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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptySun Oct 14, 2018 8:17 am

Quote :
Instead of leaving your lights or TV on when you leave your house, you can now use Alexa to trick burglars into thinking people are home. Say "Alexa, run Away Mode," and Alexa will play a recorded, insufferable conversation. Potential crooks will hear from an eclectic cast of characters including an overly technical space-pirate roleplay game, a mother attempting to assemble Ikea furniture and a would-be podcaster.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyFri Oct 19, 2018 6:46 pm

Amazon Alexa News wrote:
"Alexa, turn on whisper mode."
Gone are the days of waking up others to ask Alexa for the weather in the morning or to turn your alarm off. Whisper Mode is a new feature that when you whisper to Alexa, she will whisper her response back to you.
So, supposedly this is available now.

However when I tried it, I whispered, "Alexa, what time is it?" (similar to what I might do at 3:30am when the cat awakens me).  The response I got was, in full voice, "Looks like you're trying to use the Whisper Mode.  From now on when you whisper to me, I can reply in whisper mode."

So I whispered, "Alexa, what day is it?"

Full voice: "It is Friday October 19."

Bah!

Also, the command “Alexa, wake me up at 4:30 to NPR” works gangbusters except for one thing:  I can’t seem to make it come on at a very low volume.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyMon Oct 29, 2018 4:53 am

NoCoPilot wrote:

  • Far away traffic noises as heard from, say, a 43rd floor apartment window.  For anyone who grew up in the city.

After a week of thunder & wind & rain (at the Mrs request) I had to try something different last night, "City Noises."

It's an hour, nonrepeating (altho you can loop it) not from the 43rd floor but from ground level, about a block away from a busy thoroughfare.  There's a constant white noise of car traffic of course, but you also get the occasional big truck, city bus, there's one driveby of a Harley, you get a distant train whistle, you get a commercial truck back-up alarm a couple of times.  No sirens, thankfully.  Overall it's a pretty realistic portrait of the noises of a busy part of town.

Which was weird.

My first apartment was right off a busy throughstreet, used to get constant traffic which was mostly anonymous but with the occasional loud muffler or big car stereo.  I loved the ambience because our deck was right above the concrete parking garage and we got very complex echoes off that.  But I grew up on a dead end, so street noises were a revelation for me.  I quickly grew to ignore them while sleeping, but they were always there day or night and I grew to hate them during the day.

The first house Mrs NoCo and I bought together was actually inside a city park.  It was close enough to the water to hear the ferry noises and the waterfront train, but there was no traffic.  Our 2nd and 3rd homes together were similarly quiet, and as I've mentioned this latest house of ours is dead quiet.  We're surrounded by city parks, and far away enough from the waterfront to just barely hear the train once or twice a day if the wind is just right.

So plunging back into city noises was disorienting at first.  We paid all this money for a quiet lot in a quiet neighborhood and what do we do?  But I quickly fell asleep to it.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyMon Oct 29, 2018 5:02 am

Our last house had a metal roof. You could always hear clearly when it was raining. New house has comp shingles. Might have to try "Rain on a tin roof" tonight.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyMon Oct 29, 2018 5:09 am

NoCoPilot wrote:
  • Train Sounds
As I feared/expected, this was recorded on-board a moving train; rhythmic clacking, background rumble, the singing of steel wheels. Maybe okay for somebody used to sleeping on a train, but I'm not. I can't even sleep on an airplane.

I'd still like to hear my idea: distant train whistle from across the valley (a couple miles away at least), the clicking of heavy freight cars going over an imperfect joint. That sound I miss.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyMon Oct 29, 2018 8:23 am

So Alexa now has something called "hunches."  If you leave a light on or forget to turn down the thermostat or leave a device on, provided it's a "smart device," Alexa can tell you what's in the wrong state and offer to fix it.

This wouldn't be much use to me now, but in the future, if more stuff gets connected, I could see it.

"Alexa, did I remember to close the garage door?"

"Alexa, turn on my electric blanket as soon as the TV goes off."

"Alexa, start the coffeemaker when my alarm goes off, turn on the shower to 103 degrees, warm up the car and feed the cat."
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyTue Oct 30, 2018 2:15 pm

About 5 years ago I bought a little portable Bluetooth speaker for listening to Pandora from my phone on the deck. It worked gangbusters.

Alexa has the ability to Bluetooth to an accessory speaker, for a wider stereo image. I was thinking the nighttime crickets would sound great coming from both nightstands.

Alas, it looks as though Bluetooth standards have evolved and changed over the past five years. My speaker is not recognized as an "available device" to pair with.
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_Howard
Admin
_Howard


Posts : 8734
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 79
Location : California

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyWed Oct 31, 2018 1:27 pm

Yes, bluetooth has changed. It has much higher bandwidth, higher speed, and longer range. Unfortunately, it is not always backward compatible.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyFri Nov 09, 2018 6:48 pm

We have two dogs and a cat, there is always pet hair on the floor.  Luckily neither of us has allergies.

New house is single-level and hardwood floors throughout.

The thought occurred to me, "Would a Roomba be a good idea?"  Never used one, & don't know anybody who has one.

Looked them up online.  Holy kadooks, they're $300 to $500!  For that we can sweep.
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richard09

richard09


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Join date : 2013-01-16

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyTue Nov 13, 2018 8:09 am

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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyTue Nov 13, 2018 11:56 am

NoCoPilot wrote:
Our last house had a metal roof.  You could always hear clearly when it was raining.  New house has comp shingles.  Might have to try "Rain on a tin roof" tonight.
"Rain on a tin roof" sounds like it was recorded from ABOVE a tin lean-to, with a close microphone.  Very loud distinct pings as each raindrop hits.  Not at all the sound you get from underneath a well-insulated metal roof -- which is more of an indistinct percussive chatter, much more calming and ignorable.

