 |
09-19-2018, 06:37 PM
|
#1
|
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 2,232
|
Alexa, would you....
DW got me an Amazon Echo for my birthday.
Not sure what all it does, but I know it will access my Pandora account and play Stan Getz all day long if I ask it to. Which I did.
What do you have Alexa do for you?
|
|
|
 |
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
|
09-19-2018, 06:41 PM
|
#2
|
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Portland
Posts: 1,713
|
Alexa: pour me a thimble full of my good whiskey*
*I'm off the Amazon bus
**and the Walmart bus
***I'll have to check my list to see who else I'm boycotting
|
|
|
|
|
09-19-2018, 06:56 PM
|
#3
|
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,610
|
 Quote:
Originally Posted by HadEnuff
What do you have Alexa do for you?
|
Football scores, tell me a joke, weather, miles from A to B.
Meow like a cat, play Jeopardy, lots of music....and other vital stuff. 
|
|
|
|
|
09-19-2018, 07:00 PM
|
#4
|
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 2,232
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scrapr
Alexa: pour me a thimble full of my good whiskey*
*I'm off the Amazon bus
**and the Walmart bus
***I'll have to check my list to see who else I'm boycotting
|
the thimble full of whiskey would be sweet.
|
|
|
|
|
09-19-2018, 07:09 PM
|
#5
|
|
Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Peru
Posts: 6,335
|
If I recall, last April, Alexa had 25,000 "skills". In the beginning of August, 35,000, and last I heard, 50,000.
I'm pretty much into the ones I like, and have given classes to newbies in my community.
Latest that's in the early stage, is "conversation" .
A Quantum leap to AI.
See if you can handle this:
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/amazon-...ews-28072.html
__________________
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
--Dalai Lama XIV
|
|
|
|
|
09-19-2018, 07:11 PM
|
#6
|
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,140
|
Alexa please add to the shopping list....
Alexa please set a timer for...
Alexa please set the thermostat to....
__________________
And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.- Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
|
|
|
|
|
09-19-2018, 07:15 PM
|
#7
|
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,610
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by MissMolly
Alexa please add to the shopping list....
Alexa please set a timer for...
Alexa please set the thermostat to....
|
I also say "please and thank you" a lot, hope she appreciates it.
|
|
|
|
|
09-19-2018, 07:37 PM
|
#8
|
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,140
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by JPatrick
I also say "please and thank you" a lot, hope she appreciates it.
|
Me too! I get a kick out of her different responses to "Thank you" 
__________________
And whatever your labors and aspirations in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.- Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
|
|
|
|
|
09-19-2018, 07:59 PM
|
#9
|
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 13,228
|
My cat always freaks out when I have Alexa mew like a cat!
I listen to NPR radio a lot. I've got the Amazon music trial, but probably won't continue it. For those who like to explore different music, it's probably a good deal.
Say good morning and you'll get a fact about the day.
Sometimes I ask for help in the kitchen, like measurement conversions, or simply recipe help.
Backup alarm.
Turn on my bedroom light so I'm not walking into a dark room. I like this more than I thought so I'm getting some for Christmas lights. It'll be nice to put one in the garage attic so I don't have to go up there to plug in the timer every season. I may get a smart switch for one that's kind of in a bad place. I thought about getting it moved, and this would be cheaper.
I think I still like typing things into google and evaluating possible answers rather than relying on what Alexa says. Not all of her answers really match the questions. Same as google really, but it's easier to see and pick one that does.
Interested in hearing what others do to find more things.
|
|
|
|
|
09-19-2018, 09:04 PM
|
#10
|
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 86
|
“Goodnight” turns off all lights and tv.
“Good morning” turns on lights.
My favorite is “make coffee” which turns on the z-wave outlet that the coffee pot is plugged into. As long as I remember to prepare the coffee pot before going to bed. I wake up, say “Alexa, make coffee” and by the time I’ve made my way to the kitchen, the first cup is ready.
|
|
|
|
|
09-19-2018, 09:13 PM
|
#11
|
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 4,366
|
NPR, weather, time
Lights and fans (with SmartThings)
TV remote (with Logitech Harmony)
|
|
|
|
|
09-19-2018, 10:18 PM
|
#12
|
|
Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Southeastern PA
Posts: 766
|
- get the weather report and current temp (don't need an outside thermometer anymore)
- listen to lots of music with my Amazon Music Unlimited. I have multiple devices so I can play the same song on multiple devices simultaneously (kitchen, living room, bedroom, and basement).
