was in in the mid sixties. We just had to pretend to be interested...sigh...it was more than I could do. But as it turned out prom was more than they wanted to do so they would invite me to tell them we can skip prom and get it on!!

    I always put on my best smile for parents...They saw right through me...is why I was smiling.":O}

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