A third choice is needed in the poll: “I don't use Siri. As soon as I got home with my phone I turned that abominable feature off in the Siri settings and, for the sake of redundancy, disabled it in the settings for every app." I'm not curious about it and would not give it a try, even if it had the option of speaking with the soothing but duplicitous voice of Jonathan Lawson, that debonair cable TV shill for Colonial Penn Life Insurance.
I use Siri for one purpose: "Hey, Siri, call home" (when I need to consult my husband about a grocery purchase). Beyond that, I have found that her answers are usually less useful than they were when I first got an iPhone (and even calling home has become less reliable). What this says about the "improvement" of AI can be deduced.
I wish I had had a cell phone back in the 20th century when I used to find myself at a grocery store that didn’t have all the items on my list. (Once I was distressed enough to use a pay phone because I needed to know whether I should buy something expensive if the store didn’t have all the things that went with it.) Now I’m a widower and there’s no one to call, and I’m not creative enough to plan complicated meals. Sometimes I wish there was an AI assistant called Lois, but sometimes she would probably get impatient when I asked dumb questions and tell me to figure it out myself or just bring home a frozen pizza. But if I needed to know the names of her 10 aunts and their husbands (both dead and alive), she would be glad to oblige.
meal service is the way to go for people like you if you can afford it. It requires too much advance planning for me, but if you are advance planner knock yourself out! You just order in advance from the predeterrmined meals available, they arrive, you follow directions, bon appetit. Planning to order existing menus is easier for many people than actually planning the menus. I'm more of an in the moment type person, decide what I want to eat, either it's already at home or I go get it. But it might be perfect for you. There are many options, don't know all of them by memory and I don't think they all serve all areas. YMMV.
My apologies. I have a BA in English With Honors in Creative Writing, but maybe I need a refresher course. It seems that my little stream of consciousness about marriage and loneliness sounded like a plea for help in meal planning. If you are interested in discussing that topic, there must be an appropriate Substack out there somewhere.
This is a good idea - and- going to the grocery store has the virtue of including little social interactions, which become important as we become older and perhaps more isolated. Ordering online takes this out of the equation— (but I do really like the idea of having menus presented to me! )
Here's hoping that this small group of paying sycophants will provide sufficient impetus for you to thrive and remain alive for many years to come. We need you, and you need us.
I didn't vote, because Ted Cruz is worse than scum, and to call him scum is to insult scum.
The first time I became aware of Ted Cruz was when he condemned gun regulation as a violation of the Second Amendment. He said that no one would allow an exception to freedom of speech under the First Amendment, so there should be no exceptions to the Second Amendment either.
Cruz is not only a lawyer, but Alan Dershowitz said that he was one of the best students he ever had. Therefore, there is no possibility that Cruz believed what he said; if he had said it on a law school exam, he would have flunked the exam.
Among the exceptions to freedom of speech that virtually everyone accepts are "true threats" of violence (as opposed to political hyperbole), "fighting words" (in-your-face words tending to provoke violence), advocacy "directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and ... likely to incite or produce such action," false advertising, child pornography, defamation (libel and slander), and copyright or trademark infringement. Anyone who claims to be a First Amendment absolutist is either lying or ignorant of First Amendment law. Cruz was lying.
All the words in quotation marks above are from U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
On its face, the First Amendment has no exceptions to freedom of speech. It provides, "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." ("Congress" includes all government agencies, federal, state, and local.) All the above exceptions to the First Amendment were created by the Supreme Court, so it doesn't really matter whether virtually everyone accepts them. But it has created one more exception, which I don't accept and therefore omitted from the list: obscenity. Unlike child pornography and all the other exceptions listed above, obscenity does not harm any individuals. Some may believe that it lowers the moral or cultural ambience, but surely we don't want the government to censor on such a vague basis.
You came close, but there's a new thing called googling, which reveals Franken's exact words: “I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz.”
I’m displeased with the condescension as well, but it allows me the opportunity to put in a plug for Siri, which I might regret in the future when I find out that “she’s” been taking notes, but anyway…It took me a long time before I decided to try using it. Admittedly, technology often gets the best of me. But that’s why I like Siri. It can answer many of my questions and I don’t have to close out the screen I’m on. And I have found that the answers provided by Siri are usually very helpful. Although once in a while she does seem to get kind of snippy. Or maybe condescending. Kidding!
Georgetown University Hospital may be affiliated with a Jesuit school of medicine, but its operations are organized according to the Gospel of MedStar.
Did they not recommend a home version of the BRAAP BRAAP BRAAP machine? Clearly, you will not sleep soundly until your sleepy breathing is monitored securely by
BRAAP
BRAAP
BRAAP
"Please do not touch the bed with your elbows."
... and how will you ever keep your blood pressure under "Instant Pot" levels if your elbow placement is not watched, every second, by robots?
