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Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

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Re: Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

#531
post #426

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is out? Since when has Google been good at branding? Look at Google/Android TV’s history. Or even Google Play.

I'd also add their insistence on using the same branding approach for experimental apps as their core offerings. A new app named `Google $RandomNoun` has a really high chance of being killed a few years from now, while `Google Search` and `Google Maps` don't. I'm sure the company wants to use the same structure to give new products an initial boost, but they seem weirdly indifferent to the long term damage it's doing…

The used to call things Google Labs Foo.

That idea was canned...

Re: Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

#532

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Call me childish but I think "OK " would take a long time to wear thin.

This reminds me of the great Sci-fi book series "Old Man's War", where the soldiers get a thought-controlled computer called "Brain Pal™" installed in their head. After installation they first have to choose a name and almost everyone uses a swear word for that. The main protagonist then keeps activating it with the phrase "Hey Asshole". I'm pretty sure that this book came out way before Google Assistant.

> I'm pretty sure that this book came out way before Google Assistant.

Or maybe not.

/s /h

Re: Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

#533

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Ok, Google" makes everyone hate saying the word "Google". It is now linked to the emotions of frustration and anger forever.

Considering Amazon uses "Alexa" and Apple uses "Siri" and Microsoft uses "Cortana", it is strange that Google opted not to pick an alternative name

At some point you could say “Ok Jarvis” as an Easter egg.

Re: Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

#534
post #505

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The insistence on making the spoken interaction feel as "human" and "natural" as possible honestly introduces way more confusion than it needs to and makes the whole thing feel uncomfortable for its parasociability and stiltedness. In Star Trek they were perfectly comfortable saying "Computer! Do the thing" in a more specific, 'computer' intonation. It was all fairly natural language, but there is no attempt to prete…

I just rewatched all of TNG, and that's actually not the case: there are several instances where a crew member (often Geordi?) would speak to the computer in a more "human" conversational way. I recall one episode in particular where Geordi's trying to set the mood in his quarters for an impending date, and he's very conversationally refining the music choice until he gets what he wants.

Yep, Star Trek computers understand addressing, the conversation is modal: one does not need to begin every sentence with the keyword, a first use of the hotword (or implicitly in some cases, like entering a turbolift) combined with a specific tone makes the computer “open” the conversation. From then on, tone only is sufficient for the computer to know when it is being addressed. With a conversation opened, context is remembered.

I am flabbergasted that the following hasn’t been an option:

- hey Siri

- yes?

- what are the last three releases from ?

- X Y and Z

- search again without EPs

- W X and Z

- Play the first one

-

- thank you Siri

Also, with attention tracking that -already- exists with the FaceID array, the phone can know when it is addressed and when it’s not. You know, just like when you’re talking to someone, you usually look at them...

Re: Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

#535
post #450
post #413

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well they've named it Google Assistant. I think I'd prefer "ok/hey assistant".

I'd prefer it be treated like passwords - upon installation, you should change the default immediately. I refuse to use a service that requires me to say its globally recognized name so often I will probably become brainwashed to it. And then there's the older hacks with TV commercials that took advantage of those defaults, and the (cooler) hypersonic transmitted voice command attacks, or the ones delivered by vibrat…

I assume this lets the wakeword listening model be simpler.

Re: Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

#536

Earlier quoted context omitted.

-- is it because you don't speak with a 20-30 year old white male techbro bay area accented voice, so Google never even bothered testing whether it'd work for you? (My brother in law is Australian living in the US, and has to use his "sarcastically fake American accent" to be understood on the phone. He, more politely than I, calls it his "phone voice". It's the same voice all my friends here use when parodying Ameri…

You really don't think Google doesn't test in other huge markets? A study a couple years ago found that Google did awfully well with English speakers from the US, India, and China. [1] From a quick search, it looks like national accents are less of a problem, and the real difficulties like in dialects and foreign accents (e.g. a Spanish person speaking English). But the idea that the training corpus used for speech r…

> From a quick search, it looks like national accents are less of a problem, and the real difficulties like in dialects and foreign accents (e.g. a Spanish person speaking English).

Can confirm, in high school I had to occasionally go AFK after being beckoned talk to the amazon echo because it wouldn't understand my parents' accents.

A lot of immigrant children get used to translating for their parents, but repeating commands but with a native accent is a newer phenomenon.

Re: Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

#537

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The other day a song called S01E02.Return.Of.The.Arsonist.720p.HDTV.x264 by Blood Command appeared in my Spotify Discover Weekly. I thought someone messed up, but no...that's the name of song!

Points off for not including a release group (e.g. RARBG, KOGi, STRONTRIUM, etc.)

It's possible they just didn't want to get sued by the group for trademark infringement.

Re: Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

#538

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"OK Google"/"hey Google" is one of the reasons I went with Amazon's products instead! (other reasons include that they seem to understand my voice more reliably than Google or Microsoft's systems). I get to call it Computer instead of Alexa too, though if I were stuck with Alexa it would still be preferable to Google (or Amazon for that matter). It's isn't just branding though, if I'm right. The wake word needs to be…

“Computer” seems humane. There’s a teenager down the street named Alexa. She apparently gets asked the weather a lot. :(

"Hello Computer" seems pretty neutral, it reminds me of this sketch from IT crowd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu88J5JL8Hw

Re: Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

#539

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Ok, Google" makes everyone hate saying the word "Google". It is now linked to the emotions of frustration and anger forever.

"OK Google"/"hey Google" is one of the reasons I went with Amazon's products instead! (other reasons include that they seem to understand my voice more reliably than Google or Microsoft's systems). I get to call it Computer instead of Alexa too, though if I were stuck with Alexa it would still be preferable to Google (or Amazon for that matter). It's isn't just branding though, if I'm right. The wake word needs to be…

I do seem to recall that being able to set a customer wake-word was in the works at one point.

I don't see why the system could not be designed such that one could submit a wake-word, which is analyzed for suitability in terms of being sufficiently distinct in complex audio environments, and then checked against a blacklist.

Shouldn't be beyond Google's technical capabilities.

The thing is, a LOT of people avoid Google Home/Assistant because they simply can't bring themselves to blurt out cheesy branding like that.

They really ought to solve that problem. Probably they will right about the time they port Inbox bundling to Gmail and provide a Drive sync client for Linux (it's been, a decade?).

Re: Artist releases album called “Ok Google Play Music” on Spotify

#540

Every time this topic comes up on here the comments are full of complaints about 1) privacy and 2) broken ux. I have to ask why do you even bother? I’ve never once thought I wish I didn’t have to pick up my phone got 5 seconds to do something simple.

It's incredibly handy when cooking. "Hey Google set up a 15 minutes timer", "Hey Google how many teaspoons is in a cup?", etc while you have your hands dirty / busy.

no doubt its useful for that but is it really worth it considering the price? arent most assistants powered by batteries so it also has an ongoing cost, especially if you have multiple devices? all that just to add a timer 3-5 seconds quicker?

and then there's still other issues like privacy or the thing being an expensive paperweight if you're Internet isn't working

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