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Amazon Echo Look

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Re: Amazon Echo Look

#301

Post by qohen »

Fricken wrote: post #120
vlunkr wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even trying to see this from an outsider perspective it seems like a stupid product. As someone else pointed out, they've replaced looking in the dang mirror with a multi-step process involving a few hundred dollars of tech at least. They made sure to throw in "cloud" and "machine learning", but the average consumer doesn't care about that.

Amazon has had great success with some of their stupid products in recent years. Maybe for you and I We just want to throw on some clothes and get out the door, but for some getting dressed is a ritual. They don't want less steps, they want more. I've had GFs who'll spend hours trying on different outfits. And the next logical step would be a virtual dressing room, that uses an augmented reality overlay of the sort w…

> And the next logical step would be a virtual dressing room

Another logical step might be skin-cancer screening (surprised that, in 300-ish comments, no one seems to have thought of this), assuming the camera's resolution and/or back-end image-processing software could be made good enough to pick out moles, etc. After all, the camera could take full-body pictures of front, back and sides very easily. Then, if anything odd shows up, you could perhaps ask the user to do a close-up shot of the affected area for further examination and/or just be told to go see a dermatologist.

While fully-naked shots would be best for this -- with all the attendant privacy/HIPPA/etc. issues -- I'd expect even doing this while in underwear/bathing suit/etc. would still be a net-win since you'd be able to examine around 90% of the body and you could do it regularly. How often, after all, do people normally get any kind of dermatological exam?

(Mind you, a dedicated device for skin-scanning might be best, but, as they say, the best camera is the one you have with you -- if this sort of device becomes popular, then it might be good to make it work for this vs. letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, as they say.)

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#302

Post by maxerickson »

twothamendment wrote: post #293
maxerickson wrote: post #147

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe building codes could spec that home automation devices must have local controls. The companies aren't going to do it without regulation.

Wait, so now building codes are going to get involved with what I run in my house after it is built and inspected? That doesn't sound like building codes. If anything, regulation from the FCC or someone else would be more uh, fitting.

Sure, I was thinking of things like lights supporting local control. I guess I'd try to write it so that a phone app talking to the light counted as passing the rule, as long as it worked without an internet connection.

I don't see how it is a problem for simple rules like "Installed lights must always be controllable from inside the premises" to be code.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#303

Post by icanhackit »

toddmorey wrote: post #35

The HN reaction to this device is what I expected: we're somewhere between suspicious and terrified. I'll be really fascinated to know how the wider market reacts. I was one of those who believed consumers would look at the always-on living room microphone with suspicion. But I think the lesson was pretty clear that people will trade privacy for convenience. (Likely an overabundance of trust or a lack of understandin…

> When I was a kid, a photo was kind of big deal. My kids take and share photos of themselves every single day.

It makes me wonder - is it no longer narcissistic for people born in an age where camera sensors are ubiquitous to take selfies constantly? Can a behaviour be normalised as a result of cost, the same way listening to music in public would have been considered indulgent and neglectful of the world around you before everyone could afford a personal/portable music player?

Personally I lean towards it still being a narcissistic trait. That's not to say the behaviour isn't natural - it's no more artificial than our tendency to gorge ourselves on junk-food because of its cost and availability. But it's something that needs to be controlled.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#305

Post by natch »

Aside from the other abusive uses, Amazon can use this to recommend products according to its own inventory management and profit margin needs.

Need to move an excess boatload of white sweatpants out of the system? Push them with recommendations.

Got an item that has a sweet margin? Push it.

Not that this isn't already happening with product recommendations, but positioning it as fashion advice is a new level.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#306

Post by mcphage »

icanhackit wrote: post #303
toddmorey wrote: post #35

The HN reaction to this device is what I expected: we're somewhere between suspicious and terrified. I'll be really fascinated to know how the wider market reacts. I was one of those who believed consumers would look at the always-on living room microphone with suspicion. But I think the lesson was pretty clear that people will trade privacy for convenience. (Likely an overabundance of trust or a lack of understandin…

> When I was a kid, a photo was kind of big deal. My kids take and share photos of themselves every single day. It makes me wonder - is it no longer narcissistic for people born in an age where camera sensors are ubiquitous to take selfies constantly? Can a behaviour be normalised as a result of cost, the same way listening to music in public would have been considered indulgent and neglectful of the world around you…

> It makes me wonder - is it no longer narcissistic for people born in an age where camera sensors are ubiquitous to take selfies constantly? [...] Personally I lean towards it still being a narcissistic trait.

Well, people used to get 8 foot tall oil portraits of themselves done; a few extra digital photos still seems a pretty big step in the right direction.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#307

Post by icanhackit »

mcphage wrote: post #306
icanhackit wrote: post #303

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> When I was a kid, a photo was kind of big deal. My kids take and share photos of themselves every single day. It makes me wonder - is it no longer narcissistic for people born in an age where camera sensors are ubiquitous to take selfies constantly? Can a behaviour be normalised as a result of cost, the same way listening to music in public would have been considered indulgent and neglectful of the world around you…

> It makes me wonder - is it no longer narcissistic for people born in an age where camera sensors are ubiquitous to take selfies constantly? [...] Personally I lean towards it still being a narcissistic trait. Well, people used to get 8 foot tall oil portraits of themselves done; a few extra digital photos still seems a pretty big step in the right direction.

I suspect that if commissioning an artist to make portraits of any size was as cheap and easy as taking a selfie or eating junk food, we'd be balls-deep in portraits right now. Cost & effort vs value.

The implication being that narcissism is nothing new or changing in prevalence, we just need to discourage its more overt forms so that we have a healthy and thoughtful population.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#309

Post by ehsankia »

jasonkester wrote: post #98

I don't think I've ever been less the target audience for an Amazon product. But I bet this will sell a lot. I grew up in a world where you would never even consider taking a picture of yourself to show off how good you looked to your friends. Even now, living in a world of selfie-sticks designed to do exactly that, with a population full of people doing exactly that, the idea makes me cringe inside and imagine what…

That's what I'm curious about though. They went through the pain of designing a whole new hardware with a camera on it, and put a nice 200$ price tag on it, but right now, the only use of it is to take pictures of your outfit...

Paranoia about privacy aside, there are so much more I could think that an assistant could do if it had eyes, and I'm sure they may very well add those in the future, but right now, even if it was a fantastic product, I still don't see how big of a usebase it can get. Seems very niche.

Re: Amazon Echo Look

#310

Post by pbhjpbhj »

Spivak wrote: post #290
gthtjtkt wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Caring that your clothes look good is narcissism (excessive interest in your appearance) now? As if caring is a binary thing and not a matter of degree? When you pay $200 to have "fashion experts" (or AI) judge your outfits on a daily basis, have you not crossed a line? > Knowingly and willingly sending people photos of yourself is an "invasion" of privacy? Yes, I'm sure this won't be used to collect all kinds of p…

I would pay well more than $200 to hire someone knowledgeable about fashion to design and help me buy a wardrobe. I don't think it's narcissistic at all to want to look nice. You've never once asked one of your friends or spouse their to help you pick between two shirts?

Not OP but I don't ask anyone for clothing advice beyond asking someone who's been outside whether I need a jumper.

I guess it depends on who you dress for, do you dress to please yourself or to please others [first].

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