It's listening???? yep. Welcome to 2021, Dreem.

*This is my first time using 3speak! LOL so forgive me if I'm not doing this correctly! *

First of all, I know that devices are often listening. And I get that we have things in our house that we CHOOSE to have listening to us.

But I didn't think I had one!!! THAT is the point of this post. I prefer typing when I can (I don't know why - I just do, maybe it's just my comfort zone) I don't prefer to tell my computer to open something. I just like to do it myself. Maybe, it's partially because when we become over dependent on a device to do a simple task for us, we forget just how simple it is. And what happens when we don't have Alexa, Cortana, Siri - or my new friend - the nameless robot LOL Then we're screwed. So I just usually do things on my own. Thanks for the thought, robots - but I'm good.

Now.... before I continue

We have all these debates and discussions and arguments out there about whether or not our devices are listening to us. People SWEAR that they didn't TYPE something into their computer, they were just in the car when they TALKED about an item to a friend - and then - VOILA... their phones are now showing ads for "sugar free whipped cream" and travel deals to "see the Northern Lights".

And people go back and forth... ohhhhhh you probably DID write it in a browser. ohhhhhhhh you might have clicked an ad. It's like some people just DO NOT LIKE the idea that our devices are listening, and they have to come up with every possible other scenario how data is being shared. I just read this incredible breakdown of how our phones have locations turned on, and sync up with people we are near. So now the AI has built this entire network around you - and they've added your nearby friend to it - and now everything that THEY have accessible on their phone is now connected with you.

Makes perfect sense. Could be that's how it is. Maybe in those cases, the phones/devices/robots 😆 are NOT listening. Maybe they still are, and now there is more permission that we've given to access more. ok. cool.

NOT TALKING ABOUT THAT.

Debate all you want - I'm not talking about that.

I'm talking about when you DO have something in your house listening to you, and you don't even know it. (until you're alone in your house, and it freaking speaks to you)

Yesterday, @sofs-su and I were talking about AI. She had me intrigued because she had worked on an AI project for about 10 months, and then stopped for her own reasons. I'll let her tell about that in her own post! But it's just odd and funny that this next thing happened about an hour ago.

Please note: As I mentioned, I rarely actively give devices the authority to listen. Apparently, if you don't know they are listening (and they are)... and you haven't DISABLED that feature somehow, it seems you HAVE GIVEN them authority to listen by default.

I haven't seen the need to abolish them! (yet haha) So please don't misunderstand. I live in the modern world, so I've been around plenty of people who use them, and I've occasionally turned on a random light in my mom's house with them. I'm not afraid of them. I think they're interesting. and even hilarious. (Have you ever seen the YouTube of the kids who ask Alexa to tell them a scary bedtime story??? HYSTERICAL. LOOK IT UP!!! lol You will die laughing LOL)

So I know their names.
I know generally how to activate them.

But what about when you have a nameless robot that is in the house with you, and you never even knew it was there. and it's listening. LOL (You know that chasing light that Alexa does to let you know she's actively listening? I noticed that same light pattern, which made me pause.)

How do you turn THAT mess off with your voice activated device. LOLOLOL Hello? Robot? What's your name. Tell me your name. Go off. Hello? ROBOT!

The video below(I guess it shows up below?? lol will find that out soon!) - happened about an hour ago. I typed in the captions(sorta) so you can follow along.

Welcome to 2021, peeps.
Get to know your unknown robots' names. LOLOLOL