dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Mar 26, 2019 14:14:36 GMT -5
After a recent update, Alexa is no longer content with just telling me what the weather will be when I ask. Now, depending on the time of day the question is posed to her, she ends the recital of the weather by telling me to have a good morning, afternoon, evening, etc. I don't need that kind of pressure.
Also, her jokes are really bad.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Mar 26, 2019 14:20:03 GMT -5
I have two lights hooked up with her. When I have her turn them on or off, she does it and then 2 seconds later says "okay". Like I am too stupid to know if she did it or not.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Mar 26, 2019 14:28:59 GMT -5
I have a device at work and at home. I use it a lot for music. I learned the other day that if my wife listens to a different Pandora station at home and I turn mine on at work without specifying a station, it will play what she as asked to hear. I didn't let her know how it worked just in case. This time it was a generic country station so it was cool. Next time, if it is a romantic station, .....
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2019 14:57:21 GMT -5
I consider myself tech-friendly but will not have one of those things in my home. I'm afraid that when I entertain my gentleman friend it will record everything and e-mail the audio file to my contact list.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Mar 26, 2019 15:35:37 GMT -5
I consider myself tech-friendly but will not have one of those things in my home. I'm afraid that when I entertain my gentleman friend it will record everything and e-mail the audio file to my contact list. And possibly send it to all of us here! One never knows!
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grumpyhermit
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Post by grumpyhermit on Mar 26, 2019 15:35:51 GMT -5
I have two lights hooked up with her. When I have her turn them on or off, she does it and then 2 seconds later says "okay". Like I am too stupid to know if she did it or not. This is a setting you can change.
Go to Settings > Alexa Account > Alexa Voice Responses > Turn on Brief Mode. It changes from Alexa saying "Okay" to a short beep. It used drive me crazy until I learned you could disable it.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Mar 26, 2019 16:20:05 GMT -5
I consider myself tech-friendly but will not have one of those things in my home. I'm afraid that when I entertain my gentleman friend it will record everything and e-mail the audio file to my contact list. I won't have on in my house, either. It's always listening to you. Always.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Mar 26, 2019 16:21:53 GMT -5
I consider myself tech-friendly but will not have one of those things in my home. I'm afraid that when I entertain my gentleman friend it will record everything and e-mail the audio file to my contact list. I won't have on in my house, either. It's always listening to you. Always. All mine is going to learn is that I'm clumsy and I swear a lot.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on Mar 26, 2019 16:27:45 GMT -5
Sounds to me like Alexia is getting a bit too full of herself. She needs to be put in her place.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2019 16:30:13 GMT -5
What interesting lives you guys must live if you fear that Alexa is always listening.
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bean29
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Post by bean29 on Mar 26, 2019 16:34:40 GMT -5
What interesting lives you guys must live if you fear that Alexa is always listening. My DH laughs at me all the time because I bought the Alexa thing to begin with but I unplug it all the time b/c I am paranoid about the Government or Amazon spying on us.
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cktc
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Post by cktc on Mar 26, 2019 17:00:46 GMT -5
What interesting lives you guys must live if you fear that Alexa is always listening. I used to feel that way, I mean I have nothing to hide, but I'm not necessarily a big fan of targeted ads and filtered news and media content. That being said, I'd probably have an Alexa if DH would get on board.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Mar 26, 2019 17:44:56 GMT -5
What interesting lives you guys must live if you fear that Alexa is always listening. I used to feel that way, I mean I have nothing to hide, but I'm not necessarily a big fan of targeted ads and filtered news and media content. That being said, I'd probably have an Alexa if DH would get on board. It can be entertaining. I like to ask it for random facts about penguins and dogs and otters and other things that make me smile. Always cheers me up.
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MarleyKeezy78
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Post by MarleyKeezy78 on Mar 26, 2019 17:46:32 GMT -5
I don’t have Alexa, but I call Siri all manner of awful things when she doesn’t cooperate, she’s pretty sassy back I like that!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2019 18:05:37 GMT -5
What interesting lives you guys must live if you fear that Alexa is always listening. My DH laughs at me all the time because I bought the Alexa thing to begin with but I unplug it all the time b/c I am paranoid about the Government or Amazon spying on us. Oh, I don't disagree that the technology is in place. But it's in place with your cell phone, the gps on your car, your internet provider, etc. Your credit card company can tell them exactly what you bought on every single shopping ship and ditto for your debit card. It takes the same subpoena power to get Alexa's recordings as it does your cell phone messages. So Alexa should be seen as no less and no more threatening than that. I understand that you want privacy in your home. I want it, too. But I don't worry about it. I don't think the government is listening although it could if I were a more interesting person. It could do that, though, without Alexa. Amazon already has what it needs with cookies. It has yet to offer to send me chips just because I complained to DH that he ate the last bag.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Mar 26, 2019 18:18:58 GMT -5
I have two lights hooked up with her. When I have her turn them on or off, she does it and then 2 seconds later says "okay". Like I am too stupid to know if she did it or not. This is a setting you can change.