Gene, I hope you’re feeling better! As a healthcare professional (being purposefully vague here) I can tell you that the people in the hallways were there because there were no beds available, not because of insurance coverage. We don’t know what insurance does and doesn’t cover, nor do we know what anything—meds, tests, etc—cost. At least, that’s how it is at my facility. I have had to spend a few hours in the hall myself to wait on a room after 13 hours in the ED. The system is straight up broken.
The manner of the doctor who examined you reminded me of the principle of many automotive and bicycle repair shops: "The customer is wrong until proven otherwise."
In a hospital, customers are not assumed to be reliable sources of information about their symptoms or medical history. Consistency in answering repeated questions is their way of testing your reliability. That’s why they ask the same questions over and over.
Are you positive, Gene, that the large bearded man who fouled his own hospital bed was not Ted Cruz? It is possible that a decoy Cruz was on vacation in Athens, since from your description of the other person's behavior, appearance, and regard for others, he sounds a lot like Cruz to me.
Cruz’s “office reported he came home “as fast as humanly possible,”…
The operative word being “humanly”.
A third choice is needed in the poll: “I don't use Siri. As soon as I got home with my phone I turned that abominable feature off in the Siri settings and, for the sake of redundancy, disabled it in the settings for every app." I'm not curious about it and would not give it a try, even if it had the option of speaking with the soothing but duplicitous voice of Jonathan Lawson, that debonair cable TV shill for Colonial Penn Life Insurance.
I also have neither Siri nor Alexa. I don't want machines talking to me.
I couldn't use Siri even if I wanted to (and I don't) -- I have a simple flip phone, not an Iphone.
May I ask what brand? I need a dumb-phone that does not have internet capability for the 12-year-old. *edited due to misplaced modifier*
No 12-year-old would be caught dead with MY phone: It's the old folks' friend -- Consumer Cellular.
What about Odessa? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvT_gqs5ETk
I don’t know about that…
I use Siri for one purpose: "Hey, Siri, call home" (when I need to consult my husband about a grocery purchase). Beyond that, I have found that her answers are usually less useful than they were when I first got an iPhone (and even calling home has become less reliable). What this says about the "improvement" of AI can be deduced.
I wish I had had a cell phone back in the 20th century when I used to find myself at a grocery store that didn’t have all the items on my list. (Once I was distressed enough to use a pay phone because I needed to know whether I should buy something expensive if the store didn’t have all the things that went with it.) Now I’m a widower and there’s no one to call, and I’m not creative enough to plan complicated meals. Sometimes I wish there was an AI assistant called Lois, but sometimes she would probably get impatient when I asked dumb questions and tell me to figure it out myself or just bring home a frozen pizza. But if I needed to know the names of her 10 aunts and their husbands (both dead and alive), she would be glad to oblige.
meal service is the way to go for people like you if you can afford it. It requires too much advance planning for me, but if you are advance planner knock yourself out! You just order in advance from the predeterrmined meals available, they arrive, you follow directions, bon appetit. Planning to order existing menus is easier for many people than actually planning the menus. I'm more of an in the moment type person, decide what I want to eat, either it's already at home or I go get it. But it might be perfect for you. There are many options, don't know all of them by memory and I don't think they all serve all areas. YMMV.
My apologies. I have a BA in English With Honors in Creative Writing, but maybe I need a refresher course. It seems that my little stream of consciousness about marriage and loneliness sounded like a plea for help in meal planning. If you are interested in discussing that topic, there must be an appropriate Substack out there somewhere.
This is a good idea - and- going to the grocery store has the virtue of including little social interactions, which become important as we become older and perhaps more isolated. Ordering online takes this out of the equation— (but I do really like the idea of having menus presented to me! )
I don't use Siri either. I find it annoying, not helpful.
"Duplicitous" I like that.
Here's hoping that this small group of paying sycophants will provide sufficient impetus for you to thrive and remain alive for many years to come. We need you, and you need us.
I didn't vote, because Ted Cruz is worse than scum, and to call him scum is to insult scum.
The first time I became aware of Ted Cruz was when he condemned gun regulation as a violation of the Second Amendment. He said that no one would allow an exception to freedom of speech under the First Amendment, so there should be no exceptions to the Second Amendment either.
Cruz is not only a lawyer, but Alan Dershowitz said that he was one of the best students he ever had. Therefore, there is no possibility that Cruz believed what he said; if he had said it on a law school exam, he would have flunked the exam.
Among the exceptions to freedom of speech that virtually everyone accepts are "true threats" of violence (as opposed to political hyperbole), "fighting words" (in-your-face words tending to provoke violence), advocacy "directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and ... likely to incite or produce such action," false advertising, child pornography, defamation (libel and slander), and copyright or trademark infringement. Anyone who claims to be a First Amendment absolutist is either lying or ignorant of First Amendment law. Cruz was lying.
All the words in quotation marks above are from U.S. Supreme Court decisions.
