Don't you wish fixing MS was as simple! I'm glad she's being more responsive to you with the changes you guys made. It really does sound like a useful and impressive device. Now, too bad she can't make the vacuum, mop, broom, etc. start working. That would be beyond impressive!

I wonder if they have a way to intergrate with some of those robotic vacuums? Thinking of asking my DH to get me one but my mom was also thinking of buying one so I thought I'd let her try it first. If my dad and her dog don't kill it then I think it could survive my cats. The prices are coming down a lot too making them all the more tempting. And if you could link it with an Echodot how much cooler would that be?! Especially since they have not only the vacuums but robotic mops now... laundry and dishes I can still mostly handle, but floors have become my archnemisis.

I could totally imagine sitting back and telling Alexis to clean my floors, and adjust the temp in the house while she's at it... oh and dim the lights a bit so the neighbors don't see how shamelessly lazy I'm being lol . If only this town had Chinese delivery for Alexis to order for me life could be just about perfect

Just to be clear. The echo Dot voice messaging function is only with other echo dot users. There may be an emergency services function. I don't know. I am just learning what this system has to offer.

And I think it is a truly wonderful system.

Amazon is having their Christmas in July Black Friday sale. I think it ends today. We bought an echo Dot for my DD to give to her at holiday time.

Well still might be worth it, even if I have to pick one up for my folks to be able to message them. Though it then become a two way street and I still remember the last time my dad had free 24/7 access to talk with me, he didn't care that I was a college student and ya know had papers to write and had to be up in the morning... He thought nothing of calling me out to the living room at 2 am to tell me a really funny story (that I had already heard at least 5 times already that day) about something that happened while he was out "running his errands".

Which for him equates socializing at a host of different corner stores picking up a drink from this one so he chat with the cashiers, his cigarettes from another store, not because the first store he went to didn't have the exact same brand and often cheaper, but because he needs to chat with the cashiers there... then it's yet another 3 different stores for his scratchers and 3 different sets of cashiers to talk with, and then when he gets back he asks my mom to run out and get something for dinner... I guess they're just not chatty enough at our local grocery stores for him.

I wonder if there would be a way to lock him out from sending messages , but to where he can still receive them if I need his help with something... sounds totally selfish I know, but seriously a girl can only listen so many times to how her dad told the cashier "that's what she said!" (and with the missing inflection to the voice, so just picture that dig being said by the guy for the Visine commercials...) And then listen to that 5 times over in about a 2 hour period, not including the need to repeat the "punchline" when telling the story, so looking at closer to about a 30-40 times over monotone "then I told the guy, that's what she said...that's what she said... ha.... you know like what the kids say today... that's what she said.... that's what she said...."

Head meet desktop *and repeat* And of course he's so tickled by his own non-existent jokes that you really have no choice but to laugh (or make a valiant attempt at it) and escape as soon as possible...

I don't know that I could survive my dad having an echo dot linked to mine LOL.

There is a skill on Alexa that's called Ask My Buddy, that can be used to contact people for help. You set it up that you can have it call someone to check on you, or you can tell it to contact everyone on your list of contacts if you ever need help.

I just checked, and it seems to still have high ratings on it. I have it on my Alexa, but I haven't set it up yet for myself. I should probably do that, since I've been having a few more problems lately, and my mom has issues too. I'm not sure I could get mom to remember the phrase to use to activate it, but I should at least get it set up.

Was really tempted to order another Alexa Dot today, but I didn't. I probably will regret not doing it later on.

edit
I cashed in my credit card points. ($230), and went ahead and got the full size Echo (in white, $89, which is half off). It doesn't ship till mid august, so that $230 will probably be spent by then, but I guess it'll keep my credit card from getting too high before then.

Echo Dot usage on the MS radar. Here is this Internet write up.

12 Ways Amazon's Alexa Can Help People With Multiple Sclerosis - Multiple Sclerosis News Today

There could be some privacy /security concerns to be aware of for these devices.. some info --
amazon alexa and google home security concerns - Google Search

Echo Dot update.

I was talking to my DS about this new device. Both of us agree, we like it more than we anticipated.

Funny glitch. Although my Alexa turns on or off the bedroom light, we sometimes have to do the command again if she does not respond on the first time. DH was there and assumed a stern and angry voice, as if speaking to a recalcitrant child. I had to laugh and remind him that this is a computer that responds to processing the word commands not a reprimand.

So funny how easy it is to personify an inanimate object!

My DH is seriously considering getting one after I had mentioned it. He started looking into all the things it could do, like not just acting as a clapper for the lights or an insta-radio which is what he initially thought of...but voice activated climate control! Sign him up lol. Should be noted he's an assistant general manager to a heating and a/c company here sooooo.... needless to say that's what has him the most excited . So I'll probably have one or two of the dots in the house by the end of the month, along with new bulbs throughout the house, new thermostat installed, and some new outlets, he really never does things by halfs (except his laundry )

I bought a little plug that's Alexa enabled. Well, it's supposed to be. Right now I'm using an app on my phone to use it, I just haven't gotten around to teaching Alexa to turn it on and off.

I'm using the plug to turn a lamp on and off upstairs right now. That way I don't have to walk across the room to turn the lamp off, and then stumble around in the dark to get back downstairs to my room. I'm going to try to teach Alexa to use it tomorrow. On the off chance she can't learn to use it, I think I'll still like it because of the app on my phone.

Going to look around and see if I can find other brands of these plugs and see if they'll play well with Siri also.

I now have three Alexa's. I have two Dot's, and one regular sized Alexa. I really like the bigger speaker. I bought one of my Dot's a battery pack, so it's portable. I can take it outside if I want to.

Kind of wish that my free trial of Sirius XM wasn't going to be over this weekend. I'm enjoying listening to that trial on one of my Alexa's at night when I'm trying to sleep. (got the free trial when I got my new car earlier this summer). I'm not willing to pony up the cash to continue the subscription, but it's nice that I can play audiobooks from Audible on it, and then there's always the IHeartRadio skill. Listen to the radio on that.

I had to cancel the security system that my dad had gotten for us last year. Cost too much. But, I have some bluetooth lightbulbs that I was using with the security system. I'm going to buy a hub from Amazon that costs about $50. I'll be able to use those bluetooth lightbulbs with the hub and make Alexa turn lights on and off for me. I'm kind of excited about that, because I have six bulbs, and five lamps. Might buy some extra bulbs and have two of the bulbs in my garage.

I'm having a lot of fun with the Alexa. I play Jeopardy! every night with her, and I probably listen to music a lot more often because it's easier to find stuff to listen to with her. Just tell her what I want to listen to, and she finds it. I like to listen to swing music, and kind of like the swing jazz channel she plays.


Oh, and I use Alexa to tell me when to take my Ampyra. I have to take it every 12hrs, so when I take it, I just tell Alexa to set the timer for me. I usually tell Siri on my phone at the same time, just in case I have to go somewhere. That way I have a backup telling me when to take the Ampyra.