Go to Settings > Alexa Account > Alexa Voice Responses > Turn on Brief Mode. It changes from Alexa saying "Okay" to a short beep. It used drive me crazy until I learned you could disable it.
Done. Thank you!
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Mar 26, 2019 20:23:09 GMT -5
I won't have on in my house, either. It's always listening to you. Always. All mine is going to learn is that I'm clumsy and I swear a lot. She'd be covering her ears if I had it. I have the worst potty mouth.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Mar 26, 2019 22:17:18 GMT -5
I will get one when everyone leaves me and I'm lonely.
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jitterbug
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Post by jitterbug on Mar 27, 2019 7:34:32 GMT -5
I don't have Alexa or an Echo - yet it was creepy to see an ad on Facebook that I've never seen before and it was for something I had just recently MENTIONED to my husband! I get it when I've searched for something online and then see an ad - but to voice it and have it then show up is weird! Or I read a book to my grandson that was an OLD book of his dad's - and it showed up in a Facebook ad shortly after that!
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Mar 27, 2019 8:21:03 GMT -5
I don't have Alexa or an Echo - yet it was creepy to see an ad on Facebook that I've never seen before and it was for something I had just recently MENTIONED to my husband! I get it when I've searched for something online and then see an ad - but to voice it and have it then show up is weird! Or I read a book to my grandson that was an OLD book of his dad's - and it showed up in a Facebook ad shortly after that! You do know that it is your TV that is now listening to you!! It doesn't even have to be on to know what you are thinking or saying!!
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chapeau
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Post by chapeau on Mar 27, 2019 9:22:14 GMT -5
A good friend of my uncle is a member of the tinfoil hat society. For example, he is very particular about what cell phone model he owns because he leaves the battery out except when he is making a call; he pays cash for basically everything, especially ammunition; he drives a very old car that (he thinks) doesn’t have any computers involved, etc. My cousins bought an Alexa for their mom for Christmas. She wasn’t sure she wanted one, but then she found out my uncle’s friend won’t visit them because of it. It’s on a shelf right inside their front door, but it’s not plugged in...
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Mar 27, 2019 10:27:14 GMT -5
A good friend of my uncle is a member of the tinfoil hat society. For example, he is very particular about what cell phone model he owns because he leaves the battery out except when he is making a call; he pays cash for basically everything, especially ammunition; he drives a very old car that (he thinks) doesn’t have any computers involved, etc. My cousins bought an Alexa for their mom for Christmas. She wasn’t sure she wanted one, but then she found out my uncle’s friend won’t visit them because of it. It’s on a shelf right inside their front door, but it’s not plugged in... I suspect many people find this "feature" of owning an Alexa-enabled device to be useful!
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Mar 27, 2019 10:29:33 GMT -5
This is interesting. Since I commented here unfavorably about Alexa's new "have a good morning (or afternoon or whatever)" feature, Alexa has stopped including that comment in her weather reports.
Hmmmmm.
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chapeau
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Post by chapeau on Mar 27, 2019 10:33:50 GMT -5
This is interesting. Since I commented here unfavorably about Alexa's new "have a good morning (or afternoon or whatever)" feature, Alexa has stopped including that comment in her weather reports. Hmmmmm. Welcome to our new overlords.
