Besides, that was before the birth of Siri.
Siri is a personal assistant application for the newest iPhone that allows you to not only talk into your phone, but talk with it.
Being able to talk to a phone isn’t actually new. Even my aged two-year-old BlackBerry has a voice command option, although I’ve never figured out how to use it. The first time I tried, I said, “Please call my wife.” The voice responded, “Did you say, ‘Cheese ball your knife?’ ”
Siri reportedly is a great deal more advanced.
Ask it a silly question, like the Abbott and Costello line, “Who’s on first?” and a synthesized feminine voice will playfully respond, “Yes.”
Ask it a serious question: “What’s the meaning of life?” The voice will answer: “Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in and try to live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”
But Siri is more than just a 4G Oprah Winfrey. She also can manage your life.
Tell her to remind you about the dinner party at the Thompson’s and she will. Unfortunately, you can’t tell her to call the Thompsons and make up some excuse for not coming.
If you can’t get out of the dinner party, she can give you directions to the Thomson’s house. I don’t know if the directions would be the same as the directions the voice on my GPS would give me. But it they weren’t, I suppose I could toss both of them into the backseat and let them argue about it.
As someone who still can’t figure out how to operate his toaster oven, all of this sounds amazing, if somewhat spooky. I keep hearing the theme from “2001: A Space Odyssey.”
And Siri is expected to eventually get even smarter.
So maybe I’ll just wait to buy my phone until I can tell it:
“Siri, write my column for me and call when you’re finished. I’ll be at the Thompson’s.”
Contact D.L. Stewart at dlstew_2000@yahoo.com.
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