Newsletter Archives

• Patch lady – Alexa should be on her own network

  Posted on December 7, 2019 at 19:50 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  As a geek I use Alexa enabled devices to turn on and control turning on and off the Christmas Tree and other lights in the house.  “Hey Alexa, turn on the Christmas tree” is all I have to do to turn on the tree rather than crawling underneath and turning on the tree.  I have Internet enabled outdoor controls that turn on the outdoor Christmas lights at exactly sunset and then turn it off at 11 p.m.  But the one thing I do is ensure that my Alexa enabled devices are on a separate router away from my computers and other devices.  My Alexa devices are on a separate IP addressing scheme and thus can’t browse or talk to the devices on my other network.  The Portland FBI office recommends in fact that you separate out the Internet of Things from the rest of your sensitive devices and laptops.

  They also recommend that you review what features your smart TV has and ensure it’s patched and set to update automatically.  Unlike Windows, most smart tvs and internet of things are based on Linux, not Windows and thus installing updates and rebooting are typically less of an issue.

  Finally, be aware of Holiday scams this time of year.  As they note, keep an eye on your credit card and bank account and always monitor the use of both.  Use a credit card, not a debit card when shopping online.  If you see any fraudulent charges, contact your bank immediately.  Sign up for and turn on fraud alerts on your bank accounts.  It may be a slight bother if they deny a large purchase that you really wanted to get, but it saves you from having fraudulent transactions posted to your account.

  Be aware this holiday season…. they are out to get us.

  Security Alexa, FBI warning, Patch Lady Posts, TV

• Alexa and Cortana talking to each other….

  Posted on August 30, 2017 at 07:32 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  … and why I don’t care.

  Here’s an overview from Paul Thurrott, if you’re interested.

  Microsoft’s sales pitch:

  Cortana users will be able to have Alexa shop on Amazon.com and manage their Amazon orders and access many of Alexa’s third-party skills by asking Cortana to open Alexa, just as Alexa users will have access to Cortana’s world knowledge and helpful productivity features such as calendar management, day at a glance and location-based reminders simply by asking Alexa to open Cortana.

  I can envision some people, in some situations, wanting to use Cortana to get to Alexa. In very rare instances I can see using Alexa to get to Cortana. But for most people most of the time – and certainly for me – it’s a big meh.

  Cortana’s “world knowledge” doesn’t hold a candle to Google’s, as any seven-year-old can attest. As for calendar and location-based anything, Google’s way out ahead on those fronts, too.

  Microsoft’s losing the Augmented Reality wars. They’re losing the voice assistant wars. Personally, I use Alexa for home stuff and Google Assistant for everything else that’s voice-friendly. It works. And I don’t have to wait for 20-minute blackouts while my PC updates itself, or bob and weave through mediocre updates.

  Downright distressing for somebody who’s been with Windows since version 286.

  UPDATE: Great article from John Brandon in Computerworld:

  Cortana and Alexa can talk to each other, but it isn’t really a conversation or integration — simply a way for one bot to open the other. Yawn.

  Uncategorized Alexa, Bixby, Cortana, Google Assistant