There's also "Rain on a plastic garden shed" which was recorded probably in a greenhouse made of corrugated plastic.  The raindrops here are again very sharp (amplified by the plastic sheeting), but the rain shower is lighter, giving the raindrops a very random, spaced-out non-pattern.  This sound effect is actually kinda cool (if you like sleeping in greenhouses).  There's also a similar one of "Rain on a tent."

I've also tried out "Forest at night" which is cicadas and a couple of incredibly-active owls.

I downloaded (enabled) another one called "Dream sounds" which is slow new-agey piano over a synthesizer chord, the same three piano notes over and over.  Almost as boring as Brian Eno's "Thursday Afternoon" which is a 60-minute generative piece for piano.  New Age (and or sleeping music) doesn't have to be boring.
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richard09

richard09


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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyTue Nov 13, 2018 3:34 pm

Eno is interesting in an indirect way. What I mean is, when you listen to stuff that's "by Eno", it doesn't sound so great. But when you listen to an album that's by "xxxxxx with Brian Eno" it's nearly always better than xxxxxx produced on their own. It's kind of weird.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyFri Nov 23, 2018 10:55 am

I wanna write a hit song, have it play on the radio everywhere.

The chorus would go, "Alexa, order ten copies of [song title here]."

Every time it played I'd get richer.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptySat Nov 24, 2018 7:34 pm

On September 21st I wrote:
Meanwhile the remaining Vers 2's have dropped to $39.95.
Now $24.95 at OfficeDepot.

$19.95 at Amazon.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptySat Nov 24, 2018 7:47 pm

Incidentally, the rechargeable ni-cad battery on the doorbell, which I charged September 16 when I installed it, is now showing 43% charged.

That's pretty damned impressive.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyFri Nov 30, 2018 3:25 pm

NoCoPilot wrote:
Alexa has the ability to Bluetooth to an accessory speaker, for a wider stereo image.  I was thinking the nighttime crickets would sound great coming from both nightstands.
My little iHome Arc speaker isn't recognized by Alexa...
New Toys              - Page 2 A9782118

but there are tons of other small Bluetooth speakers on the market for cheap, so I thought I'd try one.
New Toys              - Page 2 Y15uJDSK8YlBA1bNgbiEBtpvPlGV4zo9JeO0-PbRcKbpbEWSgzitqesPh_mW_f-stgdOtw470iMgFnELUClLG8dWvRxDAyy-x_hnu9JZ9lkfbZDoZF7FUPrA5jmAjBJttOo38U0BNn4-3EfzY8M8-X-MLIJ2Sw587FXANxqDwSSnC3s7eA=s1000-pd-e365-pc0xffffff

Alas, when Alexa pairs with an accessory speaker, she sends ALL AUDIO to that speaker.  It's not a stereo pair.  It's left side of the bed -- or right side of the bed -- not both.

Even using an audio cable between them (which they're both set up for) results in the same behavior.

I have sent an e-mail to Alexa product support to see if there's a solution, now or in the future.  Seems like a software solution should be possible???
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyFri Nov 30, 2018 4:43 pm

Checking a few user videos on YT, there seems to be some indication that setting up two Alexas as a stereo pair doesn't result in true stereo -- more like dual mono. Amazon supposedly has identified this as a software glitch and will be sending a fix in some future update.

Hmmm.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptySun Dec 30, 2018 10:53 am

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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptySun Feb 10, 2019 3:19 pm

Cool.  Now they're available in oak and walnut.
New Toys              - Page 2 HUTMllEppWsCP9ZG2DG-8L-lG0_3GiS5EeAoQAsI9aTdRR4tIjZlBC1oKnqXJoryrqkzMvPUzUsoaIVGNmjv0juh27S1L36dr7bhgl0_evLpqKzG-Z6925U-7DSxL8f0cJ0iT1EH6yyPuThQNlcWP4AbF3xBr2deSKCHr1UjNbpQDYMQtXw=s1000-pd-e365-pc0xffffffNew Toys              - Page 2 61iQdi0E1yL._SL1000_
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyWed Feb 13, 2019 10:08 am

As if 80,000 apps aren't enough, Amazon is now making it easy for users to create their own content. The mind fairly boggles.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyTue Feb 26, 2019 12:06 pm

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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptySun Mar 31, 2019 8:22 am

"Alexa, did Joe Biden ever touch you inappropriately?"

"Hmmm. I'm not sure."
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyMon Apr 08, 2019 11:42 am

I use Alexa for my grocery shopping list — anytime I think of something I just sing out, “Alexa, add ______ to my shopping list.” Then when I’m at the store I can pull up the list on my iPhone Alexa app.

Occasionally this leads to hilarious results.

Today, one item on my list was “hammer toothpaste.”

Another was “arm.”
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
Join date : 2013-01-16
Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyFri May 24, 2019 2:00 pm

Alexa Guard is now available. Not sure how useful it will be -- but it's an interesting idea.
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NoCoPilot

NoCoPilot


Posts : 20169
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Age : 69
Location : Seattle

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PostSubject: Re: New Toys    New Toys              - Page 2 EmptyFri May 24, 2019 8:31 pm

Are Alexa, Siri and Google Home gender-biased because they use a female voice to respond to commands?

You can choose other voices for Siri and Alexa and Google Home if it really bothers you, but surveys have shown that the default soothing females voice are the most popular.  Is it sexist to provide the most popular option as the default?  

For one of the automotive GPSes -- I think it was Garmin? -- you could buy a voice pack done by John Cleese where he called you all sorts of rude names while giving directions.  There are other celebs available too for TomTom and Garmin.
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