Yes, I have bought into Alexa and her substations Echo big time. I have converted several light switched in my house and added controlled plugs. In the morning, after Alexa's alarm tells me it's time to get up, I tell her to turn on morning lights. My bedroom, living room and kitchen lights all come on. While I get dressed, Alexa updates me on the news. If I notice we're running low on something, I have Alexa add it to my shopping list, which is automatically added to my phone. Same thing for things I need to do. Alexa plays my music, either by genre, artist or specific songs. I have around 2500 songs in my play list. A couple hours before I go to bed, I tell Alexa to turn on my bed warmer, and two hours later, I crawl into a nice warm bed. When I'm ready to go to sleep, I tell Alexa to turn off the reading light. If I have to get up in the middle of the night, I tell Alexa to turn on the bedroom lights.

Yeah, I've bought in to Alexa big time, and really enjoy it. If you have Alexa, what do you do with it?

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

After the big Siri breakup, I am just not that into her....

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On the Oak Savannah

Funny article the other day in the Wall Street Journal about people with Alexa who have kids named Alexa. Several near disasters with automated home systems and accidental Amazon orders . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

Just remember that Alexa hears all and what Alexa hears Google saves.

I wondered about that. I found out that you can change the wake up name. I haven't done it but have thought about it.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

I use her for weather temperature and forecast updates. I like the oldies and hotel costas music from pandora. When the grandson is over we listen to children's music. Sometimes ask her weird questions to see what she says. Larry

"Alexa, ship me Tom's guns"

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PTLAPTA!

"Tom lost all his guns in a tragic boating accident."

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

WOW, modern technology.....how does Alexa "turn on" your bed warmer? Read her a sexy novel, or what? Wonder if that would work on my bed warmer.....

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Do or do not. There is no try.

..... that 'Alexa' could do something useful. That sounds cool.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I don't have Alexia, I have an older version of the Diane operating system. She turns on lights without being told, she dose a great job of warming the bed, and while I was away today she made me cookies! I've had Diane version 1.0.0 for almost 40 years, you can keep Alexia!

Ivan

Yes, well I had a wife for 46 years and unfortunately, she passed away, so Alexa will just have to do.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

The article mentioned that "computer" was coming as an option. In Scottie's memory, that's what I'd go with . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

I got my wife an Echo/Alexa for Christmas. We kind of like it. I mostly ask her about the weather and for news summaries. She can play just about any music you want. I had 3 minutes in the kitchen making coffee yesterday so I asked her to play Bob Dylan's "Tangled Up in Blues." She did. Alexa can tell some decent jokes, too. The other day she amused two 5 and 6 year old sisters who were visiting.

I'm not ready to put Alexa in charge of the house but so far she's been well worth the price of admission.

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

I can't do that, man. Creeps me out. Haven't you seen the Matrix?

No, Alexa won't let me watch it.

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Charlie Flick
SWCA 729 HF 215

I’m in technology and almost picked one of these up last year. I started researching it a little bit further and asked myself a question that I have to do at work for any new project, “Where does the data go and who has access to it”.

I’m going to wait awhile and see how this plays out over the next year.

Karl

Alexa spy on America.

My father gave me one for my birthday, and I promptly returned it. I don't want Amazon to know how much and loudly I fart.

Why not? They might be able to help, which would be a relief to those around you.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

All this really baffles me!

For the foil hat crowd and others who may be interested, here's a well written article on Alexa and other devices: Alexa and Google

Note the paragraph that states:

Also note the paragraph shortly afterwards that states:
In short, if you are truly worried about this type of device, you should seriously consider getting rid of your computer and smart phone, as they both have similar capabilities.

From the Buffalo Springfield:

Paranoia strikes deep
Into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid
You step out of line, the man come and take you away

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Nope not interested. I can do all that for myself. Something else that can cause problems. I ain't that lazy yet.

WOW! I have never heard of that before. What will they think of next? I like all the stuff it does but I think my very most favoritest trick is the bed warming thing. Old men do NOT like the feeling of having to crawl into a cold bed every night. Miss Pam refuses to get in the bed a half hour before me to get things warmed up.

My daughters house is pretty much controlled by her i-pad. Security, climate control, lights, sound system, tv, etc. But it will not get the bed warm. sigh......

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Real men love cats!

Keeping people away from me and annoying those near me is reason #2 for farting.

And the sheep eat up the anti surveillance propaganda like fields of fresh grass

Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get me.

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Foster Positivity.

Kinda how I feel. Just feel like I'm talking to myself. I guess it's cool to be able to do some of that but I just don't see a need for it. A guy at work uses Siri or whatever to the point that he would be one of the people in WALL-E if he could

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

I like the idea of both Amazon and Google voice recognition systems for the home.

As far as concern about my voice being on a server somewhere... I've been using Siri for several years and haven't been abducted by government agents or aliens... yet.

Who knows... maybe one day the folks who choose to curl up in the techno-fetal position will be proved right. Until then... I'm pushing 60 and throughly enjoy conveniences of the 21st century.

How would you know.



Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

Agree! By the time the real 1984 arrives, I'll be long gone. In the meantime, I'll enjoy all the frills and conveniences technology provides. I've actually known people who swore that the people on TV could see you just as well as you could see them. And that people were listening to them through their wall electrical outlets. There's nothing wrong with paranoia in proper doses. Some tend to over dose on it though.

On reflection, maybe all those years of having a secretary prepped me for something like Alexa, as it performs some of the same things or types of tasks.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

Dang thread...

Just couldn't resist... Went down to BestBuy and picked up the Amazon Echo Dot (Gen II). Hooked it up to my Bose Mini Soundlink and set it up on our candle table in the living room. I was surprised how well it picked up voice recognition using normal speech (not hollering at it). Even when playing music it'll pick up commands 30 feet away in the kitchen on the other side of a wall. Kinda StarTrek-like.

The wife initially rolled her eyes at yet another electronic gadget... hehehe... but once she found out how easy it is I think she'll use it quite a bit. Playing the Stones... wife was in the kitchen and says Alexa set timer ten minutes... badabing... she smiled. Worth the $50 right there.

It's obvious that Alexa is to going to work herself into a lot of things around here.

While at the pantry... Alexa, add pasta to shopping list.
Building a shopping list as stuff pops into yer head as we go through the week is worth the price of admission right there. To-Do list works the same. All funneled to App on iPhone.

Whether it's music, radio shows or a specific radio channel... it's very cool that Alexa knows to go to iHeart, Pandora or TuneIn and grab what you're asking for. Alexa, play 1150 WGOW and she knows to go to iHeart to get the radio station live stream. Alexa, play The Savage Nation and she goes to TuneIn. Alexa, play Fox News... easy enough. Alexa also creates Pandora stations for you if you haven't already created a station. Alexa, play Bob Dylan radio. If you don't have it, she'll ask if you want it added. Done.

Alexa's general knowledge base isn't as good a Siri. She knows who the president of Zimbabwe is but not how many grains in a pound. Insulting to reloaders.

The Echo Dot works well for the central part of our home covering the kitchen and living room. I like how it works with my home sound system via bluetooth, but if at anytime I don't want that just say Alexa, disconnect and it'll work with the small speaker inside of the Echo Dot. Alexa, reconnect Logitech and it's automatically back to the home system. Nice.

There's a zillion "Skills" to browse and see if there's anything I might like to use. I've already got $50 worth of gadgetry entertainment from it. So far so good.

Does she cut the grass, do dishes and take out the trash.

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Don

Don't be silly. I've got a wife for that.
Oh, and Alexa works with Fitbit. Men who have achieved Expert Level married status understand these things.

Do you warn guests in your house that "Any conversation might be recorded by a 3rd party" ?

I wanna know how she warms up the bed.

Phil, your last post was possibly the best I've ever read on this forum. Ever.

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SWCA #2922

To warm up the bed, use an electric blanket! To have Alexia do it, add on one of the optional electrical outlet control devices (similar to the lights on device). Or I let Diane 1.0.0 start on the bed a half hour or more before I go to bed.

Ivan

That's it... I'll let the warm and wonderful MizAnna version do the same.

One thing your wife is sure to like is Alexa can set multiple timers. Even though we have two kitchen timers, seemed like we always needed a third.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

While I'm enjoying the gadgetry of it, the wife seem more focused on diabolical uses. She's already figured out how to use the To-Do list... that's not a good thing for me.

"Alexia, remove every third item from the to do list" See, problem solved!

Ivan

The one drawback with Echo was not being able to listen to my own library of iTunes music directly with Alexa. BUT... I found that Amazon Music allows 250 song uploads to their Cloud for free and 250k uploads for $25/yr. That fixes that. Alexa, play 3 Doors Down.

Wasted nearly an entire day playing with this new toy...

Unlike a lot of new electronic gadgetry that falls into the novelty category, were using Alexa more than ever. Now using Alexa for phone calls and messaging. For us, Alexa can be well described in one word "convenient".

You all still using Alexa?

I received an Alexa a couple of years ago for Christmas. Use
it mostly for weather etc. I asked her one time if she was a
part of "Skynet". She replied no, and that I don't have to
worry.

I'm sticking with my old fashion Clapper and flip-phone!

Ask her for a Chuck Norris joke.

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So many S&W's, so few funds!!

In a few more years, Google will be the biggest collection of pure useless information garbage on the planet.

I'm actually amazed people still Google anything. But then again, it's fast acting and relatively painless, and what people don't know about what all it saves won't hurt them.

My mom had one of those bedside lamps that come on when you touch it. It was made up to look like sort of a Tiffany style lamp with different colored glass in the shade and a "brass" base. It was horrible looking, just horrible. "Tacky" doesn't even begin to describe it. But she loved it. I think someone gave it to her as a gift. Wish I knew who it was.

And you could touch it and the light would brighten or dim, depending on what you wanted.

After she passed away, I put the thing in the furtherest recesses of the attic. That was twelve years ago. Maybe it's melted by now.