New Amazon Echo devices

[spendorman]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this. Apologies if wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn_mLwlI8kQ

[struth]

a little creepy, as is the flying drone... just shout, "Hey CIA,MI5, am I doing anything illegal? and a deep voice comes back with, "Stop playing with yourself"

[spendorman]

It might say "Can I join in?"

[spendorman]

At my place Alexa would say ""Tidy up that F*****g place up, all rooms are untidy with Hi Fi junk in every room"

[Macca]

At my place Alexa would say ""Tidy up that F*****g place up, all rooms are untidy with Hi Fi junk in every room"

Mine too. It would have the voice of Hattie Jaques as the Matron in 'Carry On...'.

The whole Alexa thing is both pointless and creepy IMO.

[spendorman]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, my very good friend and work colleague for decades at GEC Marconi/ BAE Systems, would not have one in his house.

I find my Echo Dot very useful in the kitchen, mainly as a hands free radio, with quite acceptable sound quality, from a very small device.

The same guy is coming here today to pick up a desktop that I have put an SSD and Linux Mint 20 in, he won't use Microsoft.

[Macca]

I don't really care about the 'spying' aspect, they can gather all the data they like about what I shop for, I doubt it will take up much room on their servers.

There's just something creepy about it to me that I can't quite put my finger on. I think because it talks, responds to questions and so on, so it has the illusion of intelligence. If 1960s/1970s sci-fi has taught us anything, it's that inventing an intelligent computer always ends badly.

'Are you telling me that there's no way to switch this damn thing off!?'

[struth]

pull the plug out works. as does kicking it up and down a carpark:eyebrows:

[struth]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, my very good friend and work colleague for decades at GEC Marconi/ BAE Systems, would not have one in his house.

I find my Echo Dot very useful in the kitchen, mainly as a hands free radio, with quite acceptable sound quality, from a very small device.

The same guy is coming here today to pick up a desktop that I have put an SSD and Linux Mint 20 in, he won't use Microsoft.

Ive still got one of the old, well made tall ones. had decent sound from it too, but its behaviour put me off.. started talking on its own etc and rarely understood me when i di want it... so it got unplugged and is used as an ornament now. often hang my dongle from it

[Macca]

pull the plug out works. as does kicking it up and down a carpark:eyebrows:

Not in Westworld it didn't. It just carried on on batteries but all the technicians were locked in the control room and suffocated because there was no power to open the doors.

In Star Trek 'NOMAD' has a force field around it so you can't get to it at all.

In Colossus: The Forbin Project they can't turn it off at all and if they try it nukes stuff. In fact IIRC the computer ends up wining in that and takes control of earth.

2001 - A Space Odyssey - he has to go through a world of hassle and danger to finally switch the thing off and it's too late for his pal.

And so on.

[struth]

Not in Westworld it didn't. It just carried on on batteries but all the technicians were locked in the control room and suffocated because there was no power to open the doors.

In Star Trek 'NOMAD' has a force field around it so you can't get to it at all.

In Colossus: The Forbin Project they can't turn it off at all and if they try it nukes stuff. In fact IIRC the computer ends up wining in that and takes control of earth.

2001 - A Space Odyssey - he has to go through a world of hassle and danger to finally switch the thing off and it's too late for his pal.

And so on.

ah yes but in the real world, a swift kick up the jacksy is usually enough... or pour your beer over it... stale beer of course

[Macca]

Actually I'm wrong about NOMAD, it doesn't have a force field it just kills security guards if you piss it off. But it has no off switch, Kirk has to confuse its circuits with logical reasoning and then they beam it into space.

Of course that doesn't always work either, the attempt to teach the sentient bomb Phenomenology in 'Dark Star' doesn't end well.

[Macca]

ah yes but in the real world, a swift kick up the jacksy is usually enough... or pour your beer over it... stale beer of course

Or Jack Daniels. 'The R J MacReady solution.'

