Life on Auto-Pilot

[SumDay]

I am waiting until Alexa can make phone calls, combine this with a monitoring service, and install a few dots around the house, and teach alexa to do Alexa Mayday Mayday to call the service and you have an alert system that does not require a pendant or watch. Since the dot/Echo can do voice commands from a distance one for each room that is used should be enough.

Note that it appears the it would be illegal for alexa to call 911 directly

How did I forget my Amazon Echo? We use Alexa for our shopping list. I realized I was thinking about needing ketchup (for example) but it wasn't making it to the list. Now I just tell her to add ketchup to the shopping list, and the list builds on my phone app.

I am also waiting for Amazon to make all the Echo's into an intercom system, so DH and I don't have to scream at one another from another floor, or specifically the man cave. (We have more than one Echo, obviously). If Amazon ever did this, then hopefully all your Echo devices could be used as a stereo system, with one playlist playing simultaneously all over the house.

Great ideas everyone!

 

[misshathaway]

Mice, don't you have a cat[emoji82]

She is ER too.

 

[Bestwifeever]

We use as much technology as we can understand...

One helpful tech trick for my 87 year old DM who lives in independent living is Alexa. Mom is very forgetful.

I'm able to link a google calendar to Alexa and I put all of her Dr appointments and other timely items onto the calendar (from my phone or computer). I take the monthly activity calendar at the community where she lives and I put social outings and activities that I think she would be interested in on the calendar too.

Alexa is located in her bathroom and the first thing she does every morning (well, maybe the second thing) is to ask Alexa 'What's on my calendar today?'
Alexa recites her list... btw, on the calendar every Monday, i put a item that is a simple list of her appointments that week... so she can get a sense of the upcoming week.

Works great for her.

My adult kids both use Alexa all the time. I don't have an Alexa but I use Siri for a lot of things. Finally someone I can be the boss of!

 

[Bestwifeever]

My dog automates my life. Wakes me up in the morning to feed him. An hour or so later reminds me it's time for our morning walk. Late afternoon wakes me from my nap to feed him again. An hour later, a reminder for a walk at sunset. Around 10pm he comes over and gets my off the sofa for one more potty session before bedtime. The rest of the time is just filler.

My dog needs your dog.

 

[SecondCor521]

In addition to automating stuff, one principle I've used which has helped me lately is to just stop doing stuff that doesn't need doing.

I used to empty my trash cans when they got about half full. Now I wait until they're full. Presto! I now empty my trash cans half as often.

I used to move money back and forth between checking and savings more frequently just to keep my balances where I wanted them. Now I only move money when I need to. Presto! I now move money much less often.

There is a fine line between laziness and efficiency, and often I'm not sure which side of that line I am on...