An interesting thing happened this morning. As I mentioned elsewhere on here, my daughter just went to the Netherlands for her work. She left late yesterday afternoon and arrived early this morning. I was telling Bobby that Robin had arrived and said that since it was afternoon there, she should have plenty of time to get checked in to her hotel and get some rest before she has to go to work tomorrow . Right then, my Apple Watch lit up and Siri said “NO” in a very emphatic voice ! I have no idea what prompted that outburst, but it definitely seemed to upset her, for some reason. After that, the watch shut off and Siri didn’t say anything else. I guess I should have asked her “why ?” And see what she said next, but I didn’t even think about doing that.
I tried using Siri only once and she kept repeating my question incorrectly. I got aggravated and said, "Get the shi- out of your ears." She replied, "You shouldn't be using language like that." I shut her off for good. The last thing I need is a hearing impaired silicon chip preaching to me.
I have Siri turned off on my iPad for just that reason, @Faye Fox . She seems to pop up unexpectedly, and then mutter that she can’t understand what I am saying. With the Apple Watch, I need Siri turned on in case of an emergency, or even just because I want to make a phone call with the watch. I just say “Siri, call Robert”, and she announces that she is indeed calling him, and that is very convenient.
I've mentioned this before: 1-There was an "expose" about Google smartphones tracking you even when the phone was "powered down" in the "Off" mode. A guy powered down his phone then spent the day going from one tourist attraction to another in Washington DC, spending time at each. He then took his phone to a lab where their equipment could capture the data it transmitted when it was powered up. The phone captured his every move throughout the day (location, date, time) even when "powered down" and transmitted it all to Google the moment he powered it back up. 2-I read a story about a couple that had either Alexa or Siri in their home. These things are never "turned off." They listen to and record everything you say. That have to always be listening and evaluating every word so they can "come to life" when they recognize that their name has been said. Everything that is said around them is recorded on a server. So a neighbor somehow happened upon the online account where the couple's conversations were being recorded, and they freaked out when he asked if they had selected those new drapes yet! They had never talked to anyone else about their drapes. The company acknowledged that conversations are always being recorded "to serve you better." Their explanation was that they record everything that is said in your home so that when you ask a question or are initiating a search, it can anticipate your needs and there is a larger context within which to evaluate your request and "serve you better."
@John Brunner - exactly why I do not have one. For people who are invalid, or some other circumstance , could be good for them. We are tracked and recorded enough by our phones, and that is more than enough info for the Big Brother family. If everything is going to done for me, including now my thinking, why the dickens am I even here ? I inend to keep as much independence as possible as long as I be breathing
There's a commercial for some internet service (maybe Infinity) where the spokeswoman goes around the house in a frantic mode over anything that's not "protected." She refers to the grandfather clock as needing to be connected to the internet so that it can then be protected!!! It's insane!!! And I agree with you regarding not needing a substitute for our very being. But more and more when we say things like that to people, they think we are over-cautious. I speak of online privacy and I've had people reply with "What have you got to hide? They can find out anything about you they want." I don't mind people doing this to themselves, but they'll drag the rest of us down with them.