Looks like this is not a new thing among parrots. YouTube shows quite a few results when I searched for "parrot alexa". Also, there are some interesting videos for "parrot siri".
I have used the parental lock setting on the television for a similar purpose (avoiding an unintended purchase). Although, there is no parrot in here nor anyone who would make any of these purchases anyways, but it can protect against accidentally doing, too.
My friend used to have to take extra precautions because she had a dog that could open the refrigerator. That's not a flaw in the refrigerator, a young child could do the same thing against permission.
So Amazon has a parental lock. If you have a parrot in the house, using that lock may make sense in combination with owning voice activated devices.
Amazon doesn't need to change anything. Life is overflowing with edge cases.
I love stories like this, even though my Meyers Parrot has a limited vocabulary and could never pull this off. For me the best part is Marion Wischnewski giving Rocco a good home. After having cats, monkeys, and dogs as pets, I have to say that my parrot is my favorite pet, but most people shouldn’t have parrots unless they can devote many hours a day to their care and playing with them.
This comment reminds me of Richard Stallman's "info packet"[0], which he sends ahead when he's going to be speaking. Specifically this part, in a section regarding pets of his host, if he's staying at someone's home:
> If you can find a host for me that has a friendly parrot, I will be very very glad. If you can find someone who has a friendly parrot I can visit with, that will be nice too.
> DON'T buy a parrot figuring that it will be a fun surprise for me. To acquire a parrot is a major decision: it is likely to outlive you. If you don't know how to treat the parrot, it could be emotionally scarred and spend many decades feeling frightened and unhappy. If you buy a captured wild parrot, you will promote a cruel and devastating practice, and the parrot will be emotionally scarred before you get it. Meeting that sad animal is not an agreeable surprise.
>If you can find a host for me that has a friendly parrot, I will be
very very glad. If you can find someone who has a friendly parrot I
can visit with, that will be nice too.
>DON'T buy a parrot figuring that it will be a fun surprise for me. To
acquire a parrot is a major decision: it is likely to outlive you. If
you don't know how to treat the parrot, it could be emotionally
scarred and spend many decades feeling frightened and unhappy. If you
buy a captured wild parrot, you will promote a cruel and devastating
practice, and the parrot will be emotionally scarred before you get it.
Meeting that sad animal is not an agreeable surprise.
>Richard Stallman's rider has been a cause of amusement, bemusement and
confusion for many conference and lecture organisers who have hosted him.
It has even drawn the attention of the press[0].
>But what is the story behind this complex beast? When were certain clauses
added, and why? We hope that with enough data regarding when modifications
were made, we may be able to shed some light on the why's.
[0] Please Do Not Buy Richard Stallman a Parrot And Other Rules:
> most people shouldn’t have parrots unless they can devote many hours a day to their care and playing with them
No one should have any pets (or kids) unless they can devote enough time to them. Otherwise you are just making your life and their lives a lot harder. Pets (and kids) are not toys.
Sure, but some require more effort and time than others. The cat largely takes care of herself and doesn't seem upset if we leave her for a day or two. But if you don't clean her litterbox, she'll let you know the hard way.
Parrot time can also just be letting him sit on my shoulder while I am writing or coding, or make sure he is near us when we watch a movie after dinner. I didn’t intend to say that I have to be scratching his head a few hours a day, although he would be fine with that. Also my wife doesn’t work and our parrot is near her desk at home during the day. He basically likes to have someone in the room with him.
One parrot is a loud pet. Two parrots isn’t parrot+parrot, it’s parrot^parrot. I know this because I have a metered conure, and an ex girlfriend has a sun conure. I was hospitalized for six months and she volunteered to take my bird. The were LOUD together, each feeding off the other.
Possibly related, some dog like the radio going when no one is around, talkback or similar. The idea of being confined and listening to talkback seems beyond dismal to me but the dog seems to like it.
People seem to more or less broadly "get" the time and effort commitments of dogs and cats and possibly horses.
More exotic pets are often completely mishandled. Birds, fish, and reptiles are often sold without a clear understanding of state-of-the-science for care. Animals that could live 20 years in captivity check out in two because nobody taught the owners their proper nutrition and environmental needs.
That's why I said it "should have an option", meaning for most users it isn't enabled, but if you own a parrot or device that speaks out loud, the option is available to you.
I mean if you use this logic the whole Alexa thing immediately becomes useless anyway. It's all about extreme convenience and reducing the friction between "I want X" to "Amazon please chove X into my face" to a minimum.
"Waaa it's inconvenient waaa why can't it obey any voice it hears waaa my neighbour bought a lot of crap using my Alexa then got the packages off my porch waaa why didn't they do something?!"
Presumably if the parrot has heard you reply to Alexa's challenge with "I am a human" it can repeat that too, though not necessarily at the right moment to succeed with every order.
It doesn't work. You will not want other human to purchase stuff using your account either; it is not only parrot. And also, television shows, telephone, etc. And even if you accidentally do, so it should not make the purchase immediately without needing a confirmation. And also in case of a liar.
Actually, voice activated computer has many other problem I think; I prefer using the keyboard to enter commands.
A digital assistant becoming a bird's companion feels like a perfect Disney/Pixar plot. It must either have been rejected previously or be in the works.
Spoiler: the bird accidentally resets or damages the assistant, but manages to get it back up, perhaps with the unwitting help of another digital assistant.
Alexa! I have an f'ing cold. Order the GD cough syrup NOW!
Voice recognition barely works as it is (although it has improved a great deal). I suspect that making it less usable is not something that is high on the list of Amazon engineers. Certainly not impossible but it's all a tradeoff.
I'm reminded of the bit in Sneakers (1992; the other canonical hacker film) where the hackers have to produce a recording of their target saying "my voice is my passport, identify me" to defeat such a system. They do this by taping his conversation and pasting the words together.
In one case, the owner got the package delivered also: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a43Ea_df0rw
Using Alexa to turn on lights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeQD4UdGY-A
Petra the Parrot tries to shop on Amazon w Alexa: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFoQ16SEamY
Parakeet using Siri to search for chicken: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbPxpi05ruY
Not related to technology, but this birds reaction to the man destroying is cage is funny (loud): https://youtu.be/XM8aBESf8EI?t=61