I never understood that bit of the film. You've just started your 6 months winter tour in Antarctica and you already deliberately wrecked one of your only sources of entertainment.

[struth]

Or Jack Daniels. 'The R J MacReady solution.'

I never understood that bit of the film. You've just started your 6 months winter tour in Antarctica and you already deliberately wrecked one of your only sources of entertainment.

lol.. took out the whole radio room...great film; one of the best

[spendorman]

I'm waiting for mine to say that it's off colour (or color). "Ive got a pain in all the diodes down my left side"

[spendorman]

Ive still got one of the old, well made tall ones. had decent sound from it too, but its behaviour put me off.. started talking on its own etc and rarely understood me when i di want it... so it got unplugged and is used as an ornament now. often hang my dongle from it

I'm amazed that my Echo Dot understands me practically all the time. I do have a slight issue with it, the Dot might go to sleep at an undetermined time, usually in excess of an hour. Amazon support know about this small problem and they are working on a fix.

[Pigmy Pony]

a little creepy, as is the flying drone... just shout, "Hey CIA,MI5, am I doing anything illegal? and a deep voice comes back with, "Stop playing with yourself"

They don't do deep voices, in fact they sound rather tinny

[Pigmy Pony]

Ive still got one of the old, well made tall ones. had decent sound from it too, but its behaviour put me off.. started talking on its own etc and rarely understood me when i di want it... so it got unplugged and is used as an ornament now. often hang my dongle from it

I asked Alexa if I could hang my dongle off her, she said she's not that kind of girl...

I used to have Echo Dot plugged into a bluetooth speaker in kitchen for radio, as the Dot sounded shit. but it was too much of a faff, so now unused. I miss my old Pure DAB :(

[struth]

They don't do deep voices, in fact they sound rather tinnyThese ones are pretty good sound wise, but we're too expensive to make so it's replacements are more electronic wizardry than drivers.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200926/bdaec80be7c393fc9afa17cd2ce2e435.jpg

[spendorman]

Mine is the 3rd Generation Dot, after adjusting the bass, middle and treble using the Alexa application, sound is pretty good, when one considers the size.

It's quite a bit better than the 2nd generation Dot.

[Pigmy Pony]

These days I have my own version of Alexa, but tbh it's not working out:

"Anita, shuffle songs by James Taylor". "No, you're not spending the day listening to your crappy music, and what about that dripping gutter? I've been telling you about it since April" :(

[struth]

These days I have my own version of Alexa, but tbh it's not working out:

"Anita, shuffle songs by James Taylor". "No, you're not spending the day listening to your crappy music, and what about that dripping gutter? I've been telling you about it since April" :(

sounds like a complete reprogram is needed..

[Pigmy Pony]

sounds like a complete reprogram is needed..

:D This is v2, the previous version had window fitting skills, which was handy... unfortunately the programmers thought that installing a tendency to go to the pub straight from work was a good idea. So I was left at home wanting me tea while she was out pissing away the wages ;)

[Lurch]

My mates wife bought an Alexa (came with a free Dot) a couple of years ago. 3 days after arrival they both got a flying lesson from a 2nd floor window and were subsequently crushed by a couple of passing trucks. When his missus came home, walked in and said Alexa play X, my mate looked up and said you'll have to shout a bit louder coz they're somewhere out there and they're not coming back in.

[Pigmy Pony]

My mates wife bought an Alexa (came with a free Dot) a couple of years ago. 3 days after arrival they both got a flying lesson from a 2nd floor window and were subsequently crushed by a couple of passing trucks. When his missus came home, walked in and said Alexa play X, my mate looked up and said you'll have to shout a bit louder coz they're somewhere out there and they're not coming back in.

Alexa will have informed Amazon of your mate's cruelty just before they died, and I wouldn't be surprised if some of his Amazon purchases get "lost" in the post... I hear there is now an Alexa Sanctuary, where you can adopt abused Dots and ones left tied to railings. Some of these Dots have horrific tales to tell.