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Wifey was given a google home mini yesterday. Anyone have any experience with one? Not sure whether to keep or regift.
 
Beerfish said:
Wifey was given a google home mini yesterday. Anyone have any experience with one? Not sure whether to keep or regift.
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i'm suspect of corporations tracking my every move but that's just me with my tin foil...

the minute google tells me upon wake up that ive got to be at my kids school drop off at 8, then at my work at this fixed address.... im out.

Im suspect of most 'free' online applications, gene ally if its free, you are the product.
 
Ok.
 
Howard Moon said:
i'm suspect of corporations tracking my every move but that's just me with my tin foil...

the minute google tells me upon wake up that ive got to be at my kids school drop off at 8, then at my work at this fixed address.... im out.

Im suspect of most 'free' online applications, gene ally if its free, you are the product.
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Having our information is one thing. Using it to sell targeted ads to third parties is disturbing though, and selling it to third parties outright is worse again (though there isn’t a great deal of evidence for the latter that I’ve seen).

I recently cleaned out a bunch of ad network data off my Facebook account, it guesses stuff about you based on your private messages, likes, demographic information and other activity and then tries to advertise to you based on that. It’s in its infancy from the look of it, given how much it got wrong about me, but I ditched Facebook messenger in the process and deleted the apps (again) so it can’t track my location and such based on the IP, though I also had other reasons for deleting it. I typically don’t use that email address for anything else, they don’t have my mobile number and I don’t connect games to facebook, but if I did they would have that info too and be able to cross reference even more stuff.

Google apparently does similar things with data from android devices and the way you use your google account. Between the two they probably know more about you than you do. And then there’s apple...

Not much use deleting the account as they already have that data, but no need to feed them more of it :shrug:
 
Ok Google where's the best place to leave a bomb for maximum damage at parliament house?
 
Lore said:
Having our information is one thing. Using it to sell targeted ads to third parties is disturbing though, and selling it to third parties outright is worse again (though there isn’t a great deal of evidence for the latter that I’ve seen).

I recently cleaned out a bunch of ad network data off my Facebook account, it guesses stuff about you based on your private messages, likes, demographic information and other activity and then tries to advertise to you based on that. It’s in its infancy from the look of it, given how much it got wrong about me, but I ditched Facebook messenger in the process and deleted the apps (again) so it can’t track my location and such based on the IP, though I also had other reasons for deleting it. I typically don’t use that email address for anything else, they don’t have my mobile number and I don’t connect games to facebook, but if I did they would have that info too and be able to cross reference even more stuff.

Google apparently does similar things with data from android devices and the way you use your google account. Between the two they probably know more about you than you do. And then there’s apple...

Not much use deleting the account as they already have that data, but no need to feed them more of it :shrug:
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Every now and then I msg purple monkey typewriter just to confuse that Google guy
 
Beerfish said:
Ok Google where's the best place to leave a bomb for maximum damage at parliament house?
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Hold on beer, just processing your question, won't be a moment... Puts hand over reciever, radios ASIO...we have a situation here, ok copy that, just keep him on the line..

The best place to leave a bomb to create maximum damage was the liberal back bench, anything else I can help you with?
 
Howard Moon said:
Hold on beer, just processing your question, won't be a moment... Puts hand over reciever, radios ASIO...we have a situation here, ok copy that, just keep him on the line..

The best place to leave a bomb to create maximum damage was the liberal back bench, anything else I can help you with?
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Yeah do these pants make my wife's arse look big?
 

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My boy loves all things treasure and coins. Every time we go shopping he finds money, without fail.

I had a genius plan of getting him a metal detector for Xmas, I hid a few coins in the yard.... Perfect

By the end of Xmas day zero of my planted coins were found but he has unearthed an old hinge, 4 bolts, 3 bottle tops, a little grate, few bits of random metal and 3 coins I never even planted.

.....and my yard looks like Caddyshack post gopher.
 