On its face, the First Amendment has no exceptions to freedom of speech. It provides, "Congress shall make no law ... abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press." ("Congress" includes all government agencies, federal, state, and local.) All the above exceptions to the First Amendment were created by the Supreme Court, so it doesn't really matter whether virtually everyone accepts them. But it has created one more exception, which I don't accept and therefore omitted from the list: obscenity. Unlike child pornography and all the other exceptions listed above, obscenity does not harm any individuals. Some may believe that it lowers the moral or cultural ambience, but surely we don't want the government to censor on such a vague basis.
Al Franken on Ted Cruz: "I like Ted more than most people, and I can't stand Ted Cruz" (or words to that effect)
You came close, but there's a new thing called googling, which reveals Franken's exact words: “I like Ted Cruz more than most of my other colleagues like Ted Cruz. And I hate Ted Cruz.”
Thanks for the condescension!
Sorry. It was an ill-considered joke.
I’m displeased with the condescension as well, but it allows me the opportunity to put in a plug for Siri, which I might regret in the future when I find out that “she’s” been taking notes, but anyway…It took me a long time before I decided to try using it. Admittedly, technology often gets the best of me. But that’s why I like Siri. It can answer many of my questions and I don’t have to close out the screen I’m on. And I have found that the answers provided by Siri are usually very helpful. Although once in a while she does seem to get kind of snippy. Or maybe condescending. Kidding!
I’m in Texas, so I get him and Cornyn. Both of whom know better.
Ted Cruz is scum. Here’s a song I wrote when he took that little jaunt to Cancún during the power outage.
Over the Border
(Under the Boardwalk)
Oh when the snow pelts down and it’s all icy underfoot
And the house is so cold because the power grid has gone kaput
Over the border down to Cancún
On an airplane with my family I’ll be flyin’ soon
(Over the border) In the warmth and sun
(Over the border) We can forget Houston
(Over the border) We’ll leave the winter behind
(Over the border) Lie on a beach and unwind
Over the border border
I’m just a junior public servant, what use would staying up here be
There’s really nothing I can do to help my con-stit-u-en-cy
Over the border, let’s have a nice vacay
And we’ll do it on the downlow so no one knows we’re away
(Over the border) For a long weekend
(Over the border) Why not invite a friend
(Over the border) Ritz-Carlton rates are low
(Over the border) Sorry, Snowflake can’t go
Over the border border
[Musical interlude]
Over the border the press found where I’ve been
Better catch the next return flight and try to save my skin
(Over the border) Wanted to be a good dad
(Over the border) I guess the optics were bad
(Over the border) Maybe I shouldn’t have gone
(Over the border) Sure hope the power’s back on
Over the border border
That was really good doggerel.
Georgetown University Hospital may be affiliated with a Jesuit school of medicine, but its operations are organized according to the Gospel of MedStar.
Did they not recommend a home version of the BRAAP BRAAP BRAAP machine? Clearly, you will not sleep soundly until your sleepy breathing is monitored securely by
BRAAP
BRAAP
BRAAP
"Please do not touch the bed with your elbows."
... and how will you ever keep your blood pressure under "Instant Pot" levels if your elbow placement is not watched, every second, by robots?
Gene, I hope you’re feeling better! As a healthcare professional (being purposefully vague here) I can tell you that the people in the hallways were there because there were no beds available, not because of insurance coverage. We don’t know what insurance does and doesn’t cover, nor do we know what anything—meds, tests, etc—cost. At least, that’s how it is at my facility. I have had to spend a few hours in the hall myself to wait on a room after 13 hours in the ED. The system is straight up broken.
I say "Thank you" to Alexa so maybe I'll be spared when the robot uprising happens. I welcome our chrome plated overlords. 😉 🤖
The manner of the doctor who examined you reminded me of the principle of many automotive and bicycle repair shops: "The customer is wrong until proven otherwise."
In a hospital, customers are not assumed to be reliable sources of information about their symptoms or medical history. Consistency in answering repeated questions is their way of testing your reliability. That’s why they ask the same questions over and over.
I appreciate that. Also cuts down on the "whoops, we did the surgery on the wrong leg" incidents. As does marking with a Sharpie.
I don't use Siri or Alexa. But I have said "thank you" to a vending machine.
I put Ted Cruz and Stephen Miller both in the “vile” category. Ever notice how “vile” is an anagram of “evil?”
Forget if it was Al Franken who said you can hate Ted Cruz on meeting him. It saves time.
Thank you! It’s an oldie but a goodie!
I don't thank Siri or Alexa, but I've always said, "Excuse me" when I'm alone with the dog and I fart.
Are you positive, Gene, that the large bearded man who fouled his own hospital bed was not Ted Cruz? It is possible that a decoy Cruz was on vacation in Athens, since from your description of the other person's behavior, appearance, and regard for others, he sounds a lot like Cruz to me.