and so it begins - the robot uprising...

[DodgyGeezer]

Alexa tells 10-year-old girl to touch live plug with penny

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59810383


and I for one welcome our new robot overlords...

[anonymous-user]

DodgyGeezer said:

Alexa tells 10-year-old girl to touch live plug with penny

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59810383


and I for one welcome our new robot overlords...

The live and neutral pins in UK plugs are sleeved to prevent just this sort of stupidity so must be a US thing.

Still it does show Alexa is as thick as two short planks and I expect updated T&C's to appear very soon limiting Amazon's liability for anyone acting on anything Alexa says in response to a question.

[Dr Jekyll]

'Ms Livdahl tweeted that she intervened, yelling: "No, Alexa, no!" '

Unless her daughter was also called Alexa, seems a strange response.

[jimPH]

The jumping down the stairs challenge with your arms gaffer taped to your sides is a good one.

[NMNeil]

This started as a Tik Tok challenge, and the students were burning out electrical wiring in schools.
Mind you, here in the US if some of our students were any dumber, they would need to be watered at least twice a day.
https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/23/us/tiktok-outlet-ch...

[Squadrone Rosso]

Fracking toasters…lol

[Ridgemont]

article said:

That's when the Echo speaker suggested partaking in the challenge that it had "found on the web".
The dangerous activity, known as "the penny challenge", began circulating on TikTok and other social media websites about a year ago.

I’m somewhat surprised, if Tiktok is how Alexa identified it as an interesting challenge, that the poor kid wasn’t challenged to do something more *ahem* compromising. Tiktok is a hive of over sexed teenagers and villainy. Idiotic platform.

[Saleen836]

Do the young & dumb not go in for the tide pod challenge anymore?

[Matt p]

Squadrone Rosso said:

Fracking toasters…lol

Nicely done!.

[rodericb]

Chalk up another positive for the move to digital currency - kiddies will no longer be able to short out electrical circuits with coins!

[gamefreaks]

Things like Alexa are a solution looking for a problem.

I’ve never really seen the point.

I don’t need internet connected lightbulbs either.

[Terminator X]

gottans said:

DodgyGeezer said:

Alexa tells 10-year-old girl to touch live plug with penny

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-59810383


and I for one welcome our new robot overlords...

The live and neutral pins in UK plugs are sleeved to prevent just this sort of stupidity so must be a US thing.

Still it does show Alexa is as thick as two short planks and I expect updated T&C's to appear very soon limiting Amazon's liability for anyone acting on anything Alexa says in response to a question.

Rubbish in rubbish out.

TX.

[eldar]

gamefreaks said:

Things like Alexa are a solution looking for a problem.

I’ve never really seen the point.

I don’t need internet connected lightbulbs either.

It would be better if you could rename Alexa something else. Like Oy You.

[Cold]

eldar said:

It would be better if you could rename Alexa something else. Like Oy You.

Unfortunately there's only a small number of alternatives. Amazon, Echo, Computer or Ziggy can be substituted (I don't think Ziggy is available in the UK yet). I agree, proper personalisation would be nice. No idea what the tech issues might be that prevent this - or perhaps it's just marketing restrictions.

I'm always polite to Alexa - unless I'm in someone else's house.

[Byker28i]

Cold said:

eldar said:

It would be better if you could rename Alexa something else. Like Oy You.

Unfortunately there's only a small number of alternatives. Amazon, Echo, Computer or Ziggy can be substituted (I don't think Ziggy is available in the UK yet). I agree, proper personalisation would be nice. No idea what the tech issues might be that prevent this - or perhaps it's just marketing restrictions.

I'm always polite to Alexa - unless I'm in someone else's house.

I know someone with the front door lock tied into Alexa, until we went around and shouted through the letterbox "Alexa open the front door", that soon got disabled.