So wifey set up the google home mini. It's actually pretty handy for setting a timer hands free. Current time and temperature and forecast and have even used it to find out who produced a record and the meaning of a word. Glad we kept it now.
 
Aaaaand wifey's netflix account got hacked by someone in Manila yesterday. COINCIDENCE? :think:
 
we don't watch a lot of unsolicited TV at home, most of it is either specifically streamed or taped. In fact I don't think the kids have ever seen an episode of the news or even many TV commercials at all, the only time the TV is ever on freestyle mode is when one of the grandparents is over, for some reason my old man just likes the white noise I guess.. he will sit there with abc news on while reading a book, try change the channel and he will say im watching that - but he has actually been reading the book for the whole time..

anyway my 6 yr old boy happened to walk in the room the other day as an ad break was on, the little starving African kid cliché ad - he will die, if he doesn't get fed, can you help? the dramatic music, the puppy dog eyes looking at you...we as adults have learnt its designed to tug at your strings and we have become desensitized to the whole thing, can block it out.

I didn't really think how a kid who isn't used to it would deal with it. He just stopped in his tracks - stared at it, didn't move, he said whats wrong with the little boy dad? will he really die of he doesn't get food? he was in a state of shock!

I didn't want to go all ton foil and say it might not be all as bad as that, but at the same time I would like him to know not everybody in the world has it as good or as easy as he does.. so I said yes there are a lot of people in the world not so lucky as us, they don't have food or water, get treated badly ect ect

He has been saving all his money for a lego set.. he has $9 in his money box. Just like that he said dad, I don't really need to save any more, maybe one more dollar than ill give the rest to that boy. I kind of welled up inside, it's maybe the first time ive seen a hint of non selfish behavior , or more to the point, thinking about the fortunes of someone who is not him. It felt like a real seminal moment in growth.

Anyhow I explained you can sponsor kids and help them but you have to keep helping with your own money, its a big promise to make, you cant just forget in a few days and give up on him... he said he was keen.

anyway to the point.. anyone know of any reputable sponsorship mobs that don't funnel all the money into shiny glass skyscraper admin buildings or warlords coffers?
 
Howard Moon said:
we don't watch a lot of unsolicited TV at home, most of it is either specifically streamed or taped. In fact I don't think the kids have ever seen an episode of the news or even many TV commercials at all, the only time the TV is ever on freestyle mode is when one of the grandparents is over, for some reason my old man just likes the white noise I guess.. he will sit there with abc news on while reading a book, try change the channel and he will say im watching that - but he has actually been reading the book for the whole time..

anyway my 6 yr old boy happened to walk in the room the other day as an ad break was on, the little starving African kid cliché ad - he will die, if he doesn't get fed, can you help? the dramatic music, the puppy dog eyes looking at you...we as adults have learnt its designed to tug at your strings and we have become desensitized to the whole thing, can block it out.

I didn't really think how a kid who isn't used to it would deal with it. He just stopped in his tracks - stared at it, didn't move, he said whats wrong with the little boy dad? will he really die of he doesn't get food? he was in a state of shock!

I didn't want to go all ton foil and say it might not be all as bad as that, but at the same time I would like him to know not everybody in the world has it as good or as easy as he does.. so I said yes there are a lot of people in the world not so lucky as us, they don't have food or water, get treated badly ect ect

He has been saving all his money for a lego set.. he has $9 in his money box. Just like that he said dad, I don't really need to save any more, maybe one more dollar than ill give the rest to that boy. I kind of welled up inside, it's maybe the first time ive seen a hint of non selfish behavior , or more to the point, thinking about the fortunes of someone who is not him. It felt like a real seminal moment in growth.

