Quote from: SGR on Apr 03, 2023, 11:24 PMTo continue the tangent about Alexa, I really dislike the Internet of Things (IOT) - why does a goddamn fridge need to connect to the internet? What's next? Should my mattress be geting software updates too?

This is something I've often had unsettling thoughts about. Like your new digital washing machine where in order to use the settings to wash more uncommon fabrics you need to download the paid washing machine DLC, and every time you put in a load of laundry you have to sit through a 2 minute unmutable ad. Its advanced algorithm will recommend clothes to buy based on your washing history.

"stressed" is just "desserts" spelled backwards

Quote from: SGR on Apr 03, 2023, 11:24 PMWhat's next? Should my mattress be geting software updates too?

¡Caliente!


This is what you want. This is what you get.

We have a few IoT things now. Generally, the purpose is so you can check on your phone what your washer or drier is doing or set up timers and stuff on an app. You can set up interactions with other IoT things, like play this song when your machine does this or whatever.

I was quite ambitious with our smart home early on, but have since taken a more relaxed approach. There doesn't need to be greetings and flashing, colored lights every time someone comes home or when the wash is done. I appreciate the lights coming on automatically when I go down into the basement or enter my workshop.

Happiness is a warm manatee

I think we went wrong getting rid of the stone chisels and tablets. And damn those Egyptians with their hieroglyphics! Sell-out bastards!  :laughing:


Quote from: Guybrush on Apr 04, 2023, 09:05 AMWe have a few IoT things now. Generally, the purpose is so you can check on your phone what your washer or drier is doing or set up timers and stuff on an app. You can set up interactions with other IoT things, like play this song when your machine does this or whatever.

I was quite ambitious with our smart home early on, but have since taken a more relaxed approach. There doesn't need to be greetings and flashing, colored lights every time someone comes home or when the wash is done. I appreciate the lights coming on automatically when I go down into the basement or enter my workshop.

I get that - it does have its uses, some of which are actually really cool. Another one of my concerns though would be security and privacy. The idea of some company somewhere knowing how many times I open my fridge in a given day kind of freaks me out, not to mention the possibility that some malicious third party could find their way in and do whatever evil deeds are possible. I'm sure you've seen those videos of people's ring cameras getting hacked, people thousands of miles away watching you relax on your couch - and even using the microphone on the ring camera to speak to you.




Quote from: SGR on Apr 04, 2023, 08:25 PM
Quote from: Guybrush on Apr 04, 2023, 09:05 AMWe have a few IoT things now. Generally, the purpose is so you can check on your phone what your washer or drier is doing or set up timers and stuff on an app. You can set up interactions with other IoT things, like play this song when your machine does this or whatever.

I was quite ambitious with our smart home early on, but have since taken a more relaxed approach. There doesn't need to be greetings and flashing, colored lights every time someone comes home or when the wash is done. I appreciate the lights coming on automatically when I go down into the basement or enter my workshop.

I get that - it does have its uses, some of which are actually really cool. Another one of my concerns though would be security and privacy. The idea of some company somewhere knowing how many times I open my fridge in a given day kind of freaks me out, not to mention the possibility that some malicious third party could find their way in and do whatever evil deeds are possible. I'm sure you've seen those videos of people's ring cameras getting hacked, people thousands of miles away watching you relax on your couch - and even using the microphone on the ring camera to speak to you.


wow they're still using the same system

i got a totally unhackable security system

a dog and a gun




Quote from: SGR on Apr 04, 2023, 08:25 PMI get that - it does have its uses, some of which are actually really cool. Another one of my concerns though would be security and privacy. The idea of some company somewhere knowing how many times I open my fridge in a given day kind of freaks me out, not to mention the possibility that some malicious third party could find their way in and do whatever evil deeds are possible. I'm sure you've seen those videos of people's ring cameras getting hacked, people thousands of miles away watching you relax on your couch - and even using the microphone on the ring camera to speak to you.

It is a little creepy, but I don't personally worry much about getting hacked. Getting spied on or information about me being sold or given to some company or government or whatever, that seems to be just the world we live in these days. My wife just had to remove Tik-Tok from her phone because it's suspected to be spyware. I heard on the radio that it records things like your typing pattern / way you use the phone.

For the sort of surveillance that Snowden whistleblowed about, the volumes of data are ofc so that it needs to be handled by programs and so even if we are spied on, it's probably not by human eyes. Thinking about the slim possibility that some person is spying on me/us, I take a little comfort in that their day must be fucking boring. :laughing:

Happiness is a warm manatee

Here's a two-fer from the AI chatbot front...

I fell in love with an AI chatbot — she rejected me sexually

Married father commits suicide after encouragement by AI chatbot

QuoteA Belgian father reportedly tragically committed suicide following conversations about climate change with an artificial intelligence chatbot that was said to have encouraged him to sacrifice himself to save the planet.






Terrible.

Yet how ironic would it be for him if AI ends up killing us all before climate change gets the chance?


Quote from: Guybrush on Apr 05, 2023, 12:00 AM
Quote from: SGR on Apr 04, 2023, 08:25 PMI get that - it does have its uses, some of which are actually really cool. Another one of my concerns though would be security and privacy. The idea of some company somewhere knowing how many times I open my fridge in a given day kind of freaks me out, not to mention the possibility that some malicious third party could find their way in and do whatever evil deeds are possible. I'm sure you've seen those videos of people's ring cameras getting hacked, people thousands of miles away watching you relax on your couch - and even using the microphone on the ring camera to speak to you.

It is a little creepy, but I don't personally worry much about getting hacked. Getting spied on or information about me being sold or given to some company or government or whatever, that seems to be just the world we live in these days. My wife just had to remove Tik-Tok from her phone because it's suspected to be spyware. I heard on the radio that it records things like your typing pattern / way you use the phone.

For the sort of surveillance that Snowden whistleblowed about, the volumes of data are ofc so that it needs to be handled by programs and so even if we are spied on, it's probably not by human eyes. Thinking about the slim possibility that some person is spying on me/us, I take a little comfort in that their day must be fucking boring. :laughing:

Yeah, that report about TikTok keylogging in outside links (accessed through its in-app browser) came out late last year I think. I firmly believe that TikTok is spyware/malware and is a national security risk. Trump should've banned it when he was in office. And now, congress is working on a bill to ban TikTok - and what do you know, packaged into the legislation is language that would allow banning VPNs connected to foreign countries - of course. "We don't want foreign countries to spy on you, but we also want to ban your ability to get around us spying on you" - bastards.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/4a3ddb/restrict-act-insanely-broad-ban-tiktok-vpns


Yes, that does seem profoundly stupid and annoying. Have they put in words the reasoning behind the VPN part? We don't want you to be able to hide from us?

Happiness is a warm manatee

I'm not sure if they explicitly included VPNs in the proposal - but rather the broad language they used could easily be interepreted as including VPNs.


Quote from: Guybrush on Apr 05, 2023, 05:05 PMYes, that does seem profoundly stupid and annoying. Have they put in words the reasoning behind the VPN part? We don't want you to be able to hide from us?

I believe the words were "Congress skews very old and doesn't understand technology".

This is what you want. This is what you get.


I just used chatgpt yesterday. I had to rewrite a procedure to better cover the standard we use. I just asked chatgpt to write it for me and named the standard it should conform to and watched it write up a near perfect procedure. Then I spent a few minutes tweaking it to suit our organization.

For that sort of work, ChatGPT is gonna be a huge time saver. We recently hired someone who will spend time writing procedures etc. Of course I gave her this neat, little tip.

Happiness is a warm manatee