Me: You're such a lovely lady.
Siri: Well, you say that to every virtual assistant.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Ride with Siri: highs and lows
Yesterday I had my first drive with Siri guiding and serving the whole way. I had my iPhone updated to iOS 6, so Siri is able to do turn-by-turn with voice guides.
It was convenient and really fun to do a lot of stuff that were, in earlier times, only possible when I stood still in traffic jam. Things like sending frequent text messages to my wife updating arrival time, or choosing certain albums that I wanted to hear.
Navigation is however another story. It's not so reliable. Almost every time, Siri was about 1 minute too late to inform me the next turn. At one point, I already got off the highway when Siri told me to take the exit. I didn't see the screen of the iPhone, so I don't know whether the map was updated in time.
Also, connectivity is an issue. For a while, Siri kept silent and didn't respond me at all, and then told me that she couldn't take any requests and asked to wait and try again later. I am with O2 that doesn't have the best infrastructure in Germany. Reception is always a problem outside urban areas. That's why I didn't take surprise that from time to time Siri wouldn't be available.
It was convenient and really fun to do a lot of stuff that were, in earlier times, only possible when I stood still in traffic jam. Things like sending frequent text messages to my wife updating arrival time, or choosing certain albums that I wanted to hear.
Navigation is however another story. It's not so reliable. Almost every time, Siri was about 1 minute too late to inform me the next turn. At one point, I already got off the highway when Siri told me to take the exit. I didn't see the screen of the iPhone, so I don't know whether the map was updated in time.
Also, connectivity is an issue. For a while, Siri kept silent and didn't respond me at all, and then told me that she couldn't take any requests and asked to wait and try again later. I am with O2 that doesn't have the best infrastructure in Germany. Reception is always a problem outside urban areas. That's why I didn't take surprise that from time to time Siri wouldn't be available.
Friday, March 5, 2010
A few things we discovered at CEBIT 2010
Vibeholic portable vibration speaker system
You just stick this teeny little speaker to a paper box, and you get the output sound amplified. The sticker is reusable. The rep told us the sticking effect lasts for about a year. Two other replacement stickers are included with the speaker. So, that's three years before you either throw it away or look for new stickers in the market. They probably won't exist then.
BONE Series Thumb Drivers and Accessories for Music Players
Probably nobody understands cuteness more than Asians. That's why FruitShop attracted a lot of visitors with their adorable designs: penguin-in-scarf thumb drives, colorful silicone iPod cases, bone-shaped earbud cord holders. Really sweet!
Useless But Funny-As-Hell Toys
GetDigital was the first exhibition stand we saw when we entered the consumer electronics section. It was crowded by young people who curiously scanned through and enthusiastically played with those eccentric toys, most of which are USB powered. Just get yourself an equalizer shirt, and let those colorful bars hop and fall when your Paul Van Dyk tunes loudly rock through the house. You can be the center of the party for sure! Some other things you want to waste money and time with? How about a USB humping dog?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
After Watching "Fanny and Alexander"
Greatest movies are about humanity. While watching them, you feel anxiety, anger, fear, relief, exuberance, satisfaction, and all the emotional experiences the characters in the movie are going through. They are not about "right or wrong". They just show you the reality, point out and hightlight the problems, and perhaps give no answers, clues, or even hopes. After invoking your empathies, you are left with a long time digesting, identifying, and contemplating every little detail that has impressed you. The movie doesn't end, and it never will.
"Fanny and Alexander" is a simple story. A classical story about children and their merciless step-father. Fanny and Alexander are siblings. They should've lived a happy childhood in a wealthy family, had their father not died of heart attack. Their mom found a new husband, and moved, together with the two poor children, into a dull and disciplinary family. Ever since, Alexander stepped into constant conflicts with his new father who tried hard to conquer the young boy's mind and will. The disturbing stress escalated to a rude punishment of Alexander, after the step-father found out Alexander's fantasy about the tragedy of the step-father's ex-wife and their daughters. The rest of the movie is about how Alexander escapes this miserable life with the help of the family of his dead father. Although both Fanny and Alexander appear in the title of the movie, it is mainly about Alexander, about how his mentality and religion belief evolve in the face of the series of fortunate and unfortuante incidents and radical changes to his life.
The story is no way complex. A sophisticated movie doesn't need a complicated story. Life is a string of simple events threaded by unexpected coincidents and twists. Sophistication lies in the close and acute examination of normal human behavior, and the exposure of intellectual activities behind observations. "Fanny and Alexander" is such a movie.
"Fanny and Alexander" is a simple story. A classical story about children and their merciless step-father. Fanny and Alexander are siblings. They should've lived a happy childhood in a wealthy family, had their father not died of heart attack. Their mom found a new husband, and moved, together with the two poor children, into a dull and disciplinary family. Ever since, Alexander stepped into constant conflicts with his new father who tried hard to conquer the young boy's mind and will. The disturbing stress escalated to a rude punishment of Alexander, after the step-father found out Alexander's fantasy about the tragedy of the step-father's ex-wife and their daughters. The rest of the movie is about how Alexander escapes this miserable life with the help of the family of his dead father. Although both Fanny and Alexander appear in the title of the movie, it is mainly about Alexander, about how his mentality and religion belief evolve in the face of the series of fortunate and unfortuante incidents and radical changes to his life.
The story is no way complex. A sophisticated movie doesn't need a complicated story. Life is a string of simple events threaded by unexpected coincidents and twists. Sophistication lies in the close and acute examination of normal human behavior, and the exposure of intellectual activities behind observations. "Fanny and Alexander" is such a movie.
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