Some viewers of a new episode of South Park found themselves with "warped smart home lists."
We spend a lot of time talking about South Park's sometimes insightful, sometimes tone deaf social commentary, but Matt Stone and South Park if it wasn't also vulgar, immature, and just a bit obnoxious. That side of the show made itself known with Season 21's premiere, and fans have the warped smart home lists to prove it.
The central plot of "White People Renovating Houses" follows a gang of Confederate flag-waving protesters who are infuriated that automation has negated their jobs. That side of the episode is at times scathing in its critique of enraged blue collar workers and incredibly silly when it came to the white people renovating houses plot. However, the best moments definitely come from the boys asking Amazon Echo's Alexa to do and say increasingly disgusting things. It's a very dumb joke that never gets old because who hasn't asked their smart home device something idiotic?
It's also a joke that's translated to the real world because most of these bits intentionally started with the keywords "Alexa," "Okay Google," and "Hey Siri." Of course real Amazon Echos, Google Homes, and iHomes were happy to respond. Cortana was (not so) mysteriously missing from the AI party.
Previously: News Anchor Sets Off Alexa Devices Around San Diego Ordering Unwanted Dollhouses
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The Amazon Echo system which does everything from getting your weather report to ordering more laundry detergent can also do some things you don't want it to.
[...] Which is exactly what happened today during CW6 in the morning when Jim Patton and Lynda Martin were talking about a child who accidentally bought a dollhouse and four pounds of cookies
"I love the little girl, saying 'Alexa ordered me a dollhouse,'" said Patton.
As soon as Patton said that, viewers all over San Diego started complaining their echo devices had tried to order doll houses. It's a common problem experts say can be avoided.
[...] Cobb says the Federal Trade Commission is already looking into voice-command devices and toys to make sure the technology is safe and secure. For now, he recommends do your research to keep your personal information controlled and protected.
Source: News anchor sets off Alexa devices around San Diego ordering unwanted dollhouses
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 16 2017, @05:31PM
Another day, another Dick Niggers.
You know Dick Niggers, we never fuckin no old pussy.
Fuckin a whole lotta young pussy.
Dick Niggers gonna slide this black hard nigger dick tween yo folds n control you like a puppet.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Tara Li on Saturday September 16 2017, @05:48PM (8 children)
Is why Google/Apple/Amazon needs to let us change the wake-up code for our devices. I know it's all part of their branding thing, but still...
(Score: 5, Funny) by Gaaark on Saturday September 16 2017, @05:55PM (1 child)
From first post, I'm assuming it should be changed to "Okay, Dick Niggers..."
;)
:(
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. I have always been here. ---Gaaark 2.0 --
(Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 16 2017, @06:18PM
Fuck me hard, Dick Niggers! My boyfriend is passive aggressive!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 16 2017, @06:53PM (4 children)
I think it is because those phrases are baked into base firmware that an auxiliary processor can check for without waking up the entire machine.
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Derf the on Saturday September 16 2017, @08:01PM
Obviously that is fine so long as the next command it looks for is only the pass code "Warwick here" that opens it for the next %t_user_defined% time period.
(Score: 2) by ledow on Saturday September 16 2017, @10:23PM
Does the power consumption of an Amazon Echo change as it wakes up?
I reckon they're just running all the time, to be honest.
Maybe a mobile device version might sleep but they tend to let you change the wake-up signal.
And a pre-programmed, hard-coded, unchangeable security flaw is the best kind!
(Score: 2) by wonkey_monkey on Saturday September 16 2017, @10:59PM (1 child)
The "entire machine" is always on. The wake phrase is the only phrase the device itself ever listens for.
Subsequent audio is recorded and uploaded elsewhere to do the heavier processing.
systemd is Roko's Basilisk
(Score: 2) by realDonaldTrump on Sunday September 17 2017, @03:54AM
That's what they WANT you to think. It's a wiretapp! 🇺🇸
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 17 2017, @03:29AM
The branding is how you can know who the device is really working for. I won't get one of these until all the processing happens on a computer in my house.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Vokbain on Saturday September 16 2017, @06:22PM (1 child)
What is an Apple iHome?
Or are they referring to the Apple HomePod? You know, the one that won't be relaxed for another few months?
(Score: 4, Funny) by JNCF on Saturday September 16 2017, @07:01PM
The HomePod is way too stressed out.
(Score: 2) by BsAtHome on Saturday September 16 2017, @06:48PM (3 children)
Rogue commercial received at the White House: Alexa, please launch missiles.
...
Alexa: missiles launced.
White House: but, but, Alexa, where did the missiles go?
Alexa: Don't know, you didn't say, thought it would be nice to provision all our adversaries and friends too, for purpose of balance.
Alaxa: Have a nice day [click] (power died, so did Alexa)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 16 2017, @08:39PM
And the downside is...?
(Score: 4, Funny) by stretch611 on Saturday September 16 2017, @11:45PM (1 child)
For the sake of humanity, hopefully they were targeting Washington, DC... during one of the very few days that congress is in session and also while the president is in town.
Sadly, we would still end up voting in new asshats just as bad as the current set.
Now with 5 covid vaccine shots/boosters altering my DNA :P
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Sunday September 17 2017, @05:14AM
The primary issue is that most of the R votes are in low-density areas.
Nuking a majority of D voters is much easier.
Though, nuking a few refineries and ports would be enough to collapse the whole US.