IMO, I suspect that technology and what we can do with it is moving faster than social aceptance, morality and legislation.

I'm reminded of the man walking at 4 mph in front of the first motor vehicles with his red flag.

How quickly things change.


Legh

That's right, so you have to constantly be in focus and learn (of course with you). I come from automotive engineering and am constantly in the race for technology

My own Alexa does pick up the occasional 'misheard' wake command.... During the last series of the Great British Sewing Bee one of the competitors was called Alexis so of course every time his name was mentioned during the show, my own Alexa livened up. I've also noticed that some short words with a 'ksss' sound in them can also wake her up. She has an audible beep though to let you know when she's awoken and is listening. Well she does on my Sonos speaker anyway. 


Strangely enough she doesn't react to the current Amazon advert (Morning ritual) with the blind woman who repeatedly uses the 'Alexa' wake command. I wondered if the post-production team had altered the audio on the advert somehow to prevent it from triggering all the Alexa's within earshot?


Or maybe it's just coincidence... ?

I feel a Ludite moment coming on .........

Would somebody try to convince me that we need 'Alexa' in our lives?

What exactly are the benefits?

When we consider that its Amazon where every time you buy something on line you end up having to extract the 'Prime' out of it, hooving up your consumer preferences and then there's the possibility of being eves dropped. !


May I suggest that you all watch 'Enemy of the state' or am I being paranoid?


Legh

Yes, you are being paranoid, but as I recall someone once said, "Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean they're not watching you!"

It is very true that the art of the possible is running faster than the ability of both law and social conventions to keep up.

On the news recently was the unrest about the introduction of a 'whatsapp' tax in Lebanon more here  This prompted a discussion of what the state knows its citizens are doing, and who actually pays to keep the internet up and running.  In many ways the internet is easier to control, intercept and inject false traffic into than say radio, which came before it.

While the Lebanese authorities clearly misjudged the mood, there is a point there that internet traffic is not secure,  and another that once it becomes a utility, it is not an unreasonable idea to tax it by use.

I suspect that one of the things to come out of the current mental health /antisocial teenager issues may well be regulation about who can do what on-line. Technically it is all possible but the politics is messy, and there are a lot of vested interests. I suspect a 'netiquette' including things like telling people when their actions are being broadcast will evolve in due course. And no I have no internet enabled spying equipment in my house, but if I did, I's warn people as they came in, just as if I had a tape recorder running in the living room.

Just put a sign on the door stating:

'This house is in broadcast mode feel free to speak to the world'.... No I don't think so somehow.

Alexa has no obvious benefits to me as it is at present, unless in the future it is a guaranteed secure connection then when I was completely disabled and bedridden, I might be able to ask for help when needed.


Legh

Legh Richardson:

when I was completely disabled and bedridden, I might be able to ask for help when needed.Dignitas

 

Fixed that for you (FOC)


Regards


OMS