Who - or what - is ALEXA? It's real name is Echo & it's an ambient computer.
A WHAT?
Am ambient computer - "electronic environments" (another new term for me) that sense & response to the presence of people.
John & I were introduced to ALEXA at a friend's house when something my Hubmeister said accidentally engaged "her." It's a tad strange hearing someone ask, "ALEXA, what's tomorrow's weather forecast?" or command "ALEXA, play Peggy King singing Cry Me A River - and this calm female voice fulfills the request. Every time I experience it, I half expect to see Scotty, in full Star Trek uniform, stroll in from the kitchen.
Who knew the IT giants are turning our living rooms into a battlefield (per Forbes) over market share? Apple, Google, Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, Amazon - all look to come out on top. By turning its Echo into a platform, Amazon positioned itself to achieve that lofty goal.
Imagine the applications a creative program developer with my interest in expansive living might come up with?! Even at this present moment in time, I get goosebumps thinking what ALEXA can do for my older friends, especially the isolated. My friend has a blast with her father & ALEXA. They can request songs & poems, ask questions, listen to a book together, listen to Pandora or other music sources, get the news & weather, plug into local & national radio sources. Deep breath... Check calendars, follow commute times to a near or far destination, keep up with sports, control home devices, and stay organized & on time with voice-controlled alarms & timers & even shopping lists. And since it's been opened up as a platform, we can expect more, much more in the not too-distant future!
How does it work? Echo constantly keep scans to hear the "ALEXA." Say it, followed by a command request inquiry, and ALEXA does her thing.
Confession - I'm a bit freaked out that it's ALWAYS listening, that its always-on electronic ear detects far more that most of us could imagine. It can detect someone's footfall patterns & identify where they are in the house, can even register your breathing patterns to track your sleep cycles. And it stores ALL your commands - now, anyone with access to the data knows audible footprint of your voice. Gotta rewatch I, Robot!
Spooky, for sure. Possibly a dangerous slide down a slippery slope. But fabulous for my older friends. Amazon clearly believing "ASK (Alexis Skills Kit) & you will receive." My guess is that friends & pleasant acquaintances at the National Center for Creative Aging (NCCA), George Mason University's Center for Well-Being & similar organizations are already hard at work/play!
ALEXA makes a huge difference in the life of my friend's father - he can listen to news, play a favorite piece of music, get sports scores, decide whether or not to take an umbrella, all without fiddling with confusing buttons. And it's infused a dad/daughter relationship with enriching camaraderie.
Yes, we should be leery of ambient computers like Echo/ALEXA. How does someone who becomes dependent on it respond if "the cloud" dissipates or electricity is knocked out? Ah, that dangerous slippery slope!
But then I think about Mom & how intimidated she was by impossible to decipher buttons on our fairly simple radio - how delighted she would have been to just say, "ALEXA, play WRTI - or NPR or Brahm's 1st Symphony." Restoring access to the music she loved back into Mom's hands - to me, that in itself would have been worth the risk!
If there is one thing that I most definitely am NOT it is an innovative program developer, but I look forward to keeping my eyes scanned for news about what the kazillions out there will come up with over the next weeks, months. Especially to what my friends & pleasant acquaintances at NCCA & others focused on full-throttle living come up with.
ALEXA & my older friends - sounds like they're made for each other!
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