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Tiny
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Post by Tiny on Mar 27, 2019 10:38:26 GMT -5
What interesting lives you guys must live if you fear that Alexa is always listening. Just a general comment to why I don't want Alexa listening to me.... I lead a dull and boring life... Back in the day, I used Amazon to buy books and music on CDs (I've got eclectic tastes in music - but tend to avoid "mainstream" or "pop". So, anything from opera to hip hop.) For Christmas, one year, I purchased a couple of Pop Country Western CDs as a gift for a friend. For some reason this stuck in Amazon's "memory" and for the next 7 or 8 years - I got reminders/announcements/ads to buy MORE Pop Country Western music by the same two artists and sometimes others. Amazon gleefully told me EVERY F*CKING time one of the two artists put out a new album - but Amazon would NEVER tell me when some Alternative artist (where I had purchased several CDs over time) had a new release. NEVER. You can extrapolate this "marketing" response to other things... if I accidentally clicked on something - Amazon would push that thing at me for MONTHS. So, I really don't want Alexa listening to me... I really don't want to be hit with endless marketing or lumped into some "group" and have that info sold so I can be hit with "similar" marketing ads from Amazon's partners based on something I might I have said (one time). Apparently I am NOT like the rest of humanity. Just because I like X doesn't mean I never want to be see or hear or be made aware of anything that is NOT X or X like. I like new stuff (that isn't at all like or related to stuff I've already experienced). I'm already ignoring a ton of boring stuff that's exactly the same stuff as yesterday. I don't need more of the same. My life is "boring" enough as it is. I hate that my phone 'tracks' me - and then businesses send me crap ads... I don't need more marketing attacks in my life. Especially when the bulk of it is for stuff I don't want or don't like.
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dannylion
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Post by dannylion on Mar 27, 2019 10:41:42 GMT -5
This is interesting. Since I commented here unfavorably about Alexa's new "have a good morning (or afternoon or whatever)" feature, Alexa has stopped including that comment in her weather reports. Hmmmmm. Welcome to our new overlords. I, for one, welcome our robot overlords! (I have just repeated this out loud as well. Really loud since Alexa is in another room.)
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Mar 27, 2019 11:49:50 GMT -5
My "smart" television is smarter than me. I pretty much watch the same stations at the same times. When I turn the television on, it is on that station. It also tells me when one of the teams I follow has a game being broadcast, even when I don't have the DVR set.
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NoNamePerson
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Post by NoNamePerson on Mar 27, 2019 12:53:27 GMT -5
My "smart" television is smarter than me. I pretty much watch the same stations at the same times. When I turn the television on, it is on that station. It also tells me when one of the teams I follow has a game being broadcast, even when I don't have the DVR set. Comcast TV scares the crap out of me with all the stuff it remembers. They have better memory than my PC and iPad. But it's sorta a good thing in my old age since my memory is lousy. ETA I do have to remember to set reminders and to record! So I'm not totally clueless!
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spartan7886
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Post by spartan7886 on Mar 28, 2019 7:50:12 GMT -5
What interesting lives you guys must live if you fear that Alexa is always listening. Just a general comment to why I don't want Alexa listening to me.... I lead a dull and boring life... Back in the day, I used Amazon to buy books and music on CDs (I've got eclectic tastes in music - but tend to avoid "mainstream" or "pop". So, anything from opera to hip hop.) For Christmas, one year, I purchased a couple of Pop Country Western CDs as a gift for a friend. For some reason this stuck in Amazon's "memory" and for the next 7 or 8 years - I got reminders/announcements/ads to buy MORE Pop Country Western music by the same two artists and sometimes others. Amazon gleefully told me EVERY F*CKING time one of the two artists put out a new album - but Amazon would NEVER tell me when some Alternative artist (where I had purchased several CDs over time) had a new release. NEVER. You can extrapolate this "marketing" response to other things... if I accidentally clicked on something - Amazon would push that thing at me for MONTHS. So, I really don't want Alexa listening to me... I really don't want to be hit with endless marketing or lumped into some "group" and have that info sold so I can be hit with "similar" marketing ads from Amazon's partners based on something I might I have said (one time). Apparently I am NOT like the rest of humanity. Just because I like X doesn't mean I never want to be see or hear or be made aware of anything that is NOT X or X like. I like new stuff (that isn't at all like or related to stuff I've already experienced). I'm already ignoring a ton of boring stuff that's exactly the same stuff as yesterday. I don't need more of the same. My life is "boring" enough as it is. I hate that my phone 'tracks' me - and then businesses send me crap ads... I don't need more marketing attacks in my life. Especially when the bulk of it is for stuff I don't want or don't like. You may have figured it out since then, but Amazon (at least as of a few years ago) has a way to mark a purchase as a gift in your order history so it won't do that so much.
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billisonboard
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Post by billisonboard on Mar 28, 2019 8:21:57 GMT -5
My solution to the invasiveness of Amazon is to not purchase from Amazon.
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