Do you get automated help?

Hypoxia

doesn't watch television
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Posts
28,080
Do you get automated help? That is, do you use a synthesized Personal Assistant like Alexa, Cortana, Siri, whatever? And as authors, do you ever talk out your stories with such warez?
 
I'm old school. I turn off pretty much everything that it's possible to turn off. :)
 
Never tried these aids. It would never occur to me to turn a paperclip on, to be honest; they shit me enough as it is, popping up when I thought I'd pressed the 'go away' button.

What can they actually do that could help me write?
 
Never tried these aids. It would never occur to me to turn a paperclip on, to be honest; they shit me enough as it is, popping up when I thought I'd pressed the 'go away' button.

What can they actually do that could help me write?

I've never tried one either. I'm not quite sure what I'd do with one. It might be helpful for research. My last story was set on a Caribbean island.

"Siri, what's the temperature in Bequia right now?"​

"Cortana, how far is it from Bequia to St. Vincent?"​

I did it the old-fashioned way and typed my questions into Google. I can't see asking the question out loud being too much more efficient than that. I mean, I was already at the keyboard.
 
My only automated help is an old-fashioned alarm clock.

It is even clockwork!
 
I did it the old-fashioned way and typed my questions into Go...

The old fashioned way would be to pull out some maps and/or an encyclopedia.




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I don't want anything in my house smarter than me. That's why all the birds are outside.
 
I use Google Assistant on my phone, and have 2 Google Home devices in my house. I have used Amazon's Alexa extensively as well.

I use these assistants reasonably often, though I could live without them as long as I have easy access to the Interweb. They aren't indispensable.

The help they offer is pretty shallow, and they don't - and can't - help with writing.
 
Do you get automated help? That is, do you use a synthesized Personal Assistant like Alexa, Cortana, Siri, whatever? And as authors, do you ever talk out your stories with such warez?

Years ago, I refused to go to Jack in the Box because of that idiotic clown in the drive-thru. I'll be damned if I'm talking to an inanimate clown.

That carried over into the computer era. My kids talk to their phone, their GPS, even their fucking cars. Worse, they expect them to answer. So the last thing I'm going to do is talk to some computer program. I can look up my own stuff.

rj
 
Years ago, I refused to go to Jack in the Box because of that idiotic clown in the drive-thru. I'll be damned if I'm talking to an inanimate clown.

That carried over into the computer era. My kids talk to their phone, their GPS, even their fucking cars. Worse, they expect them to answer. So the last thing I'm going to do is talk to some computer program. I can look up my own stuff.

You're a dinosaur and you know it.

My wife got an Echo Dot for Christmas. I don't know that it's all that useful, but I do know that the easiest way I have to set a timer is to say "Alexa, set a timer for XX minutes."

It's easier than toast.
 
Years ago, I refused to go to Jack in the Box because of that idiotic clown in the drive-thru. I'll be damned if I'm talking to an inanimate clown.

That carried over into the computer era. My kids talk to their phone, their GPS, even their fucking cars. Worse, they expect them to answer. So the last thing I'm going to do is talk to some computer program. I can look up my own stuff.

rj

My local bank used to have a clunky ATM that was difficult to see when the sun was shining. They've replaced it with a touch screen instead of having silver buttons around the screen. The touch screen ATM is slow to react and often needs three attempts to register a choice.

It now takes three times as long for any transaction and the queue to use it gets longer and longer...

I now use a rival bank's ATM across the street. That still has physical buttons that actually recognise a push.

One of our local supermarkets has a large bank of self-scan checkouts. They need three employees and a security guard to monitor them. It would be quicker for the customers if they opened three traditional check outs with the three staff.

But - since they installed the self-scan checkouts stock losses through theft have increased by over 50%. Self-service can be taken too far.

The new low cost supermarket recently opened next door has no automated checkouts. Their checkout staff are trained to scan items at lightning speed and the customers have to pack fast. There are physical barriers to stop customers walking out without passing an open checkout.

Their stock losses are a quarter of what the neighbouring supermarket had before automation. It keeps the costs down, stupid!
 
When they opened the self checkout at one of our local stores, I asked the manager if I got a discount for checking myself out.

He replied, "No."

"Then why should I do it?" I asked.

"You'll save time waiting in line."

There were three registers open and one customer so my reply was, "Uh huh," as I headed for the nearest register.

I've never used the self checkout and don't plan to.
 
When they opened the self checkout at one of our local stores, I asked the manager if I got a discount for checking myself out.

He replied, "No."

"Then why should I do it?" I asked.

"You'll save time waiting in line."

There were three registers open and one customer so my reply was, "Uh huh," as I headed for the nearest register.

I've never used the self checkout and don't plan to.

They don't save you time, because there is always someone in the line who screws up and has to call for help.

I'm with you. Using the self check out allows them to pay less in labor cost, but they pass none of that savings on to the customer.
 
I was at a Home Depot a few days ago. I walked from one end of the store to the other to get to the checkout at the ProDesk area. I passed the self checkout area ... and the two clerks standing there waiting on ... no one. Not a single customer using any of the four units.
 
One of our local supermarkets has a large bank of self-scan checkouts. They need three employees and a security guard to monitor them. It would be quicker for the customers if they opened three traditional check outs with the three staff.


