Go Ask Alexa

My wife and I hosted our grandkids for a couple of days this week. We love having them over and had a great time. One day I found myself in the kitchen working on cleaning things up and could hear my soon-to-be 7-year-old grandson carrying on a delightful conversation with my Amazon Echo Show. While I generally ask the device a single question at a time, Alexa would respond only to have my grandson ask another question.

This opened my eyes to the beauty of artificial intelligence (AI) and how to keep from getting frustrated at the millions of questions young kids seem to always ask. You know the kids. The ones always asking why? While I don't mind playing that game for a bit, the kids always win with more questions than I feel like answering. With Alexa, you can have the kid ask away and the device never gets tired nor bored.

I also learned how to answer some questions based on Alexa's response. My grandson would ask two or three questions without waiting for a response. In those cases, the device would often respond with, "I'm sorry, I don't know the answer to that question." As responsible adults it is difficult to admit ignorance but talking with an overly inquisitive kid is the perfect time to practice that response.

The day after I listened to my grandson having his lengthy conversation with Alexa, my wife and I took the grandkids hiking up at Silver Lake near Brighton Ski Area. The kids loved it and kept running off ahead. I didn't want them to get too far away and so I called them back. I told them that they should remain close as there could be bears in the area. Without blinking, my grandson challenged that statement by asking, "Aren't bears nocturnal?" Perhaps the kid might be learning too much.

A New Toy: Amazon Echo Show 8

My youngest son had to catch a plane back to Ohio this morning with his family. We enjoyed having him with us and had our family Christmas party last night before he left. We made sure to exchange gifts as part of the celebration. As with last year, all of my children went in on a gift together for me and my wife. They got us an Amazon Echo Show 8. Both of my sons have them and thought we would enjoy one.

I have thought about getting one of these devices but couldn't decide between a Google Home or the Amazon Echo. Now I don't have to decide as my children made the choice for us. I am quickly discovering there is an entire ecosystem created for these home connection devices. One that my kids want me to play with is the ability to "drop in." It is where I can just connect to their Echo Shows and see what they are doing. That sounds kind of fun but also a reason to make sure I am fully clothed any time I am near my Echo Show. My grandson has already demonstrated that he knows how to say, "Alexa, call Nana" as he talks to her at least once a day. I have a feeling we will get dropped in upon quite frequently.

I'm sure I will have more to write about as I play with the device. I only managed to set it up this morning and enjoyed watching my granddaughter dance to Disney music before she headed to the airport to catch her flight home. I hope it helps create many more similar fond memories.