Official Chit-Chat Thread

[digi7alph0enix]

It is the evil side of me, but It is just awesome when you're right and you have people over a barrel

I missed this earlier, but I'm not the type to make claims that aren't based in solid fact. That makes losing arguments less likely.

 

[Duke Nivram]

Sometimes I wait to see how a product does before buying; sometimes I'm an early adopter.

I got an Amazon Echo via the 1/2 price invite; it arrived a couple of days ago. Kinda like a Siri in a can. Time will tell whether it ends up filling a useful niche.

If you don't know what it is, it's described here:

Amazon Echo - Official site - Request an invitation

The part I can't figure out for sure is how it got configured to my wireless network without a wired connection or direct input (i.e. keyboard or touchscreen). Plug in the power, download an app on your tablet. It "finds" your Echo, you put in your wireless network password (on the tablet app GUI) and the Echo configures / connects.

My first thought was maybe it had a 3G chip to connect to an amazon server for config, but that doesn't seem very efficient, especially in comparison to the cost for a NIC.

My best guess is that the app took over my tablet's wireless hardware and established a peer-to-peer connection with the Echo. The specs say Echo doesn't support peer-to-peer, but that may just be for normal operation.

The Wife is already jealous.

What is the long term review of this @kronin323

 

[djhyper66]

thinking about buying this... does anyone own a self balancing hover board thingy? Looks pretty fun.

 

[OakleyFrankFMJ]

View attachment 165913 thinking about buying this... does anyone own a self balancing hover board thingy? Looks pretty fun.

I saw one this weekend..... watched the dude not be able to balance and almost bust his ass.... me and the GF thought it was hilarious. I'm sure if you know how, then it would be cool.....this dude? Gonna end up with a broken something.

 

[kronin323]

What is the long term review of this @kronin323

Really I haven't been getting too much use out of it. In the months I've had it, I keep getting emails of new functionality / integrations they've added, but they're not anything I've used.

The feature I use most is the shopping list. When I'm cooking or whatever and need to restock something, I just say, "Alexa, add [whatever] to my shopping list" and she confirms it's added. Same thing before going to the store, browse through the pantry and fridge and tell it which items to add.

Non-grocery stuff, too - I may be in the middle of something and realize I need to pick up something at Home Depot or wherever, that normally I'd be hard-pressed to remember at a relevant time, I just tell it to add it to the list.

Then, when I get to the store, I just call up the echo app on my phone and tick items off the list as I pick them up.

Second most used feature is the prime music. Not for myself directly, but when stuck with a fussy baby I say, "Alexa, play lullaby music from prime" and she digs up a playlist and starts playing it.

Otherwise I might use it to check the weather, but that's about it.

Maybe over time I'll start expanding which functions I use.

 

[digi7alph0enix]

@GH4AU could probably guess what some of this is.

 

[GH4AU]

@GH4AU could probably guess what some of this is.

View attachment 165938

Yep yep yep. That's the good stuff.

 

[kronin323]

@GH4AU could probably guess what some of this is.

View attachment 165938

Nut butter...

 

[digi7alph0enix]

Nut butter...

You're missing all the fun in another thread...

 

[OakleyFrankFMJ]

You're missing all the fun in another thread...

should we direct him to where it is? Or just let him walk through the maze of sorrow until he finds it?