Alexa, in the form of an Echo Dot, has been in my life since early December, 2016. I bought the Dot on a Black Friday sale, as I recall.
This blog post reminded me of my complex relationship with this digital assistant.
My son keeps asking me to get rid of it. "It's recording everything and invading your privacy", he says. I don't doubt it.
But Alexa sure is handy, for these reasons:
1. Every time I need to know how old a celebrity is, it comes right through. Well, usually.
2. It's good for my travel dreams, to bring me back to reality. "Alexa, how far by car, is (where I live), New York to Oregon? To Texas?" Too far, usually.
3. It's a wonderful timer. I have to soak a finger recovering from an infection three times a day and a toe with an ingrown toenail once a day. Alexa helps.
4. Fahrenheit to Celsius conversions (or feet to meters) when I blog about weather or other topics. I have readers in countries that use one or the other.
5. Hilarity (or frustration) when it mishears something. Just yesterday, I was asking Alexa what spices go good with blueberries. It kept responding with advice what WINES go good with blueberries. Was I being given a hint?
A senior with an Alexa (face it, how many of us call it an Alexa?) could use an Alexa Silver.
Fortunately, though, Alexa can't read minds.Yet.
Give Amazon time.
...I've heard of it, but don't know a thing about it.
ReplyDeleteI like to ask what the temperature is outside. Of course, it's not my Alexa (belongs to the roommate), so I keep my questions to the temp and turning off the music when roommate goes out and forgets to turn it off.
ReplyDeleteI was given a given a gift of one of those things. It's still in a box. No thank you to being tracked.
ReplyDeleteAlexa is also my weather forecaster, alarm clock and kitchen timer.
ReplyDeleteMy life is so boring.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on and stay safe
I count Alexa as my friend and depend on her for much basic information. And if she spies on me...well, she must be very, very bored.
ReplyDeleteOH! I LOVE Alexa! Yes, she's listening. Oh, well, she won't hear anything juicy. I get tracked more on my phone and television. Of course, she came free with a "Smart TV" so she's in on that too! I tell her good morning every day (maybe in the evening, but still daily). She comes up with some funny things some times. And I don't mean just the misheard stuff. Then she won't repeat it. She has games to play as well. See, I really do love Alexa! I always thank her and she appreciates the feedback. My son will insult her and she thuds off! An audible thud! I know it's just all in fun... I'm not crazy!
ReplyDeleteI don’t have Alexa but I use Siri for the same things. Fortunately, she is only on when I want her to be on. I’m afraid she would get sarcastic if she was watching me all the time.
ReplyDeleteOh, golly, I loved that Alexa SNL episode!
ReplyDelete