When they opened the self checkout at one of our local stores, I asked the manager if I got a discount for checking myself out.


They don't save you time, because there is always someone in the line who screws up and has to call for help.


I passed the self checkout area ... and the two clerks standing there waiting on ... no one. Not a single customer using any of the four units.

Wow. That hasn't been my experience at all. Here in my corner of the world, self-checkout has been a godsend. Lines at the human registers are usually 5-6 deep and the cashiers are always chatty and slow. The lines at self-checkout are almost always shorter, the people doing it themselves are quick about it, and one trained cashier can oversee and provide assistance at five registers.

They even have self-ordering kiosks at my local McDonalds (don't hate me for eating at McD's; it's medicinal). I have never had my order screwed up once since I started using them.

I get the social implications of self-service, but I gotta say, I like doing it myself.
 
Nope. If I want to find out something, I type it into the keyboard and press return at the Google search screen.

The only time I talk to my computer is when something breaks, then it's really yelling and cussing. So far this week I have yelled at it five times.

Once when it said it only 10gig of memory installed. Then when it said is only had 8gig of memory installed. Then when the D: drive died. Then when my G: drive died. Then when it just shutdown for no apparent reason.

Dust. It was dust. I'm still down 4gig of memory. Yet one app says there are 12gig installed, but another says there is only 8gig installed. Haven't figured that one out yet. :mad:
 
You're a dinosaur and you know it.

Thanks! Dinosaurs ruled the Earth for 155 million years. Anyone equipped to write even LW cuck stories knows that off the top of their head. I asked Cortina. She responded, "Hey, no results found for that request so who the fuck knows?" Siri and I aren't speaking to one another so no help there.

rj
 
A lot of these posts make me think back to The Jetsons and some of the remarks made by Rosie the Robot.
 
Wow. That hasn't been my experience at all. Here in my corner of the world, self-checkout has been a godsend. Lines at the human registers are usually 5-6 deep and the cashiers are always chatty and slow. The lines at self-checkout are almost always shorter, the people doing it themselves are quick about it, and one trained cashier can oversee and provide assistance at five registers.

They even have self-ordering kiosks at my local McDonalds (don't hate me for eating at McD's; it's medicinal). I have never had my order screwed up once since I started using them.

I get the social implications of self-service, but I gotta say, I like doing it myself.

Yeah, with you on that one. I mostly use the self-checkouts at one where I shop. There's 8 of them in the closest one and they're faster. The other place is 24/7 so I mostly shop there in the early morning if I've worked a night shift. 6 There's maybe one or two other people and no kiosks, but at 6am, there's no queues, believe me.

The social implications of self-checkout I think in themselves are minor. That's more to do with wage overhead and supermarkets are so labor intensive. I worked in one as a checkout girl when I was at high school and the profit margin is really low - 5-6% unless you're Whole Foods and you charge a huge margin coz you're selling to idiots who'll pay big coz it says "organic" or it isn't but it sits next to something that says it's organic and maybe the organic filters across by osmosis or magic or something - so any increase in minimum wage (like Seattle...) really has a huge impact on margins and they're labor intensive, so anything that reduces that overhead provides a bit of cushioning.

I think the bigger impact is going to be when they introduce electronically tagged labels for all products and you just wheel your trolley thru the scanner and it records everything then and there in one hit and all you do is pay. No staffing, no self-scanning. One of my granddads owns an independent supermarket so I get this all first hand. I got to work a lot of different jobs in that supermarket and I know far too much about them. I packed potatoes into bags for six months once in the fruit and vegetable department and oh my god, the smell of rotten potatoes. Blaaaghhhhh. I couldn't eat potatoes for six months after I moved departments.

Anyhow, the trend is towards automation and self service, like with ATM's in banks. And kiosks in airports. Even all the passport scanning is being automated now. MacDonalds and all the burger chains are going there with robots. Ditto warehouses. Robots in manufacturing. They function 24/7, no overtime, one off capital cost. The social implications are enormous but it's the way the future's going.... those minimum wage manual jobs are disappearing whereever it's possible to automate them.

Not just manual jobs. Look at stock trading where more and more of it is being done by computerized trading systems. Who knows where we'll be in 20 years, let alone 50 or 100.
 
I think that post was automated because NOBODY uses that many fucking words to answer a simple question.

Beep. Malfunction. Beep Beep. Repeating. Yeah, with you on that one. I mostly use the...

Beep.

Interrupting with humor circuit. Beep.... :D

Okay, okay, I just like to write..... I do talk like that as well. Yap yap yappity yap. :eek:
 
Yeah, with you on that one. I mostly use the self-checkouts at one where I shop. There's 8 of them in the closest one and they're faster. The other place is 24/7 so I mostly shop there in the early morning if I've worked a night shift. 6 There's maybe one or two other people and no kiosks, but at 6am, there's no queues, believe me.

Oh, I remember getting off work at 3am and shopping at the 24/7 grocery store with the other zombies. Good times. I was a bagger one summer. Never got promoted to cashier though.

I expect the social implications will be worked out in time. They always have been with every other labor disruption that's come along. That said, they will have to BE worked out through innovation, legislation, or migration and there will be people who hate it. That's the way it's always been.
 
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