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Random Thought Thread

Nathan the Machinist said:
My phone must be listening to me.
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I laughed at the video, but the phone listening to you thing is 100% real. I was talking to a buddy about a really cool medical device—a fairly obscure medical device—and then got advertisements for one the same day. I’d never googled one, I’d never wanted to buy one myself. I went in and started messing with all of the privacy and speaker settings on my phone and it’s never happened again.

Edit: my phone was present when I was telling my friend about the device (a vein viewer).
 
StoneAndSteel said:
I laughed at the video, but the phone listening to you thing is 100% real. I was talking to a buddy about a really cool medical device—a fairly obscure medical device—and then got advertisements for one the same day. I’d never googled one, I’d never wanted to buy one myself. I went in and started messing with all of the privacy and speaker settings on my phone and it’s never happened again.

Edit: my phone was present when I was telling my friend about the device (a vein viewer).
Click to expand...

There's actually a very simple explanation for this. You don't have to be the one searching for the thing you get the advertisement for. It's enough if someone of your social media contacts does that search. Then, everyone in the close and not-so-close circle of that 'someone' gets the advertisement for the specific 'thing'. ;)
 
CataD said:
There's actually a very simple explanation for this. You don't have to be the one searching for the thing you get the advertisement for. It's enough if someone of your social media contacts does that search. Then, everyone in the close and not-so-close circle of that 'someone' gets the advertisement for the specific 'thing'. ;)
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And the other simple explanation is that, yes, depending on what apps you have installed, or features you've enabled (perhaps unknowingly) your phone does listen to you. And so does Alexa.

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Smithhammer said:
And the other simple explanation is that, yes, depending on what apps you have installed, or features you've enabled (perhaps unknowingly) your phone does listen to you. And so does Alexa.

6e9gsg.png
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No, your phone is not listening to you. Alexa is an AI developed to listen to you, so you're confusing things. If you choose to install shady apps, that's on you also. But, by default, your phone is not listening to you.
 
CataD said:
There's actually a very simple explanation for this. You don't have to be the one searching for the thing you get the advertisement for. It's enough if someone of your social media contacts does that search. Then, everyone in the close and not-so-close circle of that 'someone' gets the advertisement for the specific 'thing'. ;)
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BladForums IS my social media. I have a FB account but rarely log in. The change of phone settings immediately altering future advertisements seems pretty solid evidence to me that “it was listening.” But I’m not a tech guy. I now use anonymous browsers, TOR’s/VPN’s, and regularly clear caches on all my devices. I’m getting more paranoid (due to my nature and the nature of my job), but I think that paranoia is justified. I work with people “in the know” who are pretty clear that I’m on the right track, but that I really need to run everything through a VM and I’m dragging my feet. Maybe that’ll be my New Year’s Resolution.
 
CataD said:
No, your phone is not listening to you. Alexa is an AI developed to listen to you, so you're confusing things. If you choose to install shady apps, that's on you also. But, by default, your phone is not listening to you.
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As I said above - "....depending on what apps you have installed, or features you've enabled (perhaps unknowingly)..."

I'm fully aware that Alexa is an entirely different device, and not a phone. 😉
 
Richard338 said:
I handed mine some cash which she seemed pretty happy about. Hopefully it partly makes up for all those signature required deliveries.
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You’d be surprised how well they (your regular driver/carrier, NOT a substitute) will remember you and will go above and beyond to make sure you and any of your mail/pkgs are well taken care of throughout the upcoming year.

A little bit of thoughtful thankfulness from you pays off tenfold in the future. Believe me, they truly do appreciate a bit of long green at Christmas time, and they don’t/won’t forget who gave it to them either.
 
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