Posted on 12/17/2018 7:07:30 AM PST by bgill
A parrot that was kicked out of an animal sanctuary for swearing too much is in trouble again, but this time, for a different reason. Rocco the African grey parrot – who was removed from a National Animal Welfare Trust sanctuary in the United Kingdom – enjoys chatting with Alexa on his owner’s Amazon Echo so much so that he keeps using it to order things. According to the Sun, Rocco has ordered strawberries, watermelon, raisins, broccoli and ice cream, as well as a kite, kettle and light bulbs... Wischnewski said Rocco also uses Alexa to play music, with rock his preferred genre. “And he loves a boogie with Alexa. But it has to be something fast, like his favourite Kings of Leon,” she said.
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsaustin.com ...
Is this thing so dangerous a parrot can order stuff without your credit card number or address?
I just won an Echo from a work contest. Haven’t gotten it yet. Not sure I’m going to bother setting it up.
They know the address and have your credit card number.
This reminds me of one day when I was listening to a radio talk business show, and the host said, “Gee, I wonder what would happen if I spoke loudly and clearly and said, “Alexa, order me 100 pizzas?”
How many Alexas would be in the room with his radio show and respond?
apparently yes and yes....
Unless the owner has been preparing this as some kind of publicity stunt with his parrot....
But in Amazon’s Prime (which I used to have but no longer!) you set it up with a credit card and shipping address, so ordering is quick and simple. Presumably the parrot is able to just repeat voice commands it has heard or respond to simple questions from “Alexa” and the credit/shipping info is already in the system.
What would be really funny is if someone had a variety of shipping addresses in the system (I have had that for sending gifts to family and friends), and the parrot somehow started shipping “gifts” to lots of people....
Why was a parrot kicked out of an animal sanctuary for cussing? Was he insulting and hurting the feelings of other animals? Or just humans that don’t understand the parrot is just repeating what he has heard?
I can only imagine the conversations that Jeff Besos and company have been able to listen in on.
Yep... That’s what the owner gets for conforming to brain washing and “gotta have one too” consumerism trends.
This is funny... Great find.
Or to turn off Amazon one click purchasing.
I work in cybersecurity, mostly as an auditor and penetration tester. I will not allow any Alexa / Echo or other listening device in my house - period.
There was a lady who moved into one of those “smart houses” where you could turn on the lights or the coffee machine, etc. by speaking commands. Her phone bill had all these long distance calls to her father and it turned out that the parrot was making these when he learned to yell “Call Dad”.
I think “Turning Off”
The Parrot would
Not be an option.
Not only Prime, but plain ol' ordinary Amazon also....if you open an account.
Beautiful plumage, the Norwegian Blue.
I am reading an interesting book called “The Genius of Birds” and while I have enjoyed it, it just jumped the shark in the last chapter with social justice crap.
But there was a funny part in the book where a wildlife center in Australia was inundated with calls from people talking about a huge number of wild parrots and cockatiels that had burst out in loud, long, and verbose profanity!
It turns out that these kinds of birds learn sounds from other birds, and an escaped cockatiel or parrot that was extremely profane with a lengthy vocabulary had escaped and “infected” all the other birds!
We have to put our cell phones in a lock box before we enter some areas (people with last name Clinton exempt of course).
I have an African Grey, who is 27 yrs old. He is talkative and MESSY. Nags when he wants to go to bed, says, “Hello!” whenever I go into the kitchen. Good company for a little old lady.
Not unless you want everything recorded that is directed to it, or not!
The other night while watching TV I commented to my son about a question that came up. We’ll have to ask Alexa about (whatever name). from the other room a voice speaks up to answer the question. It was Alexa from a folded fire tablet. I would have thought that it was off. :-)but somehow it heard my question from the other room with the television on.
That’s funny.
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