Earlier quoted context omitted.
He is a phenomenal writer. Just realized I've been reading him for well over a decade now.
Ah, you knew the dog before it came to school.
Class! ;-)
Google Home
431–440 of 468 posts
Re: Google Home
#432Ok, controversial opinion: "[...] and manage everyday tasks" What exactly do we want to automate at home? I think this whole home automation and smart home stuff is complete bullshit. Obviously there are some nice things, like "play me song xyz", but IMHO it is completely oversold. There are just not that much things to automate at home. And this does not mean that I think 640K are enough memory for everyone.
There are just not that much things to automate at home - laundry: separate my dirty laundry, load and run the washing machine when a laundry bucket is full enough, dry it and fold it - same with dishes: load the dishwasher, run the correct program, put the dishes back in the cupboard - vacuuming, dusting, cleaning windows, etc. - fetch and OCR my (paper) mail, sort by bills/appointments/ads, automatically schedule a…
Your first three are already solved. If you want to convert money into "those things happening" hire a maid.
The forth one is solved by hiring a personal assistant.
Re: Google Home
#433Re: Google Home
#434Earlier quoted context omitted.
You are indeed missing something important. We can choose not to use a particular product. But we cannot choose not to use all the products everyone else is using, because that would make us lonely, antisocial hermits without the slightest chance of ever finding work, friends or lovers. So even if Googlers may find it "amazing" that privacy advocates don't just shut up and go live behind a rock, that's what you're go…
> We can choose not to use a particular product. But we cannot choose not to use all the products everyone else is using, because that would make us lonely, antisocial hermits without the slightest chance of ever finding work, friends or lovers. I don't use Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. etc. etc., you name it. Yet, somehow I am employed, have friends and hobbies, and am happily married. How could that have possib…
I don't use Facebook and WhatsApp either, and Twitter doesn't have my real name, so I know that it is possible to avoid many intrusive services, but it depends on what communities you are part of and what sort of people you want to stay in touch with.
I guess the proof is all in the etc etc etc.
How about things like using Google search, exchanging unencrypted email with people who use ad funded mail services like gmail, using software or hardware that isn't completely open source (or working with people who do), using ad funded web sites, operating systems or apps that track you, using credit cards and other authenticated payment services, using location based services, using the internet without Tor, making unencrypted phone calls?
But yes, strictly speaking you are right. It is not impossible to avoid all of that and still have a social life. It's just very very difficult, and that's why it makes sense to speak up when useful services are designed in ways that create unnecessary privacy issues.
Re: Google Home
#435Earlier quoted context omitted.
You probably have on in your pocket already, is the thing. (I agree though, I don't want this in my house, and I turned off the "Ok Google" functionality on my phone)
I've ditched the smartphone. And, for the most part, the phone. I'm not at all happy with the trade-off any more. I've got a tablet, both cameras taped over. Killing the mics would be a Good Thing. Sigh.
Honest people do not go offline, only people with something to hide do. Honest people have all microphones accessible and all cameras untaped. I am afraid you have been flagged by NSA because of your suspicious behavior pattern.
Re: Google Home
#436When I was younger, I dreamed of something like this. Voice control for my home! A Star Trek computer that I can interact with conversationally! I just say what I want and it happens! Now, I just see an internet-connected microphone in a software black box which I can only interpret as a giant frickin' security liability. I want this, but unless it's open source top-to-bottom, I won't ever actually put one in my home…
The Free Software Foundation, in its texts, often uses the phrase "the free world" to mean the realm of computing without proprietary restrictions, surveillance, etc. Approximately since Snowden, I've become more and more convinced about both the fragility and the value of this free world. And today, I basically see the tech giants as colossal enemies. Career-wise, henceforth I will avoid proprietary systems and dedi…
> And today, I basically see the tech giants as colossal enemies.
I think it's important to note that in-house voice recognition is simply the Nth iteration of a general trend away from privacy that has been going on for many many years.
Eg: Our emails are scraped, and use to target ads. I see ads for specific things that I've only mentioned as a 'reminder email' from myself, to myself. SMS can be read as well, at least on Android if the user allows it. And even if you are very careful to avoid this (using iMessage, hosting your own email, etc), the people you interact with may be sharing this info. People upload their contacts to random services, and if you avoid doing that yourself, your friends may not. These are just trivial examples in the wild now which don't include state-level surveillance (legally mandated ISP web history tracking, license plate tracking, etc).
I'm happy that having a microphone always listening in your home is bringing so many people around to this idea that maybe having companies know so much about you isn't an OK thing. But another part of me feels that short of strong privacy laws, the privacy ship sailed a long time ago.
Re: Google Home
#437Earlier quoted context omitted.
I have a washing machine for that :-)
I want a robot that takes my clothes out and hangs them on the line, and is able to distinguish the few items I put in the dryer (socks, undies, towels, sheets).
Sew (washable) RFID tags into your clothes, and you're halfway there.
Re: Google Home
#438Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the whole UX thing is overrated. People will like what they are accustomed to, and dislike what they are not accustomed to. Just look at all the flak Facebook gets when they move things around.
Or look at medical secretaries and their opinions about the new "user friendly" interfaces that replaced the keyboard driven programs of previous generations.
Similar for store clerks.
Supposedly there are doctors in Norway still holding on to their DOS based patient journal software. Arguably because they can operate it without taking the focus way from the conversation with the patient.
Re: Google Home
#439When I was younger, I dreamed of something like this. Voice control for my home! A Star Trek computer that I can interact with conversationally! I just say what I want and it happens! Now, I just see an internet-connected microphone in a software black box which I can only interpret as a giant frickin' security liability. I want this, but unless it's open source top-to-bottom, I won't ever actually put one in my home…
This looks promising.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/aiforeveryone/mycroft-a...
Re: Google Home
#440When I was younger, I dreamed of something like this. Voice control for my home! A Star Trek computer that I can interact with conversationally! I just say what I want and it happens! Now, I just see an internet-connected microphone in a software black box which I can only interpret as a giant frickin' security liability. I want this, but unless it's open source top-to-bottom, I won't ever actually put one in my home…
The Free Software Foundation, in its texts, often uses the phrase "the free world" to mean the realm of computing without proprietary restrictions, surveillance, etc. Approximately since Snowden, I've become more and more convinced about both the fragility and the value of this free world. And today, I basically see the tech giants as colossal enemies. Career-wise, henceforth I will avoid proprietary systems and dedi…
> Now, looking at a device like this, I automatically compare it to something like a tractor or plow. It demands constant connectivity to Google HQ... it's full of secret code... it requires, for its basic paradigm, a private company's acquisition of staggering amounts of surveillance... and so on.
As someone who used to write code for snowplows, they're also becoming quite centralized. Location, plow settings, salt per mile/km usage and other values are tracked in real time from the municipal office. Municipalities are increasingly strapped for cash, so performing real-time data analysis on their services can save them quite a bit of money in the long run.