I like my Alexa. I understand why many don't, and I fully agree that its ability to answer questions comes from the way it is programed and who is programming it, which is to say mostly left leaning progressives living in California's Silicon Valley. Still, when people complain, that it is spyware and always listening; I think of them as Luddites.
To me, Alexa is a step towards the "computer" of Star Trek, which was just a high-tech butler. Butler's also always listened in on their employers. Indeed, many had special rooms and listening devices, so the employer need only express what they needed and the butler arrived with the request. The "computer" worked the same way, except you had to announce "computer" before making your request. Alexa works like that, but isn't so good yet in delivering what you truly want.
Why I like it is because I think this tech will ultimately allow more people to live longer on their own. It will provide a constant companion that can provide necessary things at a request. Crowder may not like the shopping and delivery function, but an elderly person, living at home and no longer comfortable driving a car, will like the feature.
Now put away the soapbox. It is fun messing with the new tech and exploring its limitations. I still remember in college being given one of those infant dolls that schools give to young girls to educate them about being a parent (and dissuade them from having sex and having to deal with the consequences). It was an early model, and I'm an engineer, so I know how it works. Simple accelerometers with a timer, and if the didn't sense motion after a randomly set time; the baby cried. This very early model just looked for movement, not rate of movement. So you could pick it up and bang its head on the counter, and the rapid motion with reset the timer to make it quit crying. It was quit fun to play with, especially when the professor, a woman, quickly realized the problem with the device. Now such tools not only measure acceleration force, but even look for violent behavior. It is much more serious now, and far less fun, but like any proxy of the real thing, its ability to teach parenting is limited.
4 comments:
Our future under leftist SJW.
I like my Alexa. I understand why many don't, and I fully agree that its ability to answer questions comes from the way it is programed and who is programming it, which is to say mostly left leaning progressives living in California's Silicon Valley. Still, when people complain, that it is spyware and always listening; I think of them as Luddites.
To me, Alexa is a step towards the "computer" of Star Trek, which was just a high-tech butler. Butler's also always listened in on their employers. Indeed, many had special rooms and listening devices, so the employer need only express what they needed and the butler arrived with the request. The "computer" worked the same way, except you had to announce "computer" before making your request. Alexa works like that, but isn't so good yet in delivering what you truly want.
Why I like it is because I think this tech will ultimately allow more people to live longer on their own. It will provide a constant companion that can provide necessary things at a request. Crowder may not like the shopping and delivery function, but an elderly person, living at home and no longer comfortable driving a car, will like the feature.
Now put away the soapbox. It is fun messing with the new tech and exploring its limitations. I still remember in college being given one of those infant dolls that schools give to young girls to educate them about being a parent (and dissuade them from having sex and having to deal with the consequences). It was an early model, and I'm an engineer, so I know how it works. Simple accelerometers with a timer, and if the didn't sense motion after a randomly set time; the baby cried. This very early model just looked for movement, not rate of movement. So you could pick it up and bang its head on the counter, and the rapid motion with reset the timer to make it quit crying. It was quit fun to play with, especially when the professor, a woman, quickly realized the problem with the device. Now such tools not only measure acceleration force, but even look for violent behavior. It is much more serious now, and far less fun, but like any proxy of the real thing, its ability to teach parenting is limited.
That's funny. Whack the doll on the countertop and it stops crying. Dolls returned with dented heads.
Nah, the head was made of rubber. You could bash the brains without leaving a mark. It really wasn't made for teaching the right parenting skills.
Post a Comment