Anyhow I explained you can sponsor kids and help them but you have to keep helping with your own money, its a big promise to make, you cant just forget in a few days and give up on him... he said he was keen.

anyway to the point.. anyone know of any reputable sponsorship mobs that don't funnel all the money into shiny glass skyscraper admin buildings or warlords coffers?
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Aww, you’ve raised a nice kid!
All I keep hearing recently is that most charities are a massive rort, so I’m probably not one to ask.
Though I was kinda shocked the other day when I heard an ad on the radio where you can sponsor an Australian kid below the poverty line. Wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I suppose charity should start at home.
I think it was the Smith Family.
 
TheBrightSide said:
Aww, you’ve raised a nice kid!
All I keep hearing recently is that most charities are a massive rort, so I’m probably not one to ask.
Though I was kinda shocked the other day when I heard an ad on the radio where you can sponsor an Australian kid below the poverty line. Wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I suppose charity should start at home.
I think it was the Smith Family.
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I actually mentioned that to me lady, the cycle has turned when you can now sponsor an Australian child!

I was reading about live aid the other week how it probably set back the plight of Ethiopia a few decades..

To begin with it was the first time the images of starving kids, drought and Africa were synonymous - it created a stereotype that still exists today, but in effect a lot of Africa is green and lush... It mentioned that the plight of Ethiopia at the time was more to do with the regime it was under than any drought, which had been a cycle in the region for hundreds of years anyway.

It pretty much went on to detail that the famine was being caused by the regime in charge for whatever reason and they were withholding aid/water, ect to the affected peoples. Geldof and co chose to ignore this, later on the moneys raised, aka aid, went straight into the hands of the regime who sold it for weapons to make matter worse.

Lastly since then Ethiopia has become dependent on aid, they don't have the skills/desire to forge ahead with any meaningful plan, instead becoming reliaint on the handouts - anyhow, theres plenty of reading out there, I probably botched it.
 
Howard Moon said:
I actually mentioned that to me lady, the cycle has turned when you can now sponsor an Australian child!

I was reading about live aid the other week how it probably set back the plight of Ethiopia a few decades..

To begin with it was the first time the images of starving kids, drought and Africa were synonymous - it created a stereotype that still exists today, but in effect a lot of Africa is green and lush... It mentioned that the plight of Ethiopia at the time was more to do with the regime it was under than any drought, which had been a cycle in the region for hundreds of years anyway.

It pretty much went on to detail that the famine was being caused by the regime in charge for whatever reason and they were withholding aid/water, ect to the affected peoples. Geldof and co chose to ignore this, later on the moneys raised, aka aid, went straight into the hands of the regime who sold it for weapons to make matter worse.

Lastly since then Ethiopia has become dependent on aid, they don't have the skills/desire to forge ahead with any meaningful plan, instead becoming reliaint on the handouts - anyhow, theres plenty of reading out there, I probably botched it.
Click to expand...

This is also true with a lot of foreign aid, not just charities. One example that sticks in my mind is that of a village in which there were many locals making and selling mosquito nets. In comes foreign aid to dump a whole swathe of mosquito nets in the name of conquering malaria, lo and behold the net makers are now out of work and struggling to make a living.

As for your earlier question, Compassion does good work, and is transparent about how their sponsorship donations are used. They were among the top 5 fundraising charities in Australia in 2014, which was the last time any kind of ranking like that was done that I can find (World Vision was number one by a long way at the time, followed by the Salvos). Compassion International is very highly rated, and this study (which gives a good summary of how their sponsorship program works, starting on page 9) found that their sponsorship program had positive outcomes for completion of education, and believed it was linked to their focus on giving children hope and raising their self-esteem, along with their physical needs - this differs their sponsorship programs from those of other charities. Full notice, they are openly a Christian organisation.
 
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Raper is a pretty unfortunate surname. Think I would seriously consider changing it if it was mine.
 
Howard Moon said:
#TenYearChallenge

Training a facial recognition algorithm to be able to work with old photos to recognise people in current situations. If you have to ask if that's a bad thing you're clearly not paying attention to China.

#tinfoil
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I don’t buy that. These social media sites already have both sets of photos...
 
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