Not True AI

On the writing front, I've gotten a little more done on the non-fiction book. I got a bit distracted during the holidays and didn't reach any goals for it. I seem to be getting back into a better routine now.

The cell phone I ordered Dec 30 arrived this week. It's not the latest and the greatest, but it's not too old either. It does everything I need. I'm liking the 5" screen. I see why people watch things on their phones. It makes me want to subscribe to something. :)

The phone order was a trial. with no confirmation email and shaky, foreign customer service. The phone shipped on the day it was supposed to arrive. I ended up activating it on Red Pocket Mobile, an American company. They have cheap plans on their site and deals like this on Amazon and other deals on Ebay. That link is for the Verizon network, which I'm on. They have better deals for AT&T phones. Red Pocket is a cheap alternative I heard about on a phone forum. I may not stick with them. It depends on what kind of data plans I can find elsewhere. I've never used a lot of data, but now that I have a decent phone, maybe I will.

With the new phone I was able to activate the Google Home Mini I got on sale. I have to say I like it. I've asked it all kinds of things. Probably the most practical thing was for a salmonella recall. My mom told me she made a cake and remembered hearing about a recall for the brand she used but had forgotten the specifics. I asked my Google mini about salmonella recalls concerning that brand, and it told me the three flavors that were affected. My mom's cake was on the list and was recalled "out of an abundance of caution". Asking Google was quick and easy, and I was able to tell her her cake might be contaminated. That was a very practical and potentially life-saving use of the device. Though her cake was probably fine, being able to find that out on the fly without having to remember to search for it later makes the mini worth having.

The one thing that disappoints me is that the AI isn't true AI. I can't teach it things. It can do all kinds of tasks. When my smart switches get here, I'll be able to use voice command to automate a few lights. But that's not AI. That's not teaching it words or new commands it doesn't already know. So far it can't do anything I didn't see in the 80s. It just uses better technology to do it and can use cellular network if needed. Despite that, I still like it and find it useful. I might have a more comprehensive review after I've had it for a while.

Have a great weekend.