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Events like this is why I will never get a smart speaker in my house. If it can be remotely updated to be triggered by something as innocuous as popped bubble w

by jdhn 6y ago

Events like this is why I will never get a smart speaker in my house. If it can be remotely updated to be triggered by something as innocuous as popped bubble wrap, then why can't it be remotely updated to be triggered by, well, anything?

musicale 6y ago
Same; they really need a push-to-talk-only mode and multiple LEDs inline with the mic power line.
- m0zg 6y ago
  This is actually interesting - Apple Research (when it was a thing) apparently did some testing for voice activated assistants in early aughts (or maybe even before, before they were disbanded by Jobs), and the conclusion was that push to talk presents a much better user experience. I heard this story at Microsoft Research from the researcher who did this work at Apple previously. Her name escapes me at the moment, however. Anecdotally, I would very much prefer push-to-talk myself, actually. I don't understand why companies are so resistant to the idea. Google even has all the hardware necessary (although I would prefer a positive, tactile response when I engage the assistant). I would also like a pure text mode assistant in my phone, for the situation where voice commands would be awkward or impossible (due to noise etc).
  - Xelbair 6y ago
    >Anecdotally, I would very much prefer push-to-talk myself, actually. I don't understand why companies are so resistant to the idea. Google even has all the hardware necessary (although I would prefer a positive, tactile response when I engage the assistant). Maybe because they do not want to have the best Ux, and their goal is probably something different - like "accidentally" gathering data.
    - m0zg 6y ago
      Having worked at Google, I doubt this very much. I'm 100% certain it's a bug. I do not believe in malice on the part of Google in anything that does not have to do with ads. If it's ads, all bets are off.
      - dx034 6y ago
        The problem is that many at Google don't necessarily see the problem in gathering data. That's not just Google, at many companies engineers prefer gathering more data rather than less, as it makes debugging easier and aides future feature development. The downsides are rarely seen.
    - hyperman1 6y ago
      There are other possible goals. This kind of accidental gathered data is legally toxic. In this case, I presume it is about friction while shopping. If you say aloud 'I want a dollhouse' and one is delivered to your house, more money is earned. When you need 10 seconds to walk to the device, thats 10 seconds to think if you really need it. In theory, the free market should detect that a customer need is not met, and someone should provide an alternative. This not happening is a clear signal that there is a too powerfull monopoly/oligipoly/cartel at work, and governemental intervention is required.
      - m0zg 6y ago
        But you still have to walk to the device - any kind of a significant distance in anything but a completely silent room turns speech recognition into a game of broken telephone. And you most certainly aren't buying something as elaborate as a doll house through voice. Voice is best suited for things you routinely re-buy, such as coffee beans, cat food, etc. And then there are devices like watches and phones that are always on you and walking to a device is not a concern.
        hyperman1 6y ago
        https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/7/14200210/amazon-alexa-tech-news-anchor-order-dollhouse https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/7/14200210/amazon-alexa-tech...
cloudking 6y ago
You might be interested in setting up your own smart speaker hardware powered by Almond server https://github.com/stanford-oval/almond-server https://github.com/stanford-oval/almond-server Nore info https://almond.stanford.edu/ https://almond.stanford.edu/
m0zg 6y ago
Google home is totally useless if you don't let Google track you on the web. Any question you ask, it tells you to enable web history. Wish I could get a refund, honestly. This is idiocy.
lazyjones 6y ago
Soon it will be difficult to buy TV sets, smart watches and cars without this functionality...
titzer 6y ago
Just wait until a domestic terrorism incident happens. You cannot audit who has access to this thing. It's a terrifying invasion of privacy.

by jdhn 6y ago

musicale 6y ago

Same; they really need a push-to-talk-only mode and multiple LEDs inline with the mic power line.

m0zg 6y ago
This is actually interesting - Apple Research (when it was a thing) apparently did some testing for voice activated assistants in early aughts (or maybe even before, before they were disbanded by Jobs), and the conclusion was that push to talk presents a much better user experience. I heard this story at Microsoft Research from the researcher who did this work at Apple previously. Her name escapes me at the moment, however. Anecdotally, I would very much prefer push-to-talk myself, actually. I don't understand why companies are so resistant to the idea. Google even has all the hardware necessary (although I would prefer a positive, tactile response when I engage the assistant). I would also like a pure text mode assistant in my phone, for the situation where voice commands would be awkward or impossible (due to noise etc).
- Xelbair 6y ago
  >Anecdotally, I would very much prefer push-to-talk myself, actually. I don't understand why companies are so resistant to the idea. Google even has all the hardware necessary (although I would prefer a positive, tactile response when I engage the assistant). Maybe because they do not want to have the best Ux, and their goal is probably something different - like "accidentally" gathering data.
  - m0zg 6y ago
    Having worked at Google, I doubt this very much. I'm 100% certain it's a bug. I do not believe in malice on the part of Google in anything that does not have to do with ads. If it's ads, all bets are off.
    - dx034 6y ago
      The problem is that many at Google don't necessarily see the problem in gathering data. That's not just Google, at many companies engineers prefer gathering more data rather than less, as it makes debugging easier and aides future feature development. The downsides are rarely seen.
  - hyperman1 6y ago
    There are other possible goals. This kind of accidental gathered data is legally toxic. In this case, I presume it is about friction while shopping. If you say aloud 'I want a dollhouse' and one is delivered to your house, more money is earned. When you need 10 seconds to walk to the device, thats 10 seconds to think if you really need it. In theory, the free market should detect that a customer need is not met, and someone should provide an alternative. This not happening is a clear signal that there is a too powerfull monopoly/oligipoly/cartel at work, and governemental intervention is required.
    - m0zg 6y ago
      But you still have to walk to the device - any kind of a significant distance in anything but a completely silent room turns speech recognition into a game of broken telephone. And you most certainly aren't buying something as elaborate as a doll house through voice. Voice is best suited for things you routinely re-buy, such as coffee beans, cat food, etc. And then there are devices like watches and phones that are always on you and walking to a device is not a concern.
      - hyperman1 6y ago
        https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/7/14200210/amazon-alexa-tech-news-anchor-order-dollhouse https://www.theverge.com/2017/1/7/14200210/amazon-alexa-tech...

cloudking 6y ago

You might be interested in setting up your own smart speaker hardware powered by Almond server https://github.com/stanford-oval/almond-server https://github.com/stanford-oval/almond-server Nore info https://almond.stanford.edu/ https://almond.stanford.edu/

m0zg 6y ago

Google home is totally useless if you don't let Google track you on the web. Any question you ask, it tells you to enable web history. Wish I could get a refund, honestly. This is idiocy.

lazyjones 6y ago

Soon it will be difficult to buy TV sets, smart watches and cars without this functionality...

titzer 6y ago

Just wait until a domestic terrorism incident happens. You cannot audit who has access to this thing. It's a terrifying invasion of privacy.