- listen to various news feeds (CNN, CBS, NBC, etc.) I like to get a daily "flash briefing" of the major news.
- set a wake up alarm for my afternoon naps
- use it for getting quick answers (instead of google'ing on my phone or tablet). E.g., how old is Clint Eastwood.
- ask silly answers like "what's the value of PI"
|
|
|
|
|
09-20-2018, 07:05 AM
|
#13
|
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Knoxville
Posts: 369
|
1. In addition to timers, Alexa has reminders: Alexa at 9am on Monday remind me to put out the trash. On Monday Alexa will give a tone & say "I'm reminding you to put out the trash". Alarms and reminders can also be set for "every Monday at 9am", etc.
2. You can ask for temperature and get just the outdoor temperature. For weather, in addition to just asking for weather, you can ask for the weekend weather, weather for a particular day, 7 day forecast or hourly weather, which gives info for the next 4 hours. You can also get this information for any city in the world.
3. If you have a fairly current cell phone (android 5.0+, ios 10?) you can set up Alexa messaging and calling. It utilizes the cell phone contact list, to allow you to say "Alexa, call <contact>'s mobile (or home phone). It will call that person and you will talk through Alexa. Note, the call actually is through your ISP connection and not through your cell phone. This can be an important skill if you live alone and have a fall or other medical emergency and the cell phone is in another room. Alexa will not directly call 911 however.
4. Alexa is spotty on this, but can give you the store hours for some local stores.
5. Alexa is great for facts. See an actor on tv and Alexa can tell you how old they are, are they still alive, what did they die from. She knows best movie, actor, etc Oscars for any year, the size of the Milky Way, teaspoons in a gallon, endless etc.
6. Ask Alexa to "wikipedia <topic> and she can read off a part of the Wikipedia article on the topic.
|
|
|
|
|
09-20-2018, 07:32 AM
|
#14
|
|
Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 968
|
Alexa.. what time does x store open
play (radio station call letters)
dial (any phone number in north America) and its hands free calling
how do you spell (word)
|
|
|
|
|
09-20-2018, 08:15 AM
|
#15
|
|
Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Peru
Posts: 6,335
|
Leading edge...
Alexa "let's chat"....
limited today, but award winning, and the first real step into the future of AI.
You're offered a choice of subjects... Mine was movies.
Be prepared to tell her your favorite movie... (Mine's "Deliverance) and your favorite actor/actress (Mine's Katherine Hepburn).
Stay tuned.
__________________
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
--Dalai Lama XIV
|
|
|
|
|
09-20-2018, 08:51 AM
|
#16
|
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Southern California
Posts: 3,999
|
I use it to control lights and thermostat, and to listen to music.
|
|
|
|
|
09-20-2018, 12:45 PM
|
#17
|
|
Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Peru
Posts: 6,335
|
RE: "Alexa - let's chat".... and AI...
You may not be interested in this today, but less than a year from now, Artificial Intelligence will be the headline in every part of the American Media.
Here's the emphasis that Amazon is placing on this small part of the future:
https://developer.amazon.com/alexaprize
One example of the kind of attention that AI will be receiving. Not related to ALexa, but one tiny part of what we'll be seeing.
https://www.bloombergquint.com/busin...thm#gs.kzmK4Ws
This is coming ...fast.
__________________
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
--Dalai Lama XIV
|
|
|
|
|
09-20-2018, 12:56 PM
|
#18
|
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 13,228
|
Weather is Alexa's weak point for me. Where I live in the mountains, sites like weather.com and accuweather don't have forecasts. The closest I can get are nearby towns, miles away and 2000' lower elevation, which is not the same weather. Alexa apparently uses my zip code, and that post office is even farther away. On my laptop I use the noaa site, where I can point on the map to my street and get the forecast right there. I still have to look at my thermometer at my house, or a nearby personal weather station, to get the current temp.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Quick Links
|
|
|
Linear Mode
