Smart (Aleck) Phones

Hello folks, let’s chat…~smile~ Are y’all familiar with Siri, that personal assistant for your smart phone? I can’t get Siri until I update my phone, but I’m not so convinced we’d hit it off, anyway. Oh, I’ve seen the commercials. Siri lets you send messages, schedule meetings, book flights, ask for directions, order pizza, etc., simply by talking naturally. Siri is said to understand and even talk back to you. I’ll say! Word has it she can be a bit persnickety.

My friend Tina has a nine-year-old named Savannah whose syllables runneth over, even for a southerner. The other day Savannah and Siri were having communication problems when Savannah returned the phone to her Mama in frustration. “Here,” she said. “Your phone is stupid.” Imagine their surprise when Siri retorted, “Well, everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion.” I don’t care who you are, that’s unnerving.

They say Siri will address you by name and she’s smart enough to use context clues. Again, this may not be entirely true. Another friend, a high school basketball coach, was in a strange city when a warning light came on in her vehicle. It was early in her and Siri’s relationship but Darlene figured why not. “Siri,” she said into the phone, “Can you give me directions to the nearest Toyota?”

Siri responded smugly. “I’m sorry, Coach. I can’t give you driving directions in Japan.” Whatever, Siri, nobody likes a smart-aleck.

I’m told Darlene should’ve just stayed with it because Siri is proactive and she’ll continue to question you until she finds what she’s looking for. Please, I’ve got Mama for that. For now, I’ll let Siri go to those who truly need her. Case in point, just recently in Uganda, where they are fighting an outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus, a man broke INTO the isolation ward at a hospital to steal a victim’s cell-phone. He’s supposed to go to jail—if he survives. He’s being treated at the same hospital.

Don’t judge him folks. You’re looking at one fellow who clearly needed a smart phone.

Hugs,
Shellie