Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why Would I Buy This Useless, Evil Thing?

aftermath.site

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 94 posts

Re: Why Would I Buy This Useless, Evil Thing?

#51

Post by threetonesun »

chewmieser wrote: post #39

There really isn't anything of substance in this article. Just a low-quality complaint about AI and AI devices with such hot-takes as: > You will notice that many of these tasks are just interacting with the lazy Silicon Valley dipshit treat ecosystem that already exists. Honestly I'm hesitant about AI devices as well but dismissing it entirely is very Luddite-like. Will these smart AI devices succeed? Who knows... I…

I think it's correct to say it is Luddite like to complain about a worse interface to the pocket computers we all already carry. As the article correctly states - what's the point? Why waste resources building these weird little AI gadgets that could be reduced to an app on all the devices we already have.

I mean, I get it, someone thinks they're going to be the AI iPhone and become the next Apple. What I think they're missing is many people enjoy using their phones to watch cat videos on Tik Tok, and very few people want to use their communicator badge to sell bitcoin.

Re: Why Would I Buy This Useless, Evil Thing?

#53

Post by csixty4 »

This is giving me flashbacks to Web 2.0. We won’t need web sites anymore! Everything will be an API and we can have our own custom front-ends to all these services!

It sounds great on paper. If I were selling widgets, I might want an API so people have yet another avenue to buy widgets and put money in my pocket. But at that point I’ve lost control of the widget-buying experience and I can’t collect as much data on the audience of widget buyers.

Public APIs disappeared as quickly as they showed up and companies focused on partnerships. You can’t ask your voice assistant to order you a pizza from the local joint, but if you say “I want a Pizza Hut pizza” we’ve got you covered.

I expect this product to go the same way. People will find a way to block their browser automation and the universe of things it can do will shrink until it’s a glorified timer and to-do list. But if you want a medium stuffed crust and a side of wings, we’ve got you covered.

Re: Why Would I Buy This Useless, Evil Thing?

#55

Post by shrimp_emoji »

chewmieser wrote: post #39

There really isn't anything of substance in this article. Just a low-quality complaint about AI and AI devices with such hot-takes as: > You will notice that many of these tasks are just interacting with the lazy Silicon Valley dipshit treat ecosystem that already exists. Honestly I'm hesitant about AI devices as well but dismissing it entirely is very Luddite-like. Will these smart AI devices succeed? Who knows... I…

It's enlightened ludditism.

Think of the ophthalmologist who wears glasses but sells you LASIK surgery. (He's skeptical of it due to an intimate understanding of the risks.) And now they're complaining that a type of LASIK surgery is being inflicted on everyone, as all consumer devices shoot beams at your eyes to auto-correct your vision.

Re: Why Would I Buy This Useless, Evil Thing?

#56

Post by deinonychus »

rocketbop wrote: post #48
kotaKat wrote: post #14

I'm not even here for the "AI creation" horseshit. I just want a better general assistant that's smarter than Siri that can handle task-keeping, calendaring, and reminders better. And I like that it's "push to talk". It listens on my command, not on the whims of a voice query in mid-air. I'll give this a crack because I'm part of the weird population that likes "stand-alone" appliances for things. It's got a certain…

I use push to talk on the action button on iPhone on the rare occasions I try to make Siri do something for me. I refuse to say 'Hey Siri' like a twit.

Why the action button? You know the power/lock button does that, right?

Re: Why Would I Buy This Useless, Evil Thing?

#57

Post by gnfargbl »

> (Takes picture of the contents of his fridge.) This is what I have in the fridge, can you make me a nice dish that’s low in calories? (It then pulls up a recipe without citing its source.)

That sounds like... something that would make my life slightly better, in a non-essential but desirable way.

Can my phone do this already? When will it be able to do it?

Re: Why Would I Buy This Useless, Evil Thing?

#58

Post by jkestner »

chewmieser wrote: post #39

There really isn't anything of substance in this article. Just a low-quality complaint about AI and AI devices with such hot-takes as: > You will notice that many of these tasks are just interacting with the lazy Silicon Valley dipshit treat ecosystem that already exists. Honestly I'm hesitant about AI devices as well but dismissing it entirely is very Luddite-like. Will these smart AI devices succeed? Who knows... I…

It’s pretty stupid that apparently we need a separate device because Apple watches over our hardware with loving grace. This should be a drop-in Siri replacement, but the only way that will happen is if Apple deigns to buy them, and then I still won’t have choice.

Luddites aren’t anti-tech but pro-worker, so being skeptical of AI is a fine thing to Ludd.

Re: Why Would I Buy This Useless, Evil Thing?

#59

Post by ilikehurdles »

spanktheuser wrote: post #49

For those of you who argue that a device like this is useless I urge you to visit someone with Parkisons, essential tremors, ALS, rheumatoid arthritis, limb injuries etc as well as very low vision and observe the difficulty they have interacting with the vision + multi-touch interface of their phones.

I expect iPhones to have better accessibility designs, controls, and accessories for these people than this, and most will already have iPhones. It doesn’t help that it looks like it’s marketed primarily for crypto zoomers.

Re: Why Would I Buy This Useless, Evil Thing?

#60

Post by Someone »

cfr2023 wrote: post #34

I dislike and object to the scope of this device as much as the author. It's not a popular view, but I hope Teenage Engineering is acquired by a very large company soon so that they can be relegated to functioning somewhere as a harmless novelty devision. This way they will get a big pay day and be treated like a prize, while their influence to create proprietary devices for the landfill is effectively quashed.

> I hope Teenage Engineering is acquired by a very large company soon so that they can be relegated to functioning somewhere as a harmless novelty devision.

I don’t think that’s a common outcome of being “acquired by a very large company”.

Very large companies tend to only run large projects, even if they run them as hobbies. They simply cannot have small divisions.

As a simple example, if BigCo made this thing, they’d want to translate it in a gazillion languages, vet it for not stepping on some country’s or minority’s toes, set up support pages, have their IP lawyers go over it, etc.

Post reply on HN