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Siri Is An Odd Lady

    Hey, everyone. On Friday, I updated my I-Pad 3 to IOS 6, which of course enabled Siri on that device. I had wanted to try out the personal, computerized voice person for many months. I started out asking her several things which I considered simple. She responded well.
"Siri, how did the Braves do?"
"They won against the Marlins, 4 to 3, on Wednesday night."
"Siri, who's on Monday Night Football?"
"Green Bay and Seattle, at 8:30 PM."
     I thought that Siri was really cool. How she can talk to Cupertino and get back to me that fast is amazing. Later, my wife wanted to try out the Siri phenomenon.
"Siri, I want to see the books by CE Wills." To our surprise, Siri mentioned the name of a bookstore in Spain and provided a detailed map of how to get there.
"Siri, who is CE Wills?" I asked the device. Her response was cryptic, at best. Insulting, perhaps.
"You can't read a book if you're  inside a dog, because it is too dark in there."
My wife and I were laughing uproariously. Then my wife told Siri, "I'll talk to you again when you get smarter."
Siri replied, "Really?"
    So, I think that the disembodied voice person needs a bit more work. But hey, I'm far from perfect myself.
    Today, we went out to eat at a buffet and I ate a ridiculous amount of food. While we were out, we decided to go  and take a look at the new I-Phone 5. We went to a Verizon store and looked at them. They had sold out of the new ones, but I hadn't really intended to buy one anyway.
    As much as I use I-Pads and I-Pods, even writing about I-Pad apps and games, it has amused me that I have never bought an I-Phone. I never wanted yet another monthly bill for a data plan, so we had the bare bones cell phones. But, while we were in the store today, I decided to get the I-Phone 4S, since it was on sale for a cool $99. I have been messing around with it for much of the evening and I like it very much. Being able to do such simple things as checking e-mails and blogging with my phone should be a big help to me. Since it so closely resembles an I-Pad in its operation, I can even text now, all by myself. I know, how lame is that? My first text, at 60 years of age. Ha, ha.
      While I was putting IOS 6 on the new phones, (my wife got one too) our internet service(Wild Blue) emailed me that I had reached my limit on usage for the month. Man, this company is irritating. The service is bad. When it rains, you don't have internet. It is very expensive. Then they limit you on the amount of stuff you download. If you have any choice at all, don't use them. No wonder they make you sign up for two years. Out here in the boondocks, you take what you have to, I guess.
    Before I forget, I'd like to thank a very nice lady named Karyn for helping us with the phones today. She must have the patience of a saint, walking old people into the current century.
     Speaking of nice ladies,I am working with a lady to have some of my ebook covers redone. She is doing a phenomenal job and when I put them on the books, I'll give you the name of her service, since I know that a lot of writers read the blog.
    For those of you who updated your I-Pad and wonder why Siri won't chat with you, do this. Go to settings, general, Siri, then toggle her 'on'. Then, be sure to hold your action button (bottom, middle of the screen) when you talk to her. After this, you can rest assured, in the knowledge that "You can't read if you're inside a dog, because it is too dark in there".
    From the author's green retreat, I'm CE Wills.
    

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