12 ms·

I still don't understand how otherwise sensible people can have an Alexa or Google Home. Like what part of that seems like a good idea to them?

croes 9mo ago
Convenience. Same with AI, the same people who fought against Google and Microsoft‘s data collecting now throw everything on data but the kitchen sink at their AI services.
- bandrami 9mo ago
  This is such a weird thing to wrap my head around. I don't even use Bluetooth.
tokioyoyo 9mo ago
Ability to “Hey Google, play Spotify” in every room and shower is pretty great. That’s literally the only reason I’ve been using it for 5+ years. Oh, and it was practically free.
- ulrikrasmussen 9mo ago
  This is still unthinkable to me. Trading that much privacy for a little bit of convenience? How does it not make you uncomfortable to know that every conversation in your house is live streamed to someone else's computer?
  - mlrtime 9mo ago
    What privacy am I giving up? You start with all these judgement questions without explaning.
    - Ylpertnodi 9mo ago
      Your personal privacy.
      - mlrtime 9mo ago
        How so?
    - cjrp 9mo ago
      An internet-connected device in your home which is always listening.
      - mlrtime 9mo ago
        Like a phone?
  - bandrami 9mo ago
    Yeah I'm definitely in the "I keep my laptop powered down and in a Faraday cage" camp so I guess a lot of these products aren't really aimed at me.
    - Noaidi 9mo ago
      I have a good Faraday bag. When I am chilling and talking with friends I have them power off their phones and put them in the bag. :)
  - tokioyoyo 9mo ago
    Honestly? I don’t care enough about that. I’ve simplified my life to a degree where I’m not depended on anything, nor I get that much ads anywhere. So it’s just a life built around conveniences and focusing on things I care about.
    - whilenot-dev 9mo ago
      > I’m not depended on anything Yet you mention Google and Spotify in one command. Independence seems to be something different for me. Even thinking about tools, maintenance and the repairs over the years... convenience and independence are closely related, and privacy is at least just a welcoming side effect.
    - ares623 9mo ago
      Would it feel any different if your Google Home recordings were streamed to me, an individual, directly?
  - whilenot-dev 9mo ago
    Not even just for my own sake, but for the sake of my guests as well. Unthinkable, because it's highly dystopic. If it wasn't for all that Science Fiction literature and philosophy that warns people about it, the Stasi wasn't too long ago either.
- askvictor 9mo ago
  I used mine for two things: setting a timer while cooking, and adding things to my shopping list, again, while cooking. I still miss that second feature a bit since I unplugged it, but it isn't too big of a deal
- chankstein38 9mo ago
  I liked using it like this but my problem is that it wouldn't reliably respond to commands while music was playing. There were times I had to unplug it to get music to stop. And other times I'd want a song with an explicit word in the name and it'd pretend it didn't exist.. like wtf I'm an adult in my own house I think you can manage to play the song I asked for whether or not it has a big mean curse word in it.
Johnny555 9mo ago
Having an Alexa or Google Home doesn't seem any worse (or even less worse) than carrying a phone around everywhere I go. If you're worried that the device can be hacked to listen to you full-time (or that the provider is lying about it only listening to you after it hears the wake word), you should be worried about your phone for the same reason. Plus my Alexa isn't going to give google a map of everywhere I travel so they can see where I work, eat, shop, etc.
- hydrogen7800 9mo ago
  Yes. I catch myself all the time when I wonder how people are so willing to place these spy devices inside their home. But, "oh yeah, I have a phone on my nightstand every night :-/".
nijave 9mo ago
Lesser technical people that don't know that you're the product with these items. They offer a lot of convenience if you want voice control and home automation and they're fairly affordable
i_love_retros 9mo ago
The worst thing is that a lot of people who are very smart techies have them. I've noticed they tend to have a very cynical (IMO) outlook of "well the gate was left open a long time ago, might as well embrace it and give them everything."

croes 9mo ago

Convenience. Same with AI, the same people who fought against Google and Microsoft‘s data collecting now throw everything on data but the kitchen sink at their AI services.

bandrami 9mo ago
This is such a weird thing to wrap my head around. I don't even use Bluetooth.

tokioyoyo 9mo ago

Ability to “Hey Google, play Spotify” in every room and shower is pretty great. That’s literally the only reason I’ve been using it for 5+ years. Oh, and it was practically free.

ulrikrasmussen 9mo ago
This is still unthinkable to me. Trading that much privacy for a little bit of convenience? How does it not make you uncomfortable to know that every conversation in your house is live streamed to someone else's computer?
- mlrtime 9mo ago
  What privacy am I giving up? You start with all these judgement questions without explaning.
  - Ylpertnodi 9mo ago
    Your personal privacy.
    - mlrtime 9mo ago
      How so?
  - cjrp 9mo ago
    An internet-connected device in your home which is always listening.
    - mlrtime 9mo ago
      Like a phone?
- bandrami 9mo ago
  Yeah I'm definitely in the "I keep my laptop powered down and in a Faraday cage" camp so I guess a lot of these products aren't really aimed at me.
  - Noaidi 9mo ago
    I have a good Faraday bag. When I am chilling and talking with friends I have them power off their phones and put them in the bag. :)
- tokioyoyo 9mo ago
  Honestly? I don’t care enough about that. I’ve simplified my life to a degree where I’m not depended on anything, nor I get that much ads anywhere. So it’s just a life built around conveniences and focusing on things I care about.
  - whilenot-dev 9mo ago
    > I’m not depended on anything Yet you mention Google and Spotify in one command. Independence seems to be something different for me. Even thinking about tools, maintenance and the repairs over the years... convenience and independence are closely related, and privacy is at least just a welcoming side effect.
  - ares623 9mo ago
    Would it feel any different if your Google Home recordings were streamed to me, an individual, directly?
- whilenot-dev 9mo ago
  Not even just for my own sake, but for the sake of my guests as well. Unthinkable, because it's highly dystopic. If it wasn't for all that Science Fiction literature and philosophy that warns people about it, the Stasi wasn't too long ago either.
askvictor 9mo ago
I used mine for two things: setting a timer while cooking, and adding things to my shopping list, again, while cooking. I still miss that second feature a bit since I unplugged it, but it isn't too big of a deal
chankstein38 9mo ago
I liked using it like this but my problem is that it wouldn't reliably respond to commands while music was playing. There were times I had to unplug it to get music to stop. And other times I'd want a song with an explicit word in the name and it'd pretend it didn't exist.. like wtf I'm an adult in my own house I think you can manage to play the song I asked for whether or not it has a big mean curse word in it.

Johnny555 9mo ago

Having an Alexa or Google Home doesn't seem any worse (or even less worse) than carrying a phone around everywhere I go. If you're worried that the device can be hacked to listen to you full-time (or that the provider is lying about it only listening to you after it hears the wake word), you should be worried about your phone for the same reason. Plus my Alexa isn't going to give google a map of everywhere I travel so they can see where I work, eat, shop, etc.

hydrogen7800 9mo ago
Yes. I catch myself all the time when I wonder how people are so willing to place these spy devices inside their home. But, "oh yeah, I have a phone on my nightstand every night :-/".

nijave 9mo ago

Lesser technical people that don't know that you're the product with these items. They offer a lot of convenience if you want voice control and home automation and they're fairly affordable

i_love_retros 9mo ago

The worst thing is that a lot of people who are very smart techies have them. I've noticed they tend to have a very cynical (IMO) outlook of "well the gate was left open a long time ago, might as well embrace it and give them everything."