undefined | Better HN

0 pointsSpivak10y ago0 comments

Its a cylinder that performs canned transactions in response predefined audible commands.

Accurate language processing is a huge technical achievement but let's not elevate this particular use of the technology to more than it is. It's a clapper with more functions. When a device like this can actually understand the commands or queries its given we can call it something more.

0 comments

nbb10y ago

Yes, and a fax machine is just a waffle iron with a phone attached.

sp33210y ago

If I tell it to play music and it plays music, what more is there to understand? What kind of conversation do you want to have?

ghaff10y ago

That's actually a good example though. I can give it a precise incantation to play a particular album, playlist, channel, or artist and it works (mostly). I can't in general tell it to play some "soothing jazz."

sp33210y ago

You can tell Google Now, Cortana, or Siri to play jazz. Siri recognizes "smooth jazz" (And Google might, but it froze up on me). Curating moods of music is, so far, kind of a niche thing that is mostly left to humans like Pandora's music genome project, or Apple's Music service.

Tnoyt12310y ago

Actually, you can. I just asked mine to "play some soothing jazz", and it loaded up a jazz playlist.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse

0 pointsSpivak10y ago0 comments

Its a cylinder that performs canned transactions in response predefined audible commands.

0 comments

nbb10y ago

Yes, and a fax machine is just a waffle iron with a phone attached.

sp33210y ago

If I tell it to play music and it plays music, what more is there to understand? What kind of conversation do you want to have?

ghaff10y ago

sp33210y ago

Tnoyt12310y ago

Actually, you can. I just asked mine to "play some soothing jazz", and it loaded up a jazz playlist.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse